Plattsburgh (New York, Buffalo, Rochester: real estate, for rent, how much)

[happeemommee]

Hi everyone!

I've been reading a lot of the Plattsburgh threads, but they all seem to be several months old. Can anyone tell me if there is still construction going on up there? If not, are there jobs available? How about homes for rent? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

We are looking to move this summer and have been considering Burlington, but when I came across Plattsburgh, it just looks wonderful!

Thanks for your help,
Marian

[nunoco]

Originally Posted by happeemommee

Can anyone tell me if there is still construction going on up there? If not, are there jobs available? How about homes for rent? Any info would be greatly appreciated.
We are looking to move this summer and have been considering Burlington, but when I came across Plattsburgh, it just looks wonderful!

Hello! There is some construction happening, more retail and industrial than residential, with one major project, the Nova Bus Co. facility, underway. Target just opened. The housing market is slow, but it never had a bubble, so it's not as awful as the sun belt or the west. There are definitely homes for rent, including some on the former Plattsburgh AFB.
I moved here two and a half years ago, and had the same idea you had. Looked at Burlington, wondered about Plattsburgh, saw the home prices and the schools, and took the leap. Haven't regretted it a bit. Love the people I've met, the outdoors, the pace, the funky local mores that haven't been overrun by chain stores (try the Michigans!) and the convenience. And if I need a dose of different, there's Burlington and Canada and Lake Placid. Been frustrated at times with the local political structure, which doesn't sell the area very well and could do a better job perking up the city core, IMO, but what do I know?
Definitely look into the place. It's been perfect for me and mine, but it depends on your situation; I was able to take my downstate job and move it north, and it's worked out well.

[happeemommee]

Thanks for all the great info. Now I have a couple follow up questions. What frustrates you about the political structure? How bad are the taxes? My husband has a lot of construction experience, as well as some in warehouses and restaurants, do you think there is enough of that type of work? How are the hospitals? I'm going to school for nursing and should be done, or atleast able to work as a nurse in about 3 years, we just need to be able to survive until then. What do you think of the schools? We are currently in western NC and have met some great people,but have also had some issues in the schools here since we are not a prominent family, is it like that up there? How much snow do ya get? What do you think an average 3 bedroom 2 bath rents for? How bad are the electric bills during the winter?

I have about fifty more questions,but won't hit you with them all right now. I do really appreciate your taking the time to help us!Being within an hour to Canada and Burlington sounds wonderful! Is there a lot to doin Lake Placid?

Thanks again!
Marian

[plattsburgher]

and family friendly atmosphere.............I can try to look into rents but know they are going to be a bit more than in the south. A three bedroom, 2 and a half bath townhouse with a garage is going to be around 1100. Maybe less as the market continues to slide........I have never seen a more positive area for equal and excellent education and people who have children here have mega-opportunities since you do NOT have to pay for a private school here like most of my southern friends end up doing to get even a decent education for their kids. Here, the teachers have masters degrees and involve the parents totally and there are standards and the teachers will contact you at home if there is any sort of issue. Unheard of, right? Taxes are more, but I think of it as what I would have to pay for my children's education (in the private sector) if I moved almost anywhere else. The hospital here is crying for nurses...........you will always have a job here. Construction is a huge business but don't know specifics. Know there are at least two main local construction firms.............Luck Brothers Construction Company, Murnane Construction, and I believe there also is a Theodore Stay Construction company, oh...........also, LaPlante Construction who is doing a huge project on the college right now..........If you can access the phone book via white pages, you can probably get a better idea...........Just keep asking questions. You cannot beat this area for housing prices. No comparison to Bton.............I looked into it and I would have to make three times the salary at least..........to be able to afford the size home that I now have. As Nunoco said earlier, we haven't had the really bad investments (because this area is smarter than most areas) so our housing market is not severely depressed right now...........Prices are down, but not giveaways as in Florida or Vegas. This area economically is actually not doing that badly. Lots of fed, state, hospital, border, customs jobs, small businesses, medical, dental, etc...................not a bad economy up here................great for families.

[nunoco]

And I can't say enough about the schools, esp. K-8. My kids moved here, were welcomed, and have thrived at the City of Plattsburgh public schools. Great teachers, excellent programs, nice facilities, caring administration. The music program is private-school quality, by the way.
On heating costs, if you live in the city, get a place with electric heat. The rates are among the cheapest in the country, much cheaper than using oil or gas, and far less volatile. And in summer, you rarely have to use AC, so it helps make up for the winter months.
Another construction company to look at might be Luck Bros.
Taxes, for New York state, are reasonable. But New York state taxes aren't reasonable compared to lots of places in the south. (That's because NYC federal tax revenues flow out of the state to the sunbelt, but I'm not bitter)
On local politics, the city doesn't do a good job of recruiting or attracting business or residents, IMO. The town of Plattsburgh (which surrounds the city and is a different governmental entity) does a better job, and is on the interstate, so development has focused on the mall area just outside of town--while the city's old cool downtown struggles. They don't promote the city enough, and I think some of the zoning should be overhauled to make the downtown more walkable, better for shopping, more attractive for the 25-35 crowd. I'm frustrated with city pols who can't figure a way to make that work, but I'm a bit of a curmudgeon. And in some ways, it's kept the place from growing/sprawling to rapidly, so maybe I shouldn't complain.

