Moving to W'Chester: River towns vs. East Westchester

[havoc315]

In most of Westchester, you can rule out a house, except for fixer-uppers in bad neighborhoods.

But you likely can find an apartment-style condo, or possible a small townhouse-style condo for that price range.

Originally Posted by Hafen

Don't laugh....we live in St. Louis, Clayton to nbe exact for those who may nbe familiar....considering retirement, familiar with Manhattan, Westchester (been there 25+ times for NON-business); considering a move east, but want small town/village, walk here and there, character, 1-2 hours to Manhattam/Providence; here's where not to laugh......we plan to keep our primary home, and want to limit this New York purchase to $300k-$350lk, including indoor plumbing....any decent chance for small house or condo?

[quelinda]

Originally Posted by Viralmd

Since the OP posted this almost a year ago, I think it's a moot point now.

Not really. The beauty of a message board is that the question or comment usually applies to hundreds of other viewers months and even years after the OP.

[jeebs3000]

Not really. The beauty of a message board is that the question or comment usually applies to hundreds of other viewers months and even years after the OP.

I totally agree.

[ponytrekker]

Originally Posted by CPrunner

Hello everyone!

We (husband & I, living & working in Manhattan) and our 9 mo old need to leave our apartment by October of this year. We were looking to buy a brownstone in Brooklyn, but have been quite disappointed by the high prices and crappy state of most houses. We are now changing our focus to Westchester.

We are rather new to this area (so far have visited Irvington, Scarsdale and Larchmont) and would love advice on where to start. Here is what we are looking for:

A welcoming and liberal/tolerant/somewhat diverse community. We love the arts, music (we both play jazz), and good food, so any community that has such amenities would get a +++. We're european, (naturally) liberal, agnostic/humanists, and would love to live in a place where we can hang our laundry and ask the neighbor over for a glass of wine.

Walk to station and village/town. We will commute to Grand Central most days of the week and would prefer to walk/bike to the station (though we expect to get a car). Frequency of trains to the city is an item. Being able to walk to a deli/market, coffee shop, restaurant would be great.

Schools. Even though our son is not yet 1 year old, we plan to have more kids and have them attend the local public school. Less interested in test scores than the quality of teaching and teachers. Thinking of preschools too. Montessori would be great (I think there are only 2 in W'chester - Dobbs and Scarsdale).

Outdoors/running/hiking possibilities. My husband & I are both runners and cyclists and a place with running trails/paths and easy biking would be a huge plus. Preferably without having to take the car to get to the trail We've hiked the Croton Aquaduct and it's perfect. Might be a reason to go for the westside vs. Scarsdale etc.

We are looking for a house with some character and some land (0.5 acre or more). Can spend up to 2M. We're also considering to rent for a while (but I've read other posts and understand that's a challenge).

Thanks a million for your thoughts/comments/advice!

River towns. You'll find the communities more consistent with your ideals. Won't find a half acre but you could buy a nice house with a river view that is breathtaking.

I lived in Hastings for a while but couldn't fine something in my more modest price range that wasn't like the Munsters house. The thing I miss most is running to and on the Croton Aqueduct.

Diverse community with numerous people who make a living from the arts. You won't find that in Larchmont. Area is fairly walkable and most necessary shopping is close to town.