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We are relocating to this area in a couple of weeks. My husband has accepted a position in Sayre. We are going to rent then buy. We have children so schools are important. My 10 yr old has Asperger's so a school with those resources is extremely important. Any advice on a good place to rent/buy? We have found acceptable rentals in Sayre and Athens. From what I can find..the schools in both are only so/so. We have heard that Horseheads schools were good but don't know if we could afford to buy as the taxes are HIGH. Also just being in NY instead of PA everything seems to be higher..property taxes..incomes taxes.
We have had no luck with realtors so if anyone can recommend one in that area I would appreciate it. They seem to not be very responsive and don't even return calls.
Welcome to the area! I live in Big Flats (neighboring town to Horseheads), and my son also has Asperger's. The Horseheads school district is excellent and does have the effective resources for kids with special needs. I also have friends with autistic kids who send their kids to the Elmira Heights elementary school, and they love it.
Horseheads itself consists of a town and village, so it is pretty big, covering a lot of area. There are lots of different neighborhoods in various settings and price ranges. The Horseheads school district consists of Horseheads plus neighboring towns such as Big Flats, Breesport, Erin. NY taxes do tend to be higher than PA. Not knocking PA, but I think the quality of education in the Horseheads district is worth the extra you pay in taxes. Not sure what price range you are looking at for a house, but prices all through the Southern Tier tend to be low, which does help out a little bit when trying to manage the taxes.
EDIT: Yes, property and income taxes are higher in NY. NY is one of the most heavily taxes states in the country, no way around that! But IMO the NY towns in the Southern Tier have access to better schools and amenities than those in the Northern Tier of PA. Sorry, I don't really have a recommendation for a realtor, as it has been since '06 that we bought our last home.
Last edited by daydreamin71; 09-10-2011 at 07:36 AM..
Reason: Adding to comment
Unfortunately Owego was hit hard by the flooding earlier this week. Friends of mine who live in town were evacuated and the entire first floors of their homes was inundated. Depending on the timing of the move, Owego may not work. But it is a great little town and worth looking into.
Unfortunately Owego was hit hard by the flooding earlier this week. Friends of mine who live in town were evacuated and the entire first floors of their homes was inundated. Depending on the timing of the move, Owego may not work. But it is a great little town and worth looking into.
Location: Appalachian New York, Formerly Louisiana
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Moving up there from Georgia? I want to see how that goes.
I wish you luck.
Culture wise the twin tiers tend to be very laid back and country, and friendly depending on the place.
The southern tier of NY is basically a northern extension to "Pennsyltucky".
Sad news is the area is economically depressed and as of late, seeing some terrible weather.
Good news is that NY schools are often pretty good. The taxes may be high, but the home prices are low, and you'll have access to Mennonite stores scattered about, that will make groceries much cheaper.
And there are some fun things to do around the Elmira/Big Flats area.
Thanks for the insight Daydreamin. We have stayed in HH both times we have flown into town. We really do like that area. We couldn't find a home large enough to rent month to month there so we ended up renting a house in Athens. We were looking into Owego..it's a beautiful little town but had to take it off the table as there is massive flooding there. We are heartbroken for those people. We will have to put our kids in Athens SD but will continue to keep HH as an option as far as buying a house.
Cookie..thanks for wishing me luck..I'ma need it!! I have been in the south all of my life. Hubby was born and raised in La and I hail from Ms. Not crazy about the cold..at all. We do look forward to some of the outdoor winter activities..but def not rolling out taking kids to school at 5 degrees.
Thanks for the links ckhthankgod..you are always so helpful.
Last edited by ~Pajama mama~; 09-12-2011 at 05:39 AM..
Thanks for the insight Daydreamin. We have stayed in HH both times we have flown into town. We really do like that area. We couldn't find a home large enough to rent month to month there so we ended up renting a house in Athens. We were looking into Owego..it's a beautiful little town but had to take it off the table as there is massive flooding there. We are heartbroken for those people. We will have to put our kids in Athens SD but will continue to keep HH as an option as far as buying a house.
Cookie..thanks for wishing me luck..I'ma need it!! I have been in the south all of my life. Hubby was born and raised in La and I hail from Ms. Not crazy about the cold..at all. We do look forward to some of the outdoor winter activities..but def not rolling out taking kids to school at 5 degrees.
Thanks for the links ckhthankgod..you are always so helpful.
Where in MS are you from? My dad is from the Delta. I think you should be fine though. I wonder about Waverly as an option or did they get hit too?
Where in MS are you from? My dad is from the Delta. I think you should be fine though. I wonder about Waverly as an option or did they get hit too?
I'm from a small town just south of Jackson. I'm not sure about flooding in Waverly..I haven't heard but we like the town. Schools seem ok there as well. There were a couple of neat older homes (fixer uppers) in the low 100,000's and the annual tax was $4200.
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