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Married 30 year old with a 1 year old son and a wife a couple years younger than me. We currently have a steal of an apartment in Harlem (garden of a Brownstone, all utilities included 1 BR for 2k). The issue with it is that as our son gets older, I know it will get small quick, forget about it if we have another kid. So with that, I am looking into our options out of the city.
Here are the money bits for our family. I am the primary provider, and I make 125k a year. My wife owns a photography business and sells on Etsy. I would expect her income to be around 500 a month. My credit score is over 800 and we have no outstanding debt at all. I am thinking that I would want to spend no more than $350k on a place because I like to buy toys when I want them.
Requirements for new place
3 Bedrooms minimum (or 4 that I can convert one to office)
2 bathrooms
Preferably house (not scared of a small fixer, but prefer turn key) or really nice apartment building
Close to a public park (or some backyard) of some sort and shops/grocery (rather not own a car, but I know that is unlikely)
Less than 1 hour to Times Square, I work from home, but will need to be in the office few times a week max
Good schools obviously (no redzones) public preferred but open to private
Local pool or easy trip to beach of some sort
Right off the back I have looked at Yonkers and most of the other towns on the Metro North and think what I am looking for is doable there, but some advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated. I can answer more questions if needed.
Married 30 year old with a 1 year old son and a wife a couple years younger than me. We currently have a steal of an apartment in Harlem (garden of a Brownstone, all utilities included 1 BR for 2k). The issue with it is that as our son gets older, I know it will get small quick, forget about it if we have another kid. So with that, I am looking into our options out of the city.
Here are the money bits for our family. I am the primary provider, and I make 125k a year. My wife owns a photography business and sells on Etsy. I would expect her income to be around 500 a month. My credit score is over 800 and we have no outstanding debt at all. I am thinking that I would want to spend no more than $350k on a place because I like to buy toys when I want them.
Requirements for new place
3 Bedrooms minimum (or 4 that I can convert one to office)
2 bathrooms
Preferably house (not scared of a small fixer, but prefer turn key) or really nice apartment building
Close to a public park (or some backyard) of some sort and shops/grocery (rather not own a car, but I know that is unlikely)
Less than 1 hour to Times Square, I work from home, but will need to be in the office few times a week max
Good schools obviously (no redzones) public preferred but open to private
Local pool or easy trip to beach of some sort
Right off the back I have looked at Yonkers and most of the other towns on the Metro North and think what I am looking for is doable there, but some advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated. I can answer more questions if needed.
Look for best school district. Location, location, location.
I'd stay away from Yonkers and Mount Vernon - other than that you can get a small place with a varying degrees of "good" schools in most spots in Westchester. I'd stick with areas that have good public schools too - why pay 10k+ in taxes and then also have to shell out for private school. Plus it ups your resale value if the public schools are good.
I'd stay away from Yonkers and Mount Vernon - other than that you can get a small place with a varying degrees of "good" schools in most spots in Westchester. I'd stick with areas that have good public schools too - why pay 10k+ in taxes and then also have to shell out for private school. Plus it ups your resale value if the public schools are good.
Married 30 year old with a 1 year old son and a wife a couple years younger than me. We currently have a steal of an apartment in Harlem (garden of a Brownstone, all utilities included 1 BR for 2k). The issue with it is that as our son gets older, I know it will get small quick, forget about it if we have another kid. So with that, I am looking into our options out of the city.
Here are the money bits for our family. I am the primary provider, and I make 125k a year. My wife owns a photography business and sells on Etsy. I would expect her income to be around 500 a month. My credit score is over 800 and we have no outstanding debt at all. I am thinking that I would want to spend no more than $350k on a place because I like to buy toys when I want them.
Requirements for new place
3 Bedrooms minimum (or 4 that I can convert one to office)
2 bathrooms
Preferably house (not scared of a small fixer, but prefer turn key) or really nice apartment building
Close to a public park (or some backyard) of some sort and shops/grocery (rather not own a car, but I know that is unlikely)
Less than 1 hour to Times Square, I work from home, but will need to be in the office few times a week max
Good schools obviously (no redzones) public preferred but open to private
Local pool or easy trip to beach of some sort
Right off the back I have looked at Yonkers and most of the other towns on the Metro North and think what I am looking for is doable there, but some advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated. I can answer more questions if needed.
Look north. Croton, Cortlandt Manor, Somers, Yorktown. These areas will give you a lot of house for your money, but will require a car. $350 is on the low end for anything south of Ossining. Best of luck to you.
Your budget will make it hard, especially this time of year. There aren't as many listings now as there are in the spring/summer. Looking at the listings now, it looks like you'd have to go up to Yorktown Heights to get what you want.
I'd say watch the real estate websites and see what's coming out. It may be possible to get a house in White Plains, Valhalla, Hawthorne or Ardsley if you don't mind a very small yard.
I don't know much about condos/townhomes but they may be a better option for you to get what you want in your price range. Maybe someone here has a better insight into that.
As far as schools, if you google "westchester schol rankings 2015" you can find a graph of all the westchester high schools and their rankings/test scores/graduation rates to give you a better idea of how good each district is.
I wish you lots of luck!
You are currently living on 2k a month for apartment/utilities. A home will be close to 3k just on mortgage, taxes and insurance. Now add in utilities. Also, add in things like daycare and things start getting expensive. Even if you have a stay at home mom, I recommend day care a few hours a week. At this price range, you will need to budget for repairs as well.
Also, one hour to times square, does that mean from train station to Grand central or from door to door?
I suggest you work the numbers and come back with the max property taxes you want to pay. Or pick the furthest house you are willing to travel and work those numbers to see if you still feel comfortable. Good luck.
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