Starter Houses on Long Island? (Babylon, Albany: layoffs, purchaser, theater)

[gotcha]

Originally Posted by NYSinger

Thanks, GCGuy!

Even if the prices fall a little, it won't be enough to compete with the high cost of living here. It's not a good place to start a family!

NYSinger

I'm afraid you are right about that... I won't argue with that very valid point. it's very frustrating... I am in the same boat.

[gotcha]

Originally Posted by amsm196

I havent lived on LI in over 10 years, but from what i heard is that the majority of homes have not dropped. Did i hear wrong? You wrote " prices will fall again" but when did they drop? By how much on average and what towns do you mean?

From talking to my family in Huntington they said the taxes, Utilities and home prices are only getting more out of control.

The main problem though is the taxes, yes some people may drop the price of the house, yet the Property taxes are out of control. And when will they cap off?

take a look at the listings they have been droping... no not all of them... no not by alot. but thats just it they continue to drop. as for the taxes and cost of living... I do not think we will see relief here. Its bad, I know!

[gotcha]

NYSinger

I only hope that things will change. otherwise this area stands to loose another talented and probably very creative person. what will be left? The very boring rich who love sleeping with thier money and live fo nothing else but thier money... its a real shame whats happening to us. a real shame.

[NYSinger]

Thank you, gotcha!! That was nice!

I don't know what will be left of Long Island...a place for the rich and the poor and for the tourists? All I know is that it is very expensive to live here!!

[policar4]

Perhaps when looking for a house you should check the taxes before the cost - my taxes are considered low ($7000., which I know is high elsewhere but great for LI!) because the house was originally built in 1926 and we kept a small part when we rebuilt it in the 80s... we're not the only ones who did that. We've been trying to sell our house and have had people say things like "well, the other house is $10,000 cheaper (& smaller!) and not realize how much more their payments will be because the taxes on the other place are $10,000 higher! Also, keep in mind that because the housing market is so lousy just about everyone prices with bargaining in mind. As for what will be left on Long Island... sometimes I wonder how many people will refuse to lower their prices until they foreclose, and then someone buys their houses, turns them into illegal apartments... sigh.

[very private citizen]

Typical House in Suffolk County during 1972 cost $42000
Typical Income in Suffolk County during 1972 was $10000

The cost of a house in 2006 if you only count the inflation rate should be about $202,000. The median income should be about $48,000.

Per credit cost at Suffolk C. Community College (SCCC) in 1979 was approximately $27/Credit. At the rate of inflation the cost should be about $80 per credit.

2006 Actual

House Median Price about $384,000 in Suffolk
Median Income about $84,000
SCCC Credit $130

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Remember the new motto for Long Island living...
"Beatings will continue until morale improves"

Can we stop talking and start fixing?

[Dedalus]

Originally Posted by very private citizen

Typical House in Suffolk County during 1972 cost $42000
Typical Income in Suffolk County during 1972 was $10000

The cost of a house in 2006 if you only count the inflation rate should be about $202,000. The median income should be about $48,000.

Per credit cost at Suffolk C. Community College (SCCC) in 1979 was approximately $27/Credit. At the rate of inflation the cost should be about $80 per credit.

2006 Actual

House Median Price about $384,000 in Suffolk
Median Income about $84,000
SCCC Credit $130

-----------------------------------------------------------
Remember the new motto for Long Island living...
"Beatings will continue until morale improves"

Can we stop talking and start fixing?

I think the root cause is fairly simple. It's some really hellacious ingrained, institutionalized corruption, which is allowed to exist because there's a minority of people who want to turn this place into yet another national park for rich people.

[very private citizen]

Originally Posted by Dedalus

I think the root cause is fairly simple. It's some really hellacious ingrained, institutionalized corruption, which is allowed to exist because there's a minority of people who want to turn this place into yet another national park for rich people.

The people you are pointing fingers at are a symptom of the problem. Our greatest problem is that very few of our citizens actively participate in the actions taken by their government. If you leave the fox alone in the hen house, what do you think is going to happen?

School budgets are the single greatest amount in our yearly property tax bills. But, how many of us actually go to school board meetings or vote for or against the school budgets.

Even when a school budget is voted down, how few voters return for the re-vote? I'm sure you've seen the pattern where a school budget is voted down. The school board makes token changes to the defeated budget, hides the date for the re-vote until the last minute yet manages to inform the unions and other vested interests well in advance so they can stack the re-vote against those paying the bill.

Long Island has been hijacked by the majority of the small minority of voters who actually vote. "The fault lies not in our stars but in ourselves" -- remember that famous line?

How many school boards on Long Island are stacked with pro-union board members or people who want to protect the jobs of friends and family. I'm sure you see the professionally printed materials that arrive just before every school board election. Who do you think is paying for the printing and mailing?
Who do you think is addressing the envelopes? Often it is the unions who throw their support behind the candidate most likely to give them the best protection.

