Moving to Albany from Tennessee (New York, Colonie: transplants, homeowners insurance, how much)

[movingtoalbany]

Hey all, I'm relocating to the Albany area from Tennessee. I'm well aware that it will be more expensive to live in Albany but I wanted to get an idea of just how much more. Tennessee doesn't have a state income tax and property taxes and utilities are relatively cheap in the area I am in. I currently have a 1200 sq. foot home that I paid $90k for 4 years ago.

I'll be looking for a 3-4 bedroom, 2 bathroom house. What can I expect to pay? I know it will depend on the area but I'm just looking for a ballpark in the suburbs. Also, can anyone help with average cost of utilities, homeowners insurance, property taxes, etc? Thanks in advance.

[donnaack]

I lived in Albany all my life until 2 years ago when we moved to Charlotte. If you have children you want to be in the Guilderland school district. School taxes are high, but the safe environment and education is worth it. I had a 5,000 sq. ft home on 10 acres and my total taxes were around $13,000. School was around $6,000. If you don't have children and want to live in the city of Albany then look for a home around Whitehall Rd and New Scotland. Decent areas, homes that will be close to your price range and taxes that are not too astronomical. Remember the winters are long and your heating bills will be high. Expect to pay somewhere around $300 - $400 a month depending on how high you like your thermostat. Good luck in your search.

[Bo Fung]

If you can provide a little more info about what you need for housing, (price, garage, sq ft., heat type ) etc.. Will you be working in Albany or outside?

[12buttons]

Originally Posted by donnaack

I lived in Albany all my life until 2 years ago when we moved to Charlotte. If you have children you want to be in the Guilderland school district. School taxes are high, but the safe environment and education is worth it. I had a 5,000 sq. ft home on 10 acres and my total taxes were around $13,000. School was around $6,000. If you don't have children and want to live in the city of Albany then look for a home around Whitehall Rd and New Scotland. Decent areas, homes that will be close to your price range and taxes that are not too astronomical. Remember the winters are long and your heating bills will be high. Expect to pay somewhere around $300 - $400 a month depending on how high you like your thermostat. Good luck in your search.

Yikes - who's your utility company? Tiffany's? Oil or NG?
I take it t 6k is rolled into the 13k tax or is the total 19k?

How does Charlotte compare to Alb? Price per sq ft?
Property Taxes? Land value? Overall services?

Home of BAC can't be good. Layoffs coming I fear...

Which city is in better shape in terms of resale and future appreciation?

thanks and congrats...I almost bought a place in WEddington a few years ago...12b

[movingtoalbany]

Originally Posted by Bo Fung

If you can provide a little more info about what you need for housing, (price, garage, sq ft., heat type ) etc.. Will you be working in Albany or outside?

I'll be working in Colonie. I would like to pay no more than $250k. I need at least 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, garage would be preferable. Square footage doesn't matter. What are the heating choices? Here it is gas & electric. Gas is obviously more expensive but heats better. We do not have kids but spouse is a teacher and would like a good district to get to know for future employment but we don't necessarily have to live in that district.

Thanks for your help.

[Rumblebelly]

I think you should be able to find a decent home in the area for around 170K+, depending on the neighborhood and the condition of the house. You mentioned the burbs. They will be higher than the villages or urban neighborhoods, depending on where you go. A good realtor will help you out a lot more than we can.

Taxes will be around 3-6K/yr, again, depending where and what you buy. Saratoga county is cheaper than Albany or Schenectady county. Utilities during the really cold months pushed $300/mo but our house is almost 150 years old. I can't recall insurance but it didn't seem unreasonable.

We are new NY residents from CO, been here only a year and a half. We ran into a few new people from the south and they had a tough time adjusting to the culture here. Heck, I'm having a tough time as well but it's getting better.

[Alt Dach]

Most transplants are floored by the drop-dead scenic beauty of upstate NY !
I was-WHO KNEW?

[Miker]

Originally Posted by movingtoalbany

I'll be working in Colonie. I would like to pay no more than $250k. I need at least 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, garage would be preferable. Square footage doesn't matter. What are the heating choices? Here it is gas & electric. Gas is obviously more expensive but heats better. We do not have kids but spouse is a teacher and would like a good district to get to know for future employment but we don't necessarily have to live in that district.

Thanks for your help.

$250k should get you what you are looking for. Interesting that you said gas is more expensive than electric? The opposite is true up here. Avoid electric, it could bankrupt you. Also avoid oil. Natural gas is the way to go.

[plattsburgher]

Where in Tennessee are you coming from? Memphis, Knoxville, Nashville? I landed here in 81..........There was a huge amount of culture shock for me here back then, but Albany won't be nearly as drastic a change......The taxes are much, much higher and when I was back in Tennessee 2 weeks ago, gas was 3.39 a gallon. You won't find that here. Fruits and vegetables are a lot more here also. Also, the previous writer is correct in that because of the Tennessee Valley Authority and all the water powered dams crossing the state, electric rates are dirt cheap. Do not get natural gas anything when you move unless absolutely necessary. Take all the precautions to make your house energy efficient for winter.........fix drafts, close unused rooms, insulate, insulate, insulate..............You will need REAL warm boots and coats, mittens and hats here also. You won't be making any fashion statements in the winter here.........What helped me a lot was having a garage for winter, so that I didn't have to let my car warm up before I could sit in it without freezing to death all the way to work..........Get a garage! The first place I lived up here had no garage and finally somebody told me that you could get a car engine warmer.............got that and it was much better........Good luck. Albany can be a nice area. There are a couple of bad areas, but you will learn about them. NY public schools are really great. Teachers need masters' degrees to teach here.........Much more recycling and public health awareness than in the south. I do miss my college football though and great southern cooking. It is a mix of some things better and some things worse...........Just try to be as open minded as possible when somebody makes fun of your accent. They don't mean anything by it, but actually most people just haven't heard too many.........But people drive sooooo much better up here than in Tennessee........are much more careful!
Like I said a mix of good and bad..............

[movingtoalbany]

I'm coming from Chattanooga. I'm already expecting a higher cost of living so nothing I see will surprise me. It may just hurt the pocket a bit more. Did you mean do not get electric anything and that natural gas is the way to go? We're actually looking forward to the winter and my wife is definitely excited about a whole new wardrobe of winter clothing. With satellite tv I won't be missing any college football! I've already been told I will never be mistaken for a native New Yorker based on my accent so I'm fully prepared.