[nunoco]

One drawback: gasoline prices are sky-high here, for reasons nobody can explain.
Another drawback: it's not the snow (which isn't that bad down in the Champlain Valley), it's the dark. The winter nights are long. Invest in a UV lamp to help fight off the winter blahs.
And I forgot to reply on Lake Placid. An hour away, it's a classy resort town, like Colorado in the 70s before the mega-areas and the super-rich. (Lots of rich in LP, but they're discreet, except during the equestrian competitions.) And Saranac Lake, down the road from Placid, is way artsy-outdoorsy-Adirondacky and fun to visit, too.

[happeemommee]

Thank you,nunoco for your well thought out replies.Plattsburgh sounds absolutely perfect! My husband is going to start making some phone calls tomorrow! And now I have a few more questions, my kids are currently in a
2-A high school, do you know what the one there is? My daughters are involved in b-ball, cross country and track and field, do you know anything about the teams there? Not that it has any bearing on our move. You mentioned snow and the dark winters,how much snow do you get? And when you say dark, do you mean like weeks of gray?

I am also ordering a subscription to the newspaper there. Do you know of any real estate magazines,like homes and land? Thank you so much for your help! Plattsburgh really does sound wonderful.

[happeemommee]

Almost forgot,how much is gas there? And what does a gallon of milk cost? Strange question,huh?

[plattsburgher]

I think today you could get gas at most stations for 2.89 but if you pay cash there are a couple of other stations where it is cheaper. Actually, there is a place about 7 miles from here in a suburb/town named Cadyville where I believe I saw 2.59 yesterday. The people who run the station pride themselves on selling gas as a loss-leader and lots of people go there to get gas and end up buying other things as well. It is about halfway between Pburgh and where a lot of corrections officers work in Dannemora, so it is a fairly busy place year round.

Happened to see in today's Press Republican a job opening for a company in Lake Placid who is hiring additional construction workers. Lake Placid continues to grow and that area is still building second homes, really nice multi-million dollar places accd to the real estate magazines. Guess rich people aren't experiencing a recession. Go online to the Press Republican site and you will see the ad.

Think Nunoco has answered the sports question before for others who moved up here. I honestly don't know since my two children were much more into music, vocal, band, and theatre. There are tons of sports teams though. More than you could ever imagine. I had never played on an adult volleyball team until I moved up here. I think you and your family will love the area. I wanted to tell Nunoco that if he hasn't purchased one of those AeroGardens from Bed, Bath Beyond........Ask for one for Christmas.........I grew tomatoes, basil, lettuce, and the light effect is great all winter for lifting spirits when you just need sun and something green growing around you.

[nunoco]

Plattsburgh High is a Class B school for state playoff purposes, and Seton Catholic (and most of the other outlying schools) are Class C, which is the second-to-smallest classification. New York has kind of a funky system, since the NYC schools are in different association than the rest of the state. Not sure where you're from, but if you're from a state where there's an A to AAAAA system, like Texas, then Plattsburgh HS would play 2A, probably. (Its enrollment is about 800-some kids in four grades, though it's been around 1,000 recently, I think.)
I don't know a lot about the local girls basketball community, sorry. I don't think PHS is great right now, but it's strong in soccer (that's the biggest sport up here), and very good in cross country and track. Seton Catholic has been the power recently, though, mostly because of this girl (http://www.flotrack.org/videos/cover..._video/58/4024), who was a national prep star and got a full ride to Providence College beginning this year.
Another kid from the area, Josh McDougall from Peru, won the NCAA cross-country championship in 2007 for Liberty University, beating the US Olympic team's flag bearer, Lopez Lomong. McDougall was home-schooled. Point is, there's an excellent, active running community here. Plattsburgh State has a very good track program, Lake Placid hosts an Iron Man event, and for a place this cold and this size, it sure produces a lot of good distance runners.
On the snowfall front, the TOWN of Plattsburgh says average annual is 63 inches; I think the city might be a tad less. What we get usually sticks a while, though there have been winter rains that have reduced snow pack in the three winters I've been around. But it's never like Buffalo or Rochester with 100-plus-inch lake effect snow weeks, from what I understand.
What I meant by the dark is just that. I was a bit unprepared for the long northern nights at first. But I've been able to cope with the dark by making sure to get out on clear days, and with the cold thanks to a hearty coat from LL Bean and just dressing for it. In fact, I enjoy walking out to the lake and onto the ice (when it's thick enough). It's gorgeous. And the kids love the skiing and snowboarding.