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It is so pretty here.
NARRATOR: These New Yorkers want a traditional-style house
in pricey Westchester County.
It has some character. I like that.
You don't see that in newer homes.
NARRATOR: Steven, a tough sell,
is determined to stick to the budget.
Let's cut to the chase.
What's the listing price of this house?
It's $757,000.
When I hear the price,
it makes me sick to my stomach a little bit,
just 'cause I'd like to retire one day.
NARRATOR: He's also a stickler for quality.
STEVEN: Check out the durability.
It's pretty good. It's not great, but it's okay.
What compromises will he and Megan have to make?
Educate me. This is not a colonial.
This is a...?
It's a ranch-style.
Real brick?
It's a faux stone.
I need to show you this property...
Should we go in, or is this a curbside cancelation?
[ Laughs ]
[ Doorbell rings ]
-- Captions by VITAC --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
[ Horse nickers ]
Come on.
I want apples.
Hand it to me the other way so I can actually grab it.
Sorry. Here.
Thank you.
STEVEN: I'm Steven Grskovic.
This is my wife, Megan, and we have three kids --
Aidan, 9, Kaylin, 2,
and Cam, who is 8 months.
I'm a creative director at an ad agency in New York.
MEGAN: I am a school psychologist,
but with two young children,
I am now a stay-at-home mom.
Three young children.
Well, yes. That's right.
I think of Aidan at school.
[ Both laugh ]
STEVE: There's mommy!
Oh, yeah! That's good!
WOMAN: Whoo!
Come on! Go, go, go!
Whoo!
We're both from New York.
We have a lot of family in Westchester --
our brothers and sisters.
[ All cheer ]
Have you guys ever bowled before?
NARRATOR: They have been living out of state
for the last 8 years,
but have recently returned
so they can raise their kids near family.
We're excited to be together again,
and we can't wait --
Who's watching her?!
They've been staying with family while they search for a house.
We're not moving again. I've been promised.
[ Both laughs ]
NARRATOR: They're looking in Westchester,
a woodsy area 45 minutes north of Manhattan.
STEVEN: My favorite area so far
has probably been the Katonah/Bedford area,
just because once you get off the train from Manhattan,
you feel like you're in another world.
The thought of, like, being in a setting
where a deer is just gonna roam through your backyard
is pretty cool to me.
My dream house is sort of a hybrid
between a craftsman-style house and a colonial.
I like elements of both those houses.
One house that always comes to mind --
when I see a Tudor, I really like it, you know.
It just looks interesting.
I want four bedrooms, preferably on the same floor.
A nice, flat, big yard to have a catch with the kids.
Nice landscaping, porch, entryway.
We kind of want a place to greet people.
MEGAN: It's a little small.
STEVEN: I wonder how far away it is from the train.
STEVEN: I work in Manhattan.
Every day, I'm gonna have to sit on a train
45 minutes to an hour.
So I don't want to commute to my commute.
I like hardwood floors, as long as they're in good shape.
The one place I do not want hardwood floors
is in the kitchen.
It's just easier to clean the floors when they're tiled.
I would like an updated kitchen with an island with seating.
Something else that's important to me
is just the quality of the work done in a house.
I have a little test.
I open up the cabinets,
and I, you know, knock on them a little bit.
For Megan, Steven's exacting nature
may be the biggest challenge.
He gives 110%. He's a workhorse, for sure.
At the same time,
he can also be very picky and very particular,
with a low frustration tolerance, to boot.
I don't know if I agree with those comments.
[ Both laugh ]
MEGAN: Four bedrooms, three baths.
Yeah, 800K. I'm sorry. Next.
There's many places to live in New York City.
We've just happened to choose
one of the most expensive places.
We'd like to say as high as we can go is $700,000,
but just knowing what we want,
we may have to go a little higher.
Regardless, I'm gonna look for the cheapest houses
in the best neighborhoods.
MEGAN: Crazy.
So, guys, I wanted to start us off in Katonah.
We're only three miles from the train station.
STEVEN: Oh, wow.
MEGAN: Okay.
It's a four-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath
on two acres.
And what kind of style house is this?
I haven't seen anything like this.
Well, it's contemporary architecture,
but it has a traditional, colonial-type layout.
Cut to the chase.
What's the listing price of this house?
$757,000.
Not a good start, Justin.
