Yorktown heights or Katonah? (Cortland, Bedford: restaurants, shops, kosher)

[SLP247]

Builders are really starting to offer some great deals. FYI: You can be represented by a Buyers Agent when dealing with a builder, in fact I strongly recommend it.

$850k to $775k. If this is new construction, it is quite possible. If this is a 1-2 yr old home...not so sure. Here is why: If I bought a home two years ago for $850k and only put down 5%, I'd still owe somewhere around $800k and that would be with taking a loss on the house (the down payment) Since many of these deals were at 3-5% down, some even 0 down, chances are they own more than the $775 so we would have to negotiate a Short Sale with the bank in order to get it for that price. Is that happening, YES! Is it easy...NO! Is it worth a shot. What do you have to loose?

This is one are where a Buyers Agent really helps. We know what is going into contract, we know what is recently sold (up to today) so we know where the current market value is at the time of the offer. This is why you want to get a CMA on any home you are about to make an offer on.

As far as going up and down Rt. 9...That is not a good idea. Its stop and go the whole way.

Look for a DM from me.

[Johninwestbury]

By me the day laborers have brought gangs like MS-13, Surenos, 18th street to my town. They loiter and treat the sidewalks and streets as a toilet and a garbage can. They are not all innocent hard workers, alot of them are involved in criminal activity. They have not been a good influence over here. Also all those jobs they have used to be better paying jobs for citizens.
The only people benefiting from day laborers are the companies that hire them. They laugh all the way to the bank. Generally breaking the law isn't something that should be approved of, just look at the local police blotters and see the crimes these ppl commit.
I wont do business with any company that hires day laborers. I'm sorry I just dont see the positives, maybe because I live in a town that has been taken over by them.

[dma1250]

Originally Posted by Johninwestbury

By me the day laborers have brought gangs like MS-13, Surenos, 18th street to my town. They loiter and treat the sidewalks and streets as a toilet and a garbage can. They are not all innocent hard workers, alot of them are involved in criminal activity. They have not been a good influence over here. Also all those jobs they have used to be better paying jobs for citizens.
The only people benefiting from day laborers are the companies that hire them. They laugh all the way to the bank. Generally breaking the law isn't something that should be approved of, just look at the local police blotters and see the crimes these ppl commit.
I wont do business with any company that hires day laborers. I'm sorry I just dont see the positives, maybe because I live in a town that has been taken over by them.

I assume from your name that you are in Westbury. I have no idea what the situation is like there, but here in northern Westchester there are no gangs of day laborers and the only time that they are mentioned in the local police blotter is when they are the victim of a crime. As SLP247 said, some of the larger towns like Mt Kisco have designated waiting areas for day laborers and they stay in those areas--quietly and politely, not bothering anyone. The only valid criticism I've ever heard is from someone on this forum who lived in Bedford Hills next door to a house that was home to a huge number of day laborers who went to work in shifts pretty much all day and night. I would certainly not want to be next to that. But I've never heard any other reasonable argument against them in this area.

The only crime that any day laborers (at least in this area) ever committed was to enter the country illegally--and the blame for that lies with the government. Back when my grandparents came to this country the government allowed 'economic refugees' fleeing poverty to enter the country. Now they no longer do. If my grandparents tried to enter the country today they would not be allowed. And I know that my grandparents would have done anything--legal or not--to enter America and to have the chance to make a better future for their children. Our government has forced would-be success stories and the future of this country to commit a crime.

To the extent that any day laborers do form 'gangs' that too is our fault. If we allowed them to come legally they would be here with their families--when you force men to abandon their families and work in a distant country to make money to send home, you create a situation where many lonely men are together (much like prison) and some trouble is bound to happen.

The bottom line is that America's greatness is in it's immigrants. Without immigrants, this country never would have achieved what it has. It is sad and stupid that we have forced people who want to come here to work hard and struggle to have the American dream to do so illegally and to live on the margins of society. It is a horrible shame, and the blame is ours.

[Asil65]

Well said, dma 1250.

[Johninwestbury]

I guess things in Westchester aren't as out of control as here on Long Island. Another plus for Westchester...just too bad you dont have pine barrens, otherwise I'd move there.
I love Yorktown Heights though, if I left Long Island I'd seriously consider that area.

[Asil65]

Johninwestbury- That sounds pretty bad by you. Has it had a negative effect on your home values? By the way-what is a pine barren?

[Viralmd]

Pine barrens are in NJ, too: Pine Barrens (New Jersey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

[Johninwestbury]

Originally Posted by Asil65

Johninwestbury- That sounds pretty bad by you. Has it had a negative effect on your home values? By the way-what is a pine barren?

Home values are still strong on Long Island, but in isolated areas they are dropping. The main problem here in Westbury (and other towns with similar problems like Farmingville) is the landlords that illegally rent out houses, often there are 20+ people living in one house. The village doesn't crack down on these illegal apartments.
The part of Westbury that has higher home values (500K+) is in the Carle Place school district, the rest goes to Westbury school district which has one of the highest subsidized lunch percentages on LI.
Westbury's SD also covers New Cassel, which has always been a ghetto and perhaps is a reason too.
The problems could easily be stopped of the government officials did their job. I'm not talking about immigration but code enforcement issues. Shutting down illegal apartments is probably the key to this mess IMO.
The other solution (and a very controvertial one) is to divest of New Cassel as part of the Westbury school district (NC would have to form their own district), this seperating the core of the problems from Westbury.

[Asil65]

Wow John, that does sound like a tough situation. I can see why this has been a problem for you. Have you talked to your representative about this?

[newtoli]

The overcrowding of houses is a huge problem in Mt. Kisco as well... it has been getting worse and worse over the past 10 years or so - and there have been a lot of issues with day laborers and police. There was a near riot at one of the bar/restaurants in town a few months ago and a police officer was attacked and sent to the hospital. Just last year, they arrested a landlord for packing 30 people into one house. The article described a "wall of roaches".

Katonah does not really have that problem. If I had the cash, I'd pick Katonah over Yorktown. You can still head over to Mt. Kisco for shopping, restaurants, etc.