Advice about possibly relocating to the Finger Lakes/Canandaigua area.... (Pittsford: school district, wealthy)

[HowardRoarke]

Originally Posted by loveautumn

Didn't NYS put alot of money into a Tech Center in or around Canandaigua a few years ago.....did that ever happen?

Yes, they plugged in an alleged tech center there when Xerox pulled out of that plant off Rte. 332 on the edge of town (plant was under 10 years old when they left). *NY threw some money at it in order for it to become some form or another of R&D facility, which in hindsight looks like just another scheme where it looks like the state is trying to do something for the economy. I worked in manufacturing while living in Rochester, and kept in touch with professors at RIT and MCC, and they reported that the facility had a few shady characters running it who'd previously worked at Kodak and were merely trying to get do-nothing jobs paid for by state grants.

*Last I'd heard there was nothing going on at that facility.

[HowardRoarke]

Originally Posted by nyctransplant

Hi there! I'm a native new yorker, with relatives north and south. I live part time in summerville, part time in the northeast.

Unemployment in the summerville area and all through south carolina is very high - a lot higher than in the northeast. I don't know about the hvac thing - my son's been looking for an hvac job, he's a lead installer and just moved to summerville a few months ago. No job yet. None of the building/financial/ and real estate related professions are doing well. Unemployment throughout the state is close to 12 percent, i believe.

May hit 13%, soon, on its way to 14% or so. It's bad, here. I tend to understate things, but lately I've been telling folks how bad it is, here. HVAC is doing well around Columbia and Greenville, although this could be a seasonal thing.

The northeast is losing jobs at a lower rate, but the cost of living is higher. If i were to choose where to seek employment, it would be in new york state, but closer to nyc. where you can commute and take advantage of higher wages.

The sad thing for a lot of folks struggling in summerville/sc, but particularly summerville because i know it as a fact - a house purchased just last year at 180,000 is now thrown onto the market at the "marketability" price of 139,000 or less - there were so many defaults/foreclosures and job losses in the past year, that even the best neighborhoods aren't able to draw in buyers.

Some of these newer homes down here really are not anything to write home about, either. I wouldn't pay anything near to the asking price of some of these places, down here. A 1400 sq. ft. patio home with a one car garage (typical newer starter house, down here) shouldn't go for anything over $120K or so, around here, but these real estate folks thought they were gonna get big bucks for them. I see those houses all over, here. Some were going for $140K or more, going back two years. Now you can pick one up for $110K or less, even (2 story, two car, etc,), although I'm not impressed, really. You can't touch a well-built house down here in a good school district for under $175K, which is down from $200K+ in '07.

so folks who are unemployed or can't make payments and want to move somewhere else for a job are stuck for a bit. There's a glut of houses and many short-sales - i haven't seen so many homes for sale before in several great neighborhoods. If you're self-employed and not dependent upon a local employer or trade and can make it through - houses are at bargain basement prices and property taxes not bad if you're a resident.

Thanks for the info. York County (straddles the Charlotte, NC, metro, just over the line) is in terrible shape, and foreclosures there are third in the country, at the moment. We lived in Lexington Cty. when we first moved down to here, before moving to Greenville. Lexington's unemployment rate was like 4% a year and a half ago, now it's around 8% or more. The neighborhood we lived in looks like it has about a 8%-10% foreclosure rate, which came as a shock (we visited some friends near to there, recently, and swung through our old 'hood). That would chap my a** to have so many foreclosures in one small 'hood. While SC does not have quite the housing issues as bad as other states have, it appears that with the worsening economy we're getting hit hard with the 2nd wave of foreclosures (I think the 2nd wave is just starting, and it just might end up being worse than the first).

To that end, it was apparent after we moved down to here that there were too many real estate speculators who got into the market within the last 3 years or so, as our neighborhood had many properties which were rentals and, come to find out, were owned by folks who'd bought many properties in the state 'cause they thought they'd be able to turn decent profits on them (possibly dump several simultaneously when things "peaked"). This was not apparent to us when we first moved in, but at least we got out of Lexington before last September when many folks got out of said rentals and houses around them started foreclosing, as well. These speculator folks have been caught with their pants down. Having met a few, I can state with confidence these folks should never have gotten into real estate, and some are straight up a******. Many do not even live within the state.