MEGAN: It's above our budget,
and I don't want to have my dream shattered
because I can't afford a house.
JUSTIN: I need to show you what your wish list
is gonna cost you guys.
This is the formal entry that you guys were looking for.
STEVEN: Big entry.
Sunken living room.
MEGAN: I love sunken rooms. I mean, I really like the floor.
Wide plank.
Yeah, that's great. It adds a little bit of texture.
STEVEN: Fireplace over there.
Wood-burning -- You're gonna chop and split.
Very observant on that one.
[ Chuckles ]
Yeah, that would be nice in the wintertime --
make a nice, little fire.
It flows right into the kitchen and eating area, also.
Nice kitchen.
You have a bonus -- We have the island and the seating.
And most importantly, look down.
JUSTIN: You love tile in the kitchen.
Yes, that is important.
I really like the double oven,
because we do a lot of entertaining.
That's key.
STEVEN: Check out the durability of the drawer.
[ Knocks ]
It's pretty good.
It's not great, but it's okay.
It'll do.
So, it flows right through the sliders into the back deck.
Oh, wow. That's pretty cool.
Not too big, not too small -- I like the railings.
They're nice and high,
so we don't have too much of a safety issue.
JUSTIN: Tell me if this is open and flat enough for you guys.
STEVEN: Yeah, that is.
That's an awesome yard to play in, throw the ball.
Well, guys, want to see your bonus over here?
This, you couldn't see from inside.
STEVEN: [ Chuckling ] Oh, my Lord.
MEGAN: Wow.
I never thought about having a pool.
STEVEN: Usually, when I hear the word "bonus,"
it's a perk, something you want.
Pool? Not really a perk. Not a bonus.
Maintenance -- That's what I think of.
JUSTIN: I took a chance bringing them to a property with a pool,
because you never know.
They could've absolutely loved it.
I had to give it a shot.
The kitchen flow
goes right into the dining room.
STEVEN: It's a nice-sized room. There's really nothing to it.
The windows are nice.
And this dining room flows right into the formal living room.
Let's go check that out.
MEGAN: So, this would be more of your formal living-room space?
Yeah. This would use as a formal living room.
You'd have your family room on the other side.
Could you swap it?
Absolutely!
The ceilings are so high in the other room,
it makes it seem like it's not even on the same floor.
It feels like a cave compared to the other room.
Well, the other room's huge.
Half bath right there.
MEGAN: Oh, okay, great.
That's nice to have a bathroom on the same floor.
NARRATOR: Downstairs is a fully finished basement.
The bedrooms and the living area's up the upstairs.
How many bedrooms up here?
4 bedrooms.
This brings us into the master bedroom.
MEGAN: Oh, wow. This is really a nice size.
Yes. This is a big room.
We have a walk-in, which is all built out.
So, how many closets are there, Justin?
There's three in here.
Yeah, pull.
Okay. This can be yours.
Nice size.
Yeah. I was gonna say, I need a little bit more space than that.
Well, you have left and right.
So, you can have these two. Fair?
Okay. That's fair. That's fair.
Just got lucky, pal.
So, this is the master bath -- double sink.
We have a stand-up shower and a jet tub in here.
Let's check out the cabinets.
JUSTIN: There goes the Steven test.
Oh, they're pretty good. I like them.
MEGAN: Pretty good?
This is the full bathroom for the bedrooms.
That's great for the three kids.
This, they have set up as an office.
It's another bedroom.
MEGAN: Okay.
I could probably see this being Aidan's.
This is the back corner of the house.
Windows on both sides get good light.
It's a decent size.
There's enough for a small kid's bed.
So, this is the last bedroom.
So, this is another good-sized bedroom.
With waking up for the kids a couple times a night,
having all the bedrooms on one floor...
So when you wake up to take care of the kids,
it's not that far for you.
[ Chuckles ] Exactly.
Okay?
STEVEN: It had the four bedrooms.
...which is a great setup for us and our kids.
I love the yard.
The pool, for me --
to be honest, it's just more of a negative.
I love the big ceilings and how it flows into the kitchen.
It has the island.
And then there's something that gets lost
when I walk into the dining room and the formal living room.
I'd like to see something a little bit more traditional,
maybe a colonial.
The train being three miles is a plus.
It makes my life every morning
a little easier, and every evening.
But I keep coming back down to the price range.
