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Flooding is a broad issue everywhere in southern westchester; you will have to look block by block and see if the specific location of the house is flood prone (in addition to studying the flood maps). When I was doing house hunting, I initially thought Crestwood would be flood prone bacause of its proximity to the river. But when I visited, I realized that parts of it were actually in high ground. This is different though with house-specific features that would make it suceptible to flooding.
Whoops - one more question. I've heard rumors of flooding being an issue in Larchmont and/or Mamaroneck. Can anyone speak to this issue?
Again, thank you all for your information - you've really eased my mind.
In Mamaroneck, with the lay of the land and the way the town was developed, river flooding is an issue within approximately a block to a block and a half of some portions of the Mamaroneck and Sheldrake rivers, and also in the area called the flats. The houses are generally priced lower, and they are unlikely to be the homes you're looking at. As for waterfront properties with hurricane surge possibilities, those houses are priced above your stated price.
It is a house by house issue. Just try to make sure you are on high ground and it shouldn't be an issue. With that said, since we are close to water and have a lot of rock, a true dry and finishable basement is rare in Larchmont.
Rentals will fly on in June when kids are finishing school, but you really need a realtor as almost all go through the MLS, not Craigslist or the like. An average 3BR will run about $4-5K depending.
As for schools, I did not tour them. It would be like splitting the most minute of hairs. I have friends in both schools and truly there is no difference between the two, except traffic is worse for Murray and as a result they have parent volunteers to get the kids in the door.
With many houses that are older, be sure to have the basement evaluated by a waterproofing specialist prior to purchase. It will give you peace of mind as to current conditions, as well as any necessary remediation. Given the topography of Sound Shore Westchester, I would recommend the expense of an evaluation, unless the seller has warranted waterproofing that is transferable and was completed in the last few years. It is not uncommon for one house to have a dry basement, and the neighbor's routinely floods in many areas, but this can be a problem with older houses in Lower Westchester.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
Well there is no water front in Scarsdale unless you count creeks and ponds. Larchmont sounds like a perfect choice. So many beautiful homes to choose from now. I recently even saw a waterfront home for under 1mil. Great time to move out east!
The trouble we found with Larchmont is that yes, it is quite lovely but you have to make some trade-offs (that we weren't willing to make - we'll be moving to Mamaroneck soon!). We found that for an astounding amount of money you can get a small, old, house on a teeny-tiny lot. If walkability is paramount for you then I'm sure you can find something that might be suitable with your budget, but with Larchmont we felt that we had to give up too much. It will be up to you to decide if you can find an acceptable house in the desired area.
Yes, streetsmart.....we are worried that at our price point we just won't find anything livable. Oddly, we found at the 750K-800K mark that Scarsdale had more to offer. We liked the Edgewood neighborhood, but honestly I've just read and heard way too much about super-competitive and snobby attitudes in that area to commit (ie kids in Scarsdale call Edgewood "the hood"??!? Yikes.) Therefore: Larchmont, which everyone seems to agree is great! Walkability is important, yes, of utmost importance is that our kids are challenged and happy in school without being put through a social meatgrinder. Other than Mamaroneck, where else should we look if we're simply priced out of Larchmont altogether but want a similar, somewhat-lowkey culture? Pelham?
Yes, Pelham is similar, though not as pricey as Larchmont for a similar house, though it's a tad more spread out between Pelham and Pelham Manor in terms of shopping and conveniences. There are still things to do in Pelham, some in walking distance, but it's not as easy to walk to dinner, the movies, and to get an ice cream in Pelham, for example, as it is in Larchmont or Bronxville.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
Yes, streetsmart.....we are worried that at our price point we just won't find anything livable. Oddly, we found at the 750K-800K mark that Scarsdale had more to offer. We liked the Edgewood neighborhood, but honestly I've just read and heard way too much about super-competitive and snobby attitudes in that area to commit (ie kids in Scarsdale call Edgewood "the hood"??!? Yikes.) Therefore: Larchmont, which everyone seems to agree is great! Walkability is important, yes, of utmost importance is that our kids are challenged and happy in school without being put through a social meatgrinder. Other than Mamaroneck, where else should we look if we're simply priced out of Larchmont altogether but want a similar, somewhat-lowkey culture? Pelham?
If you're looking for walkability and good schools, why not Pleasantville?
Their middle school math and english scores are higher than Hommocks despite their district's expenditures per student being lower. And while insurance is a house-by-house case, most likely flood insurance will be cheaper in P-ville. You can surely find good housing stock there at the 750K - 800K range.
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