New Yorkers in NEPA, Scranton? (Old Forge, Pittston: attorney, job market, buy)

[weluvpa]

Originally Posted by MrKrabs

The Yankees farm system usually sucks anyways. They usually trade away their top prospects for high priced big league free agents anyways. At least with the Phillies, we saw guys like Scott Rolen, Pat Burrell, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Shane Victorino, Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard, etc etc play here for a while. What really makes me mad is how they've improved the stadium for the Yankees with a grass field and everything, and the reason the Phillies left is because the county wouldn't do those things for them.

Money talks and BS walks. There wasn't enough money in the Phillies deal for the commissioners. Its the yankees, all hail the yankees, now bend over and let us stick it to the tax payers in the name of the Yankees.....AAAhhhhh do you feel it yet? You won't because its the yankees, their that good.

Wait till you see what the negotiators tell us we need to do to keep them here. $150,000,000 in real estate development from the mandaly corp., sounds like a new stadium to me.......You feel it yet? Its coming....

[NYRangers 2008]

Originally Posted by weluvpa

Money talks and BS walks. There wasn't enough money in the Phillies deal for the commissioners. Its the yankees, all hail the yankees, now bend over and let us stick it to the tax payers in the name of the Yankees.....AAAhhhhh do you feel it yet? You won't because its the yankees, their that good.

Wait till you see what the negotiators tell us we need to do to keep them here. $150,000,000 in real estate development from the mandaly corp., sounds like a new stadium to me.......You feel it yet? Its coming....

Another excuse to raise our taxes. I was happy watching the Red Barons all those years. Now it's going to cost us money just to see the friggin' Yankees. I'll pass. I like the Mets anyway.

[FightinPhils]

Originally Posted by weluvpa

Wait till you see what the negotiators tell us we need to do to keep them here. $150,000,000 in real estate development from the mandaly corp., sounds like a new stadium to me.......You feel it yet? Its coming....

If I was in charge, I would let the Yankees walk. We have a good enough stadium and this is a big enough market that, even if the Yankees left, we would still have baseball here. I would rather have a Minnesota Twins Single-A team here and still be able to afford to go to a game than to be bent over in taxes to keep the Yankees here.

[poconosmama]

HELLOOOO POSITIVEONE!
I would recommend the Moscow area. Nice town, good schools, a few nice subdivisions, and close enough to the Scranton area for your needs.
Good luck with your decision!

Ok...carry on fussy folks... . I as a 10 year veteran transplant will just sit and watch...

[loveinbloom]

Originally Posted by NYRangers 2008

Yes I am Paul. I've been here in NEPA for about 15 years now. I understand though what Dan is saying. The higher taxes are driving people out and bringing them here. Eventually, more and more people will be moving here and possibly then raising the taxes here even more. Then people will have to find another place to go. Essentially a vicious circle.

hmmmmmmm...a bit confused on your logic. I can see to a point what Dan is saying as well...but Jimmny Crickets cherry picking and over extension are simply that. A cycle yes, vicious, I guess that is perspective. Years ago I remember it simply being called an improvement in the quality of life for ones family.

The Taxes will rise IF people demand services for similar to that were they hail from. As you stated it is only a possiblity here, many many other parts of the nation it is a fact of life and has been for decades. The tipping point for my area seems to have begun in 2000.
Suffolk County use to be rural and lovely, since I did not like what it became, should I have stayed there to finishing raising my 7 year old because some people from my husbands home town do not think I belong there? I waited till my eldest children finished High School and started college. The time was right to move with my son before he became firmly established in the community and every expert I have ever read or spoken to, stated that if a move is a choice do it while your children are still in elementary school.

The taxes will rise if developersare allowed by local governing bodies are allowed to turn formally pristine areas into overpriced developments and Mcmansions....but hey it is only ok for that happen to other areas of the nation.

I am done with this thread it is time for me to take my son out and enjoy my town!

[weluvpa]

Originally Posted by loveinbloom

The taxes will rise if developersare allowed by local governing bodies are allowed to turn formally pristine areas into overpriced developments and Mcmansions....

That is true, very true but in the same respect if there was not a exodus from NY, NJ there really wouldn't be such a demand for all that sprawl in the poconos and soon if not already here in the Scranton area.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by weluvpa

That is true, very true but in the same respect if there was not a exodus from NY, NJ there really wouldn't be such a demand for all that sprawl in the poconos and soon if not already here in the Scranton area.

