Where to move? Lots of options ...opinions?? (Islip, Babylon: middle-class, sale)

[drumfreak]

Hi. I work and live in Great Neck. We are about to go into contract on the sale of our 1 bedroom co-op and we are looking to buy a house. We have a 7 month old daughter and are looking for a safe, middle-class neighborhood, with decent schools to raise her in. We are looking for a 3+ bedroom starter home, 1+ bathroom, with a with a decent size, kitchen and backyard because we love to entertain. We also want to have a dining room and a basement. We are on a budget of about $389 with taxes no more than $6700. I have been lurking on this sight for sometime and have done tons of research on school districts, ethnic breakdowns etc. I grew up in Bayside Queens and my wife, in Bethpage. We are not adverse to diversity in a community but want it to be a safe environment. We have been driving through different neighborhoods since later last year. I was wondering if there are any areas that we might have missed...that other forum members could lead us towards.
We first starting looking in Huntington/Huntington Station...and found that all homes in our range were either in poor condition or on very scary streets. We then looked into W. Babylon and found many homes that fit our criteria south of the SS. We did find that the further east (and in some cases north) you go the more bang you get for your buck. We are also looking in Northport, Kings Park, Lake Ronkonkoma, Lake Grove, St James, Smithtown, and Holbrook. The downside is that with any of those locations....my commute to Great neck could be in excess of an hour and I am also worried how high the prices fo gasoling or going to be in the future. We checked out Hicksville and Levittown in Nassau County yesterday.... some small lots with few basements. Anyway....is there any place that i could be missing? I am open to any and all suggestions. Also... does anybody have an argument for or against any of the places that we are considering. One thing that I need to add is that I manage a restaurant so in some cases...I won't be in rush hour traffic.

[iluvmycuties]

If you are looking into Nassau, I think Levittown would be great for you. The taxes seem to be a bit higher than your budget, but there are some homes that have those taxes. FYI, in case you did not know, most of those homes do not have basements. You can also find homes in Bellmore and Seaford. Those are good schools as well. Best of luck!

[GigiBowman]

and you didn't like Kings Park?

[drumfreak]

No... I loved Kings Park. I really still can't start bidding on houses till I get into contract on the sale of my current place. I was just looking for advice on other spots that I might be missing or if anybody could say anything bad about the spots that I am considering. While we are on the topic of KP....how backed up does 347 get in the morning? On the days that I would be going in that are "rush hour" days...could it take me 30 minutes to get to LIE?

[iluvmycuties]

You wouldn't take 347 to get to LIE. Wouldn't you take the Sunken Meadow to the LIE?

But to answer your question...347 is one of my biggest issues with living out here. It is a total nightmare.

[drumfreak]

Whoops... I got it confued with a place I saw in St James....thats where 347 came into play. How about Sunken Meadow Pkwy?? Does that get backed up during rush hour?

[Jrprofess]

Originally Posted by drumfreak

Whoops... I got it confued with a place I saw in St James....thats where 347 came into play. How about Sunken Meadow Pkwy?? Does that get backed up during rush hour?

You would avoid the 347 mess if you were in Kings Park. Would be a challenge if you were in St. James, Smithtown, etc. For Kings Park you would just hop on the Sunken Meadow and while nothing on LI is a joy during rush hour, the Sunken Meadow, and being further west, would be better than the 347 backup. Two other options might be certain areas of Hauppauge which is in and around both the Northern State and LIE as well as Nesconset, which is the southern end of Town of Smithtown. You could be in Nesconset, Smithtown schools and be just a mile north of the LIE. Your challenge might be your budget fitting into an area that is closer to Great Neck, although there are some Levittown residents on this board that could probably give you some guidance. Seaford as well maybe? I am biased but if you can be a little off the rush hour and handle the gas, you will get more house and yard in a Kings Park area than in many Nassau county areas, and you mentioned the need to entertain. The trade in your case is of course the commute. Good luck to you and I hope your sale goes smoothly.

[jaxsky]

I'm trying to figure out where to move myself with my 4 year old. I see you have a baby, so it will be awhile till school. But thought I would share, Kings Park does not offer full day kindergarten.

I grew up in Merrick, if you stay north or maybe try East Meadow. Taxes are higher in Nassau. BTW, do you know anything good or bad about Islip?

good Luck

[drumfreak]

I doon't know anything about Islip from experience but from what I hear, West Islip is the better of the Islips. People say to stay away from Central Islip.

[GigiBowman]

Originally Posted by drumfreak

No... I loved Kings Park. I really still can't start bidding on houses till I get into contract on the sale of my current place. I was just looking for advice on other spots that I might be missing or if anybody could say anything bad about the spots that I am considering. While we are on the topic of KP....how backed up does 347 get in the morning? On the days that I would be going in that are "rush hour" days...could it take me 30 minutes to get to LIE?

The Sagitose Parkway is right off 25 & 25A. it's probably the fastest route to the LIE --maybe 5 minutes? You can get anywhere you want form Sagitos Pkwy. You never have to take 347. Kings Park is excellent because of this --and affordable and a lovely town. You share the schools with Fort Salonga and some of Smithtown. I just sold a house there for 340,000. An excellent house down the block from the River. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths....the area of San Remo in Kings Park has lots of starter homes at affordable prices --you get beach rights and it's all close enough to the Sagitos Parkway