Making the move to LI... (Valley Stream, Lynbrook: best neighborhood, real estate, 2015)

[Dandaman2000]

My fiance and I are looking to make the move to LI from Queens next year. She works in Glendale and will have to deal with commuting during rush hour. We're trying to stay as close to Queens as possible. We've looked into Valley Stream, Lynbrook, and Malverne. Our budget is $400-450K. We're also open to buying a 2 family home depending on the rental income. It's only the two of us at the moment. We're looking at trying to have a kid in about two years and we don't plan on this being our forever home, so schools aren't really important to us.

Valley Stream seems like the perfect place to start our lives when it comes to the budget,taxes, and commute to Glendale but we've read some sketchy things about it. We really like Lynbrook, but taxes are a lot more.

Thanks in advance.

[azmemories]

Originally Posted by Dandaman2000

My fiance and I are looking to make the move to LI from Queens next year. She works in Glendale and will have to deal with commuting during rush hour. We're trying to stay as close to Queens as possible. We've looked into Valley Stream, Lynbrook, and Malverne. Our budget is $400-450K. We're also open to buying a 2 family home depending on the rental income. It's only the two of us at the moment. We're looking at trying to have a kid in about two years and we don't plan on this being our forever home, so schools aren't really important to us.

Valley Stream seems like the perfect place to start our lives when it comes to the budget,taxes, and commute to Glendale but we've read some sketchy things about it. We really like Lynbrook, but taxes are a lot more.

Thanks in advance.

Do you commute also? If so, where to? What are the sketchy things you heard about Valley Stream? Higher crime and/or bad leadership?

[AndreaII]

I know you don't have kids right now, but buying a house in a good school district will pay off financially when it comes time to sell it, and it's easier to sell a house in a good school district than a bad/mediocre district for obvious reasons. If it were me, I'd try to get the worst/smallest house in the best area that I could afford. The house can always be changed (reno'd, addition, etc.), but you can never change the location. And in real estate location is the biggest thing you have to think about. You want to live in an area that's safe - to be able to take a walk at 9:30 PM without worrying about crime. And it's nice to come home and not wonder if your house has been robbed. There are some seedy/sketchy areas in Valley Stream, and almost every town will have "the other side of the tracks." Stay away from them. Very bad investment.

Lynbrook may have higher real estate taxes, but it's a decent area. On LI high RE taxes are a way of life unfortunately (blame the public school tax - but let's not get into that now). If you like Lynbrook the best, go house hunting there seriously, and see what you find. Why live some place you're not thrilled with, and always be hankering for some place better? It may not be as horrendously high as you think, and don't forget you can write off those taxes. Also, when you look at a house take a look at the RE tax bill. Check for the entire tax cost, see what the STAR exemption is, if you have any exemptions yourself (such as military, volunteer fireman, etc.), and see what your bottom line is.

To me a good area is worth the money. Being frugal in real estate can really burn you sometimes, and after all you'll be living there, and you'll want to enjoy your home and want the best for yourselves.

[gibson station]

We initially were searching in Lynbrook and it's a great choice, but ended up in Valley Stream. We bought in 2015 and prices have gone up considerably since then. You should be able to find something though. Search the forum for my thoughts on the Gibson section of Valley Stream. If you like Valley Stream, I recommend focusing on the Gibson and Westwood areas. The areas immediately around Hendrickson Park are nice, too. Actually, Westwood can be considered Valley Stream, Malverne or Lynbrook depending on the block. Lynbrook taxes are higher than Valley Stream's not so much because of the schools, but because Lynbrook has its own police department.

School districts around here are nutty- a house in Lynbrook or Valley Stream could be in one of six different school districts.

[twingles]

Originally Posted by AndreaII

To me a good area is worth the money. Being frugal in real estate can really burn you sometimes, and after all you'll be living there, and you'll want to enjoy your home and want the best for yourselves.

Plus, "the best laid plans" and all that. I know people who bought houses where they didn't really want to live, not their "forever home" etc etc, guess what 20 years later they're still they're. House hunting and house buying and moving are all a pain in the neck, doesn't get easier when you have kids. So I totally agree with the "smallest house in the best neighborhood you can afford" idea.

[gibson station]

Originally Posted by twingles

Plus, "the best laid plans" and all that. I know people who bought houses where they didn't really want to live, not their "forever home" etc etc, guess what 20 years later they're still they're. House hunting and house buying and moving are all a pain in the neck, doesn't get easier when you have kids. So I totally agree with the "smallest house in the best neighborhood you can afford" idea.

Sure, but after house hunting in Port Washington, we discovered exactly how small "small" small could be!All of your advice is good, but everyone has their own limits on price/commute/taxes/house size. In terms of an investment, I'd rather have less of my cash tied up in my primary residence (at least on LI) and more invested in the markets, but that's just my opinion; I could be wrong. If the OP can comfortably afford a lot more than 450k and still save for college, retirement and live comfortably, then he/she should certainly go for it.

[manekeniko]

Originally Posted by gibson station

We initially were searching in Lynbrook and it's a great choice, but ended up in Valley Stream. We bought in 2015 and prices have gone up considerably since then. You should be able to find something though. Search the forum for my thoughts on the Gibson section of Valley Stream. If you like Valley Stream, I recommend focusing on the Gibson and Westwood areas. The areas immediately around Hendrickson Park are nice, too. Actually, Westwood can be considered Valley Stream, Malverne or Lynbrook depending on the block. Lynbrook taxes are higher than Valley Stream's not so much because of the schools, but because Lynbrook has its own police department.

School districts around here are nutty- a house in Lynbrook or Valley Stream could be in one of six different school districts.

Gibs, you deserve a special medal for tirelessly fielding these anti-Valley Stream comments. I just don't have it in me anymore.

FWIW, the value of my VS house increased 12%-15% last year (based on the accepted offer price).

[Dandaman2000]

Thanks for all the replies.

azmemories, I work from home, so I don't have to worry about a commute.

We currently own a two family house and our unit is 3BR 2.5 baths including the finish basement, attached garage with space for another car in the driveway, and a pretty good sized yard for NYC standards. I have no issue downsizing, but my fiance will have an issue with downsizing too much. Somehow we found a way to fill up all the space in our current house.

[gibson station]

Originally Posted by manekeniko

Gibs, you deserve a special medal for tirelessly fielding these anti-Valley Stream comments. I just don't have it in me anymore.

FWIW, the value of my VS house increased 12%-15% last year (based on the accepted offer price).

Hahaha thanks! I'm up 25% since 2015 per Zillow, which was pretty spot-on when we bought. I really do like Lynbrook, too though. But if diversity is not what one seeks, I would advise that there is no impenetrable wall between VS and Lynbrook. Embrace it, tolerate it, or look elsewhere.

[gibson station]

Originally Posted by Dandaman2000

Thanks for all the replies.

azmemories, I work from home, so I don't have to worry about a commute.

We currently own a two family house and our unit is 3BR 2.5 baths including the finish basement, attached garage with space for another car in the driveway, and a pretty good sized yard for NYC standards. I have no issue downsizing, but my fiance will have an issue with downsizing too much. Somehow we found a way to fill up all the space in our current house.

Why move? If you must what about Glendale itself or Middle Village?