Nervous about Scarsdale! Rental advice? (Rye, Chappaqua: fit in, rentals, house)

[novavilla]

Hello!

We are a couple with two young boys (5 and 1) who may be relocating to Westchester County from the Main Line suburbs of Philadelphia in mid-September. I will be working in midtown Manhattan and my husband will be working from home.

We plan to rent before buying and spent last weekend touring the area and trying to determine which areas we prefer. We really liked the laid-back feel of the River Towns but the hills worry me in winter, especially in an area where I'd have to drive to the train. We loved Larchmont (seems everybody does!) but the rentals in that area seem so overpriced for what you get. Same story with Rye. We considered heading further north to places like Pleasantville or Chappaqua but ultimately decided the commute would be too long for me.

We found an amazing home for rent in Scarsdale, in the Greenacres neighborhood, which is an easy hop to the train and the school. However, while my husband and I are both well-educated, intelligent, high-earning people, we don't really care whether our children attend Harvard or Villanova or Penn State and I have no interest in getting tutors for my kindergartner to position him at the top of his class. Judging from things I've read on this forum and elsewhere, I'm nervous that Scarsdale won't be for us. But surely not every person in the town is obsessed with their small children going to Ivy League schools? Or am I mistaken? Or, even worse, will I turn in to one of those parents after a few years there??

We would prefer to rent in an area we'd eventually buy in, to keep our children at the same school. Our rental budget is around $5K/month or less, and I'm guessing we would be looking to buy in 2-3 years around $900K. That budget seems low in Scarsdale. Should we be looking in other places? Or just take this rental in Scarsdale and reassess before it's time to buy?

Also, if anyone is familiar with Philadelphia's Main Line, we currently live in the Villanova/Gladywne area in the Lower Merion school district and would love to find a Westchester suburb with a similar feel.

Thank you for any advice.

[car_hill89]

As a renter, you should move to the community that has the greatest appeal to you. Housing should be secondary. Your $900K will go farther (not much, but somewhat) in Larchmont than Scarsdale, ultimately. Are there many competitive people in Scarsdale? Yes. Are there laid back people too? Yes. But the fact that you already prefer Larchmont tells me that you should focus on it.

[novavilla]

Thank you for your reply! I should qualify that we really loved Scarsdale too - the downtown was really nice and there seemed to be a ton of nice parks around the area and places our sons could ride their bikes, etc. It's mostly the reputation that has me concerned and wondering whether we'll fit in.

Also that there isn't much for rent in Larchmont that's not $5500/month for a tiny house on a tiny lot.

[ehmom]

Take the scarsdale info on these boards with a grain of salt. All of the kindergarteners there don't have tutors, believe me! There are plenty of people who aren't focused solely on getting their kid into the top ivy's and I'm sure you'll find friends in your neighborhood. You will be perfectly happy there in a rental - I would take it in a heartbeat from the description. Scarsdale has some really wonderful amenities (the town pool is awesome). You may decide in the end that it isn't the town for you long term, but you certainly won't go wrong there for a year or two while you look. There aren't enough rentals at the price point you're looking for to be incredibly choosy.