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I have family living in Holbrook and Ronkonkoma.. There are good and bad patches in the neighborhood and the prices reflect that. If you see a section ranging 300-450 for houses, that's the good section. If you see prices between 150-250, that's the bad section.
If you want to be closer to the city, try the towns surrounding Massapequa. There is a section which shares schools with Amityville and a nice cape can be had for around $300k or less.
Are the "bad sections" really terrible? (Robberies, drugs, mugging, etc) or just trashy?
This is purely an anecdote, and I can't really speak for whether it's reflective of the bad areas as a whole, but I know someone who lives in the area right near the lake who was the victim of a push-in home invasion last year - very scary. (His car's also been vandalized multiple times over the past few years, but that seems to be more the result of bored teenagers with BB guns who live nearby, rather than indicative of an attempt at a more serious crime.)
I think in general, if you're looking to buy on Long Island, a good rule of thumb is that if a single-family home is priced at $250K or less, it's guaranteed to have at least one of the following flaws: (1) too far from NYC to reasonably commute there; (2) unsafe and/or really bad schools; (3) high risk of flooding/difficulty getting flood insurance; (4) the house itself is totally wrecked for some reason.
Ronkonkoma's still within at least somewhat "reasonable" commuting distance to NYC, it's not in a flood zone, and Sachem is a solid-performing school district. Assuming the houses you're seeing listed aren't a total wreck, guess which explanation that leaves you with?
Thanks for your insight! I actually saw a few small condos in the area under $200k. If we revisit purchasing, this would most likely be the route we would take.
None of your criteria for living can be found on Long Island. Sorry but that's the truth.
Thanks! Not sure if you actually read my post. It's a guideline, and like I've repeated a many a time on here, I don't expect to find a place exactly like that. I'm willing to sacrafice some things. Most importantly I just want a place that is safe and family oriented.
You can find houses in the 300k range in East Northport/Greenlawn/Elwood/Huntington area. They are small but much closer to Brooklyn than Ronkonkoma. I'm not sure about under $300k but I know places that have sold in the low 300s.
You can find houses in the 300k range in East Northport/Greenlawn/Elwood/Huntington area. They are small but much closer to Brooklyn than Ronkonkoma. I'm not sure about under $300k but I know places that have sold in the low 300s.
Driving to Brooklyn still sucks.
Northport and Greenlawn add at LEAST 20 minutes to your commute to get to highways. I would not even consider these to be within his search parameters.
Are the "bad sections" really terrible? (Robberies, drugs, mugging, etc) or just trashy?
No. Not terrible like the city- Generally, the crime and such in the "bad" parts is no different from the "good" parts (after all, they're really not far from one another)- the only real difference is that in the trashier areas, you tend to see more groups of mischievous kids. And even that is something that you can also have in the good parts...just not as commonly.
Source: I used to walk for miles at night around Ronkonkoma/Lake Grove/Holbrook. Never really noticed much differnce between the $500K-house areas in Lake Grove or the $220K house areas in Ronk....other than looks.
A house on Long Island for under $300k that's an hour from Brooklyn and everyone speaks English?
Best of luck with that! You should look in Jersey instead.
LOL I know, I may wind up in Jersey myself if my neighborhood keeps getting worse since everywhere else is so damn expensive. Basically you have to be rich to live in a decent neighborhood here, it's very cutthroat. It really pisses me off to see folks who have spent their whole lives on LI being forced off by these rich jerks moving here & the illegals they hire.
Last edited by Johninwestbury; 10-24-2014 at 12:11 AM..
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