Good Areas To Raise A Family? (Huntington: school, to live, prices) - Long Island - New York (NY) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

dman72 · 08-11-2009, 07:04 AM

A CPA should be making more than 50K working in Manhattan. There were 3 at my company until just recently, and all made over 100K individually. I work in accounting/finance and I make considerably more than 50K with no CPA. Don't let anybody low ball you. You should be shooting for 150K combined with your qualifications and considering the expense of living in the NYC metro area.

100K for a family of 4 is barely getting by in desirable parts of Nassau unless you already own your house, and if you are both going to be commuting into NYC you should probably stick to Nassau or maybe parts of Queens (Bayside? I"d rather live there than many parts of Nassau mentioned.)

How old are you guys, when do you plan on having kids, etc? The school district is at least 5 years off of your radar if you don't have kids yet. Don't sweat that part too much yet.

Jrprofess · 08-11-2009, 07:14 AM

To echo the job market sentiments do not move until you both have positions in hand. Also, since you are from long island I find it funny that you do not have a proposed idea of where you might like to live...but hey. Additionally, if you are recent CPA's and relatively junior in your field 50k is about right - as professions like CPAs, attorneys, etc are going through a "deflationary" cycle at the moment, even in New York. Prior years you could have banked on 65k a few years out, easily. One thought would be to go into audit. Although unappealing for many CPAs it is still an in demand role.

Since you would like to be close to the city I am presuming you would want to look along the nassau south shore (Wantagh, Bellmore, Merrick, RVC, etc) to keep your commute quick...possibly consider Plainview, Old Bethpage. Good luck in your search.

hotkarl · 08-11-2009, 07:34 AM

Good luck finding a solid and dependable gig back here.
I don't recommend moving back until you have secured employment, and even then, you should crash with a friend or relative until you are absolutely sure you can make it here. Then bring the rest of the family and buy a house. Plus, you would be able to physically research the areas that you would be interested in buying.
Pain in the ass, but this is the smartest way to go.

CoolaTroopa · 08-11-2009, 09:17 AM

Thanks for the tips!
I think my salary will be more around $55K in NYC. It was $50K in Raleigh.

It'll probably be two or three years before we even have kids- we just got engaged a month ago. I'm 27. She's 25.

Renting sounds like it might be a good option until we find a house we like better.
How expensive would it be to rent a house for two years then buy another house later on?
A possible option would be to live with my parents in Huntington (something she suggested) but I dunno about that..

.. maybe.. I think the money may be worth some independence.

Renting would be good because we could actually buy a house we want to live in later on, once the housing market gets better..

As for location.. I know I don't want to live all the way out east or in an area with high crime.

WJFM · 08-11-2009, 09:28 AM

Plan for a 2 bedroom apartment for 2000$/month. Staying with your parents in Huntington will save you over 20k an year, that could go towards a downpayment for a house, so keep that option open.

S.I.B. · 08-11-2009, 09:31 AM

staying with your parents for a few months is not ideal, but it could be the difference between moving into a "starter house" and something more permanent when you're ready to buy. You're also not locked into a lease...which can sometimes be a pain.

Might not be a bad idea to just suck it up and do it for a year.

dman72 · 08-11-2009, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by S.I.B.

staying with your parents for a few months is not ideal, but it could be the difference between moving into a "starter house" and something more permanent when you're ready to buy. You're also not locked into a lease...which can sometimes be a pain.

Might not be a bad idea to just suck it up and do it for a year.

What this person said.

Suck it up for a year, bank every penny that you can, within a year the housing market will be at the bottom of the pit, and you will have close to 20% downpayment on a decent house..as opposed to spending 1500-2500 for a 2 bedroom place, per month, for independence. Pay the parents utility bills or something for the year, you'll still be banking 15-20K over that time period.

Cardiff Giant · 08-11-2009, 10:18 AM

I would live with the parents for a little while; my best friend lived with his folks till he was about 33! It's a Long Island thing. He started a business, saved his pennies and now has a beautiful home in E. Moriches.

Good luck, glad you could make it back (if that's what you want)

CoolaTroopa · 08-15-2009, 09:48 AM

So we decided to move in with my parents- we don't have much stuff so it makes things a lot easier.
We're both starting our new jobs in the city in two weeks.
This will be something to discuss again next year.

Rachael84 · 08-15-2009, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dman72

100K for a family of 4 is barely getting by in desirable parts of Nassau unless you already own your house, and if you are both going to be commuting into NYC you should probably stick to Nassau or maybe parts of Queens (Bayside? I"d rather live there than many parts of Nassau mentioned.)

You have to factor in schools. Schools in Queens really are not that good. Nothing compared to Nassau county. Take it from a city teacher.