Moving to Long Island (Brookhaven, Rockville Centre: apartments, renting, how much)

[fopt65]

Question, if you don't take your "NY salary" to your new, cheaper place to live, do you struggle any less than living in NY? Everywhere I research to move I hear the same refrains as in LI: the taxes are killing us, home prices are astronomical, we're being priced out etc. Sometimes I wonder if we LI'ers are just better at whining and complaining, and people struggle everywhere.

[mrradio]

and would recommend Tennessee to any Long Islander. Friendly tax structure (no income tax), low utilities, easy transportation (no transportation bottlenecks), beautiful scenery, lower insurance and state, county and city officials who are accessible and welcoming-not inaccessible, belligerent and argumentative when a company comes knocking. I wanted to change just one single door on my eastern LI office. "Oh, no", said the Town Planner, "We must have a full site plan, zoning hearings, blah, blah." Well, they don't have to worry about it any more. I left.

No, I never said upstate New York is dumpy; it's really beautiful in many areas but if you look at NYS Department of Taxation statistics, except for Albany (state jobs-bureaucracy=higher taxes) and a few isolated other areas, New York's upstate has far fewer people in it than even ten years ago. Per capita income has plummeted, again these figures from NY State. In fact, whenever you hear on Long Island that they want to import electrical power from New England ask yourself a logical question, "Why is it that New England has power to sell us?" Answer: New England's population as a whole is down as well.

What you don't see in downstate/NYC papers are the governor's statements to upstate residents concerning job creation, something not on the radar on Long Island, but the State can't/won't deliver to upstaters. Look at Tanger Outlet in Riverhead-they got a 20 year (yep, twenty year) tax abatement to create largely minimum wage jobs. School district residents actually saw their taxes increase, not decrease, because Riverhead Town had an influx of residents and additional costs (police, road improvements, etc.) These sweetheart deals exist because companies know that if/when they suggest siting a new office/plant in a community, local officials will try to land the new facility to placate marginalized residents (read "voters") looking for any job, even if the creation of that job can (and will!) cost the town in terms of taxes they will not collect.

Some upstate school districts in 2005 had 18-25% (that's right-not a typo) tax increases. Coupled with this, people are walking away from properties because there are no buyers. I had a few Long Island clients who just gave up on selling properties in Herkimer, Oriskany, etc. after many years. They default, the county takes it, and the remaining residents pick up the bill leading to more flight.

NYC/LI are carrying the State to an extent never before seen.

[I'minformed2]

Originally Posted by fopt65

Question, if you don't take your "NY salary" to your new, cheaper place to live, do you struggle any less than living in NY? Everywhere I research to move I hear the same refrains as in LI: the taxes are killing us, home prices are astronomical, we're being priced out etc. Sometimes I wonder if we LI'ers are just better at whining and complaining, and people struggle everywhere.

They do.... and then they come doun souf and do the same thing here. North Carolina will be priced out within a decade..... and Florida already is. People need to stop whining and (excuse my french) bitching, about where they are from and moving to new places only to ruin them..... and take the initiative to try and fix where they live now. Hint hint mrradio; AND you're STILL whining about the area even after you left.

[Phish Head]

I agree- fix where you are instead of moving out. People runs from taxes here, eliminate the tax base, move south, and destroy the South. Not to be political, but people in NY tend to vote in tax-and-spend liberals across the state. I don't care what your political views are. Fiscally, when you are spending between $9,000 and $14,000 PER STUDENT to go to school, and the politician are complaining that the schools are underfunded, I have to laugh (then cry). If you have 2 kids in school, how can taxes be met when the town is spending $20,000 to educate your 2 kids for one year? I'm sure almost no one is spending $20,000 a year on property taxes upstate or downstate. Where is this money supposed to come from?

My solution- give vouchers and let schools compete for your kids. Competition always drives down price. The public schools have no competition. How come private schools can better educate the kids for $5,000 a year vs $10,000 a year in public schools?

[I'minformed2]

Vouchers are the best option.... it's just such a shame they'll probably never happen.

[mrradio]

that Newsday, etc. will never report. Don't take my word for it, but look at NYS Dept. of Taxation statistics and do the math. If your taxes are going up 8% a year, they will double in 9 years. Then they will double again and again. You could retire in great style as multi-millionaires if your investments could guarantee that return.

I spent five decades in NY and had a front row seat on the taxation issues. My livlihood depended on understanding taxation and helping people. I ran and still run a successful large taxation practice. I heard the promises, the suggestions, the ideas. It's unfixable. I'll say no more. Thank you for your time.

[mmdj43]

Originally Posted by fopt65

Question, if you don't take your "NY salary" to your new, cheaper place to live, do you struggle any less than living in NY? Everywhere I research to move I hear the same refrains as in LI: the taxes are killing us, home prices are astronomical, we're being priced out etc. Sometimes I wonder if we LI'ers are just better at whining and complaining, and people struggle everywhere.

It depends on whether someone was underpaid in NY to begin with and what companies people are seeking down South. You can be underpaid here and be able to find a job down south with a large company and make a lot more money. I've seen that happen with two former coworkers of mine. Every individual family will have different scenarios so not everyone can be compared the same way.

[mmdj43]

Originally Posted by i'minformed

Good, glad you left, we'll do better without the whiners like you..... have fun in Tennessee.

With all due respect, but weren't you doing the whining as well when you said you are looking to leave NC and move back to NY? We all have valid reasons to 'whine' (although personally I would prefer to use a more subtle term). And don't you think some of us have tried to fight the never-ending battle of bringing our taxes down, etc. So while most people are trying to fight this, it continues to be a struggle with making rent/mortgage payments, not to mention the other rising costs. And unfortunately our salaries don't go up to adjust to the cost of living increase. So please, please don't judge all of us the same way; you're not familiar with everyone's situation and possible other reasons for leaving.

[mmdj43]

Originally Posted by mrradio

that Newsday, etc. will never report. Don't take my word for it, but look at NYS Dept. of Taxation statistics and do the math. If your taxes are going up 8% a year, they will double in 9 years. Then they will double again and again. You could retire in great style as multi-millionaires if your investments could guarantee that return.

I spent five decades in NY and had a front row seat on the taxation issues. My livlihood depended on understanding taxation and helping people. I ran and still run a successful large taxation practice. I heard the promises, the suggestions, the ideas. It's unfixable. I'll say no more. Thank you for your time.

You're right. The facts are the facts and there's no changing that. My property taxes went up over 3k in less than 7 years and I have nothing to show for it. Not to mention that we've tried to fight this increase but....to no avail.

[tjennings04]

Long Island homes are not necessarily in the 400-600 range, I just bought a near port jeff that sold for 309. Its not bad, but needs cosmetic work.