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My husband and I have struggled with this decision for a while and would appreciate any advice and insight. We both work in lower Westchester, have a 2.5 yr old daughter and want to purchase a home. We can either afford a condo/co-op in lower Westchester or a house if we move to upper Westchester. Our budget is $450k, clearly not enough for a decent house in lower Westchester. We are torn because we really desire a house with a yard, but everything we love is in lower Westchester. The areas we love most are Mamaroneck, Larchmont and Rye, but can only afford to move into a co-op in these areas. We are currently renting on Garth Rd in Scarsdale and love the walk-ability of the area, but still go to the shore towns almost every weekend, particularly Manor Park in Larchmont (our daughter asks to go to the park with the boats). School district is also a deciding factor as well. Our daughter loves the outdoors (as do we), so we know she would love a yard to run in, hence why we are torn. Is it better to sacrifice a house and yard for your desired area?
If you prefer Larchmont/Mamaroneck and can live in an apartment, I would look to the area that you love because any compromise will seem insignificant to live where you are most at home. Because the area you are considering has comprehensive parks and recreation, you may not miss a yard, especially with a short commute to work.
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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)
I'm not sure I'd quite call upper Westchester "upstate". Most nowadays consider it to be north of Putnam and Orange Counties, though others would count those 2 as "upstate".
Our daughter loves the outdoors (as do we), so we know she would love a yard to run in, hence why we are torn. Is it better to sacrifice a house and yard for your desired area?
Most people of moderate means sacrifice one thing for another. Some people choose to have a smaller house in exchange for a faster commute, or vice versa.
With that said, from your post, you can probably find most of what you want in northern Westchester and the schools are good as well. There are also many parks and amenities for kids.
Our daughter loves the outdoors (as do we), so we know she would love a yard to run in, hence why we are torn. Is it better to sacrifice a house and yard for your desired area?
I've found that as my kids get older, having a big yard to run in is less important - they're in school and they have the stamina to walk/ride to the park, where there are other kids to play with. We have a very small backyard and find we barely use it. The kids all play in the street/front yards and at the park and school playground.
You can only do what you can do. Living in a small apartment in a great walkable area, with lots of kids and parks, good schools and a nice commute for you, getting home in time for dinner - that sounds like a pretty terrific life! Be careful of maintenance/taxes when you're house hunting and don't worry too much about keeping up with the Joneses. There are lots of people trading home size for convenience. Best of luck to you.
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