Quote:
Originally Posted by darkknight727
The below is a list of areas in Nassau County me and my wife are considering to buy a house in. We are upper middle class professionals currently living in Queens. Thoughts on whether you think we should avoid any of the below in terms of quality of schools, crime, commute to city, vibrancy of community, etc.? Budget would be $400-$800K . Thanks so much.
Plainview
East Meadow
Franklin Square
Garden City
Malverne
Manhasset
Old Westbury
Great Neck
Jericho
Roslyn
Brookville
Old Brookville
Sands Point
Woodbury
Syosset
New Hyde Park
Oyster Bay
Port Washington
Merrick
Massapequa
Massapequa Park
Rockville Centre
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I had a detailed response addressing each town but when I went to post, City-Data gobbled it up..so here is my short version. All of these towns are good, I would question why Bellmore didn't make the list. or Mineola (great LIRR access).?
My only concern is some towns would be on the upper end of that 800K range. Particularly Sands Point which has average houses in the 800-1.2 million dollar range. Sands Point is considered the "most expensive" part of Port Washington.
Old Westbury, Old Brookville and Brookville are also very expensive - over 800K for decent homes. Also LIRR access would not be so great since you are limited to Oyster Bay LIRR line (which has the most issues w delays/cancellations).
Other towns that would force you to stay in the $600K and up range is
Great Neck, Jericho, Syosset, Woodbury, Roslyn and Manhasset. Jericho has the best school district but as a co-worker told me who just moved there "I think my non-Asian kid isnt going to suceed in the schools because the environment may be too competitive for him".
Oyster Bay - prob same as Locust Valley except properties tend to vary a lot as lower priced homes are fixer uppers or located in commercial areas. Oyster Bay LIRR is crappiest, IMHO. You might as well check out
East Norwich which I think has a nicer selection of homes.
Port Washington has the best LIRR line (no Jamaica transfer) but there is 1 road in and out which causes local traffic jams at peak rush hour (Port Wash Blvd). This would annoy me if I didnt want to sit in local traffic.
Midshore :
Garden City - best of almost everything except its a very small area that borders Hempstead (one of the most crime-ridden areas of Nassau county). Homes are very cute albeit not huge unless you go over700K for the extra space and garages. Some streets are better than others, and community has a small town vibe which is a draw. Also taxes are low(er) because of proximity to industry and the mall. Major con for me is the overnight parking rules (cops ticket cars left on streets between 2-8 am).
As to south shore -
Rockville Centre, Merrick and Bellmore are among the top 3 towns my husband and I are looking at (our budget is similar except we want to stay under $600K). Only "con" to RVC is that homes tend to be on smaller plots of land (lots of McMansions sitting on tiny acres with small garage/yards). Merrick has lots of great sized homes with 2 car garages in the 400-600K range, if you are willing to go up to 800K, you can even land some new construction.
Franklin Sq/New Hyde Park: tends to remind me of Queens with narrow streets, smaller homes (mostly Colonials). NHP seems to have many North Shore LIJ workers too (doctors, nurses, hospital workers, interns, etc) so that may be a draw for some people or a negative. Some residential streets of Franklin Square also make me think "OMG Archie Bunker" type houses..
East Meadow: watch for many homes only have oil heat and no gas service in streets. Gas heat is cheaper than Oil. However, what you pay 600K for in Roslyn will get you the same space (sq feet) in East Meadow for 400K. Lots of "open concept" kitchens and home styles are Ranch/Split. I saw a few open houses in East Meadow and really liked the layout of many homes (all rooms on main level) but the majority of them were Oil heat or had converted garages (ie garage converted into extra bedroom). Another con is LIRR access is far - need to drive to Hicksville or Bellmore LIRR station.
Mass Park/Massapequa: not in our radar because I think its too far on the Babylon LIRR line (about 55-60 min commute door to door to Penn Station).
Disclaimer: these are just my personal opinions on the towns as a prospective buyer, I grew up in Queens and have lived in Nassau county since 2008-2009. I am sure there will be disagreement on some of the above, lol.
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