Skaneateles NY (New York, Syracuse, Manlius: rental, condo, assessors)

[terryellen]

good morning
DH is speaking to someone about a job in Skaneateles and I thought I would ask some questions before this goes any further....thanks for any answers

1. Schools....they look good on paper....but my neighbor tells me that her two good friends from the town went to to Christian brothers school and that the school is very big there....do most families go private or public? Will we be uncomfortable there b/c we are jewish?

2 How quiet is the town in winter....too quiet? We are very family oriented but dont want to feel too isolated

3 activities for kids...I saw the activity center...looks nice....what about the soccer league for kids...is it very small....what about music and art...do you have to go into syracuse

4 shopping.....we are not big shoppers but where do you go to run your errands....carousel mall or is there a target and big box shopping closer

5 what about groceries...is there a wegmans?

6 how welcoming is the community to outsiders?

I know this is a lot but any help would be appreciated
thanks
theresa

[Sgoldie]

Skaneateles is one of the premiere communities in CNY. It's expensive to buy, the taxes are high, and there's strict growth control to keep the character. It's a gorgeous, genteel small town with a main street of upscale shops of all sorts and antique stores right along the lakeshore. There are lots of well kept colonial homes as well as estates and community spirit is high. I wouldn't put it in the loud or flashy category. It has more the feel of old money.

The schools are good and there is a small grocery within walking distance of downtown. There are activities year around including polo, golf, country club, sailing, a Dickins festival with strolling characters in costume, summer classical music fest, etc. There is a five star restaurant and one of the only resort spas in upstate. Big box stores can be found in nearby Auburn about 15minutes away as well as Syracuse, a bit further. There are a lot of monied people who have relocated or have summer places here. You should have no trouble being accepted.

[30apples]

Gee this sounds like a fantastic place! Am surprised that it is expensive to buy w/ high taxes, though. Could you elaborate on how "high" is high and what the average taxes would be on say a 175,000-200,000 house?? thanx

[Sgoldie]

Prices in Skaneateles are much more in keeping with expensive places in other parts of the country than they are in upstate. You may be able to find a small turn of the century cottage on one of the side streets for the price you quote that may or may not need renovation. Chances are you'd have to spend twice that for anyplace decent and they go into the millions from there. A recently renovated two bedroom carriage house went for about $600,000.

This is not your average community. They still have a furrier and an English tack shop for those with horses. There's a big opera fundraiser and weekly polo and some of the finest classical musicians perform at the local churches.

I can't tell you what taxes are. They recently reassessed and there was a big outcry as many of those who grew up there had to sell because of taxes. I'm thinking $20,000 is not unheard of as a starting point. You don't want to run afoul of the powers that be. One family had to tear down their entire new modern mansion as it was a foot or so over what was allowed. It is much more common to take an antique house and refurbish it to period. The community is very protective of it's upper crust essence.

[30apples]

Hello sgoldie: Hmm....sounds a bit "chilly" I had no idea the taxes were that high along w/ the house prices. I guess it ISN'T a typical upstate location. Thnx for the info.

[GCGuy]

$600K must have been some house:

http://www.city-data.com/city/Skaneateles-New-York.html

Estimated median house/condo value in 2005: $171,100

Are there different areas? A city, village, etc?

[GCGuy]

I guess you can call her about the taxes:

SKANEATELES
Robert L. Brown, Chm. Assessors
24 Jordan Street
Skaneateles, New York 13152
315-685-8148
FAX 315-685-0745

David A. Sheppard, Assessor
24 Jordan Street
Skaneateles, New York 13152
315-685-8148
FAX 315-685-0745

Daniel D. Stanford, Assessor
54 Onondaga Street
Skaneateles, New York 13152
315-685-8148
FAX 315-685-0745

[Sgoldie]

Here are a couple of listings in Skaneateles:

http://www.ellenhennigan.com/Skaneat...e_1675323.html

http://www.weichert.com/search/reale...9&cityid=47353

Yes there are different areas. Within the walking areas of the village of Skaneateles itself and around the lakeshore are the more desirable areas. Waterfront and waterview are the most expensive. There is also a Skaneateles Falls which is a more typical upstate rural town just down the road. There are several large producing farms in the outlying areas too.

Here is a rental vacation home-

http://www.skaneatelessuites.com/?page_id=57

[terryellen]

thanks for all the info so far...if we wanted DH to commute to Skaneateles where should we live...excellent schools and can spend up to about 700K...we would love an old home but new is ok also...where should we look..commute 30 minutes or less
thanks
Theresa

[Sgoldie]

I looked up a friend's place in the village and they pay just over $15 yr on a $500 house.

If you can afford that much for a house, there's no place else I'd want to live other than Skaneateles village. However, if you want to be near synagogues you may want to look at Manlius or Dewitt, the high rent suburbs of Syracuse. Manlius Pebble Hill is a very good prep school.