There's a price tag for your wish list,
and I think that this is real representative
of what I think you're gonna be looking at.
NARRATOR: Now their agent lines up a home
that's still pricey,
but at least it's the style Megan likes.
MEGAN: It is so pretty.
Let's go check out that barber shop.
Yeah, your obsession with barber shops --
You always have to have a good barber.
I have to take care of this.
NARRATOR: After eight years of living in other cities,
Megan and Steven have moved back to New York
to raise their kids near family.
They're targeting large family homes in Westchester County
in the $700,000 range.
The first place they saw, in Katonah,
is just three miles from the train --
great for Steven's commute.
But it lacks the traditional character Megan prefers.
Now their agent's lined up a colonial-style home
also in Katonah.
But it's pricey.
JUSTIN: This house is listed at $799,000.
Which is still out of our budget.
[ Both laugh ]
STEVEN: When I hear the price $799,000,
it makes me sick to my stomach a little bit,
just 'cause I'd like to retire one day.
I need to show you this property...
Should we go in, or is this a curbside cancelation?
[ Laughs ]
If we can negotiate
and the seller's willing to work with us,
we may be able to work something out for you.
JUSTIN: This house -- It's a five-bedroom home
with a den, three full baths and a half,
and a finished basement
which actually also includes a gym.
MEGAN: It is so pretty.
And we will see exactly what I'm speaking about.
I like the little...
Portico?
Portico. That's right.
It's got a formal entrance, which is --
This is great for when people come over.
You don't feel like you're claustrophobic.
How far away is it from the train station?
Looking at about three miles.
I like the floors -- hardwood floors.
MEGAN: They look like they're in really good shape.
This is what I like -- having your own separate dining room.
This is, like, an old-school, colonial door or something?
Well, yeah. It's a hinged door.
How do you close it?
You just swing it open, and
it will actually swing the other way,
also, if you keep going with it.
And it goes all the way this way, huh?
There you go.
Oh, wow.
You don't see that in newer homes.
Perfect entrance. Come on into the kitchen.
Yeah.
Oh, wow.
Megan, please tell me that you're gonna love this counter.
MEGAN: I like it, definitely.
The seating at the island is another key factor.
STEVEN: Wait. I have to give it my test.
[ Knocks ]
[ Justin laughs ]
Feels pretty good quality.
They didn't cheap out on this kitchen,
I will say that.
Again, I love tile in the kitchen.
JUSTIN: Hopefully, in here,
the cabinet space and counter space
is gonna make up for the lack of tile.
I strongly dislike this wallpaper.
It almost takes over the kitchen.
Oh, wow.
JUSTIN: Guys, huge, huge deck.
That a pretty nice-sized yard, too.
I mean, we could definitely throw the football around there.
MEGAN: Is it big enough?
'Cause most of the property is not flat,
and it's kind of woodsy.
It's got this fenced-in private garden area.
This is perfect.
It's a very private entertaining location.
MEGAN: I grew up on an acre,
so land isn't anything that's much of a factor for me.
For Steven, he wants to play ball with his kids,
so this is his dream scenario.
This is gonna be the family room.
We've got a wood-burning fireplace with a great mantle,
which is very nice.
And it's a large space.
You can enter and exit from this room, as well.
NARRATOR: There's a den on the main floor.
STEVEN: Wow. Hot pink.
JUSTIN: Hot pink.
Actually, this would be a really good playroom for the kids.
The half bath is right here on the right.
MEGAN: It's actually got a little bit of a country charm to it.
It's a nice half bath.
NARRATOR: They head upstairs
to look in on four children's bedrooms and the hall bath.
Oh, I love the floor.
What is this?
STEVEN: That's pretty sweet.
JUSTIN: It's actually slate.
That's really durable, too.
I'm gonna bring you into the master now.
Oh, wow.
This is nice.
Check out the master bath.
Okay? You've got a single sink. It's just the two of you.
It's a little dated. It's not as nice as the kids'.
I'm not overwhelmed by it.
NARRATOR: They head down to see the finished basement.
JUSTIN: Big space, real gym, mat-rubber flooring --
great place to work out.
Oh, yeah. [ Chuckling ]
Got it!
He got it.
Wait. The question is,
can we charge gym membership here
to offset the cost of the mortgage?
MEGAN: Everything's updated, more or less.
The location, commute, was great.
The backyard wasn't as level as we'd like it.
