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I agree completely. I cant afford the North shore, so to me it looked like the Merrick/Bellmore schools on that list were favorable.
I have no aversion to looking North Bellmore/Wantagh areas either. They are closer to the So. State, so that would be better for my wife anyway.
Does everyone agree with avoiding the south of Merrick Rd houses? I have no experience or facts to back up my claims, it just doesnt seem very "neighborhoody" to me.
I could be wrong.
Do you mean just in Merrick or including the other towns you mentioned?
Actually that's how one of the most infamous wars on LI CD began: the Rocky Point vs. Massapequa wars.
One of our posters was always recommending Rocky Point, even when it was clearly not suited to the OP asking questions about where to live. He got made fun of a lot (particularly from the Massapequa gang) and toned it down considerably, now only recommending Rocky Point when it is a feasible choice. However, bad blood still exists between them (complete with cries of "Suffdump" and "N a s s h o l e s") and squabbles break out from time to time.
I don't think it's worth it right at Merrick Rd. and I understand what you mean about not having a "neighborhoody" feel. South Merrick on the water is not in your price range anyway. Plus I agree with the thing about having to lay out even more money for flood insurance. I am sure the cutoff is not down where the expensive houses on the water are, but right around Merrick Rd. and you will be stuck paying for that too.
Actually, what criteria is that based on? I didn't even notice Jericho being omitted from that list. I thought they were one of the top ones.
I didn't move from Brooklyn to end up sending my kids to an equivalent school while paying 5 x the taxes.
Actually, you reminded me of some posts by BigMike50, a poster who relatively recently moved away from Baldwin after living there for a long time. If anyone knows Baldwin on here, he does.
Among many posts on Baldwin, he wrote about how every school day he would see a multitude of kids from "the city" getting off the eastbound LIRR and heading for the high school.
So you could be sending your kids to Baldwin schools, paying a fortune in real estate taxes, and they will still end up with the same "Brooklyn/Queens knucklehead stock" kids (who are costing you even more money in real estate taxes since their parents aren't paying them) as classmates for your kids!
The list in my earlier post was a guideline - it by no means is meant to be viewed as a comprehensive rankings...obviously there are many schools taht are missing..but in relation to each other, you can see which ones are good/toward the top and which ones are to be avoided at all costs near the bottom (ie Hempstead, etc). If the OP and his wife are really hell-bent on ranking towns based on school districts, they need to go to that nystart.com web site or the Newsday rankings and compile their own list..
Even better, it may be good to just go with a knowledgable real estate broker..someone at either Century 21 or somewhere near the areas they want to look at (ie Wantagh, Seaford, etc). The brokers know exactly what streets to avoid and local home values - here on C-D you are just gonna get a bunch of "go here, dont move there! move here!" which aren't super helpful, really.
Even better, it may be good to just go with a knowledgable real estate broker..someone at either Century 21 or somewhere near the areas they want to look at (ie Wantagh, Seaford, etc). The brokers know exactly what streets to avoid and local home values - here on C-D you are just gonna get a bunch of "go here, dont move there! move here!" which aren't super helpful, really.
I prefer advice from real people with no ulterior motives rather than from someone who is going to make a profit off the transaction to whom it's only important that I buy SOMETHING, ANYTHING, from them. Even better if I buy something other people are smart enough to avoid! I also think online is a good way to research a purchase of anything before buying it. For instance, I have never found the Amazon reviews to steer me wrong. And those are written by real people, not marketers.
When I answer a question on here for someone, I answer it as if it were a question from a personal friend that I care about. I am honest and do not try and steer people wrong, especially when they are making the most expensive purchase of their lives, a home.
Real estate brokers and their salespeople are paid on commission and if a potential buyer doesn't know the neighborhoods, there is little incentive to steer them away from anything you're showing them. Brokers work for the sellers and they don't "turn down" contracts to sell houses no matter what street it is on. You can get your own "buyer's broker" but if you don't structure the contract right, you will end up paying the sales commision, not the seller of the house. I've known quite a few unwarys from Queens, Brooklyn, etc., who assume "all school districts on LI are good" and end up being sold houses in undesirable places that in the daytime look like "nice suburban neighborhoods" by brokers (who are thanking their lucky stars there's an outsider who is buying a house that's hard to unload). Unloading a house that is unsellable to someone with knowledge of the area on a person from the outside can be a broker's bread and butter. And an unwary buyer's worst nightmare -- finding out your neighborhood is not all that, after you've moved in.
