Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Well, the title pretty much says it all. My question is, is there anything we can do to fix it? Is anyone else tired of it? I'm pretty fed up and frustrated with the situation. I often wonder why more people aren't discussing this issue.
I have lived on Long Island my entire life. Grew up in Ronkonkoma, in the Sachem School District, in an extremely small house. Also grew up watching my parents work extremely hard just to struggle to pay the bills. They are in their late 50's now and struggle a little bit less now that most of us kids are married and out of the house. One thing is certain, they will never have a cush retirement like many of those who work in the public sector out here.
Now I have a wife, and we have kids of our own. We're both college educated with decent jobs. My wife doesn't work as much now due to needing her to care for the kids. So, I work my butt off. Currently we rent an apartment from my in-laws. Thank God for that, as they give us a discount on the rent. We'd like to buy a house, but it just seems so out-of-reach for us. Even with having a lot of money saved. I just find it amazing how expensive it is to live here. It's not even the cost of houses. The TAXES ruin everything! And I see multiple issues with this.
I've been looking for a DECENT house, in a DECENT school district, for quite some time. I sort of gave up, but I'll take a look now and then just in case a deal pops up. Well, that doesn't really happen.
What issues I'm seeing...
1 - I'm seeing houses where the price vs the taxes just does not add up. I saw a house in Selden or Centereach the other day, the house was listed at $150,000 (WOW! what a steal right?) but the taxes were $15,000 per year (WTF?! How does this make any sense?!). The house needed a ton of work, but fixing it up would be feasible if the taxes were reasonable!
2 - I'm seeing some cases where homeowners are DROPPING their asking price multiple times because their property taxes are so high nobody wants to buy the house. So, because they want to tax us to death, homeowners out there are actually losing equity and wealth because they're forced to reduce their asking price in order to sell (depending on the house of course).
3 - Houses are sitting and rotting. I see so many houses out there that have been vacant for what seems to be years. We've all heard about the "Zombie Houses." Some people just aren't touching them because by the time you factor in the cost to buy, rehab costs, and TAXES and what that will cost you overall just to live in a mediocre area, in a mediocre school district, it just isn't worth it in most cases.
4 - The tax problem is ruining many neighborhoods and families. People don't have as much money to do the things they want. Families are being broken up because many people are relocating out of state where it's way cheaper and the pay is about the same. Imagine if they corrected the issue and what that would do for the Island. It would be truly amazing. More money in people's pockets means more young people who grew up here would buy a house and stay. People would have more money available for all types of home improvement which would revitalize neighborhoods that are falling apart. People would have more money to spend locally, maybe even start their own business, helping the local economy.
I could go on, but you get the point. Sometimes my wife and I drive around asking ourselves, "How the hell do people afford to live here?" How do you afford it? What do you people do for a living where you can just drop 1k or more per month just on your property taxes, then pay your mortgage, and still have money to do things?
I go through old threads on here where people like me express their concerns and frustrations, and people out there chalk it up to them just complaining. This is a real problem for the middle class here. Maybe you don't feel it if you're a plastic surgeon living in your McMansion somewhere on the north shore. The majority of Long Islanders feel the pain.
Status:
"Let this year be over..."
(set 23 days ago)
Location: Where my bills arrive
19,219 posts, read 17,095,590 times
Reputation: 15538
You have seen the reality now you must make the choice of what's important for you. If you stay on the island the taxes will only get worse over time, potentially your income will increase also but ultimately you may always be behind the 8 ball. Or if your career allows you can leave LI and have a life somewhere else but if being close to family/friends is the most important than this won't be an option.
Your an adult now and it's time for you and wife to decide what path is in your best interest....Good Luck
Your thread is like #17377474 ranting about LI taxes on here.....it's a common theme. If you can't deal with it, then you can move out. Sorry to be so blunt. I live in NYC and I pay a little over $7k per annum on maintenance on my 1 bedroom coops in Queens. To pay $10-12k in property taxes for those with school age kids isn't the worst thing considering I wouldn't be subject to the 3.5% NYC income tax, I would be living in a house (which I couldnt afford in NYC) and my kids would not be going to NYC public schools. And houses in western Nassau (the closer to NYC, the better) are not sitting and rotting on the market...not all neighborhoods can be generalized. Houses are sold in weeks in the desirable Nassau parts. As the adage goes, location, location, location.
Is there any objective evidence of this or is it just a rant?
So - is there a big increase in vacancy rate? Are home prices falling because people will not move here? Or is it you conflating your personal situation with the state of the island...
Most NYC jobs pay enough so you can afford the 1k a month in taxes assuming there is dual income. I have noticed many of the areas with cheaper housing such as a 150k home have higher taxes than areas w/ 600k homes. The areas that have the 600k homes especially in Nassau also have homes in the 800k-1.2mm range and they are getting crushed and keeping the "cheaper" 500-600k homes taxes lower.
My house would sell for 630-650k in today's market my taxes are 12k w/ star. I live in a desirable area in eastern Nassau. A dump in Hempstead that cost 175k would have the same taxes I do.
Your thread is like #17377474 ranting about LI taxes on here.....it's a common theme. If you can't deal with it, then you can move out. Sorry to be so blunt. I live in NYC and I pay a little over $7k per annum on maintenance on my 1 bedroom coops in Queens. To pay $10-12k in property taxes for those with school age kids isn't the worst thing considering I wouldn't be subject to the 3.5% NYC income tax, I would be living in a house (which I couldnt afford in NYC) and my kids would not be going to NYC public schools. And houses in western Nassau (the closer to NYC, the better) are not sitting and rotting on the market...not all neighborhoods can be generalized. Houses are sold in weeks in the desirable Nassau parts. As the adage goes, location, location, location.
Yeah, I get it. Common theme. As I stated, I grew up on LI. Born and raised. I'm pretty familiar with the issue and both counties. I also did not generalize all neighborhoods. I said depending on the house or area. I figured plenty of people would say this is just a rant or complaining. It's not. This is a big issue.
10-12k in property taxes on a house that cost anywhere from $200k to $400k, in an average district, that you need to renovate and update, where you maintain everything outside or inside, is way too much. Do you think everyone works in Manhattan for a hedge fund or the like?
/\ I believe 150k a year income for a family of 4 is necessary to live and have a decent life on LI. If you can't make that money then either sacrifice or move.
Is there any objective evidence of this or is it just a rant?
So - is there a big increase in vacancy rate? Are home prices falling because people will not move here? Or is it you conflating your personal situation with the state of the island...
Suffolk County has the fourth highest number of zombie homes in the nation. Conflating my personal situation with the state of the island? For many people, one is a result of the other.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
