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Hi All
I am looking at house to buy (although renting is still an option, but cant seem to find anything as per my requirements ).
The house I liked in Huntington is close to the intersection of Pulaski and Park Ave, close to Washington Primary School. The house has almost everything - 4BR, 2Bth, Basement, No Garage, ost of house newy done, price is less than 400k.My Questions
1. Safety: How is the area from safety perspective? What I noticed while roaming around the area was that Huntington village looked very nice but 110 ( 21st TO 9th street) looked like a different city. Even if that part of the huntington (or huntington station) is not that good, does it impact the area I am looking in.
Please note this was my first vist to the area and correct me for any wrong analysis
2. Schools. which SD covers this area and how good are they? We dont have any kids but my wife is expecting. Although we dont need the school asap, SD will impact the resale if and when I go down that path
3. Resale: In next 3-4 years I might get opportunity to move again. Nothing guarranted though. How does the area figure in terms of resale? Overall how appealing is Huntington area for buyers?
4. Price: From whatever information I provided above, does the price looks ok? I know Its difficult to predict but any input will be welcome
Pulaski and Park Avenue intersection area is so-so IMHO, not great. Safety wise, not stellar. Not sure if the area is within Huntington Station or is considered Greenlawn (probably Huntington Station though). It's close to the border of the two hamlets. If you drive another mile east on Pulaski from that intersection, it will feel a little safer and put you into Greenlawn. If you drive another mile west of that intersection, you're right in the heart of Huntington Station on the corner of A.L. Jacobsen's (a funeral home) in what you term looks like a different city - very tactful term. And not a good, safe city. Huntington Station went downhill about 30 years ago and is continuing on its downward slide.
As you said in your post, Huntington Village is very nice, and even though it's only about a mile away from the border of Huntington Station, it feels like it's worlds away. It also has a different school district - #3.
Pulaski/Park Avenue intersection is not as bad as the area you cited: Rte. 110 from 9th to 21st which actually is the heart of Huntington Station. People kill each other there. Literally. Google it. City-Data has threads on the area regarding violence in the area. Also, the farther you can be distanced from the train station the better. Personally, I'd avoid parts of the Station like the plague.
Not sure what SD your intersection is - could be Greenlawn SD (Harborfields), which is a good district. SD 13 isn't quite as good, which is more Huntington Station/South Huntington. And SD #3 isn't great - I'd rank that at the bottom of the three. SD #3 is Huntington.
I'd keep looking just to cover everything. You may be able to pick up something north of Pulaski in the Greenlawn SD within walking distance to the little town of Greenlawn within your price range. Or look in the Elwood SD which is a bit east of your intersection with a decent SD and nice houses. I think you may be able to pick up a house in your price range and get a better location there than Pulaski/Park Avenue.
You can always change a house, but you can't change it's location.
I doubt if that area you're interested in will have a huge increase in value in 3 - 4 years time, if ever. And it's more difficult to sell a house on a busy road when it's time to move (one with a double line, for instance). Usually they sell for lower price and take more time to sell than an identical house on a side street.
Buying a house is a huge project, and you don't want to waste any $, time, and have any regrets about a purchase that turns out to be a mistake. I'd scour the area completely before making a decision. Particularly drive around at night through neighborhoods and see what's going on and how it feels regarding safety. Google the areas for trouble and see what's been going on regarding break-ins, etc.
Pulaski and Park Avenue intersection area is so-so IMHO, not great. Safety wise, not stellar. Not sure if the area is within Huntington Station or is considered Greenlawn (probably Huntington Station though). It's close to the border of the two hamlets. If you drive another mile east on Pulaski from that intersection, it will feel a little safer and put you into Greenlawn. If you drive another mile west of that intersection, you're right in the heart of Huntington Station on the corner of A.L. Jacobsen's (a funeral home) in what you term looks like a different city - very tactful term. And not a good, safe city. Huntington Station went downhill about 30 years ago and is continuing on its downward slide.
As you said in your post, Huntington Village is very nice, and even though it's only about a mile away from the border of Huntington Station, it feels like it's worlds away. It also has a different school district - #3.
Pulaski/Park Avenue intersection is not as bad as the area you cited: Rte. 110 from 9th to 21st which actually is the heart of Huntington Station. People kill each other there. Literally. Google it. City-Data has threads on the area regarding violence in the area. Also, the farther you can be distanced from the train station the better. Personally, I'd avoid parts of the Station like the plague.
Not sure what SD your intersection is - could be Greenlawn SD (Harborfields), which is a good district. SD 13 isn't quite as good, which is more Huntington Station/South Huntington. And SD #3 isn't great - I'd rank that at the bottom of the three. SD #3 is Huntington.
I'd keep looking just to cover everything. You may be able to pick up something north of Pulaski in the Greenlawn SD within walking distance to the little town of Greenlawn within your price range. Or look in the Elwood SD which is a bit east of your intersection with a decent SD and nice houses. I think you may be able to pick up a house in your price range and get a better location there than Pulaski/Park Avenue.
