Looking To Move To the Suburbs? Your Expert Guide Awaits

Douglas Elliman experts weigh in on how to find the perfect suburb to suit you. —by Bernadette Starzee The New York metropolitan area has a rich diversity of communities: sophisticated villages with high-caliber restaurants and boutiques, waterfront towns where boating and swimming are integral to the lifestyle, historic villages with a small-town feel, and sleepy bedroom communities where things move at a slower pace. Among the hundreds of villages, towns, and small cities in Long Island, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Westchester lies a community that is a perfect fit for every buyer. Here are key points to consider when making your selection. Greenwich, Connecticut DECIDE WHAT MATTERS MOST Narrow your search by setting your priorities. For some buyers, the first item on the wish list when choosing a community is the school district; for others it’s close proximity to their workplace or family members and friends. Certain buyers insist on settling in a waterfront community. Others will live only in a town with a walkable downtown and a true sense of place. But desirable criteria come at a premium, so buyers need to distinguish between must-have and wish-list items to find a place within their budget. Good real estate professionals have deep knowledge of the communities where they have listings and work to get a solid understanding of their clients’ preferences so they can direct them to communities that are a good fit. “I talk to buyers about priorities,” says Jill Berman, a licensed salesperson in Douglas Elliman’s Port Washington office. “You can expect to pay a premium for being on the Port Washington train line, which has direct service into Manhattan. If you work mid-Island and you don’t need to commute to Manhattan, you may be better served where you’re not paying to be on the train line.” Cutchogue, New York Buyers who move to New Jersey from the city are usually looking for easy commutability to Manhattan, says Lisa Poggi, brokermanager for Douglas Elliman in New Jersey. “Normally, people say they’re willing to commute 45 minutes, but since the pandemic, that has stretched to an hour and 15 minutes,” she says. “Some people are finding out they will be able to telecommute at least part of the time, so they’re willing to go a little farther out.” By doing so, she notes, they can likely get a larger home and more property for the same price. FIND THE RIGHT VIBE Montclair, New Jersey Suburbs are unique communities with distinct personalities, not cookie-cutter places. In addition to finding the right fit in terms of commutability, location, and budget, it’s important to find one with a character that makes you feel comfortable. “Some buyers want a diverse community,” Poggi says. “Some want an artsy community.” Others want to be in a community with a walkable downtown, particularly those making the transition from Manhattan and used to walking almost everywhere, she adds. If New Jersey buyers “want a charming downtown with dining and shopping, they may opt for Montclair or Summit, which have an old-fashioned, Norman Rockwell type of feel,” says Poggi. “Both have great restaurants, and Montclair is known for arts and culture.” Looking toward New York’s Hudson Valley, “Rye is a very hometown community with one central shopping area, with great restaurants and schools,” according to Glorianne Mattesi, an associate broker in Douglas Elliman’s Scarsdale office, who covers Westchester. “There are big homecoming football games, and everyone knows each other. “Bronxville is very quaint, and you can walk to everything,” she continues. “Kids ride their bicycles and trick-or-treat in town. Larchmont also has a small-town feel, and you can walk to the boutique shops and the train. And then you have a small city like New Rochelle, which has 75,000 people and a little of everything.” Sometimes, religious affiliation factors into the choice. “If buyers go to a Greek church, a Presbyterian church, or a temple, they may want a town that has one,” says Monica Webster, a licensed salesperson handling the sports and entertainment market in Fairfield County, Connecticut, for Douglas Elliman. “People with strong political opinions may look at the politics of the town” by checking the party affiliations of the elected officials. Webster recommends posting on Facebook and Instagram to ask people what they think of particular communities, and to “get in your car and go to different downtowns, like New Canaan, Greenwich, and Darien, and walk around to see what’s there,” she says. “Libraries are also a great place to visit to learn about special community programs and what’s going on around the town,” Mattesi says. Going to a local diner and having breakfast or lunch is another way to get a feel for a community, Berman notes. Greenwich, Connecticut GOT KIDS? RESEARCH THE SCHOOLS Buyers with children typically want a strongly rated school system with good test scores and small class sizes, Poggi says. Parents with older kids may look for schools with specific programs based on their children’s needs or interests, such as a good baseball team or a strong music program. “If your child is a lacrosse star, you may do a deeper dive and look at the Under Armour Championships and Division I college lacrosse teams to see which high schools the players are coming from,” Webster says. “Or if you have a top student, you might research if students from a particular high school were accepted into top universities.” Berman and Mattesi say they often put buyers in touch with former clients (with their permission) who have kids in a particular school so they can speak to them about what they like about it. Prior to 2020, prospective buyers often made appointments to tour the schools their children would be attending, Berman says. But the pandemic has required buyers and real estate agents to make some adjustments. “Before COVID, I took buyers on a tour of the town by car,” Mattesi says. “I’d drive around and say, ‘There’s a dog park here, a walking trail there.’” She still does that, but with a modification. “Now they’re in their own car, and I’m on speakerphone.” Find your next home in the suburbs today.