Levittown or Bristol (Middletown, Fairless Hills, Woodbourne: real estate, rent, loans)

[vshlopak]

What town is better Levittown or Bristol? I mean lower taxes, expenses etc...

[RE4me]

My parents still live in Levittown. Both Bristol and Levittown have nice areas. Bristol is older. Levittown homes are in neighborhoods often with similar homes like Ranchers, Capes etc. There are a few different townships in Levittown. Schools are a bit better in Falls Township and Middletown Township. My parents are in Bristol Township. (I went to Catholic School) so to be fair, I can't really comment on the public schools in Bristol township.

Pennsbury Schools are ranked high and homes in Falls Township are desirable because of that. Fairless Hills is in Falls Township.

Although you will see many people BASH Levittown, Bristol and sometimes even Falls, it's ALL RELATIVE. Someone looking for a $600,000 home is not going to land in Levittown and may tell you to stay away. (and I say that with great respect to those areas since I grew up there).

The truth is: depending on your price range, Levittown is a tightly knit and diverse community. Schools are close and the sections are designed in a neighborhood style that's actually making a comeback in many areas. There are areas in Bristol that are the same way.

We are living in a time where where neighbors don't even know each other any more due to work schedules, large property sizes etc. Levittown and Birstol are older communities built when residents of neighborhoods used to interact with each other. There are nice areas there.

Although I'm mainly involved in larger commercial real estate development now, when I was in residential real estate, I never minded running clients down to the area to show them homes and what that area still has to offer. Many people in Bristol, Levittown and Falls take great pride in their community and their homes. Don't pass the area up without looking at it.

Hope that helps a little.

[Reinheitsgebot]

We went house hunting just before Thanksgiving in Levittown and had never been there before. Having gone through the entire area I would recommend you start in Middletown Township and progress to Falls Township if you can afford it. I would avoid Bristol Township if possible, you see why when you go there. I haven't seen so many payday loans/check cashing stores since i was in the Army. That should tell you the type of neighbors you would have. Also, we loved the Middletown Township area and are just waiting to find a home there, but we might rent in a more desirable location first as the current market is declining and no one wants to buy a house that won't appreciate as fast as inflation anyway. I highly recommend Middletown Township! Close to great shopping and really clean neighborhoods. The housing lots are just a bit bigger than in Bristol Township and that seems to make all the difference. Taxes are also a few hundred dollars lower there too.

[RE4me]

Just an FYI.

Middletown township is Neshaminy Schools which is a very good school district as well. However home prices are higher there. Taxes are also a bit higher (not lower) in most areas in Middletown.

Also to clarify. All of those check cashing places?? Many are in the area of of 5-Points which is New Falls Road, Emily Road, Woodbourne Road (where they all meet). This is the beginning of Middletown Township and the end of Bristol Township. With easy access to Route 1 , I-95 etc can you guess why those business chose to place themselves there?? I believe there are 2 on the East Side of New Falls road at the end of Bristol Township and then 3+ along New Falls road in Middletown and I believe a few more toward the Middletown Township end and Langhorne area.

Again, depending on price range, there are nice areas in Levittown / Bristol Township. The sections of Stonybrook (mostly in Bristol Township), Greenbrook, Farmbrook, Crabtree (all in Bristol Township) as well as Pinewood, Lakeside are all pretty good areas as well.

It all depends on what you are looking for and what you can spend. Check out all of the surrounding areas and see what works best for you. Good luck with your home search.