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Isn't that as expensive (or more for some things) than Long Island?
Oh, hell yes. Nice place to visit but wouldn't want to live there. What's gas there right now - probably $5 + per gallon. Food, forget it. Everything has to be shipped in.
I was at an event this weekend and met a guy from Chicago. Very similar lifestyle, union carpenter, managed a karate dojo for kids, etc. Would fit perfectly in Levittown. We went to Miller's for lunch. When I told him my taxes were $12k for 1800 sqft he nearly crapped himself. Is that the reaction we are looking for?! He said "this neighborhood looks just like mine and I pay $5400 for 2000sqft." Makes ME think about moving. Who wouldn't?
What I'm wondering is, when is the bottom going to fall out with the property taxes for the middle class homes on LI?
It's all fine and well for the bankers who can buy $1.2 million dollar homes with $26K taxes two or three at a clip. I'm talking about regular houses for regular, normal middle class people. When the taxes in Levittown get to be $26K will a guy like this "be a pal" and buy a house there instead of RVC to support the public sector unions who feast at the trough of Levittown taxes?
When does the value proposition get too ridiculous for the middle class? I have seen $199,000 houses for sale in Levittown with $12,000 annual taxes on mlsli.com. Who's going to buy that? Really? What's going to happen when the taxes on houses of these values are even more? Where does it end? Will we have abandoned streets like some places in California already do? Will places in the future just turn into absentee landlord flophouse slums? Or are the taxes even going to be too much for slumlords?
For all the people (usually public sector union members or their families) that say, "Nyah! Nyah! If you can't AFFORD Long Island, then move out, you bum, so somebody with more money can move in!" I say, "Do you think multi-millionaires are going to be buying in Levittown because they can afford the real estate taxes as a personal favor to the public sector unions? Don't count on it."
The public sector unions are VORACIOUS and they know high property taxes with no control over raising them are THEIR PAYDAY. They are not going to go quietly without their raises, pensions, and bennies. I read yesterday in Newsday that a huge NYS public school teacher's union actually has the nerve to SUE over the 2% property tax cap (which is woefully inefficient anyway). The taxpayers, there's no multi-billion dollar union to take legal action in our interest, that's for sure. They claim it's "unconstitutional" or some such nonsense. How about their capturing and grossly inflating the costs of the market on public school teaching? They have a monopoly there that they do not deserve and are using it to totally abuse the taxpayers. But that's okay in their minds.
So what do you think the future is for middle class homes with upper class sized property taxes?
the teachers complaining about losing their winter breaks due to Sandy are a sprecial breed of ***hole. On top of othat, my friend's wife was recently complaining that her district made them give up (or was it postpone?) their annual raises for two years. I countered with, "but you still get your step increases don't you?" The conversation quickly changed to something else.
Good for you!
They hate it when people in the public are informed about their racket.
What you see are people maxing out their credit cards, leasing their cars and taking out million-dollar-plus mortgages. Average Long Islanders are struggling and it's only getting worse.
People live for today and don't think about the future. Many don't pay attention to the political machinations that are taking the Island down. But it's not rocket science to predict the future here. Someone else eloquently pointed out all of those Long Island kindergarten teachers who make $125K and will be entitled to big pensions and lifetime health benefits down the road. Who do you think will pay for that? And just look at the lack of public transportation on Long Island and imagine what life will be like when gas hits $8 a gallon, which it inevitably will. The overall picture isn't pretty despite your free-spending friends.
I am wondering about this too. I was watching TV news the other day and they had a story about the rising gas prices on LI lately. They interviewed a gasoline industry professional and, contrary to what they usually say ("this is temporary because of blah blah blah"), he said that he does not predict prices going down significantly or failing to rise again at the usual times (start of summer, etc.). He says LI in particular is getting hit harder in prices due to a closure of a gasoline refinery in NJ and the projected closures of more in NJ to come.
Isn't that as expensive (or more for some things) than Long Island?
You have a point there. At least I would have been able to enjoy the weather and the sites.
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