WILD ACRES. Poconos question. Please help. (York, Honesdale: real estate, foreclosure, rent)

[tinywhitecrosses]

Hi, I am a hopeful first time home buyer, currently living in NYC. I am seriously considering a lakefront home in Wild Acres to use as a weekend home/ art studio. I own and operate a business here in New York so moving to PA full-time is out of the question for now, but I will be up there with my wife relaxing, swimming, and working on my hobbies and art as often as I can and maybe eventually get an extra day in every week when the business can run a but better without us. My questions are if anyone here lives there or vacations there. I am getting mixed reviews and the only info I can find on here seems dated. I need to know if there are significant crime problems or otherwise. I know break-ins happen everywhere but to what degree? I will be keeping some valuables and most important to me, my artwork in the house. Also is it safe for my wife to be there alone time to time? Ive only been up there in the day so far and the area my #1 house choice is in seems VERY nice. But are there migratory crimes etc? Are there bad parts of Wild Acres? Any other problems? Any info is greatly appreciated!!!!

[Riverside4ever]

It used to be a nice place 20 yrs ago .. It has gone somewhat downhill .. Lots of empty houses and Lots of Drunks .. There is nothing to do up that way but drink and raise hell.. And thats what they do .. Good Luck..

[DavidWebb]

I guess with a name like that it has become that...hehehe...where is this place located?? I've never heard of it...

[talloolla]

I don't have any specific information about this development. I live in the Poconos and it is not one that you hear about regularly in the news but that is hardly the kind of detailed information you are looking for. My advice is to take the time and ask the people living in the development. While some people may be reluctant to tell you everything...you will be able to get a feel for the area, what type of community it is etc. Now that the weather is getting nicer, you will no doubt see people out and about and a conversation will be easy to start. You could also contact the board governing the development. I would also advise you to ask SPECIFIC questions to get detailed answers to your questions. Everyone's opinions are dependent on where you come from. Not a lot of crime may mean only one incident a week for some and for others it means one incident yearly. Good luck in your search!

[tinywhitecrosses]

Thanks so much for all your responses. I am very confused as to where to start investing my energy. I am coming from Brooklyn and although I live in a safe area, I am looking to get a bit of peace and quiet and slow down life a notch or two on the weekends.So... having a bunch of yahoos "raising hell" is not that appealing. From my 2 visits to the one house in question, the neighboring homes looked nice and well kept which is a good sign I guess but I SHOULD go back and maybe ask around.

Also, Im not married to one particular house or neighborhood, its just that this one particular house in Wild Acres was calling my name. Any suggestions of other areas or communities that have affordable lakefront homes (225k or under). I hear around the PromisedLand area was nice and so is the Hawley area but it seems to be almost an hour further from my home and business in Brooklyn. If the area is THAT much better, maybe it would be worth the extra $ and time.

[Riverside4ever]

Stay away from community's .. They are not worth the money and if your only there part time you'll be not using the things your paying through the nose for ,,, I would look In the Lake region (lake Wallenpaupack) It jut 20 min further and The hawley area is right there ,, I love Wayne county ... I was born in Brooklyn ( 88th St and Ridge Blvd ) Bay Ridge .. Good luck in your search .. And for $225 k you can buy 5 houses .. Wanna be a landlord , lots of people rent up here ..

[DavidWebb]

Take Riverside's advice...I've been coming out here since '96/'97 and living permanently here since Nov. '07...also an ex-Brooklynite myself (45th St. btwn 5th & 6th ave.)...the areas he recommends are worth the extra commute which shouldn't be too much of a bother for you if you plan on making it a weekend thing...just stay away from any areas south of there like Tobyhanna and also gated communities...the members on the board of directors on many of them are nothing but a bunch of corrupt do nothings out to take your money and do nothing in return for the community...Honesdale may not be too bad either for what your looking for but I don't have much info on it...maybe Riverside can chime in on that one...but the area from what I've seen driving through doesn't seem too bad...let us know if we can help further...

[Gettingouttahere]

Yes, read up on the forum and you'll get a good sense of areas to avoid and areas that are better. I live in a community (Winona Lakes) and there is no crime to speak of, maybe a couple of break-ins a year -- but there are several communities with worse stats. You need to determine if you want a community at all. There are lots of areas that don't require dues & associated headaches that are just as nice, if not nicer. If you think you would ever commute, you won't want the Wallenpaupack area, as it would add close to an hour to a commute. Wayne and Pike counties are not nearly as developed as Monroe, but there's a reason for that - the Monroe development has come as folks move out here and still need to get back to NYC or eastern Jersey for jobs. Most of Wayne/Pike are too far to reasonably do that on a daily basis.

That said, it's a nice idea you have, and I wish you luck. Find a good real estate agent to take you around and be HONEST with you about the pros and cons of areas/communities. Cross-check what you're told by that agent with folks on this board, and you should be OK.

Oh, and take a lot of the stuff you read here with a grain of salt. There is a certain amount of "the place is going to hell" that you need to throw out. Along with the "nothing to see here, move along." The truth is somewhere in between those extremes.

EDIT: Consider renting for a year before you commit. That's invariably the best idea for any big move.

[tinywhitecrosses]

Thanks for everyone's immense help. But my head is SPINNING!

[DavidWebb]

It may be spinning but your doing the right thing by investigating and researching beforehand...something many fail to do and end up in foreclosure or just simply walking away from their homes altogether...keep in mind all is not what it seems once your living there though...just because your #1 home choice area looks good that is just 1st impressions...I would suggest, as someone else did, you rent out here first in the area where your #1 choice is then see how it goes...that will give you a better idea of what to expect and what it's like...and you'll feel more comfortable taking the next step towards permanent home ownership...for that spinning head have some more caffeine...always works for me!! Hehehehe...good luck!!