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When Buying anywhere in the town of Huntington make sure the home has all the COs or the town can cause you much greif
I'll second that and I'm not even in the Town of Huntington. We discovered an illegal finished basement and bath in the home we want to purchase and are waiting while the homeowners get everything approved. Agents tell me such illegal installations are common across Long Island. Many buyers, sellers and their attorneys simply look the other way at closing and then the illegal part of the house is simply forgotten as the new owners go about their daily lives.
I have heard ToH is not good at processing these things quickly, so raise the issue early and do your own research on the house at the town assessor's office. Yes, you can go to contract with the provision that the sellers will have all C of Os, but if they don't, then it could very well delay your closing and possibly even go past your mortgage rate lock. You would then have a mess on your hands.
What does your real estate agent say? Are you using a buyers agent? Where did you get your original offer amount from? West Hills is a lovely area with a lot going for it, but there are some things that people view as negatives, which may impact resale. Are there comps to back up the asking price that the seller is sticking to? If not, you may find you run into problems at the appraisal if you offer too high for it and be forced back to negotiating at the 11th hour.
Yes our agent basically thinks we should pay close to what they're asking for if we want the house. Our original offer was 5% below asking price, and after careful research of comps and area sales we only went up a tiny bit, couldn't justify going much higher at the time. Seller last countered with 1% below asking, they seem to be holding out for higher offers.
We've seen 25 homes so far, and the nice ones in good school districts seem to have a lot of activity and offers right away after being listed. It's the houses in the so-so districts like this one that seem to sit for 3, 6, 9 months before selling, and usually for well below asking price.
Not sure if you're able to elaborate on what people may view as negatives, but if you are please do!
Quote:
Originally Posted by twingles
She must have meant stay south of where Oakwood and Jericho meet but I'll disagree. The area in the northwest quadrant of the Jericho/Oakwood intersection, including the area just east of Cold Spring Hills Road, is just fine. My sister lived there for years with no incident.
Yes that is the area we are looking in, north of Jericho Tpk, west of Oakwood - thanks for your input!
I guess one of the things that concerns us a little, aside from the schools, is that the stores and buildings on Jericho Tpk over there seem pretty old and run-down. There's a bunch of empty buildings and messy looking lots in that area, with the exception of a brand new car dealership.
Quote:
Originally Posted by qlty
When Buying anywhere in the town of Huntington make sure the home has all the COs or the town can cause you much greif
I guess one of the things that concerns us a little, aside from the schools, is that the stores and buildings on Jericho Tpk over there seem pretty old and run-down. There's a bunch of empty buildings and messy looking lots in that area, with the exception of a brand new car dealership.
Noted, thanks for the tip!
Really? I haven't been there in a while, that's too bad. Is Umberto's still there? Or are you talking about the area closer to 110?
If you go down to Cold Spring Hills Rd, you have easy access to Woodbury Road which can take you into either Huntington or Cold Spring Harbor villages...when my sister lived there she really thought it was a nice central location. And she had lived right IN Huntington village before that and was worried about feeling "far away" from everything.
Really? I haven't been there in a while, that's too bad. Is Umberto's still there? Or are you talking about the area closer to 110?
If you go down to Cold Spring Hills Rd, you have easy access to Woodbury Road which can take you into either Huntington or Cold Spring Harbor villages...when my sister lived there she really thought it was a nice central location. And she had lived right IN Huntington village before that and was worried about feeling "far away" from everything.
Don't worry Umbertos is still there and La Parma which is awesome is still there as well. There is a restaurant that closed down on the corner of Round Swamp Rd and Jericho which remains as an empty lot so maybe thats what she was referring to? Anyway, not to worry, you always have McDonalds by Oakwood and Jericho.
Don't worry Umbertos is still there and La Parma which is awesome is still there as well. There is a restaurant that closed down on the corner of Round Swamp Rd and Jericho which remains as an empty lot so maybe thats what she was referring to? Anyway, not to worry, you always have McDonalds by Oakwood and Jericho.
Yes between Round Swamp Rd and Oakwood Rd there is actually another restaurant also called Sitar that we just found out closed down in 2008, and the decrepit building is still there, a big eye sore.
It's not a huge deal but slightly concerning that two restaurants in a half mile stretch would be closed for years and just left there to rot :\
Yes our agent basically thinks we should pay close to what they're asking for if we want the house.
Forget what your agent thinks and rely on your own comps, especially since you sound like you are doing your homework on the local market. Unless you must have this home, hang back a little and don't be so eager to counter again soon. The sellers are feeling pretty bold right now and you need to make them feel a little nervous that you might walk away. A first offer of 5% off listing price is pretty generous, unless the home is spectacularly underpriced. And because you are absolutely right that you are looking in a so-so school district (and in a rural-type neighborhood that is not exactly kid-friendly) remember that you probably have less competition from families with school-age kids.
At the end of the day, the agent's highest priority is the sale and the commission, no matter how much fidelity they pledge to you. They are only too glad to spend your money by suggesting you bid close to asking when that may not be necessary.
Yes between Round Swamp Rd and Oakwood Rd there is actually another restaurant also called Sitar that we just found out closed down in 2008, and the decrepit building is still there, a big eye sore.
It's not a huge deal but slightly concerning that two restaurants in a half mile stretch would be closed for years and just left there to rot :\
The Sitar situation is disconcerting, but I wouldn't be too concerned. There are still plenty of business (many of them upscale) along that stretch that are thriving. There was a push to get the Sun Ming building landmarked, but there wasn't enough interest. It is slated for demolition.
I've lived in Cold Spring Hills for about 30 years. It's a great area. Very quiet and very convenient. You have the Northren State Pkwy and Cold Spring Harbor LIRR station about 5 minutes away.
Forget what your agent thinks and rely on your own comps, especially since you sound like you are doing your homework on the local market. Unless you must have this home, hang back a little and don't be so eager to counter again soon. The sellers are feeling pretty bold right now and you need to make them feel a little nervous that you might walk away. A first offer of 5% off listing price is pretty generous, unless the home is spectacularly underpriced. And because you are absolutely right that you are looking in a so-so school district (and in a rural-type neighborhood that is not exactly kid-friendly) remember that you probably have less competition from families with school-age kids.
At the end of the day, the agent's highest priority is the sale and the commission, no matter how much fidelity they pledge to you. They are only too glad to spend your money by suggesting you bid close to asking when that may not be necessary.
A "rural-type"neighborhood?" I'm not sure what you mean by that. We are talking about a location that is literally right on the Nassau-Suffolk border. It's also a very kid friendly neighborhood.
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