Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
DO NOT buy now. The bubble collapse just arrived in the northeast. You'll get more for less, tomorrow, next week, next year, 5 years from now. Let prices adjust to the long term inflation adjusted number.
New York and the rest of the Northeast are losing people to the south and west because it is more affordable and offers a better quality of life. To compensate for the lost revenue, they raise taxes on those who remain, driving more people away and leaving an ever-shrinking tax base to pay for all the government programs.
The Northeast needs to realize that nowadays people are extremely mobile and willing to move far away for a better quality of life. states are competing with each other for residents. Those that provide the best value will win and those that don't will continue to shut down.
You need to do what we did, which is shop around and look for a distressed property. It's the only way we could afford to get what we wanted. Our house was trashed when we first saw it. When I opened the oven there was an inch of mouse poop in it. The windows were covered with fly poop. Everything reeked of cigarettes. It was gross.
It's amazing what scubbing and paint will take care of (and new appliances!). We work on one project at a time and when people are still making their exorbitant house payments we'll own this place and it will be perfect. The sweat equity is so so so worth it!
New York and the rest of the Northeast are losing people to the south and west because it is more affordable and offers a better quality of life. To compensate for the lost revenue, they raise taxes on those who remain, driving more people away and leaving an ever-shrinking tax base to pay for all the government programs.
The Northeast needs to realize that nowadays people are extremely mobile and willing to move far away for a better quality of life. states are competing with each other for residents. Those that provide the best value will win and those that don't will continue to shut down.
True except the very policies that drew people out of the Northeast and into the Sunbelt are now biting them back. The Carolinas have 12% unemployment and the governor of South Carolina was not going to accept the stimulus funds until advocates for the unemployed complained that it means they are being denied $25/week extra compensation and extended benefit periods. Florida and Arizona's low tax, low cost policies attracted lots of people and business, but now they have led to the biggest foreclosure rates in the nation and people earning just $250/week or so in unemployment (vs. $350-500 in most other states).
NY just can't get with it. Like what was said, they keep taxing us that stay. Our utility company once again is asking for a increase. Why? Because we all got smart and started reducing our needs, they say they aren't making money and now have to charge us more. As a homeowner in Dutchess County, I can't win. We've lost our manufacturing assets here-IBM let go so many back in the early 90's and then Texaco left-we have no good paying jobs. I refuse to spend over a hour each way going to jobs down in Westchester because it will cost me more in the long run-car, child care, etc.
My kids are starting college. They want nothing to do with NY once they graduate. What's here for them? High taxes, high rents, high everything? I know they are heading south. Where the cost of living is more in line with salaries. That's what's so screwed up here. Salaries don't meet the cost of living at all. I work for a school district driving a school bus. I hear time and again how over inflated the school budgets are, eliminate the busing, drivers get paid too much. Really-reality check here for taxpayers. I make 17,000 a year. That's almost poverty level. If I were a single parent trying to live on that-and there are people I work with that are-there's not much left after NY holds out their hand for all their wants.
I am with my kids. I want the heck out of here. This state is killing it's residents with taxes and running off their young people. NY eventually is going to be in a crisis that won't be able to be fixed.
True except the very policies that drew people out of the Northeast and into the Sunbelt are now biting them back. The Carolinas have 12% unemployment and the governor of South Carolina was not going to accept the stimulus funds until advocates for the unemployed complained that it means they are being denied $25/week extra compensation and extended benefit periods. Florida and Arizona's low tax, low cost policies attracted lots of people and business, but now they have led to the biggest foreclosure rates in the nation and people earning just $250/week or so in unemployment (vs. $350-500 in most other states).
You said it...the problem doesn't just exist in the government of the states; but the people as well. I lived in NC for 13 years. The cost of living rose pretty steadily the first 10 of those years and then started shooting up pretty rapidly the last 3 as more and more and more people from expensive areas like Long Island, New Jersey, Florida, and even California started getting the glimmer in their eye when they saw that shiny new house that was "so cheap" with "such low taxes". And slowly but surely at first, and at an ever increasing rate now; that is changing and places like Raleigh and Charlotte are getting much less affordable to many people who have called those areas home for decades. Not to mention school system is a MESS down there (the lower taxes are because they don't have town-based school systems; but rather county-wide school systems that leave a lot of kids getting bussed to schools far from home and many more reassigned to difference schools every few years). I hate to break it to you; but all of the people who are "jumping ship" in expensive areas of the country like the Northeast, West Coast, and Florida are NOT "escaping" high-cost living for good; they are all one by one, slowly but surely; bringing it along with them.
I will NOT argue at ALL that the high taxes in NYS are justified. They are way too high and need to come down. BUT they should not be compared to or attempt to be brought down to levels seen in the southeast. I moved back to NY in summer of 2007 and am very happy to do so. Granted, it is also different up here. My 2000 square foot house build in the 80s (yet well maintained and updated to the 21st century) only cost me $180k and has property taxes of 6k. I think 6k is far too high for a $180k house. But this same house in a nice neighborhood in the Raleigh area would probably run me closer to $300k. And yes, while the likely property tax bill down there of probably around $3k would seem nicer; dealing with the county school system, increasingly strained infrastructure and traffic issues and never ending construction wouldn't really be worth it...for me at least.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
