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We are contemplating a move to Westchester. My perception of Scarsdale is that it is a village consisting of mostly $2 to $3 million for the wealthy and upper middle class. During our search we have discovered homes for less than $1.5 and even less than $1 million.
These are not fancy or large homes but perfectly fine for us. Is anyone familiar with Scarsdale and can speak to whether we will be “looked down” upon or wouldn’t fit in given that our home would be modest compared to others? Also any huge red flags as to why these are comparatively so “cheap” even thought they are in good condition? Are there less than desirable areas in Scarsdale?
There is "true" Scarsdale and there is also "Scarsdale PO" which is basically the nearby towns that happen to have the same zip code as Scarsdale, but is not in the same school district, but brokers will call it Scarsdale anyway to make it sound fancy. That doesn't mean those schools are bad (for instance, some of them are in Edgemont, where the schools are reportedly excellent) but do check the school district of the house before you buy it. I'm looking at zillow right now and see a bunch of houses under $1 million in Scarsdale, but most of them are actually in the Eastchester or New Rochelle school districts.
If you want a house in true Scarsdale for under 1.5 millions....if you don't mind living in a house that was built into the 1920s, and maybe needs some rennovations and probably is less than 2500 square feet and has a tiny yard, but is still safe and comfortable, then yes, those do exist, especially in the Edgewood section of Scarsdale (Note Edgewood is completely unrelated to Edgemont which I mentioned above -- Edgewood is a neighborhood in true Scarsdale, and Edgemont is the town next door). You won't get fancy amenities like heated bathroom floors, but you'll get the basics like a dishwasher and laundry -- maybe the laundry might be in your garage or an unfinished basement, though. No one will "look down" on you. Everyone is always friendly to everyone at the playground. The Edgewood section in particular has a lot of those starter homes so your house will fit in with the neighbors house and you won't feel different. But right now most houses here are selling quickly at 10-20% over the asking prices.
Every neighborhood in true Scarsdale is good, all the schools are excellent. Edgewood has more starter homes than the other neighborhoods, and the house and lot sizes are noticeably smaller and the streets are less pretty than most of the other neighborhoods, but it's NOT considered a "bad" neighborhood, not at all. Even in Edgewood, there is one extremely desirable part with extremely wealthy houses. There are no bad neighborhoods here (though there are certainly some areas that are famous for having mega-million mansions).
The conversations with other parents at soccer practice do often tend to make assumptions that everyone here has money, but I have never once heard anyone here being snobbish about it or having any sort of "they don't fit in" attitude towards anyone. For instance, last week at my kid's soccer practice, I was in a conversation with several parents discussing a fancy but very very expensive summer camp, and whether it's worth it -- I guess the unspoken assumption was that everyone there could afford that camp, and I didn't even think about it at the time, but I guess I could imagine someone on a tight budget feeling left out in that conversation. I think that sort of conversation happens here probably far more than I notice. But no one is ever snobbish about it.
Here's one of the below 1.5 million houses in Scarsdale you mentioned. I live nearby so I visited the open house. I'll give you a feeling of the pros/cons at this price point. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4...33033731_zpid/
PROS:
* It's in true scarsdale school district
* very easy walking distance to train station
* Old house (1920s) but newly rennovated
* Good sunlight
CONS:
* about 100 yards away from railroad tracks, noisy at times
* It's on a one-lane road down a twisty hill, I felt uncomfortable driving on it or parking on it.
* Has a one car garage, but it's tiny and on a super twisty small driveway so I don't think I could ever park there (not even sure I'd feel comfortable parking in the driveway, even)
* Almost non-existent front yard and it's on a steep hill, and back yard is smaller than the picture looks.
* Older house (1920s) though newly rennovated
* slightly awkward floorplan
If you're ok with all that, though, then this house seems fine and in your budget.
Here's one of the below 1.5 million houses in Scarsdale you mentioned. I live nearby so I visited the open house. I'll give you a feeling of the pros/cons at this price point. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4...33033731_zpid/
PROS:
* It's in true scarsdale school district
* very easy walking distance to train station
* Old house (1920s) but newly rennovated
* Good sunlight
CONS:
* about 100 yards away from railroad tracks, noisy at times
* It's on a one-lane road down a twisty hill, I felt uncomfortable driving on it or parking on it.
* Has a one car garage, but it's tiny and on a super twisty small driveway so I don't think I could ever park there (not even sure I'd feel comfortable parking in the driveway, even)
* Almost non-existent front yard and it's on a steep hill, and back yard is smaller than the picture looks.
* Older house (1920s) though newly rennovated
* slightly awkward floorplan
If you're ok with all that, though, then this house seems fine and in your budget.
Real estate photographers know what they're doing. With a wide angle lens you can make any space look huge. It is a nice house, but as you said, the twisty 1 lane road would give me anxiety in winter and a little more yard space would be nice (been watching too many gardening shows lately)
Real estate photographers know what they're doing. With a wide angle lens you can make any space look huge.
*Does* the photographer really know what they're doing when they use the wide-angle lens? It makes the picture look great, but the buyer will still see how tiny the yard is when they see it in person, so what's the point of misleading pictures? Does that actually make the house more likely to sell?
*Does* the photographer really know what they're doing when they use the wide-angle lens? It makes the picture look great, but the buyer will still see how tiny the yard is when they see it in person, so what's the point of misleading pictures? Does that actually make the house more likely to sell?
If they got people to come see the house they've done their job.
*Does* the photographer really know what they're doing when they use the wide-angle lens? It makes the picture look great, but the buyer will still see how tiny the yard is when they see it in person, so what's the point of misleading pictures? Does that actually make the house more likely to sell?
Yes. Most people can only personally view a very small number of properties. If pictures result in a viewing of the property, then that property gets on a very short list of possible purchases, and may be chosen by the buyer despite its tiny yard.
Here's one of the below 1.5 million houses in Scarsdale you mentioned. I live nearby so I visited the open house. I'll give you a feeling of the pros/cons at this price point. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4...33033731_zpid/
PROS:
* It's in true scarsdale school district
* very easy walking distance to train station
* Old house (1920s) but newly rennovated
* Good sunlight
CONS:
* about 100 yards away from railroad tracks, noisy at times
* It's on a one-lane road down a twisty hill, I felt uncomfortable driving on it or parking on it.
* Has a one car garage, but it's tiny and on a super twisty small driveway so I don't think I could ever park there (not even sure I'd feel comfortable parking in the driveway, even)
* Almost non-existent front yard and it's on a steep hill, and back yard is smaller than the picture looks.
* Older house (1920s) though newly rennovated
* slightly awkward floorplan
If you're ok with all that, though, then this house seems fine and in your budget.
This was an amazing break down. Thank you!
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