Many folks moved to SC from up north within the last few years, just like us, and they are going through tough times. One couple we know had already lost their house in hard hit Michigan, then came down here and subsequently lost their jobs in Lexington Cty.

I'd say upstate new york is great for simplifying,i don't find Summerville to be peaceful, nor quiet, nor simple - and at least until things get better in south carolina, i would be very hesitant to move there full-time without job-in-hand. Rochester, i think, is suffering but not too badly. They do need to get their property taxes in control.

I'd recommend folks stay away from most of the South, at the moment, unless they have guaranteed, well-paying, stable employment before moving to here. Yeah, no doubt there are real estate bargains down here, but that's not a reason to move to here, as some may think.

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[grose58]

THANKS AGAIN, HOWARDROARKE! SO MUCH INFO ...I really do APPRECIATE it!!

And NYCTRANSPLANT... a BIG THANKS to you as well! It was great getting the info from both sides of the coin!! My brother just called me a few minutes ago and they're actually closing on their house today in Summerville. He said the vibe of the people there is really good...very friendly. We just found out last month his wife has cancer...so she will now be starting her chemo in Charleston next month. My brother feels the medical facilities there are good. On the job note, my brother is living on disability (very long story) so employers/working is not a necessity for them..he will look for a part-time job just for medical benefits...so maybe that area won't be too bad for them. For us, on the other hand, jobs are a necessity....esp for my husband who has had a couple of layoffs here in the Northern VA/DC area over the past two years. NY will probably then be a better fit for us. (I just have to get past the cold winters...and travel/visit during the rougher months). Where do you live part time in NY??? We do love upstate NY and the pace is so different... plus beautiful and almost magical. We shall see......

Still welcoming more input! :-)

THANKS EVERYONE!!!

[MilesBloodAxe]

Originally Posted by loveautumn

I think it would be quite a culture shock going from NoVA to Canandaigua....

Not if one has already lived in western NY. More like property tax shock.
Hopefully they own a home in NOVA and can purchase pretty much anything they want in Canandaigua with the proceeds from the sale.

[JpInNY]

I think upstate NY is beautiful. I have lived in Corning for the last 8 years. However, I am leaving the state for NC to escape the SKY HIGH taxes. Property taxes are out of this world and our esteemed gov Patterson is trying to push through another 150 new taxes on everything from soft drinks to bowling. Basically, if it makes you feel good, or is fun, NY wants to tax it. It's on its way to being a liberal utopia.

I wouldn't advise anyone to move anywhere in NYS unless you enjoy paying a significant amount of your income in taxes. To give you an idea on property taxes, I was fortunate enough to sell my $400,000 house. The taxes for which run about $11,500 a year!

If I were to buy a home at that price in the Hickory NC area, taxes would be more like $2,000/yr. That alone is like getting a $9,500/yr raise! What would you do with an extra $790/month?

My two cents...

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by JpInNY

I think upstate NY is beautiful. I have lived in Corning for the last 8 years. However, I am leaving the state for NC to escape the SKY HIGH taxes. Property taxes are out of this world and our esteemed gov Patterson is trying to push through another 150 new taxes on everything from soft drinks to bowling. Basically, if it makes you feel good, or is fun, NY wants to tax it. It's on its way to being a liberal utopia.

I wouldn't advise anyone to move anywhere in NYS unless you enjoy paying a significant amount of your income in taxes. To give you an idea on property taxes, I was fortunate enough to sell my $400,000 house. The taxes for which run about $11,500 a year!

If I were to buy a home at that price in the Hickory NC area, taxes would be more like $2,000/yr. That alone is like getting a $9,500/yr raise! What would you do with an extra $790/month?

My two cents...

but there are other taxes involved in other states like taxes on your vehicles, for example. Then, you have to think about what you get in return in terms of taxes.

