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Hello, we are going to be relocating to Long Island within the next 6-9 months. We will be working with a real estate agent once we actually start looking for a house, but first we want to get some honest feedback about towns/areas from people who actually live there.
We're looking for the same kind of house we have here (Boston suburb) which is a ranch with everything all on one level because I need handicap access.
We don't want to buy a small home and expand it, because we don't want the property taxes to skyrocket from a renovation. The square footage has to be already there. We don't mind redoing the interior and exterior completely though -- we probably would do that with any house we bought. What towns would you suggest we focus our search on for our criteria?
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Suffolk County but not east of Riverhead. Not Nassau County.
Ranch style home at least 2000 square feet
Minimum 1/2 acre property
At least 2 miles from the shore (we've already been warned about insurance problems on Long Island and I can see from a couple of posts here that it is a concern -- one that we don't want to deal with)
Not in an HOA neighborhood
Public water (not private well)
School district doesn't matter (kids are grown)
Well-kept upper middle class residential neighborhood (not next to industry or commercial area or the Long Island Expressway)
Predominately (85% or more) white area
Current property taxes under $12,000
Selling price up to $775,000 (depending on the house of course) though we'd prefer to keep it under $700,000.
For me the First towns that come to mind are as follows, though I'm not postive they'll meet your property tax requirements. while some of these are closer than 2 miles to the water they are mostly North Shore & I don't think you'll have the same type of flood insurance issues.
Baiting Hollow
Wading River
Shoreham
Ridge(horse country section)
Smithtown
Happauge
Stony Brook
Northport
Sayville
Bohemia
while some of these are closer than 2 miles to the water they are mostly North Shore & I don't think you'll have the same type of flood insurance issues.
Thanks for all the suggestions so far. Actually it isn't the flood insurance that seems to be the problem as much as Homeowners insurance. Our relo company gave us a list of New York insurance companies and we called most of them for general information and ballpark rates. Almost all of them said that they wouldn't issue a new policy for a home closer than 2 miles to any part of Long Island's shoreline. So rather than end up paying 'assigned risk' rates, we've decided to only look at houses at least that far away.
One thing I've noticed already is that the larger ranches on 1/2 acre or bigger lots almost all seem to have inground swimming pools. I guess they are common on Long Island? We definitely do NOT want one but it looks like it may be very hard to find a house without it.
I'm suggesting the north Huntington "village" area north of 25A( "the village" is what we call downtown Huntington). Since you don't have an issue with schools, you don't have to concern yourself with Huntington's major drawback, which is the schools - not so great (District 3).
Huntington Township is actually 10 square miles and encompasses many towns. A lot of people say they live in Huntington implying they live in the "village" area, but in reality they live in Elwood, East Northport, Huntington Station, South Huntington, etc. Very different areas from what I'm suggesting. A good way to check out where they actually live is to ask their zip code - it won't be 11743.
You may want to check out Huntington Bay which is a large area filled with all styles and sizes of houses - a beautiful area. You're bound to find something there in your price/tax/size range. Also Wincoma down in Halesite and also Halesite itself may have what you're looking for - it too has a mix of styles, etc. Personally I like the West Neck area - it's quite a mix of housing styles there and close to town.
LLoyd Harbor and Lloyd Neck is all 2-acre parcels. Definitely not what you want. Too much upkeep. Astronomical taxes. Way huge houses, although there are some normal size houses there. In fact, usually when the kids are grown and off on their own and out of Lloyd Harbor, mom and dad move closer to the village to a smaller house (still north of 25A) and less property and find it more convenient than driving 1/2 hour round trip for a gallon of milk at the local Dairy Barn.
"The village" is a nice, lively (all-year-round) town that has just about everything you could need or want in one spot - shops, restaurants, 2 grocery stores and a Wild By Nature, 2 large drug stores (small ones too), lots of stores owned by local owners - (if commercial is what you're after, the commercial area is about 10 minutes away by car in South Huntington along Jericho Turnpike and Route 110, near where the Walt Whitman Mall is). Contrary to popular belief parking downtown isn't bad at all - many free lots, street parking (that's metered, but not the parking lots). The town is pretty with new sidewalks, flower beds, hanging baskets, trees, etc. The library is on Main Street too - not out of town. Everything you need is within about a 1 mile radius if you live just north of the village.
Huntington has its own cultural arts center (probably the most culturally oriented town on LI) complete with a small magazine listing concerts, art exhibitions, movies, etc. Also the Arts Cinema has foreign and off-beat films showing 7 day/week. Plus IMAC downtown (the old Huntington Theater) has live concerts of jazz and blues artists - big names, not some local wannabes. And Heckscher Park on the edge of town has a small art museum, and in the summer there are many events and concerts there - plenty of freebees too.
And Book Revue with weekly book signings. And the Historical Society if you're into saving an estate. And the Flower Club.
