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We've just moved to the US from Australia and are considering buying a single family home around the low $1m's price mark. We very much like Larchmont and are looking in this area, although the housing stock seems a little limited currently. I also appreciate that Spring is usually the busier time of the year.
Another area we have started looking at is the Rye Neck as it appears that perhaps you can get slightly more for your money? We would appreciate any views on how this area compares vs Larchmont in terms of school quality, activities for children, community feel, safety etc. Or anything else you think we should be aware of around that area?
Also just wondering why there is such a price discrepancy if you live in Shore Acres vs say around Florence Street Park just north of Boston Post Rd given it's the same school district?
Rye Neck and Mamaroneck/Larchmont schools are very comparable, but Rye Neck is a MUCH smaller district, so the number of children per grade is far more limited. Pro's and con's to this and FWIW my wife and I chose Larchmont because we preferred a larger district.
Another issue is that a lot of homes in Rye Neck seemed to be in flood zones, which requires expensive flood insurance. Plenty of homes in Larchmont also require such insurance, but it seems to be more rare.
We've just moved to the US from Australia and are considering buying a single family home around the low $1m's price mark. We very much like Larchmont and are looking in this area, although the housing stock seems a little limited currently. I also appreciate that Spring is usually the busier time of the year.
Another area we have started looking at is the Rye Neck as it appears that perhaps you can get slightly more for your money? We would appreciate any views on how this area compares vs Larchmont in terms of school quality, activities for children, community feel, safety etc. Or anything else you think we should be aware of around that area?
Also just wondering why there is such a price discrepancy if you live in Shore Acres vs say around Florence Street Park just north of Boston Post Rd given it's the same school district?
Thanks in advance for your advice.
Shore Acres is closer to the sound with larger lot sizes and less busy, and has more mature trees on the streets. hence the prices tend to be higher (and the houses are often larger). No real difference other than that.
The Rye Neck community is very safe. If you want to compare the schools there are many sites that compare them (Larchmont is in the Mamaroneck school district so you need to compare Mamaroneck and Rye Neck districts), but the differences are mostly minimal. As has been pointed out, the Rye Neck district is much smaller than Mamaroneck/Larchmont - for example the high school is about 1/3rd the size. People have different preferences regarding high school size. There is a lot of community feel due to shared events, parades, street parties, sports leagues etc. But as with moving anywhere, to get in to the community you have to put yourself out there in the first year or so - often easier to do when you have kids as an excuse.
Both school districts seem to have a lot of expats kids for sure.
I live in the Rye Neck school district. I have a son who is going into first grade. If you have any questions, please ask. I was extremely happy with my sons first year.
Shore Acres section is close to the sound, has its own beach/pool/boating club. Houses tend to sell for over a million in that area. The section near Florence houses tend to sell between 650-900 (I would estimate). Florence itself is a busy street. We love the area. There are many village activities that my kids enjoy.
In my experience, wherever you live you will still find yourself traveling back and forth in the "corridor" between Larchmont and Rye. Music lessons in Larchmont, taekwondo in Harrison, swimming in Rye... etc. You can't go wrong with either school district, so it should depend on the house and the neighborhood really, and your preference for a larger or smaller school district. Larchmont is very walkable (sidewalks!) which a lot of people like. Rye Neck is between Mamaroneck and Rye (duh) and convenient to either but generally less walkable. There are tons of expats in this area, and tons of community events and activities for kids. You will be fine in either area!
Thank you all for providing the reassuring feedback which is helpful. Your comment regarding traveling the 'corridor' resonate with what we've heard from other people.
We went to see a property today on Soundview Ave in Shores Acres. It was great except once we stepped into the garden, we were literally covered by mosquitos within seconds, never quite experienced anything else it. Just to put it in perspective, I was outside for about 2 mins and was bitten 5-6 times and had maybe 2 dozen mosquitos on me. The property was backing onto the creek that overlooks the sound. Just wondering whether this is simply to be expected if you are close to the creek with still water or whether this is just the time of the year. Of course the agent said is was just during August and it is a lot better but I'm not convinced. Surely everyone that lives along there can't be putting up with that? I assume you can probably spray something to deter them but wonder how effective that would be. Has anyone else experienced anything else this?
Mosquitoes are an enormous problem in some parts of Rye Neck, and ditto for Larchmont. We lived in White Plains for 8 years and never had a problem, and almost immediately upon moving to the Sound Shore we noticed a huge uptick in mosquito bites. Some people pay to have their backyards sprayed, with varying success.
Our backyard (we're in Orienta in Mamaroneck) was unusable until we started spraying with Mosquito Squad. I think it's just the area. Lots of water around. The spraying works really well for the most part, although last year it didn't for some reason. People in Harrison and New Rochelle said the same thing about last summer. Not sure why. This year is much better.
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