[HowardRoarke]

Originally Posted by JpInNY

I think upstate NY is beautiful. I have lived in Corning for the last 8 years. However, I am leaving the state for NC to escape the SKY HIGH taxes. Property taxes are out of this world and our esteemed gov Patterson is trying to push through another 150 new taxes on everything from soft drinks to bowling. Basically, if it makes you feel good, or is fun, NY wants to tax it. It's on its way to being a liberal utopia.

I wouldn't advise anyone to move anywhere in NYS unless you enjoy paying a significant amount of your income in taxes. To give you an idea on property taxes, I was fortunate enough to sell my $400,000 house. The taxes for which run about $11,500 a year!

If I were to buy a home at that price in the Hickory NC area, taxes would be more like $2,000/yr. That alone is like getting a $9,500/yr raise! What would you do with an extra $790/month?

My two cents...

Your $400K house's taxes would run anywhere from ~$16K-$20K+ in various parts of Monroe County. A couple we know in Perinton own a house that's assessed at like $550K or so, and they're paying north of $24K+/yr. in property/school taxes (I think the taxes were $12K when they bought the place in '01). They regret buying the place, but for what they have into it they're stuck, for now (ROI would be maybe break even, at this point).



.

[grose58]

THANKS EVERYONE! I really appreciate all the comments coming in ... as I continue to read through these posts, regarding advice on relocating to my hometown area in Upstate NY -- preferably Canandaigua.

The whole tax thing IS a bit scary and giving me some apprehension about making the move and is one of the reasons my brother ended up going in the opposite direction from here (Northern VA/DC area)...to Summerville, SC.... but like "CKHTHANKGOD" put it...there are other taxes involved in other states. We have to pay taxes on our vehicles every year. ONE of the many reasons we are looking to relocate is housing affordability.....so maybe it ends up being a wash?? The cost of living here is expensive....as well as the whole area, in general, being a VERY fast-paced, rat race.

We may be visiting my family again there real soon to get a better 'feel' of it all. Again, QUALITY OF LIFE is the most important factor in this decision -- as well as the school system (middle/high) being really good. Also, how are the healthcare/hospital facilities???

THANKS AGAIN!

[bsdviking21]

Originally Posted by loveautumn

Didn't NYS put alot of money into a Tech Center in or around Canandaigua a few years ago.....did that ever happen?

Yes, the facility is called "Infotonics Technology Center" and is located in the old Xerox ink jet plant on 332 just north of town www.itcmems.com. I just took a job there and moved in from VT. We have about 46 people and are expanding.

I'm looking to buy in the area surrounding Canandaigua as well and have narrowed my search down to Perinton, Victor, Pittsford, and Macedon/Gananda. They are all within easy 20 min drives of Canadaigua and all have highly regarded school systems.

I've heard both good and bad about Canadaigua schools, but enough bad to be discouraging. And Farmington, while the cost of living there is very tempting, concerns me because they do not have their own school system and with the rate they are expanding it won't be long before Canadaigua and Victor start refusing to take the kids. The cost of a new school in Farmington would cause taxes there to skyrocket.

All in all though I like the area. Much lower cost of living than Essex, VT where I'm from, and the facilities and ease of access to everything is far better.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by bsdviking21

Yes, the facility is called "Infotonics Technology Center" and is located in the old Xerox ink jet plant on 332 just north of town ITC World-Class MEMS Innovation. I just took a job there and moved in from VT. We have about 46 people and are expanding.

I'm looking to buy in the area surrounding Canandaigua as well and have narrowed my search down to Perinton, Victor, Pittsford, and Macedon/Gananda. They are all within easy 20 min drives of Canadaigua and all have highly regarded school systems.

I've heard both good and bad about Canadaigua schools, but enough bad to be discouraging. And Farmington, while the cost of living there is very tempting, concerns me because they do not have their own school system and with the rate they are expanding it won't be long before Canadaigua and Victor start refusing to take the kids. The cost of a new school in Farmington would cause taxes there to skyrocket.

All in all though I like the area. Much lower cost of living than Essex, VT where I'm from, and the facilities and ease of access to everything is far better.

You might like an area like Fairport, Palmyra-Macedon, Honeoye Falls-Lima or even districts like Red Jacket or Bloomfield.