Indian Mountain Estates in Albrightsville(info & opinions) (Allentown, Easton: middle-class, foreclosures)

[donnaofnj]

mod cut- Please note that this thread was started in 2009.

So our previous housing fell through. We are now looking at two different options. one in indian mountain estates and the other is in kunkletown(polk township). Anything you can share pros and cons with indian mountain estates would be great. crimes, gangs, demographics, cleanliness of neighborhood, kids, etc. as well as the same for kunkletown. also, one is jim thorpe and one is pvsd. which is your preference and why. thanks so much for the help. the commute is the same for us pretty much either way and so it the price so they are not factors. thanks again.

[Summering]

I once heard mention on CD that Indian Mt. Lakes Estates had a water issue. Look into the crawl space and be aware of this. I personally don't know .......just something I read here.

Make sure you can handle the HOA's rules and regulations. The extra costs involved with paying for security and your own ammenities. Having someone watch over you as you put in a window, or repair your roof that lost a few shingles, gets to be tiresome. Permits for planting....Rules on this and that.........get out of control in some communities.

I love Kunkletown.......The freedom of not being in an HOA would lead me there. There is many nice homes and its a quiet, peaceful, place to enjoy. Its really not all that far to get to Allentown, or Easton or back to NJ from that location. Most homes are on at least an acre, very spacious.

Jim Thorpe, I like, but you might feel a bit isolated there....

The Pleasant Valley School system is great. The kids coming from there are a good group.
Most people are happy with that school.

[Riverside4ever]

IMl

Is a ripp off community , too many laws and rules ..Do you know you cant leave your kids Bike in front of the house overnight ... You'll get a fine ..

[pocopc]

I'd stay away from indian mountain lakes if possible. Their rules are outragous. As said above if you leave a kids toy in your front yard you will get fined.

If that area is what you are looking for Towmensign Trails is right there. Its Jim Thorpe school district.

Generally speaking taxes are much cheaper for Carbon County (jim thorpe, albrightsville) then in Monroe County. When i moved from Monroe to Carbon i saved several hundred dollars a year on taxes, and i got a bigger house and more land.

[AtHomeInThePoconos]

Indian Mt. Lakes does have a lot of rules that can be very restrictive -- outrageously so in some cases. I agree with pocopc that Towamensing Trails might be a good alternative.

Kunkletown is nice. Eldred Township in general is more pastoral and bucolic. Albrightsville is more mountainous/woodsy. With regard to crime, demographics, etc., they're very similar. They're low-crime, mostly middle-class towns.

Pleasant Valley and Jim Thorpe school districts both are highly regarded.

[dadsdream]

My family has had a house in IML since around 1978. We use it as a vacation home. There are rules, but you will have them in any community like this. I can say that we have never been given a fine for leaving bikes or things out overnight, and we have had lots of kid up over the years. I believe that rule is more along the lines of keeping the property neat, not leaving alot of things out unused over a long period of time. You will not just be fined right off the bat, you would be given a warning that explains what the rule is and given time to rectify it. I have never really found the rules to to so outrageous that they made it difficult to enjoy my time there, although there are more rules (or mabye they just enforce them now) then when my parents first bought the house.

[krp123]

You'll save lots on taxes in Albrightsville, but I agree with the PP that Indian Mountain Lakes would probably not be my first choice in a development. Check out the surrounding areas.

Both schools are good, the class sizes are bigger in Pleasant Valley I would assume. Jim Thorpe has a very small school district - if it hasnt' changed too much since 2000. (Scary, I hadn't realized it would have been THAT long ago that I was hanging out around there.) I would LOVE to send my kids there.

My choice would be the Jim Thorpe area because it's a really cute town. I would love to buy a home in JT, but I fear I could not afford one.

Good luck!

[poconogirl]

I have also done some research in the Indian Mountain Lake area.
In the web, there are people with mix feelings... some say it is good (in terms of crime rate and neighborhood), some say it is a slum, but all says the rules is strict.

Then I talked to a few people who currently own properties in IML for a good few years. These people use the house as vacation house (not full time living), these people are all from NYC and for lack of a better word, they are all working as "professionals "white" white-collar people.

They all LOVE the area and have no problem with the area but they also agree that the rules are strict --- which can be a good thing for a vacation home. I am not sure about if I want to live in an area with strict rule full time, but I would not mind my vacation home to have strict rules to control and maintain the property value in the area.

I have also done extensive web research in all sites and Pocono records, and there are hardly any incidents in IML... and the few that were in Pocono records were dated 2007.

I have also lead by the agent and tour around the area... and it seems to be very nice... then we drove by ourselves around the area and randomly explore (not all but some parts) of the development, especially around the lakes and it is all peaceful. this was a Saturday afternoon.

I am going there today during a weekday and will tour around the areas to see if there are silly teen hanging around and do silly things...

For those who are interested in this: From what I was told, the area is not as mixed as some other development in Monroe country and it is predominantly a "white" neighborhood in carbon county. To me, there are only good and bad people and being living in NYC for years, this is no issue for me.

The only drew back I can think of, is no indoor pool.

If you are looking in IML, make sure you buy on the west side of the development since it lands in carbon county, the east side near the main lake is within monroe county line and those houses have a much higher property/school tax (about double)

Poconogirl

[LNTT_Vacationer]

Originally Posted by poconogirl

but I would not mind my vacation home to have strict rules to control and maintain the property value in the area.

speaking of property values, in a 2004 study IML was, on a subdivision percentage basis, the 12th of the Monroe county "big 12" of foreclosures at 5.3% of the 850 properties in foreclosure. For perspective, PCP and PFarms were at 12% and 8% respectively; Arrowhead and Locust Lake, 1% and 1.5%.

2004 is getting rather dated but things that make you go hmmmm. . . .

[Summering]

I hate all the rules in most of the communities. It makes living there a tad bit difficult sometimes.
However, now listening to my sister who is living where the next door neighbors leave bikes in the shrubs, or against the building........I can understand the point of some of the rules.
I also found in one community ( out of this state) so many commercial trucks, and vehicles all around that that community looked unkempt.
I also stay at a place in the winter where when someone doesn't abide by the paint rules their house glows in a shade of horror green, or pink........It can really ruin the neighborhood.
Thats when the rules go to work on your behalf.
So I look at the "rules" community now with more open eyes.
In our Pocono area it is very rare to have a lake community without it being organized with an HOA association. If you like lakes you almost have to bear with it........
You'd want your community to thrive and prosper and not be left in shambles because of lack of pride.