Moving to Long Island - Advice? (Oyster Bay, Smithtown: condo, crime, townhouses)

[Susan75]

I've lived on Long Island all my life. If you are making at least $150,000 a year and you can spend upwards of $550,000 on a house you will like it. Property taxes are expensive where I live ($9,000/year) for .33 acres on the North shore.

[LBNY]

Originally Posted by LINYmk

Try Bohemia, they are very horse friendly and there is a huge equestrian center across the street. You may even find a house there with a stable on the property. Probably one of the best places to live on Long Island if you can afford it. Great schools, neighborhoods, people, and literally in the center of every parkway, expressway, major road, and airport!

This is true - Bohemia is a very nice area and you are just a few minutes from Sayville which is also a nice area!
Oh, how I miss LI.
Living is FL is not the same. Can't wait to move back HOME!!

[NickL28]

Originally Posted by Susan75

I've lived on Long Island all my life. If you are making at least $150,000 a year and you can spend upwards of $550,000 on a house you will like it. Property taxes are expensive where I live ($9,000/year) for .33 acres on the North shore.

$150,000 a year isn't much income for a single person on Long Island with the
extreme consumerist attitudes and mentality and $550,000 doesn't get you much 'house' unless you are willing to live out in Suffolk county past Ronkonkoma near the William Floyd Parkway..

I see condos & townhouses listed in the 500K's in most of Nassau with their ridiculous requirements of 20% down and property taxes which can approach $10,000 a year.

Anyone see that new townhouse developement along the LIE near New Hyde Park Road where prices start at 'only' $1,550,000??

[Check123]

Sorry you feel that way, Nick. But honsetly, it sounds like sour grapes.

I love it here on Long Island, and am glad that costs are high. In fact, I would like for them to continue to rise, so as to get rid of the less desirables in the less than desirable areas. Then perhaps some more people will leave the Island, making it less congested on the roads.

Originally Posted by NickL28

$150,000 a year isn't much income for a single person on Long Island with the
extreme consumerist attitudes and mentality and $550,000 doesn't get you much 'house' unless you are willing to live out in Suffolk county past Ronkonkoma near the William Floyd Parkway..

I see condos & townhouses listed in the 500K's in most of Nassau with their ridiculous requirements of 20% down and property taxes which can approach $10,000 a year.

Anyone see that new townhouse developement along the LIE near New Hyde Park Road where prices start at 'only' $1,550,000??

[okaydorothy]

Long Island is really great. But getting so expensive that we are leaving ; sorry to say.

Horse properties ; we live in Medford and there are a few for sale on Bellport Rd. Yaphank is also a good horse area. It is minutes ; maybe seconds from the LIE.

Good luck
dorothy

[NYSD1995]

I grew up in Northport and it is a great area but extremely expensive now. I love Northport / Huntington / St James / Kings Park, Smithtown / Commack not so much, but still nice.

[boomvang]

I too have lived on L.I. my entire life. We are in the process of selling as we are now retired and what to reside in a place with fewer people and a less hectic lifestyle. That said, Long Island has much to recommend it, beautiful beaches, great parks, easy access to the greatest city in the world and some of the best schools in the nation. If you do not mind the hustle and bustle, it is a great place to be. The suggestion of Bohemia is a good one, the real estate is not too dear and there is easy access to Connettquot (sp?) park, a 3000 acre preserve with equestrian trails and also has world class trout fishing. The real estate market right now is great for buyers, another plus.

[baktuny]

Originally Posted by fopt65

If you expect to have "horse property" you need to look at eastern suffolk county, although I think Smithtown still has some houses that are zoned for horses. Long Island is very pricey, but if you can afford it, it has a lot to offer. Most school districts are good, it has proximity to NYC, 3 airports, great beaches, good weather. We don't usually get prolonged massive snowstorms or really brutally prolonged hot weather because the water mediates the temperature. Substantial tornadoes are unheard of. Hurricanes have happened, and we are probably due for one, but by the time it gets so far north, it usually has lost some of its strength.
Good Luck with your search.

We are moving back to the metro area from Texas and have been looking at the North Shore (Suffolk) areas of Northport, Huntington, Oyster Bay and Centerpoint; We lived in Brooklyn 10 years ago and left with our tails between our legs when we lost our affordable apt. and a third child on the way. We are returning in much more favorable conditions-professionally and financially.

You have piqued my interest with your insight.
My wife wants a walkabe community with a good library and a good village vibe. I prefer accessiblity to LIRR and great schools for our middle and high schoolers; Of the communities that I have mentioned which is more apt?

I just found this forum on a web search and it is loaded with alot of great info.

For those of you that yearn to move back to NY.
Be patient, life does some funny things. Learn from your experiences where ever you are, enjoy your family, stay together and enjoy the ride.

[GCGuy]

Originally Posted by baktuny

We are moving back to the metro area from Texas and have been looking at the North Shore (Suffolk) areas of Northport, Huntington, Oyster Bay and Centerpoint; We lived in Brooklyn 10 years ago and left with our tails between our legs when we lost our affordable apt. and a third child on the way. We are returning in much more favorable conditions-professionally and financially.

You have piqued my interest with your insight.
My wife wants a walkabe community with a good library and a good village vibe. I prefer accessiblity to LIRR and great schools for our middle and high schoolers; Of the communities that I have mentioned which is more apt?

I just found this forum on a web search and it is loaded with alot of great info.

For those of you that yearn to move back to NY.
Be patient, life does some funny things. Learn from your experiences where ever you are, enjoy your family, stay together and enjoy the ride.

Well, the places you mentioned are very nice, nice villages. Northport, I think, is the best of the lot. Huntington has the nicest village and best train access, but schools are not so hot.

Great Neck, Manhasset, Roslyn, Garden City, Rockville Centre are all very nice areas, with nice downtown areas and good access to the city, highways, etc. All is Nassau County.

Of the lot, I recently bought in Garden City. We could afford a decent amount for a house so we had a nice selection of towns, etc. We picked GC b/c it has great, well-rounded schools (academics, sports, art/music, etc.), a nice town, about 7 LIRR trains in the town and right on the border, very close to tons of shopping/restaurants. It also, in my opinion, has the best people and the closest community.

That being said, I would say Rockville Centre and Manhasset are 2 and 3. Manhasset is more procey but has MUCH better schools.

What is most important? Location, "value," schools, town? That would help.

Congrats on the move back the LI. Nice to have you!!

[NYer]

There are realtors on the north shore-who specialize in horse properties from eastern Nassau out to Suffolk - I would go with one of them