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I know there are a lot of topics related to Rochester, but wanted one of my own to discuss my questions and concerns. I have been living in Rhode Island for a short time now. (Originally from California). I don't mind it here, but after living here, I find it difficult to purchase a home. My wife is a nurse and I work at a group home and we make pretty decent money. However, this is a weird place. A desirable area with an outdated home can run 300-350K while there is a "bad" area just down the road. That is where the affordable homes are, but I don't want to live there. Anyway, I know the Rochester area is cheap, but how about the "desireable" areas. Are they intermixed with not-so-desirable ones? Or are they large enough to feel like you are in a completely good neighborhood. I don't want to live on a good road but have a "ghetto" just down the road. We are willing to pay up to 250K on a home and know that we can get that in Rochester, but wanted some info on the desirable areas. I have heard nothing but good things about upstate and western new york and think it would be a good fit. Whether is just one factor in life and it is NOT the overriding one. I don't care how nice of a place is, if you can't afford or struggle to afford a nice place to live, who cares how nice the whether is, right? Thanks for the information.
If you are looking to live outside the city proper, everything you will find is pretty good. In the city, the Southeast has a lot of nice areas. The really bad locations with a majority of the crime are confined to a small area in the city called "The Crescent". For 250k, you will have no problem affording an area like Pittsford, Penfield, or Chili which are very desirable areas.
^^^ What he said...basically, the only areas you will hae to worry about being in a "bad area" are certain parts of the city, particularly in some of the neighborhoods in Northeast and Southwest Rochester. I honestly can't think of any areas of any of the suburbs where you would have to worry about that issue....maybe some areas of eastern Geece/Gates or Southern Irondequiot....but even in those "seedy" (and I use that term loosely, they are only seedy on a suburban standard) areas, you wouldn't have to worry about it because they are far seperated from homes in the $250k range...Also, virtually any house in the city you will find in the $250k range will be in one of the very nice and safe neighborhoos in the Southeastern quadrant.
Try Pittsford. It is one of the safest and happiest suburbs around Rochester - and about 15 minutes away from the city. For $250K, you could get a well-kept mansion!
true...but considering the housing prices in New England are much higher, and he taxes not much lower (with the exception of NH of course), I think it will pan out well for him/her. I wouldn't say $250k would get you a MANSION in Pittsford, it will get you a newer 3-4 bedroom house with a 2 car garage and a basement...but not a mansion.
I'm not sure what you mean by "ghetto", "bad". When I think "ghetto" I think of Harlem, NYC, twenty years ago. Some areas in the inner city of Rochester reminds me of Harlem but I haven't encounter an area like that in the suburbs east of Rochester (not familiar with the west side of Rochester so I can't comment).
Some people I know thinks the town of East Rochester is questionable. I live in Fairport which is right next to East Rochester. I like the Fairport. My neighbors are friendly and I'm can walk to the town and canal. My property + school tax is pretty low by Rochester standard, about 2.6% of my homes assessed value. I get Fairport electric which is a major bonus since it is cheaper than what is available in other towns.
I agree with what others are saying here, for 250K you can get a very nice home but as gastric mentioned watch out for the property tax.
Pittsford is a great choice. You didn't mention any kids, but if you have any, or are planning on some, Pittsford has two schools in the top 100 in the US!
Another place i would recommend is Webster. It's the fastest growing community near Rochester, and is about a 20 min drive away. I think you could get more for your money as far as size goes in Webster vs. Pittsford.
A great site to check out is Zillow - Real Estate Valuations, Homes for Sale, Free Real Estate Information which shows satellite pics and is packed full of info.
We were up there in April. We looked around the city. The downtown area needs urban renewal (where is the mayor?).
There are some really nice neighborhoods near Park Avenue, where you can actually walk to a grocery store, pharmacy, good restaurants, etcetera. A house in this area will go for around $250k (and often less). The neighborhood is very clean and well maintained, and no graffiti!
We both liked this city. Taxes are high in relation to property values, but the streets are clean and the roads are maintained, and the schools are supposed to be some of the best in the country. You even have wineries all over with some decent wines. The country side is beautiful!
My partner has a friend that now lives in Ithaca, New York (about an hour south of Rochester), and she really likes it. She is also from San Francisco, and she and her partner (from LA), really like it there.
We are also looking at Rhode Island (Providence).
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Rochester city
