Moving to Scranton from Staten island New York (Old Forge, Pittston: crime, house)

[GREGGO72]

well we are very close to making an offer on the house that we both liked. we are coming back this sunday nov 18. we are going to "hang out" near the house to get a feel for the neighborhood and the neighbors and we are looking at the house again. we heard very good things about mcnicholls plaza elementary school. if we buy now, we are going to let our kids finish out the school year in new york. my daughter is in pre-k 4 in her second year and pennsylvania doesn't have pre-k. my son will finish his first grade year. most likely, we will but the house now and move in june when the school year is over. it will also give us a chance to slowly furnish the house over time rather than all at once. it also gives my wife some time to get her drivers license because when i am working in ny those 3 days, she is going to need it (as well as a second vehicle). i thank everyone for all the feedback and support. hopefully, everything will work out for us and we will soon be first time homeowners in a matter of weeks!!!

[scrantonluna]

Greg, glad to hear you found something you like. If you're looking for furnishings, be sure to check out ashley in wilkesbarre (Ashley Furniture Home). If you're looking for solid furniture that will hold up instead of that fiberboard crap, they have a good selection at reasonable prices.

[FightinPhils]

Originally Posted by GREGGO72

we heard very good things about mcnicholls plaza elementary school. !!!

I typically hear McNichols Plaza rated as one of the elementary schools to avoid in Scranton.

Ok, I just checked greatschools.net, and McNichols actually fares pretty well on test scores and gets a good rating. I think the negative image of McNichols is that it does have the highest number of non-English speaking students, and is pretty much the base for the ESL program in Scranton, because it is adjacent to Scranton's highest concentration of Hispanics. It is one of the more racially diverse schools in the city. But, like I said, I checked the ratings, and McNichols looks good.

[FightinPhils]

Originally Posted by GREGGO72

my daughter is in pre-k 4 in her second year and pennsylvania doesn't have pre-k. !!!

While Pennsylvania as a whole does not have a Pre-K program, the Scranton School District does have a Pre-K program, free of charge, for all 3 and 4 year olds in the district. Its a great thing to have, and they are far ahead once they reach kindergarten.

[GREGGO72]

Well, we didn't get the first house in South Scranton that we bid on- the sellers realtor said there were two other offers but we made a solid offer-(about 9 thousand less than the asking price) the house still hasn't gone under contract so I think that the sellers realtor wants us to get into some kind of bidding war OR the owners of the house aren't ready to leave because their new house isn't being built yet OR she was lying. Whatever the reason, we stayed firm with the price. The house was totally redone (electric, roof, kitchen,siding,bathrooms) it had 3 bedrooms and 1.5 baths but only 5 rooms. It had room to expand (finishing the attic) had a nice large rear deck and a large backyard. We kinda pictured ourselves living there, but I guess everyone does that prematurely. Maybe the owner took pride in all his handy work and updates and our offer was an insult to him? We figured since the market is slow and it is the end of the year and it's a buyers market that we would surely get it but I was wrong. We came back to Scranton this past weekend after I did thorough research. We saw 8 great houses and we really liked A Cape Cod near St. Ann's Basilica in West Scranton. Any info on the neighborhood? The elementary school is Willard. The house is beautiful and it is just a shade less than the previous house. It has 2 bedrooms upstairs, a master bedroom on the first floor. It has a den or study on the first that we would turn into a nursey when/if we have another baby. The basement (huge) was fully finished and really convinced us to put in an offer. The backyard is nice and it has a 2 car garage. It is right across the street from St. Anns Basilica. We are waiting to see if they accept the offer. We would fully move in in June so the kids can finish school here in New York. My wife said that when she walked into the house, she knew that that was the house for her. Let's cross our fingers!

[FightinPhils]

Originally Posted by GREGGO72

We saw 8 great houses and we really liked A Cape Cod near St. Ann's Basilica in West Scranton. Any info on the neighborhood? The elementary school is Willard.

The area around St. Ann's is a good neighborhood. Very stable, low crime. Willard is a good school, one of the better schools in Scranton.....my son attended preschool there and it was a good experience. The lone negative would be some traffic tie-ups during the novena at St. Ann's in the summer, but its only one week, and there's usually no problems and the police do a good job of traffic control. Plus, St. Ann's Street is a very wide street.

[Eileen Talalas]

Originally Posted by GREGGO72

We figured since the market is slow and it is the end of the year and it's a buyers market that we would surely get it

Scranton is one of the few metro areas in the country that is holding strong- according to the housing numbers out last week (3rd quarter in a row of declining housing prices)- Scranton actually experienced growth. Don't count on the "buyers market" in your negotiations- if you find the house of your dreams, buy it!

[GREGGO72]

Our offer was accepted the next day-the seller has made it a contingency that the closing be at most 45 days from the signing of the contract-perhaps because we are from out of state. i guess that is typical. We got locked in on a 30 yr fixed at 6 percent even with no points so that is great. now we have to find insurance etc....now the stress really begins-we are first time home buyers.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by GREGGO72

Our offer was accepted the next day-the seller has made it a contingency that the closing be at most 45 days from the signing of the contract-perhaps because we are from out of state. i guess that is typical. We got locked in on a 30 yr fixed at 6 percent even with no points so that is great. now we have to find insurance etc....now the stress really begins-we are first time home buyers.

Congratulations!!! I wish you and your family nothing but the best of luck in your new home. Please keep us informed and updated as things progress, and be sure to let us know if there's anything further we can do to help you become acclimated to life in NEPA. I hope to be joining the ranks of first-time home buyers within the next few years; perhaps we'll be neighbors?

[GREGGO72]

After Appraisal, We Were Told That The House We Are Buying Is Situated Above An Abandoned Coal Mine. This Means We Have To Purchase Insurance. About 120 Bucks A Year. Is This Typical In Scranton? Has Anyone Else Had To Do This As Well Or Known Anyone Who Had Their Property Damaged By An Abandoned Coal Mine?