After years in the city, this couple landed in a community they’re happy to call “home.”
Alana and Gennady Kogan loved living in the city, spending five years together in Manhattan. But as the city started to change and Alana recovered from a kidney transplant surgery, the couple decided to focus on moving to the suburbs.
“Stamford was always on our radar,” Alana says.
But, they wanted to be sure that was the right place for them to land for the long term. Years earlier, they’d considered an apartment in downtown Stamford, but never made the move. Now, though, they were drawn to Stamford’s safe, dog-friendly nature – and the fact that the area was packed with amazing restaurants and parks. Plus, Alana’s mom and sister live in Connecticut.
Exploring Like an Insider
“I reached out to Suburban Jungle and had a great conversation with our Strategist Alli Levine,” Alana says. “Alli and I talked about all of the priorities of our search and she shared insight about various towns across Westchester and Connecticut that would align with what we were looking for.”
With their town search strategy in place, the couple started to meet with Suburban Jungle’s local agents in each area. Their town tours were the perfect opportunity to investigate other suburbs and compare them to Stamford.
From the Rivertowns to Larchmont, it was important to Alana and Gennady to truly shop around and investigate other suburbs and get a feel for what life would be like in each place.
Alana and Gennady loved their lifestyle in the city… row boats in central park and bringing their dog Max to brunch. Their future community had to stack up with an active downtown and plenty of opportunities to enjoy the outdoors.
Alli shared her insider tips to make the most of each of their town tours, providing Alana and Gennady with restaurant suggestions, things to do and events to check out. By immersing themselves in the community they were able to get a better feel for each town.
“On one of the tours, we stopped at a farmers market. When we toured Pleasantville we went to one of the restaurants that was on Alli’s list,” she says. “It was really helpful to get an insider look into the towns.”
Moving Without Compromises
Alana and Gennady did not want to compromise as first-time homebuyers. They were not willing to remove their contingencies and didn’t want to rush into anything. Luckily, they started the process early so were not up against an aggressive timeline.
“We didn’t want to feel pressured into a scenario that we were going to regret,” she says.
They asked Alli and their partner agent tons of questions during the process and learned to take everything one step at a time.
“Give yourself some grace,” she advises, “There are so many details.”
After looking at a few places, they fell in love with a house in Stamford that had been on the market for just over a month. Alana and Gennady were confident Stamford was the right choice, so making the decision on the house was easier. They closed in mid-September, scheduled some renovations and moved in just before Halloween.
Embracing the Suburban Life
Alana and Gennady are already settling into their new community and neighborhood.
“I really like that everything is super easy to get to here,” she says. “It’s surprising because we’re not in downtown Stamford where there are tons of restaurants but I’m still able to drive a few minutes and get to a really cute country market.”
Having more space and living on a quiet street has been an adjustment. But they’ve started to explore their town more and love where they landed.
“The neighborhood that we’re in is very dog-friendly,” she shares. “And everyone is so nice.”
Now that they are unpacked, the couple can’t wait to welcome their friends and family members into their new home for the holidays.
“Shockingly, I have had 13 people in our one-bedroom apartment for the holidays,” she adds.
In their new space, they can likely accommodate twice as many loved ones. What’s not to love about that?
Ready to find your dream town? Let us help! Reach out today and we’ll connect you with a Strategist that can help every step of the way.