When New York City buyers begin their home search in Westchester County, they often try to apply the same valuation tools they used in Manhattan—especially price per square foot. It’s understandable: in Manhattan’s world of highly uniform condos and co-ops, price per square foot (PPSF) is one of the cleanest metrics buyers have.
But in Westchester, the land of varied architecture, variable lot sizes, unique renovations, and century-old homes, this metric becomes almost meaningless. In fact, relying on price per square foot here often misleads buyers and causes them to overlook some of the best opportunities on the market.
As someone who has represented hundreds of buyers and sellers throughout Westchester (and closed over $500M+ in transactions), I have seen this misconception repeatedly derail otherwise smart buyers. Here’s why PPSF should play almost no role in your decision-making process when shopping for a home in Chappaqua, Briarcliff Manor, Somers, or any Westchester community.
1. Manhattan Has Uniformity. Westchester Doesn’t.
In Manhattan, most residential buildings are relatively comparable:
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Similar ceiling heights
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Similar finishes within a building
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Identical unit layouts on different floors
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Shared amenities, mechanicals, and common spaces
This makes PPSF a rational baseline.
Westchester, on the other hand, offers incredible diversity even on the same street. Two properties 200 feet apart might differ dramatically in:
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Year built (1920 vs. 2020)
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Lot size
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Quality of renovations
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Architectural style
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Number of usable rooms
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Condition of mechanical systems
Trying to force these homes into a per-square-foot metric is like comparing Central Park West to a Tribeca loft—they simply aren’t structured to be measured the same way.
2. A Westchester Home’s Value Is Driven More by Property Features Than Square Footage
In Westchester, buyers care just as much—if not more—about the features outside the four walls:
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Flat, usable yard
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Natural light orientation
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Neighborhood setting
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Proximity to train stations, schools, and parks
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Privacy
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Condition of roof, windows, siding, mechanicals
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Layout and flow of the home (which is not reflected in square footage at all)
A poorly designed 3,000 sq ft home can be worth less than a beautifully updated, well-laid-out 2,400 sq ft home.
The PPSF calculation will make the smaller home look “overpriced” even though it may be the superior property.
3. Square Footage Itself Is Not Measured Consistently in Westchester
In Manhattan, the Department of Finance and buildings’ offering plans provide relatively consistent measurements.
In Westchester? Not even close.
Square footage discrepancies happen because:
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Some towns count finished basements; others don’t.
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Some agents include bonus rooms or enclosed porches; others exclude them.
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Architects, appraisers, assessors, and listing agents often report different numbers for the same home.
It’s common for a home to have three or four different square-footage “truths.” If the underlying number isn’t consistent, PPSF becomes useless.
4. Renovations Make a Far Bigger Impact on Value Than Size
In Manhattan, renovations are expensive and require board approval, so most units are updated within a relatively narrow range.
In Westchester, no two renovations are alike.
For example, consider two 3,000 sq ft homes:
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Home A: Roof from 1998, original kitchen, no insulation, aging boiler
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Home B: Newly remodeled kitchen, updated windows, modern HVAC, brand-new roof
PPSF might show these homes as similarly priced—even though one could require $300,000 of immediate work. Buyers who focus too heavily on PPSF often get blindsided by these realities.
5. Land Value Varies Tremendously Across Westchester
A house on:
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a cul-de-sac
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with a flat acre
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backing town-owned greenspace
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in a top school district
…will command a premium that has nothing to do with square footage.
Similarly, homes near highways, on steep lots, or with limited outdoor space will be valued lower—even if they have more interior square footage.
In Westchester, land value is often more important than the structure itself, and the PPSF metric cannot reflect land desirability.
6. Buyers Who Fixate on PPSF Overlook Great Opportunities
I have had countless buyers tell me:
“This home seems expensive on a price-per-square-foot basis.”
And then they lose out to other buyers who focus on:
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condition
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layout
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long-term cost of ownership
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expansion potential
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land
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the actual experience of living in the home
Later, those same buyers often realize they missed a tremendous value because they were trying to import a Manhattan metric into a suburban market where it doesn’t apply.
7. What Buyers Should Focus On in Westchester
Instead of PPSF, look at:
1. Comparable sales of similar homes (condition, location, size, and layout)
2. Cost to renovate or modernize
3. Long-term maintenance profile of the home
4. Land characteristics
5. School district and neighborhood demand
At NestEdge Realty, this is where we excel. We don’t rely on simplistic metrics—we analyze the property holistically so buyers truly understand what they’re purchasing and what it will cost to maintain over time.
Final Thoughts
PPSF works in markets where homes are uniform and predictable.
Westchester is the opposite.
Here, character, land, layout, condition, and lifestyle elements matter far more than raw square footage. A great buyer’s agent should help you evaluate all these variables—not just divide price by a number that may not even be accurate.
If you’re coming from Manhattan and want expert guidance navigating the very different dynamics of Westchester’s housing stock, NestEdge Realty is the perfect partner. Our data-driven but real-world approach has helped buyers win bidding wars, avoid overpriced properties, and feel confident in one of the biggest decisions of their lives.