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We are considering a move to NY for my husband's job. I will need to find a new job, so our budget is based soley on his income. I've listed some ideas below. People at his office who also have children live in either New Jersey or Long Island and they felt either of those areas would fit out needs.
We need advice on specific neighborhoods or zip codes to look into. Details about us are below. Any location advice is appreciated.
1) What is your budget?
$2500/month
2) Where is your job located?
Brooklyn – near Tillary and Jay St, prefer commute under 1 hour
3) Living circumstances
-- married, in our 30's, 2 kids ages 7 and 9, two dogs
4) Space requirements
-- How many bedrooms? – at least 2, ideally 3
-- property type (rental, co-op, condo) - rent for a year, then buy, but it is important to us to stay in the same area so our kids do not have to change schools twice.
-- Square feet – 1500+
5) Neighborhood amenities
-- What kind of bars/restaurants do you want in your immediate vicinity? – kid friendly restaurants (pizza, Chinese, Thai), not interested in bars
-- What else would you like to have in your neighborhood? – suburban, neighborhood pool, parks, good public schools
6) Other interests/ General
-- family friendly feel, kids all play sports together (soccer, basketball), kids like to take dance and gymnastics classes. We like to go to the beach and skiing, both are 2 hours from our house now so we are used to having to drive to do these activities. Ideal world: a neighborhood where people are friendly/hang out on their front porch, kids all go trick or treating for Halloween and play on soccer or basketball teams with kids from their school, good public schools, we'd love a small yard.
Im sure people will be around to recommend some towns but just some comments on your post:
1) Budget is probably doable at that price..assuming that is your "rental" number and not overall budget for monthly expenses.
2) Hubby can take the LIRR to Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn and its not that far a walk. You could probably look all the way to eastern Nassau for a place within an hour commute by LIRR
3) Typical Long Island Family
4) Long Island doesnt have that many Co-ops. Condos are rare compared to homes. Square Feet is not generally used on Long Island (or the NYC area for that matter). Homes are generally sold by # of bedrooms and a description. Square Feet is more for out of NY tract housing.
5)You have more Pizza and CHineses restaurants than you can imagine. You will be tripping over them no matter where you live.
Schools are generally good...some areas do have community pools.
6) You aint skiing on Long Island..plan a trip to New England or upstate NY for that. We have beaches..we are an island after all. Schools have plenty of sports/activity programs.
This aint the 1950s anymore. Kids arent all over the place and playing in the streets like they use to. Hanging out on the front porch?? This aint Mayberry. I would say most people just come home and are in their homes after work.
Im sure some on here may point you to an area that has many young families...but I cant say I have ever seen gangs of kids and neighbors hanging out. And if you see gangs of kids..they are probably trying to score some dope.
If what you are looking for is a suburban environment, then you should seek advice in the New Jersey or Long Island forums.
Though, if you want info re New York City, this forum is the place.
I STRONGLY suggest you NEED to do a bit of homework regarding the lifestyles and costs of NYC and its suburban areas. Then you must decide whether the suburbs or the city is best for you, your family and your budget.
You will be SEVERELY limited in finding a satisfactory living space and environment by your budget!
$2500 is not enough for Manhattan; and, is not enough for a 3 bedroom in the better neighborhoods of Brooklyn, which w/b most convenient for commuting.
Your desire to stay in the same neighborhood you find a rental, when you are ready to purchase, is likely not realistic. For example, your budget will get a nice, modern 2 or 3 bedroom in Astoria, Queens, but for the long term you may not want to live there, and more to the point, you're unlikely to be capable of affording the area for purchase.
Same thing for the better Brooklyn neighborhoods, where you can find 2 or 3 bedrooms in the $3000/$3500 range, but purchasing an apt or home runs from One to several million depending on location, etc.
Again, your post comments belie the fact that you just aren't familiar with the NYC lifestyle; and you MUST familiarize yourself in you plan to move here. You also NEED to get aa reaalistic handle on just how much more expensive life costs here compared to wherever you are from.
In any event, you sound like a suburban person and not a city person, so check those other forums.
This aint the 1950s anymore. Kids arent all over the place and playing in the streets like they use to. Hanging out on the front porch?? This aint Mayberry. I would say most people just come home and are in their homes after work.
Im sure some on here may point you to an area that has many young families...but I cant say I have ever seen gangs of kids and neighbors hanging out. And if you see gangs of kids..they are probably trying to score some dope.
I don't think that is totally true. Friday my neighbors invited us for a pool party. We got a couple of pizzas and the kids went swimming and we had some beers. When it is not too hot out, we take our kids to the playground that is a short walk from us. A dozen kids or so will go and they play after they get off the bus. And tonight my neighbors stopped by and we took the kids for a bike ride. I don't think everyone just sits in their house and watches tv.
I live on LI but in western Suffolk so probably too far for the OP.
You might be able to find something near $2500 / month in Bay Ridge (good neighborhood in Brooklyn, commute 35-40 minutes). Schools may be an issue, though I've known a number of people my age who've done well in the public schools in Brooklyn. Good neighborhoods closer to work might be 3000-3500 for a 3 bedroom. You'll see more people hanging out on the front porch "stoop" in Brooklyn, partly because yard space is limited.
If you want to go suburbs, Nassau County Long Island makes the most sense. More convenient than NJ. LIRR Train station is one mile from the job location, not sure well the train would work out, and driving will have bad traffic.
We are from California. Not Mayberry - but yes everyone still hangs out outside on their porches and socializes with their neighbors here. We know people who live in suburbs where people drive into their garage and close the doors. This is not what we want.
We'll have at least $500,000 from our house here to put down as a down payment. I'm not concerned at all that we can't afford to live there. We could certainly up our rental budget, but were planning to just live comfortably on his salary until I am working - $3,000 would still be fine without me working. $3500 would be tight until I am working.
I was not considering Brooklyn b/c I didn't think it was very suburban which is what we are looking for. This is just based on driving around when we visited a few weeks ago. If there are neighborhoods in Brooklyn that fit our needs, we'd love to hear about them as well. And I will try posting this on another forum - thanks for the suggestion.
The LIRR commute from many parts of Long Island to Atlantic Avenue is pretty convenient. The commute from New Jersey would be unbearable. As mentioned above, you should post on the Long Island page for some ideas on towns, schools, rental inventory, etc. Once you get some ideas of towns, you can see housing stock here MLSLI.com
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