Anonymous wrote:My sister and her husband live in Greenpoint, Brooklyn in a rental that is way below market rate, but too small for their current family.
They have a 4 year old starting preK in the fall, and a baby. They both work full time in midtown (50s) but are working 100% remotely due to Covid.
They want to stay in their neighborhood but there aren’t a lot of options for housing in their price range.
They want a progressive neighborhood with a lot of walk ability and a commute no more than 1 hour (ideally 45 min) to midtown.
Their budget is 500-600k if they buy a house, or 3000-3400 if they rent.
I’ve been encouraging them to look at houses to buy in close-in NJ that might work, as a longer term investment for their family. (Their jobs are tied to NYC and they want to stay for the long term.) They are concerned (rightly so) about the commutes, for what they can afford.
What specific towns should they look at? Would you buy or rent and why?
Maybe Westchester County in New York.
See, for example:
https://www.nenyhomes.com/homes-for-sale-in-westchester-county-ny-500000-to-700000
I think New York state is better for people with kids because the SUNY system is better and cheaper than New Jersey’s state university system.