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#1 is a mind trick since you pay so much more to register a vehicle annually in NY and you pay tax on the purchase itself. You pay way more in NY over the life of the vehicle.
#2 is basically a wash.
#4 is not much of an impact to the bottom line considering that HOA dues will include amenities like a community pool, tennis courts, clubhouse, etc... and at the end of the day you're talking less then the cost of a family Y membership.
#5 is deceiving... areas of LI you still need to send your kids to private school with 8,9,10k+ annual taxes.
I'd also suggest that you don't use Cary exclusively as your end all be all comparison for Tarnation... You can find new affordable (<100/sqft) tract built construction options in most decent NC areas.
I'd agree.
On #4, HOA dues are similar to taxes in that you are paying for “ordinances” for personal property upkeep that is done by local municipalities (villages and towns) on LI. Plus they also go towards the amenities you mentioned. Property taxes plus HOA fees are still a fraction of the property taxes on LI. You also have the option of moving into a non-HOA neighborhood.
An example of #5 is Amityville. Plenty of folks south of Merrick Road don’t send their kids to the schools in that district.
#1 is a mind trick since you pay so much more to register a vehicle annually in NY and you pay tax on the purchase itself. You pay way more in NY over the life of the vehicle.
#2 is basically a wash.
#4 is not much of an impact to the bottom line considering that HOA dues will include amenities like a community pool, tennis courts, clubhouse, etc... and at the end of the day you're talking less then the cost of a family Y membership.
#5 is deceiving... areas of LI you still need to send your kids to private school with 8,9,10k+ annual taxes.
I'd also suggest that you don't use Cary exclusively as your end all be all comparison for Tarnation... You can find new affordable (<100/sqft) tract built construction options in most decent NC areas.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Redd Jedd
I'd agree.
On #4, HOA dues are similar to taxes in that you are paying for “ordinances” for personal property upkeep that is done by local municipalities (villages and towns) on LI. Plus they also go towards the amenities you mentioned. Property taxes plus HOA fees are still a fraction of the property taxes on LI. You also have the option of moving into a non-HOA neighborhood.
An example of #5 is Amityville. Plenty of folks south of Merrick Road don’t send their kids to the schools in that district.
#1 is not a mind trick. Let's say you have 2 autos valued at $40k combined and a $60k boat; That's $100k of taxable property. @ say .75/$100, you're looking at an extra $750 a year in taxes. That's a LOT more than registering your car once every 2 years for $140. Does my math look correct?
Also, I know NY is not very business friendly, but don't you pay property tax on any business equipment you own in VA/NC? [I'm kinda surprised Yzette didn't add this to the thread as I have seen her mention this in the past]
#2 is not exactly a wash. Most people here are paying a lot less for their health insurance than other states. I guess that's at least one advantage the generous public sector benefits yield to private sector workers here.. we get great health benefits (relative to NC/VA) that is often overlooked and could mean thousands in extra COL in the South.
#3 is obvious
#4 is an extra cost for you that is already built into our Town + County tax bill. We get all those amenities, too. Town + County pools, parks, beaches, museums, plowing... That's a significant extra cost (Tax) that whittles away the COL advantage.
#5 - I'm very familiar with many of the School Districts here and there are many more good districts than poor ones. Believe it or not, Amityville is improving. I wouldn't recommend it, but Grad rate and test scores are likely in-line with the average school in the South. Look it up if you don't believe me.
Regardless, at least 80% of the schools here are what I consider above average/excellent (vs the USA). Maybe even higher than 80% in Nassau.
More importantly, most districts are very convenient for parents and kids (ie-close by/walkable, busing available, set in stone district boundaries, more geared toward the community the schools are in)... not crapshoot county-wide systems like we see in the South.
Pequa, your COL is just higher and that's the way it's always been on the Island. My taxes are lower, housing is lower, electricity is lower, cost of eating out is lower. No matter how you cut it COL for Long Island is just high. Which by the way doesn't make it a bad place, just expensive. If you're looking for lovely beaches, the ocean and the city then the Island is your place, but if you want bang for your buck Long Island is at a disadvantage to just about anywhere.
Last edited by ClarkStreetKid; 01-23-2012 at 03:19 PM..
First off, your post are very informative and accurate about L.I. and especially Massapequa You live there and know things from experience But sometimes when you 'google' or depend on 'hearsay'( a lot of people on these forums, aren't the brightest bulbs and also type misinformation) from other parts of the country which you don't live in, it's either inaccurate or incomplete. The more you type the more I see this pattern develop.
