Ruralish places near albany?

[Miker]

Off topic I know but need to let off some steam. Again regarding my coworkers that live in Berne, Rensselaerville, Westerlo etc. and constantly complain about what they have to pay for gasoline and property/school taxes. I believe I have posted this comment somewhere else before but feel it needs repeating.

When asking these people...If these costs are so debilitating to you, why don't you move? Their response is always...I could never deal with the traffic. Yet, five days a week they are dealing with the traffic to get to our workplace. On weekends they are dealing with the same traffic to get to..well...anything.

So essentially they are driving daily through this "horrible traffic" AND THEN driving another 15 - 20 miles along lonely, dangerous, unkept country roads to finally get home. Meanwhile, I have probably cracked open my second beer, relaxing and watching TV while they are still white knuckling it to get home.

There is no accounting for stupidity...or something like that as the saying goes.

[juppiter]

I mean, even if you wanted something a little cheaper, the Schenectady County suburbs are generally cheaper than the Albany/Saratoga suburbs, and yet they're still close to the thruway, supermarkets, malls, etc.

But some people love the country... not me.

[piperspal]

Originally Posted by GiantRutgersfan

Not neccesarily rural, but just an area where I can get some privacy and have at least an acre lot without it being extremely costly

What do you consider extremely costly? Acreage varies greatly from town to town, even within the same county. Most "suburbia" lots that try to be passed off as rural start at 40 thousand & go up...so tack that onto the median price for homes closer in...and then be prepared to pay the taxes.

Depending on your budget, it would be better to look into the outskirts and buy 3-5 acres w/ a zoning variance for agricultural use. Cheaper taxes. The town of Knox in south Albany county has a restriction on new development - no home on less than 3 acres - & most of the existing homes there are already on that much land at least. If you can stay fairly close to Rts. 146, 256, or 85, your roads will be pretty decent & your commute time will be under 30 minutes usually.

But I agree w/ the Renss. County fans - the commute is easy & the area has a ton of available homes w/ privacy. If you live in the area, check out the local TWTV real estate channel & go to some open houses.

[colbean8]

Yes, the Altamont/Guilderland area - as I said, LOL. OK, so the hilltowns are rural, but the snow issue is really bad, I have co-workers who can't get out for days.

Rural'ish enough, Selkirk and Ravena. They are on a flat road - either 32 (S. Pearl St) or Rt 9W.

[piperspal]

Originally Posted by colbean8

Yes, the Altamont/Guilderland area - as I said, LOL. OK, so the hilltowns are rural, but the snow issue is really bad, I have co-workers who can't get out for days.

Rural'ish enough, Selkirk and Ravena. They are on a flat road - either 32 (S. Pearl St) or Rt 9W.

Plus, these communities are currently the cheapest.

[juppiter]

Selkirk and Ravena are rural, but still close to civilization and highways. If I were looking for rural, I would definitely go there instead of western Albany county.

The RCS (Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk) school district has a really bad reputation for what it's worth (not education-wise, but people-wise (i.e. in high school, "oh, she's dating a guy from RCS" meant that she was most likely a ****.))

[ss20ts]

Originally Posted by GiantRutgersfan

Not neccesarily rural, but just an area where I can get some privacy and have at least an acre lot without it being extremely costly

What do you mean by costly? Will you be building a house? Modular? Stick built? Manufactured home?

If building a new house, be prepared for the high cost of excavation in some areas due to the massive rocks. You'll also need a septic system and well drilled. All can be VERY costly.

What about schools? Where do you work? What kind of commute are you looking for? Do you need cable? High speed internet? Cell phone service? All of those things are not available in all areas especially once you leave the core areas.

And just because you move to an acre or somewhere rural does not mean you will have privacy. My parents live in the sticks and have the neighbors form hell on both sides.