The problem is where these transplants are moving, not how many are coming, Dan. We currently have THOUSANDS of existing homes on the market in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Instead of finding one of these to call their own, many of the transplants are tearing down trees to make way for more new construction homes. Why? People like new2pa, coartist88, etc. moved to the suburbs, but they did the NOBLE thing by looking for a home that was already built and making it work for their families. I understand this is a "free country" and all, but at what point are we going to look at the increasingly concerning glut in the local housing market and demand to know why so few are selling while building lots are flying like hot cakes (just look at the Summit Woods lots selling left and right in the property transfers). The existing housing market could absorb thousands of new residents before the need for new construction arose.

[weluvpa]

The overflowing housing market in Scranton is a direct result of the wage tax and increased taxes across the board. The SPD and SFD are hurting and getting nothing, the neighborhoods all but Southside are getting nothing and the quality of the public services is severally lacking. There are some moving here but for the most part they want those mansions with land.

The city itself is not appealing to anyone really in its present financial and physical shape when you could have a new house on land in the woods.

The mayor campaigned on lowering the wage tax and he didn't do it, what he did do is the raise the property tax by 25%, how does help to lure anyone into the city?

[TheEmissary]

Originally Posted by SWB

The problem is where these transplants are moving, not how many are coming, Dan. We currently have THOUSANDS of existing homes on the market in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Instead of finding one of these to call their own, many of the transplants are tearing down trees to make way for more new construction homes. Why? People like new2pa, coartist88, etc. moved to the suburbs, but they did the NOBLE thing by looking for a home that was already built and making it work for their families. I understand this is a "free country" and all, but at what point are we going to look at the increasingly concerning glut in the local housing market and demand to know why so few are selling while building lots are flying like hot cakes (just look at the Summit Woods lots selling left and right in the property transfers). The existing housing market could absorb thousands of new residents before the need for new construction arose.

Paul - To a large extent, the quality of the school system often determines where many people will buy a house. Your logic is flawless - there are many existing homes that would be more than good enough for a vast majority of people, but factor in the emotional state of the prospective parents when they read the school test scores and your logic flies out the window!

A lot of these newcomers with more than a few bucks to spend will then want to move to the "new" "The Summit" development in Clark's Summit, and then inquire whether "The Summit" development has a "Summit" section so little Brandon and Jennifer's school will not have any Tanishas and Moeshas in it - so they can then feel like they're "King of The Hill"! Until that mentality changes, if ever, expect the dump trucks and moving equipment to be working on "Snob Heights at Abington" for the forseeable future!

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by weluvpa

The overflowing housing market in Scranton is a direct result of the wage tax and increased taxes across the board. The SPD and SFD are hurting and getting nothing, the neighborhoods all but Southside are getting nothing and the quality of the public services is severally lacking. There are some moving here but for the most part they want those mansions with land.

The city itself is not appealing to anyone really in its present financial and physical shape when you could have a new house on land in the woods.

The mayor campaigned on lowering the wage tax and he didn't do it, what he did do is the raise the property tax by 25%, how does help to lure anyone into the city?

Dan, I'm talking about the region as a whole entity, not just the city of Scranton. Here are the current number of resale single-family detached dwellings on the market in the following school districts, and keep in mind that these only include real estate agencies that are members of the Greater Scranton Board of Realtors:

Abington Heights: 154
Carbondale Area: 52
Lackawanna Trail: 31
Lakeland: 32
Mid-Valley: 51
North Pocono: 142
Old Forge: 25
Riverside: 40
Scranton: 278
Valley View: 68
LACKAWANNA COUNTY TOTAL: 873 Homes

Now let's run the numbers for Luzerne County, bearing in mind that these ONLY reflect the listings of members of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Board of Realtors.

Crestwood: 108
Dallas: 86
Greater Nanticoke Area: 70
Hanover Area: 52
Hazleton Area: 126
Lake-Lehman: 88
Northwest Area: 33
Pittston Area: 100
Wilkes-Barre Area: 236
Wyoming Area: 87
Wyoming Valley West: 139
LUZERNE COUNTY TOTAL: 1,125 Homes

That's a grand total of 1,998 homes, and let's assume 2,500 overall when one includes those that are being sold by owner or by non-member realtors. If we assume the general household size of 2.5 per home, then that means we could anticipate housing 6,250 new residents into Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties from the existing housing stock alone. Considering both counties are growing by around 500 residents per year combined now, then we could feasibly stop all new construction and have a supply of housing for over a DECADE to house those who are incoming.