First off, your post are very informative and accurate about L.I. and especially Massapequa You live there and know things from experience But sometimes when you 'google' or depend on 'hearsay'( a lot of people on these forums, aren't the brightest bulbs and also type misinformation) information from other parts of the country which you don't live in, it's either inaccurate or incomplete. The more you type the more I see this pattern develop.
I'll just leave it as that
I'm not trying to slight anyone's state. I'm asking questions as well. What looks incorrect about that summary above? I won't deny the South is cheaper COL for a second -- but I think there are many unforeseen costs that people are unaware of (or savings realized by living on LI).
Another one I will add..sewer/cesspool costs. While Suffolk doesn't have many towns with sewers, Nassau is mostly on the sewer system. I think that is an excellent value that is also 'built into our taxes'.
Another is exterminator costs. Many places in the South require mandatory quarterly exterminator visits. That stuff adds up.
1) Vermont has no vehicle property taxes. Registration fees and insurance are much cheaper than here.
I used to have a car registered in VT and when we moved here, I was surprised to find that what I pay here is maybe $50 more. I think the registration is more here, but not a huge difference.
If we are talking VT, my parents pay more in property taxes there than they do here! Also food here is cheaper. Granted our grocery store is still closed from the summer, they should be open again in a few weeks, but if you buy a red pepper up there it is like $4.
You will have to PM me the name of this Chinese place, bcs everything near us ranges from really bad to so-so.
#2 is not exactly a wash. Most people here are paying a lot less for their health insurance than other states. I guess that's at least one advantage the generous public sector benefits yield to private sector workers here.. we get great health benefits (relative to NC/VA) that is often overlooked and could mean thousands in extra COL in the South.
I disagree, maybe you're one of the lucky ones in the private sector, but the cost of insurance in NY is significantly higher than some other areas.
My brother in law was looking for health insurance to cover himself indiependantly. the rates started at 500 a month vs 150 in florida. The NY plan from the same company wasn't offered in florida b/c it covered so little.
My employer pays for a good portion of my health insurance, hoewver, it has a high deductable on lab work and pretty large co-pays. Those in the public sector that I know are shocked at what us "normal" people live with.
I disagree, maybe you're one of the lucky ones in the private sector, but the cost of insurance in NY is significantly higher than some other areas.
My brother in law was looking for health insurance to cover himself indiependantly. the rates started at 500 a month vs 150 in florida. The NY plan from the same company wasn't offered in florida b/c it covered so little.
My employer pays for a good portion of my health insurance, hoewver, it has a high deductable on lab work and pretty large co-pays. Those in the public sector that I know are shocked at what us "normal" people live with.
I noticed a few people in the other thread mentioned they paid very little for health insurance too, but I always thought it was the other way around.
I actually pay $0 for mine, and it's not a half-bad plan - but at my last job I was paying nearly $500/month just for myself and it was complete garbage... which I think is more typical.
I'm having a hard time thinking of one single thing that's cheaper on LI, unless we're talking about the discount of "knowing a guy" who can hook you up with a good price on cigarettes/mufflers/shingles/trash bags/stump removal/whatever it is - which is probably more prevalent here than elsewhere, though I don't really know.
The only other place I lived, I actually paid considerably more for utilities. That was in the Capital District, upstate - National Grid. Not typical but I figured I'd mention it...
I'm not trying to slight anyone's state. I'm asking questions as well. What looks incorrect about that summary above? I won't deny the South is cheaper COL for a second -- but I think there are many unforeseen costs that people are unaware of (or savings realized by living on LI).
Another one I will add..sewer/cesspool costs. While Suffolk doesn't have many towns with sewers, Nassau is mostly on the sewer system. I think that is an excellent value that is also 'built into our taxes'.
Another is exterminator costs. Many places in the South require mandatory quarterly exterminator visits. That stuff adds up.
You are asking questions, which is great, but are you listening to the answers? Pretty much everyone in the thread has told you that you are dead wrong on health insurance but you continue to argue the point. Where are you getting this idea that health insurance is cheaper on LI??
You are right about the exterminator! A lot of people don't bother but I hate bugs so I don't mind paying it. Still, I did catch the biggest spider I have ever seen in my life (keeping in mind I grew up in Australia) running across my living room. I swear I heard footsteps. A neighbor found a black widow under his pillow. I would have booked into the Comfort Inn.
But I also had a termite contract with Terminix on LI - not sure if most people on LI do this, but it was definitely a plus when I sold my house.
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[I'm kinda surprised Yzette didn't add this to the thread as I have seen her mention this in the past] 
You live there and know things from experience 
But sometimes when you 'google' or depend on 'hearsay'( a lot of people on these forums, aren't the brightest bulbs and also type misinformation) from other parts of the country which you don't live in, it's either inaccurate or incomplete. The more you type the more I see this pattern develop. 
