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Just to bring it back on track a bit, where in Manhattan do you work? If it's the financial district, that would weigh heavily in favor of staying as far south as possible with as short of a commute time as possible, since you'll have the extra 20-30 minutes of commute time on the 4/5/6 once you get to Grand Central.
Regarding the 'good enough downtown' and a lot of activities, there is nothing in Westchester that will come close to Manhattan or Brooklyn. It's not like moving to Pittsburgh or Seattle. It's an entirely different lifestyle and approach. Unless you find a house within a 5 minutes walk to 'downtown' Tarrytown or Pleasantville you're going to be getting in the car for just about everything.
Regarding the school district, that's a tough one. Many people just wouldn't consider a school district that doesn't have scores on Zillow of at least 7 or above. Many other people on this site insist that that those scores are irrelevant and it is what yiu make of it. Expanding your search so that it includes areas like Hartsdale, Tarrytown and White Plains which don't have good schools according to Zillow wil greatly expand the possibility of finding a home near some activities and further south.
Regarding the 'good enough downtown' and a lot of activities, there is nothing in Westchester that will come close to Manhattan or Brooklyn. It's not like moving to Pittsburgh or Seattle. It's an entirely different lifestyle and approach. Unless you find a house within a 5 minutes walk to 'downtown' Tarrytown or Pleasantville you're going to be getting in the car for just about everything.
It's certainly different than a denser parts of Brooklyn, but there are many village centers in Westchester where you can get all your staples and a range of activities without having to get in the car. Bronxville, Pelham, Scarsdale, Hastings, Dobbs, Mamaroneck, Larchmont, etc. all have a variety of shops and restaurants near the train station. Sometimes grocery is a little farther walk, but many have it within a few blocks of the station.
You'll likely want to have access to a car for large store shopping trips, but you don't need to be getting into the car all the time if you choose to live within walking distance of many downtown train stations.
I'm not 100% sure but I know that Biden wants to have more affordable housing. How much of that will be built in Westchester is up in the air.
I think what really matters is 1) will we enter a recession if Biden wins? That could even happen if Trump wins. A recession would clearly be bad for the economy and housing prices. 2) Will there be a COVID-19 vaccine? That would be great for the economy. Will housing prices normalize? That also depends if there is a continued push towards the suburbs if people are allowed more flexible work from home arrangments.
I'm not 100% sure but I know that Biden wants to have more affordable housing. How much of that will be built in Westchester is up in the air.
I am so against affordable housing. In Westchester means apartment building in the middle of suburbs of single family houses. I am not interested in more traffic or increase density or less open space.
He sure did. And then kindly removed our RE taxes deduction. And state and city deduction.
This was a republican tax plan. All you think about is getting your rebate. I'm not for it myself but then if you dig into what the reason it is about Fed vs States. Answer this, how can the states just keep upping the property and local axes and then swipe that off your Fed taxes.
If you owned the IRS $7k with your State and city taxes add up to $4k, you basically subtract that from your Fed taxes. So the IRS only got $3k from you. Then add to that everytime NY/NJ wanted more money from the Fed they want the Fed to print more money and hand it over to them as if the Federal Reserve Bank is their piggy bank.
How can we stop these democrat cities and states from constantly upping taxes and take money from the people and the Fed?
So don't just accuse the Republican tax of hitting below the belt. Ask why our state keep upping the taxes. Why can't they keep it under control like Republican states that have no state income taxes.
People are fleeing to FL, TX because they don't have state income taxes and they don't have the GDP like NY and CA then why taxes are so high here?
The answer is how can we get rid of so many social welfare. Without social welfare the democrats won't be able to stay in power. When are people here gonna wake up and just say enough is enough with the spending on pork and useless programs that only adds to the problem than fix.
Does bail reform fix anything? Haven't we learned anything that liberal policies are nothing but leech money from taxpayers. I'm not even a conservative but I see no value to social support programs that help maintain the status quo or make things even worse than it's intention.
Hi Everyone! I have been reading this forum for a while and it has been really informative.
I have just moved with my family to NY for work.
Thanks in advance for your patience in answering yet another newbie.
I think one thing that surprises parents is the lack of before school and after care. If you leave at 7:00 am for work, you'll need someone to help your kids on their school bus between 7 and 8 am.
Unless your kids are old enough to come home after school by themselves, that will be an issue.
BTW, most teenagers are more likely to get into drugs, alcohol and sex between 3 and 7 pm when their parents are working. Regardless of the town, there are drugs all over Westchester.
There are also holidays where schools are closed, but not businesses. You'll need daycare on those days.
Then be careful of distance. When my son was vomiting, his White Plains school nurse really wanted him out! I didn't blame her, but Yorktown to White Plains is a 30 minute drive. If something happens, you need to be in close range for emergencies.
All this extra care costs money. Even if the town provides before and after school care, it will cost you.
It's certainly different than a denser parts of Brooklyn, but there are many village centers in Westchester where you can get all your staples and a range of activities without having to get in the car. Bronxville, Pelham, Scarsdale, Hastings, Dobbs, Mamaroneck, Larchmont, etc. all have a variety of shops and restaurants near the train station. Sometimes grocery is a little farther walk, but many have it within a few blocks of the station.
You'll likely want to have access to a car for large store shopping trips, but you don't need to be getting into the car all the time if you choose to live within walking distance of many downtown train stations.
I hear you. I think it depends on what the OP meant by a downtown that's "good enough". Good enough to pick up a bottle of wine and maybe some other staples, IF you happen to move within a very specific, limited area that's within reasonable walking distance? Yes, that's absolutely possible. But I think many city dwellers have this idea that a place like Hastings is just a smaller version of Brooklyn, with a good selection of hip eateries, bars and other shopping all within a vibrant downtown. And the reality is there's nothing at all like that up here. Obviously you get a lot of other things in return...
I am so against affordable housing. In Westchester means apartment building in the middle of suburbs of single family houses. I am not interested in more traffic or increase density or less open space.
For the most part, I am as well. There was a big push to have one built in Scarsdale to replace the existing parking garage structure. There have also been ones talked about being built all over Westchester, usually with Avalon (the worst management company) as the building operator.
However, some towns/school districts, it might make sense.
There are homes in Fleetwood in your price range, but the kids will have to go to private schools. Short commute also, and the 'downtown' is very nice with lots of shops and restaurants. Train is nearby.
The market is nuts right now, you'd be much better off to rent for a year until this craziness subsides. Your $800k will probably only buy what $700k would have bought last year. Unfortunately the rentals are going to be more expensive and harder to find too, but that's just what it is right now.
Another option to consider is NJ. You'll get more house for the money there. If you're open to a 35-40 minute train commute you can buy a lot of house in an amazing school district for less than $800k. For reference I lived in a town called Metuchen that had a 40min express train and a 4 bedroom house walking distance to the train was only around $500k. Summit NJ also beautiful, with similar train. These are both more suburban towns with little downtowns; you can also get more of a Brooklyn feel closer to the city in towns like Rutherford, where the schools are still good but the houses are even cheaper, and the commute can be under 20 minutes depending on the mode and time of day.
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