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Hey. Thanks for your reply. Budget wise we are looking at the mid $300s. In lower tax locations we can go up to $400k but with LI property taxes being so ludicrous that's as far as we can go. Was that so difficult? That figure makes a big difference in being able to help you.
We only have one car and even if we had more than one my wife doesn't have a license and isn't going to get one lol. This will complicate things in Suffolk.
However my two largest clients are in the DC area so twice a month (one for each) I usually have to drive out there. Understandable, I know many families in which one spouse must periodically travel for work.
I'm not saying that she needs to be able to tote all the kids and run errands on the bus, that would be ridiculous and embarrassing. In some areas, the lack of license and use of public transport will be more embarrassing than in others. I don't mean to sound harsh, sorry.
By walkable I mean that if I am gone with the car she will be able to send our 13 year old a few (less than 10) blocks walking to a bodega to milk or toilet paper or diapers etc. or absolutely worse case scenario she will be able to take our youngest (10 month old) and hop on a bus and go go to Target or Stop and Shop or Walmart etc. and leave our 13 year old and 11 year old to watch our 5 and 8 year old. Do you see what I am saying? Buses service in Suffolk isn't as good as it would be if you were to compare it to an urban system.
380 Browns Road, Nesconset NY For Sale | Trulia.com This is a VERY busy road, especially in the evening when people are heading home. There are no sidewalks. The closest store for milk or TP would involve crossing an even busier street.
211 Northern Boulevard, Saint James NY For Sale | Trulia.com This is not as busy a road come the end of the work day, but adjacent Woodlawn does get busy with some through traffic. Nothing along the line of the previous Nesconset listing. Woodlawn does have a sidewalk and a traffic light at the corner of Northern to help your child or wife safely cross in order to get to the stores on Lake Ave. St James is a nice town, safe, good schools. This house is well worth a look.
Answers in red.
Bear in mind that the closest thing we have to a bodega in St. James or Nesconset would be a delicatessen or 7-11.
I can tell you it will be tough to find a decent home in smithtown for that budget, I didnt check your links but I can see the st James location is on northern blvd, which is a main road with heavy traffic.
In Nassau as well you may be able to find a smaller cape in certain areas for 350 (Levittown is one), but your options will be more limited.
Northern Blvd in St James is not the same Northern Blvd (25A) in Nassau. The former is a residential street.
Brown's Rd in the OP's post is busy.
Last edited by OhBeeHave; 04-18-2015 at 11:51 AM..
Did you read the question? I specified in it that I'd already found homes online in these talents, so my budget is obviously enough. Regardless, the question of budget is irrelevant to this question because I was asking specifically about the nature of these towns. I wasn't asking for a recommendation, or anything like that I was simply asking if anyone knew the differences between the Massapequas, The Merricks, and Wantagh.
I don't see how my budget is relevant to questions about which town has the highest/lowest property tax rate, whats the differences in regards the schools, if crime is higher in any of these towns and also the perceived difference between the towns to Long Islanders, and yeah every LI town seems to have a reputation (just ask anyone from LI what their opinion of Freeport, Mastic or Brentwood is and you will see!).
Can someone tell me the differences between these towns? Also add Levittown and Massapequa Park to that.
Defensive, easily offended and dismissive. You will fit in great here on Long Island!
As to the person who asked if we NEEDED to move, the answer is yes. My wife's parents are elderly and they are the only grand parents my boys have (my parents live in Costa Rica for the last 3 years) so that's important. Tomorrow after church we are going to drive up to NY and drop the 3 youngest kids off at their grand parents and drive out at least to Nassau Cty and see if we like the area. Like I said earlier we are deciding at this point between LI and CT which would be a better fit.
As for the person who said that Wantagh has lots of Indians..do you mean dot or feather? The 2010 census results don't show that but it wouldn't be an issue for us. Asian Indians are very good people (though I don't care for their food) who value education and native Indians are a culture I am interested in, don't think I've ever met an Indian outside of Foxwoods though.
I wouldn't recommend moving to LI or NY in general unless... Actually no, no reason at all sounds legit. I guess if an aging relative with big bucks needs your help before they die and you will inherit and can then GTFO.
