Trying to find safe+affordable on LI...... (Hempstead, Islip: condos, co-ops)

[BeaniesMom]

I don't know if anyone here can help us but my husband and I are looking for a home on LI. We'd love to look elsewhere but my husband has a wonderful city job and we must remain in NY until he retires. We are looking for a safe,quiet neighborhood in which to raise our son. The only problem is that our son is still an infant and with the cost of daycare, it is more practical for me to stay home with him.That does however limit our choices as far as neighborhoods and size.We live in Brooklyn now and are looking to purchase something of our own. Any advice would be appreciated.Thanks!

[Keeper]

I moved your post to it's own thread, maybe you will get some help with it being here.

The one thing I know folks are going to want to know is what is your price range?

[all mixed up]

Queens has some nice areas and you can buy a co-op. Yes a price range, how many bedroom, type of area you are looking for would be helpful

[Johninwestbury]

Queens would probably be better. In Long Island it's almost impossible to find somewhere affordable...and safe with decent schools. You would have to go all the way to Suffolk, to find something even remotely affordable...out in Ridge. That'd be a long commute to NYC.
Otherwise you will have deal with the problems that occur in the not-so-great towns on L.I., men loitering on the streets for work, gangs, and problem schools.
The middle class is a very endangered species on L.I.....and in the U.S. as a whole.

[Glad2BHere]

Originally Posted by BeaniesMom

I don't know if anyone here can help us but my husband and I are looking for a home on LI. We'd love to look elsewhere but my husband has a wonderful city job and we must remain in NY until he retires. We are looking for a safe,quiet neighborhood in which to raise our son. The only problem is that our son is still an infant and with the cost of daycare, it is more practical for me to stay home with him.That does however limit our choices as far as neighborhoods and size.We live in Brooklyn now and are looking to purchase something of our own. Any advice would be appreciated.Thanks!

I don't see how anyone can guide the OP without asking her budget. Affordable is a subjective term.

So what is yoru budget and then we can guide you.

People, Queens is NOT cheaper than LI in terms of housing and the school systems are usually terrible. In addition, not safer at all.

I think we can surely recommend some places if we knew her budget.

[AlexisT]

That's not quite true. Like for like, Queens is not usually cheaper, particularly since LI size lots are hard to find. However, the housing stock is much more varied, which makes it easier to find a place within budget. A lot of LI is made up of subdivisions of (originally) identical houses, usually single family detached. With no smaller properties, you have a hard floor price in many areas and there's no way to get down, even if you're willing to buy something smaller to start. Queens offers more in lower price brackets, with the caveat that you also get less space.

As for schools, parts of Queens are excellent. Funding and space are tighter, but there is no way you could call the public schools in Bayside or Forest Hills "terrible". This is especially true at elementary level, where I could recommend several good schools. (HS is a little tougher--either it's overcrowded or you need to apply and take a chance.)

We do need to know budget in order to recommend. But if the budget is tight, and commute time is important, Queens is worth looking at.

[Mikey'sMom>:)]

Hi, My name has since changed from beaniesmom to mikey's mom......OK, here goes..We are married 3 yrs and have a 10mo. old son. I am a stay at home mom and my husband works for the City. As such, we must stay in NY. We do not have any cc debt and we own our 2yr old car outright. My husband does however have about $25k in student loan debt which he pays faithfully & well above the minimum. It does make finding a home quite a task. We have excellent credit but a really tight budget to work with.. ( 250K)For the ppl who suggested co-ops in queens, thanks but we've already thought of that...lol.. Once u add the mortgage payment to the monthy manit., ur better off buying a home. Maint. for co-op's in queens vary anywhere from $500-$1400 a month! It's nuts! We have never lived on LI and do not know which areas are good and or bad. What I guess we're trying to figure out, is where to start looking? We've seen some homes online that we can afford but we are unsure of the neighborhoods. How is W. Babylon, N.Babylon, Deer park,lynbrook, islip terrace,etc?..

[AlexisT]

I really don't think you'll find anywhere on LI for 250K unless you go WAY out. Even then, probably not.

[omigawd]

You're not going to find a home on LI for 250K period. Also, if your husband works for the city, doesn't your primary residence have to be within the 5 boros?? I would look into that.

With your budget, you would be much better off buying a condo in Queens. Prices on condos have come down considerably. Check out the Kew Gardens, Rego Park, Forest Hills areas. All are beautiful areas and have great schools. Then, when your son is of high shool age, he can apply to one of the many great high schools NYC has that are geared toward student interest (Aviation HS, Science & Tech, Performing Arts, Math & Sciences, etc).

[sean sean sean sean]

Originally Posted by Mikey'sMom>:)

How is W. Babylon, N.Babylon, Deer park,lynbrook, islip terrace,etc?..

All of these are good neighborhoods, but if you found something for $250 in one of them....odds are there's something wrong with it! I searched these areas on MLSLI.com just now and there actually are a handful that don't look bad in your price range, but who really knows from a little picture on the computer. Don't get discouraged by the other posts, it can be done....but you'd have to be willing to make a few (or a lot) of compromises that honestly I don't think most people are willing to make.

1) Like AlexisT alluded to, things get cheaper the further east you go. Problem is, you can only go so far and keep your commute realistic. If you're in Suffolk County at all you're already looking at over an hour commute one way to Penn Station. Deer Park isn't so bad, but Islip Terrace (from the Great River LIRR) is almost definitely over 90 minutes. Anything past that is just crazy. People do it, but you gotta consider whether it's worth adding another 2-4 hours every day just to get to work.

2) You can't be too picky. If you're looking in Nassau, you're gonna find that most homes listed are in Roosevelt or Hempstead, which I definitely would not recommend to anybody with kids no matter how good of a deal it seems like. It also means you'll likely be looking at a fairly small house/small property, which is definitely not the worst thing in the world, IMO! Less to worry about cleaning up! The better the neighborhood, the smaller the home is going to be. You can actually afford waterfront property in places like Bellmore or Seaford.....but it's gonna be a three room cottage or bungalow from 1915

3) Even if the house looks absolutely pristine on MLSLI, it's definitely gonna need work. Think about how much, if any, you can do yourself and how much it's gonna cost to repair...and also how willing you are to live in a home with some issues for a few years until you can save up. If it's something serious (roof, termites, mold, plumbing, etc.) there's really no telling how much it's gonna cost in the long run, but if it's something cosmetic I don't think it's the worst thing in the world to deal with ugly cabinets or peeling wallpaper for awhile.

4) Keep an open mind about schools, especially on these forums. Nassau & Suffolk have some of the best public schools in the country, so decent ones tend to get a worse rep than they deserve. There are a handful of really awful ones that I can't in good conscience suggest taking a chance on, but most are at the very least "OK". Just do your own research and be prepared to hear a lot of negative comments. I noticed a lot of Baldwin, Uniondale and Elmont listed. These are not school districts that show up in Newsday's ridiculous "Ten Best" list, or guarantee your child acceptance to an Ivy League college, but from what I know they blow the majority of the schools in the NYC system out of the water. This should be #1, look real hard at it!

Good luck, a co-op off Queens Boulevard might be more practical but I see where you're coming from. I think if I was in your position, I'd feel the same way. Let us know how the search goes!