There were some rocks.
I don't know if we could kind of get rid of the rocks
and flatten it.
I'm a little underwhelmed by the master bathroom.
It's almost as if the kids' bathroom is a little nicer.
It has five bedrooms, all the bedrooms being on one floor.
The kitchen was pretty cool.
Then again, you know, it always comes back down
to the bottom line, to the price.
NARRATOR: Now, with Steven at work,
Megan's brought her sister along to see a more affordable place.
This is a house which, for this area, is one great deal.
[ Doorbell rings ]
STEVEN: Oh, look.
You got a restaurant over there --
a nice wine-and-dine-you.
NARRATOR: New Yorkers Megan and Steven
want to buy a large family home in Westchester.
Unfortunately, their $700,000 budget won't go far.
I think the reality is that in this area,
you get a little sticker shock when you see what the prices are
to get what you really need for your family.
To get something under $1 million is actually a stretch.
NARRATOR: So far, they've seen a home in Katonah
that's close to the train for Steven's commute,
but it has a pool they don't want
and is too modern for their taste.
Next, they saw a five-bedroom colonial,
also in Katonah,
that has a kitchen Megan loves.
But it's almost $100,000 over their budget.
Today, their agent's lined up a home in Bedford
with a lower price tag.
Steven's working, so Megan's turned to family for help.
Hey, Megan.
Hey, Justin. How you doing?
Good to see you.
I brought my sister, Jenna.
Good to see you, Jenna.
This is a house listed at $730,000.
It's a four-bedroom home, five full baths,
on about 4 1/2 acres,
and it's real close to the train station.
You're only talking about 10 minutes
to Mount Kisco train station,
and five minutes to Bedford Hills from here.
So, is that part of the four acres?
Yeah. This is an oasis.
[ All chuckle ]
I can see.
You may notice there's a little bit of road noise.
Yes. I mean, I think that would be a major factor for Steve.
You know what? You really only hear that most
in the winter and the fall.
And when the leaves are up on the trees,
it'll cut down on the sound dramatically.
So, educate me. This is not a colonial.
It is a...?
It's a ranch-style...
Okay.
...in the area that you guys need,
with the size that you need,
in your price range.
MEGAN: Not exactly the entry we're looking for.
Wow. This is a really open kitchen.
Yeah. It's big and open, right?
Yeah, definitely.
I don't love that it doesn't have an island.
That's, you know, kind of my thing.
However, you guys love tile in the kitchen,
so this is gonna be good.
I do like the tile.
I got to do this for Steven.
Oh, yeah. Steve's big criteria.
[ Laughs ]
[ Knocks ]
You guys are really too much.
I want you guys to pay attention now
to the openness that the living room has
from the kitchen.
Oh, wow.
So this is your dining room?
You can set this up as a more formal area,
and then have your informal area
for dining and eating, whatever, over in the kitchen.
Do you know what I really like, though,
is this raised counter, so you can put barstools here.
Perfect, right?
And I really like -- This is nice.
The fireplace is nice.
Real brick?
It's a faux stone.
Stone?
Yep.
[ Birds singing ]
Oh, wow.
Oh, I love how this deck is really --
Yeah, very open.
Extension of the house, really.
Actually, it would be great sitting on the deck,
enjoying a glass of wine.
Your kids are playing in the yard.
JUSTIN: Is it level enough for you guys?
Yeah, it's level. Is this the guest cottage?
Have you ever seen a playhouse like this?
You know my 2-year-old daughter?
This is Kaylin's dream world right here.
Oh, wow.
I'm gonna let you girls go in first.
Oh, my goodness.
Wow. Look at these lights.
Wow.
My kids would love this!
Thank you.
Excellent.
I want to show you this master suite.
MEGAN: Ooh.
Full with a bathroom, a walk-in closet, and, guys, the *** rug.
JENNA: Oh, my Lord.
We need a disco ball.
[ Laughs ]
This is the spot.
Waterbed.
I'll say I like the light,
but I don't know if anything else can stay.
JENNA: ***-alicious.
MEGAN: Super-tacky.
JUSTIN: Megan, take a right right there.
Wow.
A little more modern.
JENNA: Oh, wow. I love this room.
This is awesome.
This is my dream.
Rain shower head, and then you got the handheld.
This is definitely a great bathroom.
NARRATOR: There are two more bedrooms on this floor,
and downstairs is a finished basement.