If you're a boater there's plenty of water in and around - plus yacht clubs as well.
Gee, maybe I ought to take a job with the local Chamber of Commerce.
Well, you get the idea. And because so many people want to live there, prices are rather high but that's the price range you've targeted and it makes it kind of exclusive, but that sort of sounds like what you're looking for anyway.
I'm suggesting the north Huntington "village" area north of 25A( "the village" is what we call downtown Huntington). Since you don't have an issue with schools, you don't have to concern yourself with Huntington's major drawback, which is the schools - not so great (District 3).
Huntington Township is actually 10 square miles and encompasses many towns. A lot of people say they live in Huntington implying they live in the "village" area, but in reality they live in Elwood, East Northport, Huntington Station, South Huntington, etc. Very different areas from what I'm suggesting. A good way to check out where they actually live is to ask their zip code - it won't be 11743.
You may want to check out Huntington Bay which is a large area filled with all styles and sizes of houses - a beautiful area. You're bound to find something there in your price/tax/size range. Also Wincoma down in Halesite and also Halesite itself may have what you're looking for - it too has a mix of styles, etc. Personally I like the West Neck area - it's quite a mix of housing styles there and close to town.
LLoyd Harbor and Lloyd Neck is all 2-acre parcels. Definitely not what you want. Too much upkeep. Astronomical taxes. Way huge houses, although there are some normal size houses there. In fact, usually when the kids are grown and off on their own and out of Lloyd Harbor, mom and dad move closer to the village to a smaller house (still north of 25A) and less property and find it more convenient than driving 1/2 hour round trip for a gallon of milk at the local Dairy Barn.
"The village" is a nice, lively (all-year-round) town that has just about everything you could need or want in one spot - shops, restaurants, 2 grocery stores and a Wild By Nature, 2 large drug stores (small ones too), lots of stores owned by local owners - (if commercial is what you're after, the commercial area is about 10 minutes away by car in South Huntington along Jericho Turnpike and Route 110, near where the Walt Whitman Mall is). Contrary to popular belief parking downtown isn't bad at all - many free lots, street parking (that's metered, but not the parking lots). The town is pretty with new sidewalks, flower beds, hanging baskets, trees, etc. The library is on Main Street too - not out of town. Everything you need is within about a 1 mile radius if you live just north of the village.
Huntington has its own cultural arts center (probably the most culturally oriented town on LI) complete with a small magazine listing concerts, art exhibitions, movies, etc. Also the Arts Cinema has foreign and off-beat films showing 7 day/week. Plus IMAC downtown (the old Huntington Theater) has live concerts of jazz and blues artists - big names, not some local wannabes. And Heckscher Park on the edge of town has a small art museum, and in the summer there are many events and concerts there - plenty of freebees too.
And Book Revue with weekly book signings. And the Historical Society if you're into saving an estate. And the Flower Club.
If you're a boater there's plenty of water in and around - plus yacht clubs as well.
Gee, maybe I ought to take a job with the local Chamber of Commerce.
Well, you get the idea. And because so many people want to live there, prices are rather high but that's the price range you've targeted and it makes it kind of exclusive, but that sort of sounds like what you're looking for anyway.
Hope this helps.
Beautiful area if you have the coin.
Hows about flooding on NY Ave N?
I dont think thats an issue in Lloyd Harbor...didnt they used to flood out over by Cocos?
Thank you Andrea and clamboy. The Huntington Village area sounds very nice (yes it sounds like it is the sort of thing we are looking for; we don't want a cooky-cutter development neighborhood with identical houses on tiny lots) but from all you have said and then looking at the area on Google maps, it would be too close to the water for us. (see my previous post about staying 2 miles from the shore; harbor = shore)
We used to have a summer cottage on the Cape many years ago, so we've more than had our fill with 'water issues' and we don't want to worry about those things anymore. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt (many of them!) as the saying goes.
Thank you Andrea and clamboy. The Huntington Village area sounds very nice (yes it sounds like it is the sort of thing we are looking for; we don't want a cooky-cutter development neighborhood with identical houses on tiny lots) but from all you have said and then looking at the area on Google maps, it would be too close to the water for us. (see my previous post about staying 2 miles from the shore; harbor = shore)
We used to have a summer cottage on the Cape many years ago, so we've more than had our fill with 'water issues' and we don't want to worry about those things anymore. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt (many of them!) as the saying goes.
You wont find that type of Village setting and large plots too.
Maybe try Port Jefferson Village/BelleTerre/Poquott/Old Field/Scotts Beach
Like Huntington...maybe nicer.(better schools=resale value)
You can be up in the hillls and near the Village at the same time.
Again theres no flooding on the North Shore Bluffs,check elevation maps rathher than Google maps.(youre 200ft in the air)
All the best
C
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