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My husband and I have been looking to buy a home in Staten island for nearly a year ( we currently live in Brooklyn). We have not had much luck in regards to feeling like we were getting what we are paying for in Staten Island, so now we are turning to Long Island. My husband is NYPD and if we move out to LI I will be a stay at home Mom. We are looking to spend under 400k.
1.My understanding that in Nassau it is best to stay away form the following areas:
Baldwin, Freeport, Uniondale, New Cassel, Wyandanch, Freeport, Roosevelt(?)
and Hempstead. Any others?
Regarding Hempstead - is the whole area a bad idea or are parts of it ok and more middle class? We have found a couple of homes near Hofstra on the internet that we like from the outside on Chamberlain St and Manor Ave ( Surrey Estates?)...should we even entertain this area?
2. I know this has been discussed in other areas, but what are great family-oriented middle class ( cops and firefighters) neighborhoods? We don't mind venturing a little bit into Suffolk either. Good school districts are not important to us ( unless you count resale value of the home) being that we plan on moving away from New York in about 6 years and our children will not have a chance to attend school here.
3. You guys have some exorbitant property taxes. Is there ever any discussion with your local governments and these property taxes or are most of you fine with paying such a chunk of money? Are the taxes raised by a proposition vote or the elected officials raise them as they see fit? I'm just putting feelers out because God forbid they get raised more...we would move again just out of protest....this is the reason we didn't even entertain moving to Long Island in the first place.
My husband and I have been looking to buy a home in Staten island for nearly a year ( we currently live in Brooklyn). We have not had much luck in regards to feeling like we were getting what we are paying for in Staten Island, so now we are turning to Long Island. My husband is NYPD and if we move out to LI I will be a stay at home Mom. We are looking to spend under 400k.
1.My understanding that in Nassau it is best to stay away form the following areas:
Baldwin, Freeport, Uniondale, New Cassel, Wyandanch, Freeport, Roosevelt(?)
and Hempstead. Any others?
Regarding Hempstead - is the whole area a bad idea or are parts of it ok and more middle class? We have found a couple of homes near Hofstra on the internet that we like from the outside on Chamberlain St and Manor Ave ( Surrey Estates?)...should we even entertain this area?
2. I know this has been discussed in other areas, but what are great family-oriented middle class ( cops and firefighters) neighborhoods? We don't mind venturing a little bit into Suffolk either. Good school districts are not important to us ( unless you count resale value of the home) being that we plan on moving away from New York in about 6 years and our children will not have a chance to attend school here.
3. You guys have some exorbitant property taxes. Is there ever any discussion with your local governments and these property taxes or are most of you fine with paying such a chunk of money? Are the taxes raised by a proposition vote or the elected officials raise them as they see fit? I'm just putting feelers out because God forbid they get raised more...we would move again just out of protest....this is the reason we didn't even entertain moving to Long Island in the first place.
Thank you so much in advance for your input!
I have a very good friend who is a NYC Police Officer and lives in Melville (right on the Suffolk Border). They are very happy there. That might be a good place to start.
Most property tax hikes are the result of school budgets (which make up about 2/3 of the tax bill. I know there has been a lot of unrest about school budgets in the past...and from what I read here that is the biggest complaint.
Yea, the taxes in Long Island is really what is making us hesitant. When you do the math and add in the property taxes, there is not much relief financially in moving there or staying in the 5 boroughs. Couple that with the prediction that housing prices will fall another 20% over the next 18-24 months in Long Island and we have started wondering if we should just wait. We are anxious to become home owners and start our family, but living in New York makes this extremely difficult. I am not originally from New York. I grew up in Louisiana but have lived here for over 10 years now. The quality of life is so much better outside of the Tri-State area and honestly I can't wait until we are waving good-bye when my husband retires in 6.5 years.
mrs.lea, in case you are unfamiliar with the local geography:
What people refer to colloquially as "towns" are actually villages and hamlets, which are within actual towns; and, because villages and hamlets are referred to as "towns", then, many times, the error is compounded when actual towns are referred to as "townships".
Also, many colloquially refer to a "downtown business district" in a hamlet as a "village".
You can get a fact sheet for any city, village or hamlet on Long Island by going here American FactFinder and input the name of the city, village or hamlet for "city/town" (leave out the ZIP Code) and New York for "State", and then click "GO".
You'll get a lot of demographic, and some economic, statistics for the city, village or hamlet you selected, and if you click on "Reference map" (it's on the right hand side), you'll get a map.
When you do find a house that you like, you can find out in which community (city, village or CDP) that house is actually located, which is oftentimes different from the community named in that house's mailing address, by using the Census Bureau's online address search function. (CDP or Census Designated Place is the Census Bureau equivalent for a hamlet in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.)
And, very importantly, among other things, the Census Bureau's online address search function also indicates in which school district an address is located.
My husband and I have been looking to buy a home in Staten island for nearly a year ( we currently live in Brooklyn). We have not had much luck in regards to feeling like we were getting what we are paying for in Staten Island, so now we are turning to Long Island. My husband is NYPD and if we move out to LI I will be a stay at home Mom. We are looking to spend under 400k.
1.My understanding that in Nassau it is best to stay away form the following areas:
Baldwin, Freeport, Uniondale, New Cassel, Wyandanch, Freeport, Roosevelt(?)
and Hempstead. Any others?
Regarding Hempstead - is the whole area a bad idea or are parts of it ok and more middle class? We have found a couple of homes near Hofstra on the internet that we like from the outside on Chamberlain St and Manor Ave ( Surrey Estates?)...should we even entertain this area?