If you can barely afford it and your wife won't drive? Don't bother. Seriously. You're making a big mistake.
I wouldn't recommend moving to LI or NY in general unless... Actually no, no reason at all sounds legit. I guess if an aging relative with big bucks needs your help before they die and you will inherit and can then GTFO.
If you can barely afford it and your wife won't drive? Don't bother. Seriously. You're making a big mistake.
Thanks for that. We have to move to the NY area so it was really between Bergen/Essex Cty NJ (cannot really find anything and all of the "middle class" towns seemed to be too susceptible to spillover from Newark/Paterson) Fairfield/New Haven Cty CT (Fairfield is expensive but we like New Haven Cty which seems safe and middle class outside of New Haven propert) and of course Long Island.
As for the aging relatives, that's very big for us because we want our boys to have grandparents, we won't be inheriting anything besides perhaps their apartment in Riverdale that smells like mothballs, cigars and Dewars however the sentimental aspect of having access to family is priceless for us at least. We have been looking to relocate to the suburbs and get out of the hood that my city has become
It seems we can afford something and our family is used to cramped conditions being 7 people in a little less than 800 square feet which is how we live now. As for my wife not driving, she grew up with her parents in the Bronx and them moved with me here in Philly when we were pregnant with our oldest when she was 16 and I was 19..so she has always been in a situation where there is a guy (me or her dad) to drive her around and when she didn't she had access to 24/7 bus and subway train services. Since she is going on 31 I think she has gotten past the point where she can learn how to drive and be a confident full time driver (it's breed almost 20 years and I am not a 100% perfect at driving).
Quite a few people on this site are saying vague things like "stay the f away from Long Island" but not being specific...what's going on out there?
Quite a few people on this site are saying vague things like "stay the f away from Long Island" but not being specific...what's going on out there?
Nothing is going on out here, it's just a typical suburb that's overtaxed, and because of that there are a lot of disgruntled angry people here (especially on this board). But not everyone on LI is like that. There are plenty of other issues of course but every area has problems.
Sounds like to me you are being realistic for what you can get at your budget and you are looking in a lot of the right areas. It also sounds like pretty much anything here would be a huge step up from what you have now pretty much anywhere you move.
Bottom line don't listen to the haters on this board, do research check out the area yourself and do what is best for you and your family.
Thanks for that. We have to move to the NY area so it was really between Bergen/Essex Cty NJ (cannot really find anything and all of the "middle class" towns seemed to be too susceptible to spillover from Newark/Paterson) Fairfield/New Haven Cty CT (Fairfield is expensive but we like New Haven Cty which seems safe and middle class outside of New Haven propert) and of course Long Island.
As for the aging relatives, that's very big for us because we want our boys to have grandparents, we won't be inheriting anything besides perhaps their apartment in Riverdale that smells like mothballs, cigars and Dewars however the sentimental aspect of having access to family is priceless for us at least. We have been looking to relocate to the suburbs and get out of the hood that my city has become
I feel the same way about wanting proximity to family. Unfortunately, most of the people on this board do not understand that at all. They do not understand why I do not want to relocate. Good luck, and try not to let the others on this board get to you. Most people on Long Island (at least in the middle class areas) are not like the people on this board.
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It seems we can afford something and our family is used to cramped conditions being 7 people in a little less than 800 square feet which is how we live now. As for my wife not driving, she grew up with her parents in the Bronx and them moved with me here in Philly when we were pregnant with our oldest when she was 16 and I was 19..so she has always been in a situation where there is a guy (me or her dad) to drive her around and when she didn't she had access to 24/7 bus and subway train services. Since she is going on 31 I think she has gotten past the point where she can learn how to drive and be a confident full time driver (it's breed almost 20 years and I am not a 100% perfect at driving).
Quite a few people on this site are saying vague things like "stay the f away from Long Island" but not being specific...what's going on out there?
A lot of people on this board do not even live on Long Island anymore. Deep down, I think that they are lonely that they are now living in areas where they know nobody, and they are jealous that some of us are able to find a way to live on Long Island, and they couldn't.
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