East Greenbush job - where should I look for a house? (New York: real estate, mortgages)

[sullyone]

This site has been great so far in helping me to learn more about areas where my husband is considering moving for jobs. But I'm having trouble deciphering the various opinions on the Albany area so thought I'd jump in with a direct question. Positive responses please! Don't tell me how horrible the Albany area is in winter, how there is nothing to do, taxes are astronomical, or how much you hate it there. (I've read a LOT of these forum discussions, they can be downright depressing!)

Anywho - My husband is considering a good offer in East Greenbush. I am trying to find an area to look at housing and would appreciate your thoughts.

My wants: good school system, decent taxes (relative to the area), nice, friendly, family neighborhood with houses about $400K. A lot of what I've seen in East Greenbush is wells and septic systems, which concerns me a bit as I hear (in these forums) that the water table is high. Also, what is the best option for heating?

So for those of you who live in the area, where might you tell me to look for a house? Thank you so much for your opinions.

[ckhthankgod]

Try Guilderland, Latham/North Colonie, Averill Park, Bethlehem and South Colonie. Here's some good information to look at:https://www.nystart.gov/publicweb/Co...&county=Albany

https://www.nystart.gov/publicweb/Co...nty=Rensselaer

http://www.prudentialmanor.com/

Guilderland Central School District

North Colonie Central Schools - Latham, NY

South Colonie Central School District :: South Colonie Central School District - A school district near Albany, New York.

Averill Park Central School District

Bethlehem Central School District - Delmar, NY

I hope this helps.

[ekb88]

I work in East Greenbush, and I live in Clifton Park, near Exit 8 off the northway. People in East Greenbush think I have a long commute, but it's never really more than 30 minutes. People's ideas of what a long commute is here is laughable.

I really like it. My understanding is that because we are in Saratoga county, the taxes here are lower than there. Definately worth looking into.

He's not looking at a software company in East Greenbush, is he?

[jfkIII]

Where are you coming from? Most that come from Long Island like Clifton Park. It could be considered the upstate Long Island. If you're looking for something different, you can go in all 4 directions up here...even western Mass is not a far jump.

[sullyone]

Not software, no. I agree on commutes, we're both from Long Island originally! We lived in the Hudson Valley area for quite a while as well. We're in the midwest right now so we're excited to get back home. - we'd like to stay within 30 minutes or so. I'll check out Clifton Park then, thanks.

[Miker]

Sullyone, I'm glad to hear you say you don't want any negative responses! The Albany area is not nearly as bad as some make it out to be.

I agree with the suggestions others above have posted...Clifton Park, Latham, Loudonville, Guilderland etc. all good choices as far as quality of life and their school district ratings.

Good luck in your search!

[Pat_Jennings]

Good morning. I am a local realtor in the Albany, NY area. The answers you have been recieving are all good ones. If you have any more specific questions, I would be happy to try to help you out.

I think you will like this area very much.

Thank you, and good luck.

[mgibbons]

I am also real estate agent in this area and would be happy to answer any questions you have. There are many great areas in this region and as a former transplant to this area that I have called home for 19+ years I would be happy to answer any questions you have.

[promom]

My husband and I lived in the capital region for several years and loved it. We moved out of the area to be closer to family and where property was more affordable. Now my husband commutes and hour to East Greenbush for work. We are considering moving back to the area and also are wondering where to go? We want a short commute, good schools for our kids, and affordable taxes. As the price of property is SO much more there compared to our current location I am not sure how we're going to do it. Our current mortgages and taxes are comfortable. Of course, if you're looking for a $400K home you should have no problem finding anything you want in the area. Most homes we've been interested in are about $250K, only $150K more than what we paid for our current home LOL. I don't know how people do it, I guess I just am not comfortable putting our whole paycheck into a house payment.

[dbh522]

Lots of East Greenbush is public water and sewer. Everything else you are looking for also fits with East Greenbush. Why have a commute when you don't have to? A quick look at realtor.com in that price range showed homes with public water/sewer. I've been in East Greenbush for 4 years and I really like it. It fits your criteria and I like being so close to everything. I get to my job in downtown Albany in 10 minutes, Latham is 15 minutes and Saratoga is 30 minutes. I work with a lot of people in Clifton Park and it takes them a minimum of 30 minutes to get to downtown during rush hour. The traffic on the Northway sucks. I know it's minor compared to LI traffic (spent years driving there for work) but why do it if you can have a 5-10 minute commute with no traffic?
I always commuted 30 minutes to an hour before moving here. Now I leave my house at 7:40 and am home at 4:15. When we lived in the Hudson Valley my husband commuted 70 miles each way. When we moved here (for his job) he cut his commute to 2 miles. Quality of life is so much better now.