2. I know this has been discussed in other areas, but what are great family-oriented middle class ( cops and firefighters) neighborhoods? We don't mind venturing a little bit into Suffolk either. Good school districts are not important to us ( unless you count resale value of the home) being that we plan on moving away from New York in about 6 years and our children will not have a chance to attend school here.
3. You guys have some exorbitant property taxes. Is there ever any discussion with your local governments and these property taxes or are most of you fine with paying such a chunk of money? Are the taxes raised by a proposition vote or the elected officials raise them as they see fit? I'm just putting feelers out because God forbid they get raised more...we would move again just out of protest....this is the reason we didn't even entertain moving to Long Island in the first place.
Thank you so much in advance for your input!
mrs.Lea, your price (under 400K) will limit where you can go - but it's important to look at the overall cost, which includes those darn RE taxes...
A house with taxes of $6,000/yr ($500/mo) will be easier to afford than a house with taxes of $9,000/yr ($750/mo) or more...
If I may, I'd like to suggest you get pre-approved, or at least talk to a mortgage banker/broker/lender to get an idea for what amount you qualify before you start looking at houses you can't afford (at least according to the lenders).
East Northport is one of the few areas in Western Suffolk where taxes can often be lower than elsewhere, which affords you more house. In spite of the recent post on this forum, I personally believe it to be an area worth considering. Some other suggestions (there are too many for here): Babylon/W.Babylon could work for you, as well as South Huntington, which is right next to Melville (sorry Walter, I'm using Multiple Listing lingo here). Melville might be tough for your price range with moderate taxes, but you never know unless you try..
As was previously pointed out, the bulk of our RE taxes are for our schools - usually over 60% of the total; that's the part that always increases
And if you're a first time home owner and want to take advantage of the $8,000 stimulus credit, you need to close no later than November 30th. From contract to closing usually takes from 2-3 months, often depending on whether it's a conventional or FHA mortgage, so you might want to consider a "power search". On the other hand, rushing into such a big decision just for the stimulus payment isn't necessarily a good thing either. It all depends on your personal situation...
Yea, the taxes in Long Island is really what is making us hesitant. When you do the math and add in the property taxes, there is not much relief financially in moving there or staying in the 5 boroughs. Couple that with the prediction that housing prices will fall another 20% over the next 18-24 months in Long Island and we have started wondering if we should just wait. We are anxious to become home owners and start our family, but living in New York makes this extremely difficult. I am not originally from New York. I grew up in Louisiana but have lived here for over 10 years now. The quality of life is so much better outside of the Tri-State area and honestly I can't wait until we are waving good-bye when my husband retires in 6.5 years.
While I don't necessarily agree with another 20% decline on Long Island over the next two years, I certainly wouldn't guarantee it
One thing I'd like to point out to you though, cost of water on Long Island compared to the borough is unbelievably low; this would make up a little for the higher taxes
Here in Suffolk, we have several water districts; the largest is Suffolk County Water Authority, and as far as I know, it's the most "expensive"--even though compared to the boroughs, it's still very very inexpensive. The Greenlawn and South Huntington Water districts have even lower costs. They bill you quarterly, and I personally pay between $60-$80 a YEAR for water, that includes an inground sprinkler system...
Just one more thing to consider in the overall scheme of things
ehhh...yea keyword there being LITTLE. LOL The water doesn't exactly make a dent in the 4k (minimum) plus a year of property taxes you guys have. I see you are a real estate agent, so I'd expect you to be optimistic in regards to the market. However, when you look at the amount of foreclosures in LI and the ratio of homes on the market versus homes sold...you have about a 13-15 month supply of unsold homes...these two situations are deadly to a real estate market. A perfect storm. Winter is coming ( less homes are sold during this period naturally) and the 8k tax credit is about to expire so there are two more issues the market will have to bear. I think the issue is less about the home price and more about the taxes...in all honesty the property taxes are out of hand. Couple that with the fact that many homes in the price range my husband and I are looking at max to 450k haven't been updated at all ...yeesh. I don't get how a seller expects such a return on investment and they have not updated their home since 1967...ridiculous. Probably because their property taxes were through the roof. You guys should really be having one hell of a tea party in regards to the property taxes, though. I had high hopes for Long Island, but after looking at properties on the internet the last two days it is starting to look bleak. Those 1440 sq foot new construction semi's in Staten Island are starting to look better and better - more crowded, but updated and less of a house note.
Thanks for your advice Elke, but my husband and I are already pre-approved and haven't been rushing for the 8k credit....our search has been for over a year now. We are pre-approved for an amount that we are not willing to pay for a home - not every buyer thinks "Oh, I am approved for this amount let me go out and spend it". I think that is how we all got ourselves into this predicament in the first place. Perhaps I am picky buyer...but I will not spend 350k-450k on a non updated home from 1950....wood paneling, baby blue ceramic tiled bathrooms, yellow ovens...no central air! So scary! People need to update their homes...or have a tax revolt and pay less taxes so they can afford to update their homes! =)
Thanks for your advice Elke, but my husband and I are already pre-approved and haven't been rushing for the 8k credit....our search has been for over a year now. We are pre-approved for an amount that we are not willing to pay for a home - not every buyer thinks "Oh, I am approved for this amount let me go out and spend it". I think that is how we all got ourselves into this predicament in the first place.
Glad to hear it!
I'm also a Financial Planner, so I know better than to push for the limit . Everyone should have an emergency fund and it looks like you're thinking ahead.
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Understanding the geography of "Lawn Guyland"
. Everyone should have an emergency fund and it looks like you're thinking ahead.