Actually that's how one of the most infamous wars on LI CD began: the Rocky Point vs. Massapequa wars.
One of our posters was always recommending Rocky Point, even when it was clearly not suited to the OP asking questions about where to live. He got made fun of a lot (particularly from the Massapequa gang) and toned it down considerably, now only recommending Rocky Point when it is a feasible choice. However, bad blood still exists between them (complete with cries of "Suffdump" and "N a s s h o l e s") and squabbles break out from time to time.
Stop exaggerating there is no "bad blood" between the Massapequa Gang and poor maligned Crooks.
I just re-read your post and 400-475 does price you out of the North Shore. W/ taxes and your wife's commute to Brooklyn, then its not really financially feasible.
I am not familiar w/ Merrick that much (my husband is though, he is an expert about all sectors of Bellmore and Merrick due to his P/T job) but I was told that most of the homes south of Merrick Road in Merrick and Bellmore are "big money"..I have driven around there and they are really nice. I dont get any anti neighborhood vibes at all, there are many stops on Merrick Road and its a pretty commercial strip..I wouldnt mind living in either town, honestly. I am not turned off by the fact that Merrick is closer to Freeport/Roosevelt - sounds to me like a rather racist type mentality, lol!
Where in Bklyn does your wife commute? The SSP is just a nightmare in the mornings. I used to drive from BH all the way to Court Street downtown and cursed the entire Belt Parkway. Its a good 1-2 hour drive from south shore Nassau.
Ideally, I would look at Oceanside and Rockville Centre if I were you, but I am not sure that 400-475K gets you very far there..When you say $ 400-475K as your home price range, are you accounting for property/village/school taxes?
There is some truth to the west side of Merrick experiencing more crime because of its neighbor(s). It's not racist at all. I remember not too long ago there was a massive burglary spree in that exact neighborhood in Merrick/North Merrick being discussed. A friend of my family was one of the houses that were hit in that episode. I'd definitely consider that but I wouldn't rule Merrick out solely based on that. Crime Report: Five Home Burglaries in a Week - Merrick, NY Patch
$400-$475 won't get them very far in RVC or the North Shore. Also on the commute, it depends what time of day they are leaving, it could be faster than 1 hour if it's not during rush hour. Even then, I'm kinda confused why no mention of the excellent Babylon LIRR line they would be on living on the south shore... which can take them into Brooklyn from the South Shore towns in under an hour.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LegalDiva
The list in my earlier post was a guideline - it by no means is meant to be viewed as a comprehensive rankings...obviously there are many schools taht are missing..but in relation to each other, you can see which ones are good/toward the top and which ones are to be avoided at all costs near the bottom (ie Hempstead, etc). If the OP and his wife are really hell-bent on ranking towns based on school districts, they need to go to that nystart.com web site or the Newsday rankings and compile their own list..
Even better, it may be good to just go with a knowledgable real estate broker..someone at either Century 21 or somewhere near the areas they want to look at (ie Wantagh, Seaford, etc). The brokers know exactly what streets to avoid and local home values - here on C-D you are just gonna get a bunch of "go here, dont move there! move here!" which aren't super helpful, really.
I'm not even sure why you pasted the list then if it was just a guide. Where were the North Shore Schools on that list that you said were where you'd find most of the good schools on LI?
Yes, you can always trust a real estate broker, they're always honest and know exactly what they're talking about ... I'd rather ask friends for referrals to honest RE agents than just go to any agent.
Last edited by Pequaman; 11-17-2011 at 03:05 PM..
Reason: :smack:
The OP has two kids, wants good schools in a neighborhood that's nice, but not too snobbish, priced $400-475, convenient to Southern State Parkway since his wife commutes to Brooklyn via Belt Parkway.
Here's a suggestion. Look in Massapequa/North Massapequa, on the western border: starting at (to the south) Sunrise Highway, between Tackapausha Preserve and Rt. 107 (becomes North Massapequa) going north to the Southern State Parkway and on the eastern border: Massapequa, starting at (to the south) Sunrise Highway, to the east (Massapequa Preserve) going north to the Southern State Highway (becomes North Massapequa).
Schools are good, nice traditional neighborhoods, approximately 50 houses to choose from on mlsli.com in the price range, not too snobby, convenient to Southern State Parkway. Tip: real estate taxes seem to be a little more reasonable on the homes within Massapequa SD than on those within Farmingdale or Plainedge.
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... I'd rather ask friends for referrals to honest RE agents than just go to any agent.
A Suggestion