Meanwhile, here's a snapshot of just a few of the property transfers recently in Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties that have involved residential lot sales for new construction homes or in some cases just new construction homes in new suburban subdivisions.

¦ Landview Properties LLC, Dallas, to Deborah A. Baran, Spring Brook Township, a property in Roaring Brook Township for $49,900.

¦ Landview Properties LLC, Dallas, to Ryan M. and Jillian Yeager, Scranton, a property in Roaring Brook Township for $74,900.

¦ Landview Properties LLC, Dallas, to Kevin and Elizabeth McDonald, Newfoundland, a property in Roaring Brook Township for $31,410.

¦ Michael P. Noto and Michael Vacendak, partners in FDH Land Development Co., South Abington Township, to Thomas and Donna Sunick, South Abington Township, a property in South Abington Township for $41,000.

¦ Outlook Properties LLC, Hamlin, to Stephen C. and Melissa C. Stacey, Delaware, a property in Jefferson Township for $434,996.

¦ P & J Development Co. Inc., Jessup, to Melanie Wanas, Archbald, a property in Archbald for $238,377.

Moosic Lakes Inc., Scranton, to Laurel Ridge Development LLC, Dunmore, a property in Jefferson Township for $992,375.

Villa Inc., Old Forge, to Joseph P. and Holly E. Colozza, Old Forge, a property in Old Forge for $40,000.

Olde Grove Estates LLC, Lake Ariel, to Perih Group LLC, Moscow, a property on Wimmers Road, Jefferson Township, for $55,000.

Landview Properties LLC, Dallas, to Richard P. and Stacy L. Placek, Moscow, a property in Roaring Brook Township for $75,905.

Landview Properties LLC, Dallas, to Tri County Realty Agency Inc., Moscow, a property in Roaring Brook Township for $47,405.

Landview Properties LLC, Dallas, to Edward J. and Catherine A. Langan, Lake Ariel, a property in Roaring Brook Township for $66,400.

Landview Properties LLC, Dallas, to William J. Farrell, Moscow, a property in Roaring Brook Township for $52,155.

Susquehanna River Shores LLC to Michael Garzella and Carmella Garzella for $539,550, West Pittston

Landview Properties Inc. to Vera L. Supey for $99,500, Dallas Township.

Joe Thomas Construction Inc. to Joseph A. Nealon and Rose A. Nealon for $259,000, Duryea.

Ice Lakes Ltd. and Ice Lakes Development Group Inc. (general partner) to Joshua P. Hogan and Evelyn A. Hogan for $60,000, Rice Township.

Rolling Meadows Development Corp. to William A. Rolland Jr. and Sharon Rolland for $62,500, Jackson Township.

Javed I. Malik and Tahira J. Malik to Norman Washick and Sharon Jobson for $430,000, Pittston Township.

Village at Greenbriar Inc. to Judith Rother for $359,900, Lehman Township.


So over the past couple of weeks I have counted these as just some of the new building lots and/or new construction homes purchased, along with the apparent development of a new residential subdivision adjacent to Moosic Lakes by a notable county developer. We can't even give away our existing housing stock of 2,500 single-family homes, yet transplants are flocking to new homes? What's wrong with this picture?

Originally Posted by TheEmissary

Paul - To a large extent, the quality of the school system often determines where many people will buy a house. Your logic is flawless - there are many existing homes that would be more than good enough for a vast majority of people, but factor in the emotional state of the prospective parents when they read the school test scores and your logic flies out the window!

A lot of these newcomers with more than a few bucks to spend will then want to move to the "new" "The Summit" development in Clark's Summit, and then inquire whether "The Summit" development has a "Summit" section so little Brandon and Jennifer's school will not have any Tanishas and Moeshas in it - so they can then feel like they're "King of The Hill"! Until that mentality changes, if ever, expect the dump trucks and moving equipment to be working on "Snob Heights at Abington" for the forseeable future!

Ordinarily I'd agree with you, but Scranton's public schools truly aren't as "bad" as what the Chicken Littles portray them as. Schools like Valley View, Pittston Area, North Pocono, Crestwood, Dallas, and Abington Heights all receive an unfair advantage on standardized testing because they have higher-than-average populations of affluent families residing within district boundaries where students will be second-generation college attendees while Scranton has a lot of poor working-class families where those graduating will be the first in their families to ever receive an education beyond high school. Of course the children of attorneys, nuclear physicists, neurologists, etc. are going to score disproportionately higher on standardized tests than the children of broken homes.