A few weeks ago, I noticed that my friend from the Manhattan real estate market – Mitchell Hall, had posted some very encouraging data. Manhattan is doing quite well in spite of the doom and gloom coming from the talking heads. All real estate is local – so what happens nationally has little bearing on individual markets. New York State was one of the stronger markets in the country. The New York metro area posted 3% gain in housing prices overall. The medain price was up 9% over the previous year and up 4% per square foot. Amazing performance given the state of the rest of the economy.
What does this mean for Westchester NY real estate? Well, as Manhattan goes – so goes Westchester. If prices in the city are edging higher eventually that wave hits Westchester as even hard-core Manhattanites consider mass immigration to….gasp…..the SUBURBS!!!! And Westchester – particularly lower Westchester is the most logical move.
For Manhattanites – Westchester is the location of choice when they make a move.
About a year ago, I was looking at a “heat map” of human migration across the US. The map showed areas of the country that were emptying out such as the rust belt as well as areas that were seeing increased populations. It was neat. When I clicked on Westchester, I couldn’t see anyone moving in. At first I thought our county was emptying out at a crazy rate….which made no sense….but then I realized that the map was too small. You couldn’t see the bee-line of immigration from NYC, Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island. When I increased the size of the map to its maximum – there it was. The fact is that Westchester is the location of choice for people leaving NYC. If Manhattanites were a herd of buffalo – Westchester would be tracking the periodic stampedes as obsessively as we track the weather.
Read the rest of this entry »
When searching for Westchester NY homes for sale, it can be difficult to sort out the individual municipalities, their characteristics and even their location within the county. For many buyers they seem to meld into one large mass of confusion. This series of posts are designed to alleviate some of this confusing for the Westchester NY homebuyer.
Getting from here to there – White Plains NY is centrally located:
White Plains NY is one of the most centrally located municipalities in Westchester NY. As such, it is land-locked with no direct access to either the Hudson River or Long Island Sound. However, its central location means that you are never far from anything when you are in White Plains. The map below shows just how central that location is.
White Plains borders Scarsdale to the south west, Harrison to the east and Mamaroneck to the south. Hartsdale borders to the west and Valhalla to the north.
Read the rest of this entry »
Home in Manor Woods of Hartsdale, NY
Hartsdale is a hamlet/post office located in the town of Greenburgh. Greenburgh encompasses a large number of hamlets and villages including several river towns along the Hudson. Hartsdale itself is landlocked and near the southeast corner of Greenburgh. It is a popular location for commuters because the compact hamlet boasts its own train station on the Harlem line just 30 minutes from NYC. Ideally located just ten minutes from the hustle an bustle of downtown White Plains, Hartsdale is a great destination for those who prefer a walkable village along with an easy Manhattan commute, but still want to take advantage of the nightlife and shopping offered in downtown White Plains. Most residential neighborhoods are within walking distance of the train but for those that are not, jitney service is available during peak hours. The Hartsdale post office/zip code (10530) covers a population of about 10,000 with 4300 households which are a mix of cooperatives, condos and single family homes.
Read the rest of this entry »
The third quarter of 2008 has just ended and its time to take stock of the Westchester housing market. Real estate is a local business and this was never more true than in Westchester County. In Westchester, you can move from high-rise cityscape to rolling hills with single family homes on half acre lots in less than two miles. It should not be surprising that market trends vary between communities.
White Plains, NY a city of close to 60,000 residents and a commuter population of over 250,000 has witnessed explosive growth over the past ten years and has proved to be remarkably resilient in spite of the housing recession that currently grips the country. Nevertheless, there has been some weakness in this market and in some sectors there have been minor corrections.
Read the rest of this entry »
