Offered position in Syracuse. From Long Island. Have some questions! (New York: real estate, 2015)
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Okay so I'm 26, and the company I work for has an opening in Syracuse that I'm seriously considering. I went to college in Albany, then moved back to Long Island after school ended. I will be making the same salary ($82k) in Syracuse as I do on Long Island if I make the move. I'm a single guy and the idea of much cheaper living is really attractive. I was looking at apartments in Syracuse and it's crazy how much cheaper it is. I refuse to live in a small basement apartment for $1200 a month in a bad area on LI. The laid back living and lack of traffic certainly is really appealing. Further, actually being able to own a nice home down the line would be a plus. I would be working in East Syracuse, but would probably want to be in a more bustling area (downtown Syracuse?), in order to meet people. I have some friends I went to college with that live there but that's about it. Does anyone have any suggestions in making this a seamless transition? Or should I just stay put on LI? I've dealt with the upstate cold weather in Albany, so I think just the snow would be the biggest change for me. Any opinions would be great!
This is a no brainer. 82k is good for a family, let alone a young single person in this area. Downtown Syracuse(including Franklin Square) shouldn't be a problem in terms of price, but availability may be an issue. However, you still may be able to find something. Westcott, just east of Syracuse University may have some flats for rent. Tipperary Hill, an outer West Side neighborhood, may be another area of the city to look into. Perhaps Eastwood as well.
If you don't mind villages, Liverpool, Manlius, Fayetteville, Baldwinsville and North Syracuse may be worth a look. I dare say that even Skaneateles and Cazenovia may be worth a look, due to their upscale look, but both are a little bit further out and are in more rural settings.
What else would you be looking for in a neighborhood/community? What are some things that you like to do?
I've lived in NYC (including Bayside) which might as well be Long Island, and also up here so perhaps this would be helpful, but maybe not since I'm originally from neither area.
If you have lived in Albany I think you know more or less what to expect, however, living upstate is a tad different than going to school in one of these cities. The fact that you have friends up here should make the transition pretty seamless, that's one of the best ways to acclimate into any area. If you have a large employer that should also help, as people are generally pretty friendly, and it's easy to get into a group if you have the intro. Obviously, in smaller cities you may have more pre-formed groups that aren't quite as fluid, and locals tend to congregate together, so you have to put a little effort into it. Regardless, it sounds like you are okay in that regard.
At 82K you will love life up here. You can take vacations! Go to Europe, buy a nicer car, use that money!
Personally, I loathed Long Island, I worked in Melville for awhile, and hated everything about it. The traffic, how expensive it was for pretty much living NEAR NYC without any of the benefits of being in NYC, etc...I just never saw a lot of upside.....
SyntaxErr pretty much sums it up. LI money and upstate COL is a no brainer. Accept the job and come north!
For winter, if you have a FWD car, be sure your all season radials have good tread or get snow tires by about mid November. Syracuse gets significantly more snow than Albany, but the locals aren't wimpy about it like those in Albany (I lived in Albany for 10+ years), so the area doesn't shut down for a few inches of snow overnight. If you can find a rental with a garage, seriously consider it.
For a seamless transition, I think the best thing you can do is embrace your new home. That's true anywhere you move ever.
Don't even waste your time looking at the Villages or places further out. $82K will get you pretty much anywhere in Syracuse. Go with downtown Syracuse, that's where you'll find the most bustling activity and it's an easy commute to East Syracuse.
This is a no brainer. 82k is good for a family, let alone a young single person in this area. Downtown Syracuse(including Franklin Square) shouldn't be a problem in terms of price, but availability may be an issue. However, you still may be able to find something. Westcott, just east of Syracuse University may have some flats for rent. Tipperary Hill, an outer West Side neighborhood, may be another area of the city to look into. Perhaps Eastwood as well.
If you don't mind villages, Liverpool, Manlius, Fayetteville, Baldwinsville and North Syracuse may be worth a look. I dare say that even Skaneateles and Cazenovia may be worth a look, due to their upscale look, but both are a little bit further out and are in more rural settings.
What else would you be looking for in a neighborhood/community? What are some things that you like to do?
Even though I know a few people up there, they aren't really exactly close friends, so I'd prefer to be in an area with the best opportunity to meet people in the area (bars, restaurants, etc.)
Even though I know a few people up there, they aren't really exactly close friends, so I'd prefer to be in an area with the best opportunity to meet people in the area (bars, restaurants, etc.)
What Becca just said. Demand for Downtown housing is high and fills up pretty quickly, but new units pop up and just do your research.
If you can't find something in Downtown, there are also units in/near the University(Hill) area that could work and are even geared partially to professionals. This is one example that puts you in between both of those areas in the middle of the city: Home
Dude, you'd be crazy to turn down a lateral move in salary from Long Island to Syracuse. Aside from a better quality of life, you'd be living like a king on $82k. To give you perspective, I'd consider a $30k pay reduction to live there as apples to apples.
What Becca just said. Demand for Downtown housing is high and fills up pretty quickly, but new units pop up and just do your research.
If you can't find something in Downtown, there are also units in/near the University(Hill) area that could work and are even geared partially to professionals. This is one example that puts you in between both of those areas in the middle of the city: Home
Even though I know a few people up there, they aren't really exactly close friends, so I'd prefer to be in an area with the best opportunity to meet people in the area (bars, restaurants, etc.)
I agree with Becca. Go downtown... as close to armory square as possible. Coming from me and Becca, this means a lot because Becca is always touting the village of Liverpool, and I am always touting the village of Baldwinsville on here, but for your age, and wanting to meet people, downtown Syracuse is the way to go. The villages are for when you already know people or are in a relationship not looking to mingle.
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