Moving to NY in January (New York, Syracuse: rentals, houses, neighborhoods)

[nymom]

Hi ChrisFL,
Floral Park is also a nice area and close enough to the city. I know a few people who live there and they are very happy. The houses are well kept and taxes are relatively reasonable. Good luck with the new job. I have a lot of respect for the NYPD.

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by GypsySoul22

Just know what prices are (very high) and what you will be getting into. I think you will be shocked coming from Florida (by the way car insurance is crazy here, too).

NY ranks Number 1 of the 50 states for state and local tax burden. Whatever monetary incentive you have for taking this job, you need to take a serious look at the cost that will eat away at that higher salary. Maybe you should post in the Florida forum and ask for opinions from retired NYC policemen to get a better idea.

[nypd030]

Originally Posted by ChrisFL

Good morning, I had a question for you guys.
I currently live in Florida, and in January my fiance and I are going to be moving to the NYC/LI area.

We wanted to know of some nice/"cheaper"(if there is such a thing) places to rent an apartment so we can get settled in. I will be employed with the City of New York as a Police Officer, so obviously I would not be making alot of money, and my fiance currently works here in a bank as a teller. I do not know how much that pays up there.

I appreciate any of the help I can get...Thank you

Your best bet is to look upstate ny and commute to work. It is cheaper to live then the 5 boroughs or long island. The police academy is in Manhattan so a commute from upstate is not that bad. I hope you get in after they raise the starting salary so you can survive. I retired on june 30th and will never look back lol. Good luck

[NickL28]

Originally Posted by LauraC

NY ranks Number 1 of the 50 states for state and local tax burden. Whatever monetary incentive you have for taking this job, you need to take a serious look at the cost that will eat away at that higher salary. Maybe you should post in the Florida forum and ask for opinions from retired NYC policemen to get a better idea.

Along with rents, utility costs, groceries, health care & car insurance..

A $70,000 or $80,000 a year salary for a single person out in the other 4 boros besides Manhattan or Long Island goes very quickly and you are very limited in a housing market like this one on what neighborhood you can afford (let alone qualify for a rental apartment)).

Upstate NY (north & west of the Catskills) may soon be the last place in NY State or NJ that someone with a five figure salary can afford to live.

But the NYC metro area & Long Island are wonderful places to live if you are single and making well in the six figures or are a trust fund baby.

It is wonderful to hear about the benefits of 401K's and other types of retirement accounts. The problem is that with costs, taxes & rents the way they are, How can anyone participate (unless you are making something like $150,000 a year or more)?

[fopt65]

Things will be tough to start. Thanks to Bloomburg and the PBA's sweetheart deal rookies will be paying the price-only 25grand pay to start out. Many people in NYPD eventually transfer to Nassau or Suffolk county police departments and make over 100K a year with superb benefits.
Are you sure about NYPD? I have a cousin who is going to Washington DC academy. The FBI does a lot of recruiting, and will select people out of the academy to join them. Starting pay in DC is 40K.

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by fopt65

Are you sure about NYPD? I have a cousin who is going to Washington DC academy. The FBI does a lot of recruiting, and will select people out of the academy to join them. Starting pay in DC is 40K.

I lived on LI (Suffolk County) and now I live in MD (Anne Arundel County) because I took a job in DC in 1995. Both counties have an intervening county between them and the job hubs of NYC and DC. I'm now starting to get ready to retire so I've been looking at cost of living in different locations (including where I used to live out of curiosity). I'm divorced, so one paycheck, in both MD and on LI . My rent is currently $1250 per month (doesn't include water). I took a look at my former apartment complex on LI to see the current rent there for my old apartment - $1299. We're talking one bedroom apts in safe towns. I can't imagine what it would be like to live in either place on $40,000 or less per year unless a spouse, fiance, partner is also working.

[Newer_Yorker]

It will take about 20 years to get up to $100K. Still, not bad.

Originally Posted by fopt65

Things will be tough to start. Thanks to Bloomburg and the PBA's sweetheart deal rookies will be paying the price-only 25grand pay to start out. Many people in NYPD eventually transfer to Nassau or Suffolk county police departments and make over 100K a year with superb benefits.
Are you sure about NYPD? I have a cousin who is going to Washington DC academy. The FBI does a lot of recruiting, and will select people out of the academy to join them. Starting pay in DC is 40K.

[GREGGO72]

chris- my wife and i have 2 young children and have been married for 7 years- the first 5 years as an nypd officer are a struggle even when your wife has a job where she makes about the same. when you reach 5 years as I will do next july- you hit "top pay" where your salary goes up from about 40,000 to 60,000 before overtime/night differential. that day can't come soon enough for me. nypd cops for the most part cant afford to own homes in the areas they police. that sucks- we have always rented . apartments are affordable in the Gravesend area of Brooklyn. Sheepshead Bay area of Brooklyn. Bensonhurst area. Staten Island (where I live now) is very affordable but you gotta pay for the Verrazano Bridge. Although you can take the Staten Island Ferry for free. Staten Island is nice but it is starting to get overcrowded as Brooklyn has been for the last 40 years. we are sending both our kids to Catholic school because the public school in our area is not so great. That's why I am starting to look upstate in Orange County. maybe port jervis or Maybrook. our rent now plus catholic school fees (which we wont use because of better schools) equal a mortgage. NYPD officers get the Metro North railroad for free (to commute). my wife will quit but my salary will go alot further up there. i will transfer from brooklyn to either the bronx or upper manhattan to cut the commute. the commute is a small price to pay for better quality of life, more land, a house and elbow room. anyway, that may be an option a few years down the road but perhaps if you work in the bronz or upper manhattan right off the bat, the other surrounding counties like westchester, rockland or orange county could be an option for you.

[ChrisFL]

Thanks everyone for replying...My fiance is now getting cold feet about moving up there...we are planning a trip up at the end of this month to see what the city and the island have to offer...I have seen a few people post about upstate and communte...can anyone advise me of any nice towns to live in and if anyone knows of price ranges for apts for rent and how long of a commute to the city..since the academy is in Manhattan I will need to go into Manhattan...Thanks everyone for the past and future replies...also I know that at least for the first few years I will not be living a nice comfortable life....if I wanted to live a comfortable life I would have chose a different profession.....

[krytacize]

just cause hes gonna be an nypd dnt mean he gonna work in manhatten if u live on long island u can work in queens. Places close to queens which are on long island is Lynbrook, Floral Park, Franklyn Square, and Oceanside are all close enough to queens where u should be able 2 find a nice apartment..All within 5-30 mins from quens dependin which one you choose...they are all nice neighborhoods....If u work in the bronx or manhatten...upstate would be best. weschester county would be the closest...new rochelle and mont vernon are nice but do have bad sections i dnt kno much bout westchester..good luck