The short answer is that it is a big challenge, but not at all impossible. The tricky part is first knowing how and where to look. You can find your house in 100 different communities but the prices could vary from $300,000 into the multimillions, especially if you want newer construction. And the tax implications in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York, even town to town, can vary dramatically. If you are up to the challenge, you have an enormous amount of research ahead of you to get it right. Or you can just call the Intrepid New Yorker.

There is no short answer. Finding an apartment in NYC is fraught with peril if you don't know what you are doing, where the deals are, which brokers to trust. The only smart thing to do is call The Intrepid New Yorker.

It is not easy. If you hire The Intrepid New Yorker, we would first carefully assess who you are, what type of social life and culture you are looking for, whether philosophically you are more interested in private or public schools, country clubs or public recreation facilities. We'd want to know if you consider yourself more an urbanite or suburbanite. We would also want to assess your quality-of-life issues and what's on your trade-off list, your wish list and your must-have list. With that knowledge, we would come up with a very short and strategic list of communities that are as close a match as possible.

Absolutely. But don't expect it to be a duplication of the way of life you are leaving. The most important issue to recognize is that the NY area is a unique and one-of-a-kind place to live. You may not be getting a 10-minute commute or a 3000-square-foot home for $200,000, but you are going to be moving to one of the most culturally rich environments in the world. Depending on what matters most to you in terms of lifestyle, there are any number of ways to achieve your goals…with a trade-off or two. The Intrepid New Yorker can cut to the chase and make sure what matters most is factored into your neighborhood/community search here.

Not true at all. For example, if you are planning to live in Manhattan or one of NYC's urban boroughs such as Queens or Brooklyn, there are truly superb public schools in each on the elementary, middle and high school levels. The problem is that there are many more that are not viable. It is imperative that you know which schools to target. In the suburbs, the hundreds of choices can seem overwhelming and there can be subtle or dramatic differences school to school, even within the same township. But The Intrepid New Yorker will know where to send you.

Contrary to newcomers' perceptions, there may not be a more exciting or culturally rich metropolis for spouses and children. There isn't a personal endeavor that can't be pursued here; the choices are unlimited and can be as ambitious or low-key as you wish. For the record, The Intrepid New Yorker can get you and your family plugged into just the right pursuits for your needs and desires, whether in the city or the suburbs.