Malverne - SD#13 - Pros & Cons, please! (Hempstead, Valley Stream: mortgage, lawyers)

[livitup]

As mentioned here about a wk ago, my husband and I are negotiating a contract on a house in Malverne, with schools in SD 13 (north valley stream).

As another weekend has passed, while we wait for the lawyers to finalize things for us, I started skimming listings again "just to make sure" we're making a good decision and took another drive around the area.

negotiated price $369K, taxes $10,900. 4 bd, 2 ba cape. needs some work.

this is a little lower than our original "budget" but we really really really like what the mortgage payments, etc. work out to and would really love to not feel like we're pushing that budget to its limits.

Granted, this is a personal decision, but I'd love to poll those here who are familiar with the area (incl. valley stream, oceanside, lynbrook, and rockville ctr - which were also in the running) to collect opinions about the pros and cons of malverne.

I like the village-y feel about the place. no chain stores. the parades. that great little bakery, etc. and this was initially sufficient to justify paying a few dollars more in taxes for that. But I'm starting to wonder if I'm short changing myself on the amenities available in the town. i.e. there's no pool, tennis courts, ice skating rink, parks, etc.

But there are in neighboring towns - and I don't think they'll let me join in on the fun! even if I'm willing to pay for it. So I guess my questions is - what am I really getting for my money?

Just to give a little background, in case you can relate: I grew up on L.I. in Plainview - Bethpage schools - hated it - ran off the island - lived in a handful of places for the past 16 yrs - but coming back now after getting really sick of the cost of living in westchester over the past 7 yrs. A few months ago I couldn't believe I was considering L.I. but there are many more "starter homes" than in westchester, offers the same commute to my job in midtown manhattan, has real beaches, and makes it easy for me to see my folks who are snowbirds - landing on the east end every summer. So maybe the island seems right/better, but I'd love some advice about whether someone here thinks malverne is worth the investment. I can say now, as an adult, that I appreciate all the amenities that Bethpage has to offer - from the golf course, to the polo matches, to the bike trails, the community pool, ice skating rink, the library, the playground across the street from our house, the soccer fields down the road, etc. I got a little nervous about our decision yesterday when I saw several of these kinds of things in valley stream yesterday. but not malverne...

(that being said - it was ground hog day in malverne yesterday, and there is only one Malverne Mel!)

anyone have an opinion to share?

[Walter Greenspan]

For those who may not be familiar with Malverne:

Previously known as Norwood and then Malvern (without the 'e'), Malverne is a village (incorporated in 1921) in the west-central part of the Town of Hempstead, in the southwest part of Nassau County.

Beginning on the north and moving in a clockwise direction, the Village of Malverne in the Town of Hempstead is bordered on the north by the Hamlet of Franklin Square and the Hamlet of Malverne-Oaks; on the east by the Hamlet of Lakeview; on the south by the Village of Lynbrook and the Hamlet of North Lynbrook; and, on the west by the Village of Valley Stream and the Hamlet of North Valley Stream.

The Village of Malverne has a different border than does the "Malverne, NY 11565" postal zone (i.e., a place can have a "Malverne, NY 11565" mailing address and not be in the Village of Malverne): places that have a "Malverne, NY 11565" mailing address but are not in the Village of Malverne are in the Hamlet of Malverne-Oaks.





For a good set of town-by-town maps showing all the villages and hamlets in each of LI's 13 towns (3 in Nassau County and 10 in Suffolk County):

http://www.city-data.com/forum/long-...-resource.html

[DonnaReed]

Wow, a four-bedroom for $369,000.

I thought you had to go upstate somewhere to get a home for that price.

[xbure9x]

I currently am living in Valley Stream, but about half a mile from the Malverne border. I love the town of Malverne itself, I take my son for walks and ride my bike all through the back streets of Malverne. The only thing to be concerned with are the schools. While VS 13 isn't so bad, the Malverne high school district is not one of the best. I have to believe from what I have seen that most people living in Malverne send their kids to private school, I always see them on the corners in the mornings on Cornwell Ave. So you pay over $10,000 in taxes to live there and in all likelihood would have to shell out the money for private school as well.

