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I moved to Staten Island to buy a house. The prices were and still are more affordable to live in a detached house in a family oriented neighborhood than anywhere else in NYC, by several hundred thousand dollars. Also it was a reasonable commute by public transportation (less than 1-1/4 hrs) to Manhattan and Brooklyn where I worked for 35 years. NYC had the best job opportunities, and Staten Island had the best opportunities to buy a home. Unless I'm mistaken that is still the case. I grew up in Staten Island and raised a family there and when it came time to retire I left. As others have said, I sold my house, paid off my mortgage and bought a newer house on a bigger lot for cash. I only moved 45 miles south to Howell, NJ, but it's a better environment for us in retirement. We were on a 40x85 lot and could hear noise from the neighbors, smell car exhaust a few feet from our windows. Over the years, Staten Island became as crowded as Brooklyn was a couple of decades earlier. Here we are on a 100x150 fenced lot backing onto woods. It's quiet and private but we still have neighbors. There's strip malls everywhere, and doctors and hospitals close by. All the amenities as close or closer as they were in S.I. Utilities are a bit cheaper. Property taxes are higher, but offset by a nearly negligible state income tax for retirees (last year it was zero). I knew many people who moved to Monmouth County NJ years ago for even cheaper house prices, and a reasonable commute to Manhattan and Brooklyn. Today the home prices in Howell are about $200K cheaper than in Staten Island.
I moved to Staten Island to buy a house. The prices were and still are more affordable to live in a detached house in a family oriented neighborhood than anywhere else in NYC, by several hundred thousand dollars. Also it was a reasonable commute by public transportation (less than 1-1/4 hrs) to Manhattan and Brooklyn where I worked for 35 years. NYC had the best job opportunities, and Staten Island had the best opportunities to buy a home. Unless I'm mistaken that is still the case. I grew up in Staten Island and raised a family there and when it came time to retire I left. As others have said, I sold my house, paid off my mortgage and bought a newer house on a bigger lot for cash. I only moved 45 miles south to Howell, NJ, but it's a better environment for us in retirement. We were on a 40x85 lot and could hear noise from the neighbors, smell car exhaust a few feet from our windows. Over the years, Staten Island became as crowded as Brooklyn was a couple of decades earlier. Here we are on a 100x150 fenced lot backing onto woods. It's quiet and private but we still have neighbors. There's strip malls everywhere, and doctors and hospitals close by. All the amenities as close or closer as they were in S.I. Utilities are a bit cheaper. Property taxes are higher, but offset by a nearly negligible state income tax for retirees (last year it was zero). I knew many people who moved to Monmouth County NJ years ago for even cheaper house prices, and a reasonable commute to Manhattan and Brooklyn. Today the home prices in Howell are about $200K cheaper than in Staten Island.
While still more affordable compared to other boroughs, I don’t consider Staten Island very affordable at all.... a detached home in a good area that doesn’t need a ton of work is easily going to be into the 700s.... you either need a couple hundred grand up front , or can support a 4K a month mortgage ... both aren’t very affordable when considering most people’s incomes....
SI is largely a bedroom community with many employed off the Island in private or public sectors.
That being said there are jobs out on the Rock; retail, education (including two colleges), healthcare (three hospitals), various state and city government (FDNY, NYPD, DSNY, courts, etc...) and so on...
All of my family on SI who are still working do so on the Island.
What is the Rock? You mean the Prude (Prudential Center)? Since SI is not Gaza, any reason to leave is going to be economic, or social. FDNY, NYPD, DSNY, etc etc govt jobs people can live in many places. Perhaps not everyone who grew up on SI want to work in one of the three hospitals.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hammer Time
Whoever told you that peddled you lies. That's just not true.
So then what? High cost of living? Well that is basically lack of jobs paying high enough to keep them there. Not big enough property lots? Well that falls under lack of amenities. Not enough housing? But then they cant be there in the first place in order to leave.
When I bought my house in Staten Island, I was 38 years old and my mortgage was $1400 a month and my income was $52K, my wife wasn't working as we had three small children. That was about 1/3 of my gross income. Today a $4K mortgage is 1/3 of a $150K income. Many husbands and wives have a combined income of $150K in their mid to late 30's, as teachers, civil servants, trades people, etc. Maybe not affordable for people just starting out, but after more than 10 years of marriage and working in NYC it's not so out of reach. Many of our retired friends babysit their grandchildren while their children and spouses work full time to afford a house. If you want the long commute to Monmouth or Ocean counties in NJ there's lots of single family detached homes on nice sized lots in the $300K to $400K range.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikfleye3
While still more affordable compared to other boroughs, I don’t consider Staten Island very affordable at all.... a detached home in a good area that doesn’t need a ton of work is easily going to be into the 700s.... you either need a couple hundred grand up front , or can support a 4K a month mortgage ... both aren’t very affordable when considering most people’s incomes....
I moved to Staten Island to buy a house. The prices were and still are more affordable to live in a detached house in a family oriented neighborhood than anywhere else in NYC, by several hundred thousand dollars. Also it was a reasonable commute by public transportation (less than 1-1/4 hrs) to Manhattan and Brooklyn where I worked for 35 years. NYC had the best job opportunities, and Staten Island had the best opportunities to buy a home. Unless I'm mistaken that is still the case. I grew up in Staten Island and raised a family there and when it came time to retire I left. As others have said, I sold my house, paid off my mortgage and bought a newer house on a bigger lot for cash. I only moved 45 miles south to Howell, NJ, but it's a better environment for us in retirement. We were on a 40x85 lot and could hear noise from the neighbors, smell car exhaust a few feet from our windows. Over the years, Staten Island became as crowded as Brooklyn was a couple of decades earlier. Here we are on a 100x150 fenced lot backing onto woods. It's quiet and private but we still have neighbors. There's strip malls everywhere, and doctors and hospitals close by. All the amenities as close or closer as they were in S.I. Utilities are a bit cheaper. Property taxes are higher, but offset by a nearly negligible state income tax for retirees (last year it was zero). I knew many people who moved to Monmouth County NJ years ago for even cheaper house prices, and a reasonable commute to Manhattan and Brooklyn. Today the home prices in Howell are about $200K cheaper than in Staten Island.
