Which town would you recommend (Albany, Kingston: home, living in, military)

[Ellwood]

Which states give retirees the best deal? - MSN Money

Interesting article.

[Pismo Clam]

Originally Posted by Rumblebelly

The burbs north of Albany to Saratoga are growing. This causes demand and in turn causes home prices to go up. Delmar and the surrounding area also has high home values.

You could almost make the argument that cities like Albany, Sch'dy, Troy, Syracuse, Rochester, ect, have artificially low housing values because there was never that housing boom that affected most of the country. No growth means no increase in home values.

They're not "growing" by any measurable fundamental. There is loads of clueless speculation for sure but the area continues to depopulate much like other areas of NY.

You can't lose 300,000 high paying manufacturing jobs over 30 years and call that "growth". Wages there continue to fall, unemployment is growing and housing prices have just begun their decline.

The AMD pipedream has turned out to be just that. I contend that it will never see full operation, even if it gets built. And even if it does see full operation, 1200 $20/hr jobs is nothing compared to the losses. It's much akin to raindrops in the desert. The grossly inflated housing values is the last thing everyone clings to here. And they're evaporating as I write this.

[Rumblebelly]

Originally Posted by Pismo Clam

They're not "growing" by any measurable fundamental. There is loads of clueless speculation for sure but the area continues to depopulate much like other areas of NY.

What data are you looking at?

Saratoga County saw a population increase of 7.4% from 2000-2007 while Albany County had an increase of only 1.0%.
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitors sites is not allowed
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitors sites is not allowed

Do you think that might have had something to do with the housing values?

[Pismo Clam]

Originally Posted by Rumblebelly

What data are you looking at?

Saratoga County saw a population increase of 7.4% from 2000-2007 while Albany County had an increase of only 1.0%.
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitors sites is not allowed
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitors sites is not allowed

Do you think that might have had something to do with the housing values?

http://www.census.gov/popest/countie...2008-01-36.xls

Those are roughly the same numbers as the Census Bureau but keep in mind they are estimates only. The long term secular economic decline of upstate NY has resumed and it will continue to depopulate. The housing bubble years were only a brief reprieve.

[Rumblebelly]

Originally Posted by Pismo Clam

http://www.census.gov/popest/countie...2008-01-36.xls

Those are roughly the same numbers as the Census Bureau but keep in mind they are estimates only. The long term secular economic decline of upstate NY has resumed and it will continue to depopulate. The housing bubble years were only a brief reprieve.

Your spreadsheet shows Sartago County grew relatively well, just like I stated earlier. I ran the calcs:

Saratoga County 2000-2008: 7.6%
Albany County 00-08: 1.2%
New York State 00-08: 2.6%

If you calculate it all out, only Richmond County beat Saratoga County in growth at 9.0%

[Pismo Clam]

Originally Posted by Rumblebelly

Your spreadsheet shows Sartago County grew relatively well, just like I stated earlier. I ran the calcs:

Saratoga County 2000-2008: 7.6%
Albany County 00-08: 1.2%
New York State 00-08: 2.6%

If you calculate it all out, only Richmond County beat Saratoga County in growth at 9.0%

Whoopee pickle. It amounts to nothing in the long term.

[juppiter]

Wrong, Pismo. Saratoga County has been the fastest growing county in NYS since the *1960s*. So it DOES amount to something. Back then, Saratoga County wasn't even considered part of the Capital Region, now it's considered an integral part. Saratoga County's growth means the area as a whole is growing... the only Upstate metro area to be doing so at all.

[anothertntony]

Originally Posted by Ellwood

Which states give retirees the best deal? - MSN Money

Interesting article.

Weird. I cannot figure out how they got $912 for the Albany taxes. Using the 2007 data from the comptroller's office, Albany city taxes are $14.25/$1000 and school taxes are $28.50/$1000 with an equalization rate of 0.71.

From what I read, it appears that the Enhanced STAR program for seniors reduces the pre-equalized market value of the house by $50,000 (and that is subject to meeting certain income requirements; I did not check those).

For a $120,490 house, that would seem to imply total taxes of:

120490 * 0.71 * .01425 + (120490 - 50000) * 0.71 * 0.0285 ~= $2645.

That is nearly triple the amount given in the article. Does anybody see any error or is that article just poorly researched bunk?

And of course that would leave you living in a $120,000 house in Albany, which perhaps will not be in the nicest area.

[OrangeSunset]

Originally Posted by anothertntony

And of course that would leave you living in a $120,000 house in Albany, which perhaps will not be in the nicest area.

Perhaps????? I think you meant *for sure* right? Thank you for putting things into prospective!

I had high hopes for the area once the NYS started dumping money into the Albany nanotech business, but it has been several years and people just keep moving out of the area. People come here thinking it is an *up and coming area* then nothing happens and they can't wait to get out. I agree with the last post about AMD. I don't think it is going to make a dent. It will be mostly blue colar work and that's not going to allow for much investment in the area. Maybe it will pick up what GE left off but that's about it. I don't expect much to change.

A friend once told me that the Capital Region looks exactly the same as it did 15 years ago when she moved away to go to college & travel. It feels like this place is stuck in the middle-ages. It is sad sad situation.

[Mareli]

We are from the Catskills and the military has taken us many miles away from there. My husband's grandmother Eva Griffen lived in E. Jewett....Oh what a wonderful place along with Windham (spelling)....I can see the lakes now and enjoying a breezy day of fishing and picknicking.....But the winters are harsh, no hospitals or clinics near by...You would think after all these years there would be something like a mini hospital or something? In Tannersville which you probably know well we have a small home that was left to my husband after his parents passed away Ellsworth & Charlotte Meigs actually in Elka Park....Would you believe the Rexall drug store closed down a few years back and you have to drive to Catskill to get a prescription.....Albany or Kingston for hospitals or doctors.....We are retired military, living in Southern California. We lived on the coast for 30 years and moved to the mountains with critters and all....We love our critters but the closest hospital is 40 miles away.....Two years after moving to the mountains, which by the way it snows up here 5,200 ft up my husband became ill....Back and forth just about daily....If you like the snow and don't have to work I guess it is ok.... Our first snow storm we were having flashbacks about living on the east coast shoveling the snow....What were we thinking......Oh well.....Best of luck to you both, enjoy life to the fullest.....