So you make the call. But, the town itself is great, that is the biggest negative, maybe the only negative I could think of to the town.

[fopt65]

Originally Posted by xbure9x

I currently am living in Valley Stream, but about half a mile from the Malverne border. I love the town of Malverne itself, I take my son for walks and ride my bike all through the back streets of Malverne. The only thing to be concerned with are the schools. While VS 13 isn't so bad, the Malverne high school district is not one of the best. I have to believe from what I have seen that most people living in Malverne send their kids to private school, I always see them on the corners in the mornings on Cornwell Ave. So you pay over $10,000 in taxes to live there and in all likelihood would have to shell out the money for private school as well.

So you make the call. But, the town itself is great, that is the biggest negative, maybe the only negative I could think of to the town.

This is a very accurate post. In a synopsis, Malverne is a cute little town with a less than desirable school district for the taxes

[kar221]

Malverne, nice town...not so good schools.

Valley Stream, schools aren't any good either.

I personally would avoid those towns.

Grew up in Lynbrook, but not crazy about the schools now. Things have changed and I moved to Oceanside to avoid the schools in Lynbrook. South side is better than the north side, but would not send my kids to the high school there.

Love O'side schools!

RVC, expensive and the schools are OK.

[KellyFG]

Originally Posted by kar221

Malverne, nice town...not so good schools.

Valley Stream, schools aren't any good either.

I personally would avoid those towns.

Grew up in Lynbrook, but not crazy about the schools now. Things have changed and I moved to Oceanside to avoid the schools in Lynbrook. South side is better than the north side, but would not send my kids to the high school there.

Love O'side schools!

RVC, expensive and the schools are OK.

I agree to some degree with this. My DH's Aunt, niece & great-niece live in Malverne on Utterby Road, walking distance to the village. Its very quaint for Nassau county but our great-niece is in 4th grade in malverne & is a minority as a blond haired blue eyed child, she has said the other kids aren't always nice to her.
That can happen anywhere to any child though.

My DH was born & raised in south valley stream, he & all of his siblings went to catholic school, he transfered to the public high school. he says he could never imagine living there again because the area has changed too much, i'm not sure what he means because i've never lived there.

My step-daughter lives mostly with her mother in North Lynbrook, the schools have a great reputation but quite honestly for the huge taxes I think the middle school is a major let down. I'm hoping the high school will be better. the kids are spoiled rotten, the mothers are badly behaved & I can't imagine paying those taxes for a postage sized piece of property & a 100 year old termite eaten house.

[VillageOfWestbury]

Originally Posted by kar221

Malverne, nice town...not so good schools.

Valley Stream, schools aren't any good either.

I personally would avoid those towns.

Grew up in Lynbrook, but not crazy about the schools now. Things have changed and I moved to Oceanside to avoid the schools in Lynbrook. South side is better than the north side, but would not send my kids to the high school there.

Love O'side schools!

RVC, expensive and the schools are OK.

May be it's because I don't have kids...and I'm a product of Catholic school...Xaverian Class of '91, but I really get the sense that folks make these remarks based on personal experiences---not numbers.

When did V.S. #13 schools get so bad? Aren't they ranked in the 200-300 range out of 1000+(which itself is the top 5% in the country)?

Isn't RVC ranked in the top 50? What extactly are folks expecting out of these schools when it's how your children are raised and engaged by the parent, the major influence in a child's performance?

[jasonsdaddy]

We just agreed to a purchase in RVC, after a VERY long and exhaustive search.
RVC schools were ranked #42 in the COUNTRY by Newsweek, and homes in RVC that are zoned for Oceanside schools generally have a 10-20% lower price tag for that sole reason (perhaps maing them a better buy, if school district doesn't matter. So I agree, VoW -- many people do post based purely on personal experience or bias... sometimes that is worthwhile to hear, and sometimes it can really cloud facts if mis-represented.

[livitup]

original poster here - thanks for the replies.

just to clarify - SD#13 actually means that my kids would go to James Dever Elementary and then Valley Stream North High School, not Malverne High School.