Smithtown vs. Hauppauge (Brookhaven, Islip, Nesconset: house, neighborhoods, buying)

[villager-li]

I am toying with the idea of moving to either the Smithtown or Hauppauge school districts (any towns in these districts will do). Other than the tax advantages of Hauppauge schools, which I am well aware of, what are the plusses or minuses of each of the districts? And, what towns/neighborhoods are recommended? I would be looking to live in a development, in a colonial, splanch, or split-level.

Due to the lower taxes, Hauppauge is very desirable to me, but it's a much smaller area than the Smithtown school district and it would be luck of the draw to find a good house there.

Also, in the Hauppauge school district, is there any benefit to living in one township or the other (Islip vs. Smithtown)?

The price I'll be shooting for, most likely, is about 500k.

And note that I am not planning to look at 3 Village schools, since I can't get FiOS in Brookhaven township (yes, it is that important to me...).

Thanks for any input.

[dman72]

The truth is that many sections of the 2 districts are very similar. You have more chance of getting something a bit more secluded in Smithtown district than in Hauppauge, as Hauppauge is mostly surrounded by busy highways. Smithtown has a real downtown, and Hauppauge has nothing of the sort...except that much of Hauppauge is only a few minutes away from Smithtown's downtown anyway..closer than some areas that are in Smithtown SD. Confused yet?

Also, you probably will get a bit more house in an area like Nesconset in Smithtown SD than in Hauppauge SD....of course, you can also be in Nissequogue in Smithtown SD, which is big $$$$$ and way out of your range.

Personally, and I plan on selling my current place and buying in the next couple of years, those are 2 of about 10 districts that are on our radar, and neither of the 2 you mention has any advantages that are sufficient enough to rule the other out. I'd go with the particular house and neighborhood, and inherent costs, and forget about the differences between the 2 districts. Remember that a thousand dollars less per year in taxes adds up over the long term, so if you plan on staying in the house for 20-40 years, the Hauppauge house at the same price "costs" less by tens of thousands over the years.

[villager-li]

Does anyone know anything about the Storybook area in Nesconset - Chivalry Lane, Robin Hood Court, etc.? Seems to be a very nice area that is not incredibly expensive (although the taxes seem high).

[dman72]

Originally Posted by villager-li

Does anyone know anything about the Storybook area in Nesconset - Chivalry Lane, Robin Hood Court, etc.? Seems to be a very nice area that is not incredibly expensive (although the taxes seem high).

Whoops, wrong area on my first post.

The area is fine, I don't know of any issues.