Why are Levittown homes cheaper? (Hempstead, Smithtown: high crime, co-op, buying)

[llama8]

I live in Levittown and I love it. I am in the Island Trees section.

You will be very hard pressed to find a home in Levittown for under 300K. If you do, it will be in very bad shape and be an un-expanded small original home with original heat and electric. It will most likely be on the Division side of Levittown, which isn't as nice as the side bordering Wantagh and Bethpage. For $350K your choices will still be poor, but you will find slightly updated homes. Most homes under $370K still have wood panneling instead of sheetrock. Be prepared for a handyman special type of home. You may have more luck looking out in Suffolk County for your price range. Good luck!

[llama8]

I just looke on mlsli.com for Levittown. There are 9 homes listed at 289 - 299K. 6 of the homes are handyman specials, needs TLC, Sold as is or listed as good (all code words for bad shape). There are 2 forclosures which are usually cheaper, but may be a hassle to purchase. There is one nice one in an estate sale.

If you are handy, you may be able to fix up a handyman special. Otherwise, you may need to raise your budget and pay a little more for a better house.

[sean sean sean sean]

Originally Posted by llama8

I just looke on mlsli.com for Levittown. There are 9 homes listed at 289 - 299K. 6 of the homes are handyman specials, needs TLC, Sold as is or listed as good (all code words for bad shape). There are 2 forclosures which are usually cheaper, but may be a hassle to purchase. There is one nice one in an estate sale.

If you are handy, you may be able to fix up a handyman special. Otherwise, you may need to raise your budget and pay a little more for a better house.

I think there's a pretty good selection in Levittown for under $350k! Are you sure you aren't only looking at L-Town in the Island Trees district?

Check this one out....pending foreclosure and a real funky paintjob in the kitchen, but obviously very up to date/well maintained:



http://www.mlsli.com/unidetailsredo....start=2&rpp=10

Asking $325, I'm sure they'd come down quite a bit. It's even in the MacArthur HS area. Only negatives I can see are that Loring Road is a drag strip and you get a nice view of the Wantagh Parkway from the front yard.

[Rachael84]

We're looking into foreclosures. We don't care if it's in fair or good shape--we have family who would fix it up for us. Like someone said above, I've found many under 300k and a couple are in the Island Trees section.

[Kbinspections]

Be mvery careful of termites. Take a hard look at the tub surround and the exterior wall of the tub.......typical place for termite damage and soft walls.

[llama8]

Originally Posted by sean sean sean sean

I think there's a pretty good selection in Levittown for under $350k! Are you sure you aren't only looking at L-Town in the Island Trees district?

Check this one out....pending foreclosure and a real funky paintjob in the kitchen, but obviously very up to date/well maintained:



http://www.mlsli.com/unidetailsredo....start=2&rpp=10

Asking $325, I'm sure they'd come down quite a bit. It's even in the MacArthur HS area. Only negatives I can see are that Loring Road is a drag strip and you get a nice view of the Wantagh Parkway from the front yard.

I was only speaking about 289-299K like the poster requested. They don't want to pay above 300K. I think 350K which you posted is too far above their budget. That house isn't bad, but it is 50K above the max of 300K the poster is looking for.

[llama8]

Originally Posted by sean sean sean sean

I think there's a pretty good selection in Levittown for under $350k! Are you sure you aren't only looking at L-Town in the Island Trees district?.

What is L-Town in the Island Trees District??? Do you mean did I specify Island Trees, Levittown?


I typed in Levittown into MLSLI.com for 300k and under. I didn't specify the school district. There are 9 homes for under 300K like I posted. I didn't specify any higher than 300k.

Although there is a nice selection of homes for 350k in Levittown, they will need some work...or you could get lucky with a forclosure.

[Rachael84]

I think we might be better off buying a co-op and waiting about 7 years to buy a house when our salaries increase.

[Kbinspections]

Island Trees is an area surrounding Island Trees Elementary School.

[llama8]

Originally Posted by Rachael84

I think we might be better off buying a co-op and waiting about 7 years to buy a house when our salaries increase.

The only problem with co-ops is that they don't appreciate in value like homes and they are harder to sell. If you can swing a home ,it is probably worth it. Just realize that you may need time and patience to fix it up. My parents friend's did the co-op thing and they were never able to buy a home because of inflation.



Even though our home was over 400K when we bought in Levittown 3 yrs ago, it still needed some work. My friends bought in Massapequa for over 500K an it too needs work. Almost any home will need some fixing up to get it the way you want it.
You really need to consider how much it would be to fix up and is it worth it to you to have a house.

Keep in mind, the housing market is very affordable right now. If you wait a few years, it may go back up and then you may be priced out. You may want to buy a fixer now so at least you have equity with the possibly of upgrading to a better home in the future. I don't know it a co-op will give you the equity to buy a home in the future if home prices rise again.

Also, Levit homes are great in the sense that they are made to expand. Drive around Levittown and almost every home has some type of extension. I have a 20 ft rear extension and we may dormer the front of our home. If you get a smaller home now, you can make it larger to suit your needs down the road.

Or you can look in a cheaper area. Many places in Suffolk will definately be in your budget.

I don't know if I would rule of a home, just be open minded that anything can be fixed up in time.