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I am looking into Westchester County suburbs because I expect at some point in the next couple of years to be relocating out to the suburbs. My main criteria are excellent public high schools and a short commute into Manhattan. There are the "usual suspects" of Bronxville, Scarsdale, Rye, Larchmont, Mamaroneck. However my interest was also piqued by Irvington, Hastings-on-the-Hudson and Ardsley (I know it is technically not a rivertown). They all seem to meet my criteria and don't have as high home values as some of the "usual suspects". However I noticed that Hastings-on-the-Hudson seems to have a much higher crime rate due mainly to a large number of Assaults relative to other places. Why is that? Also how do folks in Ardsley commute into Manhattan? Do they take the Dobb's Ferry or Hartsdale Metro North stops? How long does it take to drive to those stops and is parking a car by the train stop as big an issue as in some other Westchester suburbs?
That is strange about the crime rate. I wonder where all of these assaults are taking place.
The big thing that jumps out about the River Towns are their appallingly high taxes. Expect to pay $5,000 more for comparable property than you would along the sound shore. I'm still not entirely certain of what it is that makes it so much more expensive to be there than, say, Pelham, Eastchester, or Mamaroneck; Harrison has a lot of corporate investment, and that may be part of it.
Arsdley commuters either drive the entire distance or go to Dobbs or Hastings to park; but there are long waiting lists for parking in these places. It is not convenient to the train.
That is strange about the crime rate. I wonder where all of these assaults are taking place.
The big thing that jumps out about the River Towns are their appallingly high taxes. Expect to pay $5,000 more for comparable property than you would along the sound shore. I'm still not entirely certain of what it is that makes it so much more expensive to be there than, say, Pelham, Eastchester, or Mamaroneck; Harrison has a lot of corporate investment, and that may be part of it.
Arsdley commuters either drive the entire distance or go to Dobbs or Hastings to park; but there are long waiting lists for parking in these places. It is not convenient to the train.
There were 20 Assaults, 14 Burglaries, and 120 Property Crimes for a population of 8,000. Irvington has a population of 7,000 and only had 1 Assault, 8 Burglaries, and 20 Property Crimes (these are 2006 FBI uniform crime statistics according to the website). Westchester Magazine translated that into a safety rating of 5 on a 1-10 scale, while most of the "usual suspects" are a 1 or 2.
How does one go about figuring property taxes as a % of home value? Is there a rough rule of thumb for the different groups of Westchester towns? Judging by listings it seems to be between 2 to 3% of home value, but that is a pretty wide $ range at the home prices that exist in the desirable neighborhoods.
Other than getting a spouse to drop one of at the station, are there reliable and punctual taxi services available at Ardsley? I am interested in learning more about this town because despite lower household incomes and lower home prices, the SAT scores for their high school (~1790) is above many other affluent communities (e.g. Mamaroneck/Larchmont 1760 and Rye at 1680). It seems like that might lend itself more to down-to-earth residents in a community that does not compromise on educational excellence. One of the things I dread the most about a move to the suburbs is a materialistic and snooty culture. I will suck it up if that is the cost of access to excellent public schools, but it would be ideal if that tradeoff did not exist.
I just randomly picked a RE listing in Pelham for a house that is listed at roughly what my house in Irvington would be listed at.
I also looked , through Zillow, at some of the surrounding houses that looked comparable to my house. It looks as though all of them had huge tax increases in 2009 over 2008. There must have been some sort of reassessment. Every single one of them has higher taxes than I pay in Irvington, which are, IMO, pretty high.
As far as trains go, Ardsley people either have to go to Scarsdale, Hartsdale, or Dobbs to get the train. Addressing the assaults in Hastings, I have no idea, but I've spent lots of time there and have never felt unsafe in any way.
I just randomly picked a RE listing in Pelham for a house that is listed at roughly what my house in Irvington would be listed at.
I also looked , through Zillow, at some of the surrounding houses that looked comparable to my house. It looks as though all of them had huge tax increases in 2009 over 2008. There must have been some sort of reassessment. Every single one of them has higher taxes than I pay in Irvington, which are, IMO, pretty high.
What is the commute within Irvington to the two Metro North stops like? Can new residents expect to get parking near the stops in a reasonable time frame? Are there homes that are walkable to the stops?
Thanks!
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