You cannot compare SI from thirty some odd years ago to nowadays.
Yeah, SI was great and inexpensive place to buy home and raise family late as 1980's, maybe a bit into 1990's; but that isn't really true any longer.
At least back in day many local public elementary to high schools were good to great. Today outside of a few K-5 and middle schools, rest totally stink. So you've go to send your kids to private/parochial, and many of them aren't what they once were, or just are closing down. High schools? Forget it; once they removed zones that was it....
You cannot touch a detached house in good part of SI for < $700k to $800k. That will get you a small house on a lot with patch of grass in front and back, with perhaps a driveway (maybe not even the last bit). You still will be a driveway apart from your neighbor.
Yeah you can find cheaper, but home will be in a busted area of SI were you don't want your wife and kids.
Is living on the Rock affordable? Sure if you're pulling down > $100k or more (singly or dual income household). But balance that with an often soul crushing commute into Manhattan, lack of public transportation, etc.... Yeah you can try to live near one of main drags with shopping, but even then with traffic on Hylan, Victory, etc.. you might be safer driving....
For giggles check out today's look back from SI Advance; housing prices in 1964:
Adjusted for inflation a house that sold for $22,290 would be $18,6398.45 in 2019 money
Now if you don't mind living in an attached/townhouse, and one that was put up recently,then you can find something "affordable". I've been in them and wouldn't touch one with a barge pole, but that's just me.
You cannot compare SI from thirty some odd years ago to nowadays.
Yeah, SI was great and inexpensive place to buy home and raise family late as 1980's, maybe a bit into 1990's; but that isn't really true any longer.
At least back in day many local public elementary to high schools were good to great. Today outside of a few K-5 and middle schools, rest totally stink. So you've go to send your kids to private/parochial, and many of them aren't what they once were, or just are closing down. High schools? Forget it; once they removed zones that was it....
You cannot touch a detached house in good part of SI for < $700k to $800k. That will get you a small house on a lot with patch of grass in front and back, with perhaps a driveway (maybe not even the last bit). You still will be a driveway apart from your neighbor.
Yeah you can find cheaper, but home will be in a busted area of SI were you don't want your wife and kids.
Is living on the Rock affordable? Sure if you're pulling down > $100k or more (singly or dual income household). But balance that with an often soul crushing commute into Manhattan, lack of public transportation, etc.... Yeah you can try to live near one of main drags with shopping, but even then with traffic on Hylan, Victory, etc.. you might be safer driving....
For giggles check out today's look back from SI Advance; housing prices in 1964:
Adjusted for inflation a house that sold for $22,290 would be $18,6398.45 in 2019 money
Now if you don't mind living in an attached/townhouse, and one that was put up recently,then you can find something "affordable". I've been in them and wouldn't touch one with a barge pole, but that's just me.
UES, but born/raised on SI, and am "home" every weekend or so.
Would live back on Rock, but am not dealing with commute, traffic, and quite frankly many of the new arrivals. Every now and then take a look at homes or apartments out there, and still cannot be tempted. If didn't have to work and thus commute, that *may* be a different story.
Good number of family and friends have moved off SI over years. So much so that on holidays am likely to be in NJ than on Island because that is where everyone has gone. As stated don't think even half of my HS graduation class still lives on Island. People just get fed up with where things are going.
Truth to tell even back in 1980's we were going to NJ to visit family or friends of my parents who moved off SI, so the trend had already started even then.
Thank God my parents home is old school with a decent sized driveway so don't have to bother with street parking.
How can you afford to live on the Upper East side? Rent controlled apartment? Could a family live there with you? Anyone who can afford to live in Manhattan or Brooklyn or Queens does. For the rest SI is the only choice other than NJ. Most NYC Civil servants have to live in NYC. SI is a haven for cops, firemen and san men.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BugsyPal
UES, but born/raised on SI, and am "home" every weekend or so.
Would live back on Rock, but am not dealing with commute, traffic, and quite frankly many of the new arrivals. Every now and then take a look at homes or apartments out there, and still cannot be tempted. If didn't have to work and thus commute, that *may* be a different story.
Good number of family and friends have moved off SI over years. So much so that on holidays am likely to be in NJ than on Island because that is where everyone has gone. As stated don't think even half of my HS graduation class still lives on Island. People just get fed up with where things are going.
Truth to tell even back in 1980's we were going to NJ to visit family or friends of my parents who moved off SI, so the trend had already started even then.
Thank God my parents home is old school with a decent sized driveway so don't have to bother with street parking.
How can you afford to live on the Upper East side? Rent controlled apartment? Could a family live there with you? Anyone who can afford to live in Manhattan or Brooklyn or Queens does. For the rest SI is the only choice other than NJ. Most NYC Civil servants have to live in NYC. SI is a haven for cops, firemen and san men.
No, and I can, that is why I do. Not everyone living in Manhattan lives in subsidized housing or whatever. People do earn you know.
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