Check this out.
Oh, wow.
And this area is a rentable studio apartment.
This would actually be the bedroom
where you could set up a bed.
MEGAN: And stairs up to your kitchen.
However, the way that this property's set up,
this is the fourth bedroom right now.
Okay. And that's a little bit tricky, too,
because we have the three kids.
And we really couldn't put one of them here.
MEGAN: The guest room is great
for people that are coming to play with our kids
and watch our kids,
or guests to come over,
but I don't want to put my two youngest kids in one bedroom.
The price --
JENNA: Mm-hmm. The price is good.
I think everyone can agree that that's a good price.
Steven wouldn't like the entrance.
And then the highway.
The yard is definitely a plus.
It's four bedrooms, which is great,
but really, it's three bedrooms.
It's an amazing house. I love the apartment.
But it isn't a good layout for them with the three kids.
NARRATOR: Having seen several options, it's time to decide.
We kind of have to live somewhere.
We have three kids.
Okay. Let's go. It's game time.
NARRATOR: Working with a $700,000 budget,
New Yorkers Megan and Steven have seen several homes
in Westchester, 45 minutes north of the city.
Now they need to decide which one's right for them.
So, the house with the pool.
STEVEN: I don't know.
To be honest, I'm just not sold on the pool.
To me, it's more of a negative.
But the yard -- perfect.
I really liked the sunken living room.
The kitchen was nice and updated.
The island.
The bedroom style on the second floor
appeared to be like a colonial, but it just -- I don't know.
There's something about it that just didn't feel like it was us.
What about the commute?
7 minutes isn't bad. It's doable.
Now, what about the colonial?
I timed it.
That's four, five minutes to the train.
It had a huge back deck.
Did that take away from the size of the yard,
Mr. Yard Man?
It wasn't perfect.
You know, there were some rocks.
But the front yard was pretty flat.
That was probably my favorite kitchen.
It had five bedrooms.
The master bath was a little underwhelming.
I like that house.
I'm just afraid to love it
because of it being almost $800,000.
At that asking price, we cannot afford that house.
What about the one that I saw, Jenna saw?
It did have four acres.
The property was amazing -- the pond.
The highway?
But the price.
I know. But we don't want a highway.
I think that was my favorite master bath.
Four bedrooms, which is great.
Every kid has their own bedroom.
Well, no. That's just the thing, though.
To me, it was a three-bedroom,
because you have that whole separate living space.
Aidan is a lot older.
But he doesn't need a kitchen. You know what?
I wish Kaylin was there to see it --
Is that playhouse in the back.
You might even stay out there.
I have my idea in my mind.
I just don't think you're gonna have the same idea.
If we could get the colonial on the cul-de-sac,
that's five minutes from the train,
that would be my choice.
I am shocked that you said that,
because that's exactly what I was thinking,
and I never thought you would go there.
Get out of here.
[ Doorbell rings ]
Nice catch. Nice.
MEGAN: We've been here for a little over a month.
The listing price was way out of our budget -- $799,000.
But Justin negotiated, and he got us the house for $715,000.
And the house was essentially move-in ready.
There was a list of some things we wanted to change,
we thought, immediately --
for example, the wallpaper in the kitchen.
And then reality hit.
We have a budget to stay under,
so we thought to ourselves, some things can wait.
Ready to make cookies?
There it is.
[ Laughs ]
Cheers!
Cheers!
I did get the kitchen we wanted.
It does have an island with seating.
It's updated the way that I wanted,
so I think that's probably my favorite room in the house.
Every morning when I get up,
the first thing I do is start the coffee, get a cup,
and look out the window overlooking the deck
and check out in the backyard to see maybe if there's a deer.
If I really had to be picky,
I would say I'd love to have tile in the kitchen floor.
Maybe I'd like our bathroom to be a little bit more updated.
Again, that seems small in comparison,
because I really do love this house.
[ Train whistle blows ]
I did not have to compromise
on being close to the train station.
It's a short drive. I have a parking spot.
Get on the train, and boom -- I'm in the city.
JENNA: Oh, Kaylin, the cookies are ready!
We've only been here for a month,
but it really feels like home, which is really exciting for us.
And I am looking forward to having a lot more memories
with our immediate family,
with our extended family,
with our old friends and new friends.
So I'm excited.
Yeah. We're finally home.