You can always change a house, but you can't change it's location.
I doubt if that area you're interested in will have a huge increase in value in 3 - 4 years time, if ever. And it's more difficult to sell a house on a busy road when it's time to move (one with a double line, for instance). Usually they sell for lower price and take more time to sell than an identical house on a side street.
Buying a house is a huge project, and you don't want to waste any $, time, and have any regrets about a purchase that turns out to be a mistake. I'd scour the area completely before making a decision. Particularly drive around at night through neighborhoods and see what's going on and how it feels regarding safety. Google the areas for trouble and see what's been going on regarding break-ins, etc.
I agree with this post: I grew up in Huntington and have many friends who grew up in this area and still live there. This is very close to the intersection of 3 school districts: Huntington, South Huntington, and Harborfields. I'm guessing this is Huntington school district #3 since you cite Washington School. That area has changed little over the years, but it is bordered by a not-so-great area, and although there was a lot of appreciation in the late 1990s-early 2000s (my best friend paid less than $200K for a house that is worth over $450K easily now) I doubt you will see much appreciation there. Highly unusual for those houses not to have a garage there too - make sure you negotiate accordingly.
I don't think you would have trouble selling in 3-4 years, but you won't make any money. Huntington always sells and this area is close to Huntington village, Greenlawn and Northport.
Hi Andrea and Twingles
Thanks for your feedback.
I got a confirmation that SD is huntington (SD#3) but safety is my main concern.
I sometimes have to travel out of state due to work for days. Wife with kid alone at house would keep me worried
I'd agree with the previous posts on safety. It's a marginal area between bad (New York Ave in Huntington Station) and decent (Greenlawn). That area is primarily light industrial to the north (along the LIRR railroad station) and more residential to the south and east. Further south towards Jericho Turnpike, Park Ave. starts to get a little run down as well. Keep in mind that Park Ave. is a major road and has lots of traffic.
Unfortunately, the outlook for SD#3 seems to be declining. There's lots of development going on in Huntington Station and those developers are building multi-tenant properties with big tax abatements. So school enrollment is expected to surge while funding won't. The superintendent of that school system spends virtually all his time pleading with officials to stop this, but he's talking to a wall since the town government is in tight with the developers (and their political contributions).
One thing that stands out in your post that others have not addressed. You state that you may move again in 3 to 4 years. This, coupled with your lack of knowledge about the area, leads me to this advice: Do not buy anything. You are better off renting. No one knows where prices will be in just a few years. Also, renting for a while will give you the opportunity to get to know the area.
One thing that stands out in your post that others have not addressed. You state that you may move again in 3 to 4 years. This, coupled with your lack of knowledge about the area, leads me to this advice: Do not buy anything. You are better off renting. No one knows where prices will be in just a few years. Also, renting for a while will give you the opportunity to get to know the area.
Hi Andrea and Twingles
Thanks for your feedback.
I got a confirmation that SD is huntington (SD#3) but safety is my main concern.
I sometimes have to travel out of state due to work for days. Wife with kid alone at house would keep me worried
SD 3 is Huntington and most of Huntington Station combined. The South Huntington School District (13) is South Huntington and the southernmost area of Huntington Station.
The problem area around the tracks and on the low numbered streets is in SD 3 I believe. I never noticed anything bad around Park and Pulaski, most of the problems that I know of are near 110 but as always I would go at night and take a look around.
I'm sorry, but I've got to rebut some of the comments made here about this area! Yes, we all know that there are areas in Huntington Station that aren't good by any means. However, depending on what street the original poster is talking about, there are many nice neighborhoods in the area of Park/Pulaski near Washington Primary School.
The homes around Washington school are very nice, that is west of Park Ave. Your family will be safe there. Washington school itself has never had any problems and is a very close-knit school with lots of parent participation and a nice, caring principal.
Yes, the Huntington schools are diverse, just like South Huntington schools. Yes, generally, the children who are Hispanic or in poverty from the station area struggle in school, but the district has great academic programs for them.
The rest of the population in the schools do very well. The district has such fantastic academic offerings once kids get into the middle school and high school, it generally outdoes other districts as far as number of AP classes given and a great mixture of music and art that win awards all the time. There is also a new STEM school that parents love, for grades 3-6. The students earn millions in scholarships each year, are accepted at all the Ivy schools just like Harborfields or Cold Spring Harbor.
I've lived in this district for over 60 years, everyone in my family has attended the schools with much success and no trouble. I really hate it when people who either don't live here at all or lived here so very long ago make comments that have little to no reality anymore.
To the original poster I would say that if you aren't so sure about that particular area, there are others in Huntington in your price range. I live in one on the western side of the district near the high school and there are many nice older homes in great neighborhoods that you might be able to find a house easily. I'd bet that you will find you are very happy with the Huntington schools!
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