If more citizens participate, we will have a chance to create laws that expose vested interests. If more people participate, budgets will be voted down continuously until the civil service types and our elected officials get the hint.

How many of us vote in Fire District elections, Library district elections, local council elections etc;? If we want to fix the problem, we have to fix ourselves. If you don't particpate, you lose your right to complain. If you are not actively hounding people who are being a destructive influence in your life, you lose your right to complain.

Here is a list of actions you can personally take to help change things for yourself.

1) Register to vote and vote in every single election no matter what.

2) Go to public meetings and voice your concerns. Be the annoying little voice in the head of your elected public officials.

3) Lobby your elected officials to create laws to force all candidates to openly identify who is contributing to their campaigns.

4) Lobby your elected officials to fix the dates of budget re-votes to a fixed date so that everyone knows when to go back and re-vote.

5) Lobby your elected officials at the state level to have them force the consolidations of the multitude of taxing districts into fewer and fewer consolidated districts. Do we really need 130 school district superintendents on Long Island, plus the legions of administrators they carry with them?

6) Participate in open forums and talk to your neighbors to share ideas and find solutions to the problems we all share. It's not about winning for your side, its about doing the best we can for everyone. Somehow we americans, new yorkers and long islanders have forgotten that simple truth.



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Here are a few suggested voting guideline -

a) Never vote for an incumbent.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

b) Never vote for a one issue candidate.
They care about their issue not you.

c) Whenever possible vote for the third party candidate.
More political parties mean more voices, more voices mean more ideas and hopefully better results.

d) Vote every election no matter what!
Its your life -- if you don't care enough, neither will nayone else.

[PhilG]

To VeryPrivateCitizen:

You're right on!!!

I moved to upstate NY (Albany) for college in 1997. I met a pretty blonde girl from the suburbs and married her. We bought a house here because it was $135k as opposed to $400+k (2003). My taxes were $2800. My only addition to this thread is that it's a New York State problem; not a Long Island problem. Take, for instance, that very average, middle-class city homes on my street in downtown Albany are going for 250k. In the burbs they're going for 350k and much, much more. Salaries do not reflect the cost of living at all. Now, the sticker is that taxes are TWICE as high here than in Nassau County per thousand dollars of value. For example, my parents live in Farmigdale - estimated home value 600k, taxes 8500. My house estimated value 225k, taxes 5000. See what I mean? They recently reassessed home values in the city and are increasing my taxes another
$912. There is premium to living on Long Island. Many people hate it, but the reality is that LI is a unique place with a unique culture (though you may hate it, it still is unique). It's close to NYC and to beautiful beaches. It has it all. I would move to the village of Babylon in a heartbeat if I wasn't a poor school teacher!

What we need to do is re-evaluate the education system in our state and ask ourselves what services we are getting everytime property taxes go up. Last time I checked, my taxes went up but no new line items were added to budget expenditures (I never actually checked). NYS government is in the busieness of creating revenue through the collection of taxes. I agree that our state has many roads, schools, museums, parks and opportunities that are second-to-none, but at the expense of the middle class.

My therory of why cost of living is going up so much and so fast is based on the change in our workforce during the 70s. Ask me to explain...

[GCGuy]

Originally Posted by PhilG

To VeryPrivateCitizen:

You're right on!!!

I moved to upstate NY (Albany) for college in 1997. I met a pretty blonde girl from the suburbs and married her. We bought a house here because it was $135k as opposed to $400+k (2003). My taxes were $2800. My only addition to this thread is that it's a New York State problem; not a Long Island problem. Take, for instance, that very average, middle-class city homes on my street in downtown Albany are going for 250k. In the burbs they're going for 350k and much, much more. Salaries do not reflect the cost of living at all. Now, the sticker is that taxes are TWICE as high here than in Nassau County per thousand dollars of value. For example, my parents live in Farmigdale - estimated home value 600k, taxes 8500. My house estimated value 225k, taxes 5000. See what I mean? They recently reassessed home values in the city and are increasing my taxes another
$912. There is premium to living on Long Island. Many people hate it, but the reality is that LI is a unique place with a unique culture (though you may hate it, it still is unique). It's close to NYC and to beautiful beaches. It has it all. I would move to the village of Babylon in a heartbeat if I wasn't a poor school teacher!

What we need to do is re-evaluate the education system in our state and ask ourselves what services we are getting everytime property taxes go up. Last time I checked, my taxes went up but no new line items were added to budget expenditures (I never actually checked). NYS government is in the busieness of creating revenue through the collection of taxes. I agree that our state has many roads, schools, museums, parks and opportunities that are second-to-none, but at the expense of the middle class.

My therory of why cost of living is going up so much and so fast is based on the change in our workforce during the 70s. Ask me to explain...

Well..please do.