New York is still an attorney state
You will still retain a real estate attorney, and nothing is binding until the contract is signed by both sides. If your Westchester attorney does not work in Putnam, ask them for a referral.
Buying in the Hudson Valley
Moving from Westchester to Putnam: what changes.
You already know how to buy a house. What you need to know is what stops working the way you are used to once you cross the county line. Six things, in the order buyers usually discover them.
What changes
Six things Westchester didn't prepare you for.
None of these are reasons to stay south. All of them are reasons to ask better questions before you make an offer.
01
Your water and waste are now your responsibility
Most of Westchester runs on municipal water and sewer. Much of Putnam does not. You are likely buying a private well and a septic system, which means a water test for potability and flow, a septic inspection, and ideally a pump-out before closing. Neither is a reason not to buy. Both are reasons to inspect properly, because a failed septic field is a five-figure repair.
02
The commute changes shape
Putnam has Metro-North, but not everywhere. The Harlem Line stops at Brewster and Southeast, the Hudson Line at Garrison and Cold Spring, and Mahopac and Carmel have no station at all, so many commuters drive to Croton Falls, Purdys or Brewster. Before you fall for a house, drive the route to the station you would actually use, on a weekday morning, and check the parking permit wait list for that lot.
03
Taxes follow the school district, not the town name
The name on your mailing address and your school district often disagree up here. Mahopac and Carmel are both hamlets in the Town of Carmel with separate school districts, and the line between them does not follow the post office. Since school tax is most of the bill, two similar houses a few miles apart can carry very different taxes. Pull the actual tax bill for the specific parcel rather than trusting a portal's estimate.
04
You are in the New York City watershed
Much of Putnam drains into the reservoirs that supply New York City, and the city's watershed rules apply on top of town zoning. If you are planning an addition, a pool, a new septic system or work near a stream or wetland, approvals can take longer and cost more than you are used to. Ask before you buy, not after.
05
Heat, power and winter are your problem now
Oil and propane heat are common, natural gas often is not. Power lines run through trees, so outages last longer than in southern Westchester, and a generator or a transfer switch is worth real money here. Long driveways need plowing, and a steep one in February is a different house than it was in June.
06
Your money buys a different kind of house
Buyers coming north usually trade a smaller lot and a shorter commute for more land, more house, or a lake. The co-op market that gives Westchester its entry level barely exists here. Instead you will see single-family homes, lake communities with their own associations and beach rights, condos and townhouses around Carmel and Brewster, and land.
What stays the same
The parts you already know.
The process is the same
Pre-approval, offer, attorney review, inspection, appraisal, commitment, closing. If you have done it once, you know the order. What changes is what you inspect and what you ask.
Selling first still matters
Most buyers moving north are also selling in Westchester. Timing the two closings, or deciding whether to buy contingent, is a bigger decision than which town. That is a conversation worth having early.
Before you make an offer
A short list for buyers coming north.
Most of these take an afternoon. Skipping them is how a good house turns into an expensive first winter.
- Drive the commute on a weekday morning
- Pull the parcel's real tax bill and school district
- Test the well for potability and flow
- Inspect and pump the septic
- Ask about generator, heat source and fuel costs
- Check broadband at the exact address
- Read the lake association rules, if there is one
- Ask the town about watershed limits before planning work
Next step
Selling south and buying north?
He works both sides of the county line, from Somers and Yorktown Heights up through Mahopac, Carmel and Brewster. Tell him where you are now and where you are looking, and he will tell you how to sequence the two.
Written by Lawrence Zacks
Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker, License #10301205239 · Selling in Putnam County since 1982 · Published
General information, not legal, tax, engineering or lending advice. Watershed rules, tax rates and train schedules change. Confirm specifics with your attorney, the town and the MTA. More in Resources.