CT DISers...

[lil mermaid]

DH has been interviewing for a job in Stamford, CT that seems like it could be a great opportunity for him. If gets an offer, we will probably take the plunge. We have been trying to get back to the East coast for a while (where our families are.)

Well, after looking at real estate in Stamford, I realize that it is really out of our price range. Could somebody give me some ideas for some good, family oriented areas that are more affordable that would be a reasonable commute to Stanford? What are some areas to stay away from?

thanks!

 

[Mickey527]

There are some really good areas in Norwalk, and of course there are some really bad areas too. That is not very far from Stamford, probably less than 15-30 min on I-95 or the parkway. I have a friend who's children went to the public schools and did very well and are in college now.
I live in Bridgeport. There are some very good areas but I didn't like the school system. My boys went to private schools in Fairfield. Hoping to sell soon, hey, want a house in Bridgeport, colonial, 4 bedrooms, 50X175 land, quiet streetl....lol
Fairfield is a nice town with good public schools. Prices for houses were outrageous about a year ago but with the market being down you might find something nice with a good price. Probably about a 30-45 minute drive to Stamford.
Between Fairfield and Stamford is Westport,and Wilton both about the same price range as Stamford.
If you wanted a private school, whether Catholic or Jewish you will find some really great ones in CT. There are also some private non-religious schools that get great ratings.
My boys are 32, 28 and 25 now so I can't help much with schools other than asking some younger people I know but feel free to ask and I will try and help as much as I can.

 

[Bren's Mom]

It might be easiest to make good suggestions if you tell us what your price range is and what kind of house you'd ideally want for that price.

We live in Derby, our 4BR, 2.5BA house was $350k last year, just appraised for $335k last month. We have just under 1/2 acre, several decks and a pool, a dining room, family room, living room and full basement.

Our house in, say, Fairfield would likely be 100k+ more. Or even higher than that in the Greenfield Hill area of town. We're about 20 minutes northeast of Fairfield. (Which is a nice town, that's where I grew up.)

We love our Derby hilltop neighborhood, we're close to everything, we just bought our new home last year after living in our old house for almost 10. We SO wanted to stay in Derby and were happy to find what we wanted.

You might want to add Shelton and Trumbull to your search as well. With the down market, depending on your price range you might find something you like. In Shelton you have to be very careful about the neighborhoods/schools. Trumbull's schools are generally great but the taxes will add ALOT to your monthly payment.

 

[lil mermaid]

Thanks for your replies so far, please keep them coming!

It is hard to say what our price range is - I would say probably $500k would be our upper limit. I guess I have to factor in the property taxes, and the effect the income tax would have on DH's take home pay (we have really high property tax here - over $10k per year - but no state income tax.)

 

[Bren's Mom]

That's not an unreasonable amount for some parts of Fairfield County as long as you have realistic ideas. You'd be able to find something in Trumbull, Shelton (you want the Huntington area), Fairfield and Monroe (it's a little more 'country', bigger lots).

 

[JKMastalski]

I grew up in Darien and later in life moved to New Canaan. While they of course would be my first choices in regards to community and education, they are not at all practical within your price range. A starter home there is upwards of $700 -$800, 000. I highly suggest Trumbull which is about 20 minutes up I-95. My sister and her hubby both have a lovely cape cod style home there, which i believe they purchased in the $400,000 range. Monroe is very nice too as other people have suggested and you might even find a nice home in Fairfield. All depends on how much you want to "get" for your money.
Feel free to P.M. me with any questions at all!
Happy Househunting!