Seeking walkable progressively diverse neighborhood (Lansdale, Doylestown: condo, income, property taxes)

[Physics Guy]

Originally Posted by novavax

Since you are or will be retired, income taxes are generally not a big problem. I would recommend a NYC borough like Queens. The property taxes in NYC are lower than in PA. Some sections of Queens are quite nice and close to everything.

That's an interesting take. I'm not the OP but have some similarity with the OP and I hadn't really thought about NYC. Part of that is that it would be farther from family but I had also received the impression that housing prices and real estate taxes would have been more in NYC.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by Physics Guy

That's an interesting take. I'm not the OP but have some similarity with the OP and I hadn't really thought about NYC. Part of that is that it would be farther from family but I had also received the impression that housing prices and real estate taxes would have been more in NYC.

Housing prices are higher in NYC, even the outer boroughs.

According to data on Realtor.com, the median list price for homes for sale in Queens is $699K. None of the 11 counties in the Philadelphia MSA have a median list price that high; in most of them, the median is half that, or even less.

To offset the difference in the mortgage payment, the city would have to pay you property taxes. There's a reason migration between the two cities has ben net towards Philadelphia for about two decades now; broien down by New York City borough, it's been net towards Philadelphia from every borough except Manhattan, for reasons that I think should be obvious. Living in Brooklyn, for instance, is not so much different from living in Philadelphia to make a mortgage payment twice what one would pay for a house in Chester County, the priciest of the counties in the Philadelphia MSA, worth it. (And a Brooklynite would probably want a house in the city itself, where the differential is even higher.)

[novavax]

Originally Posted by Physics Guy

That's an interesting take. I'm not the OP but have some similarity with the OP and I hadn't really thought about NYC. Part of that is that it would be farther from family but I had also received the impression that housing prices and real estate taxes would have been more in NYC.

Prices are high in NYC. But property taxes are absolutely lower than in most states. The city makes up for low property taxes with high income taxes. So it’s an ideal place for low income and retired people, provided they can afford the houses.

Outside NYC it’s a different story. I wouldn’t touch Nassau and Westchester with a 10-foot pole.

[novavax]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Housing prices are higher in NYC, even the outer boroughs.

According to data on Realtor.com, the median list price for homes for sale in Queens is $699K. None of the 11 counties in the Philadelphia MSA have a median list price that high; in most of them, the median is half that, or even less.

To offset the difference in the mortgage payment, the city would have to pay you property taxes. There's a reason migration between the two cities has ben net towards Philadelphia for about two decades now; broien down by New York City borough, it's been net towards Philadelphia from every borough except Manhattan, for reasons that I think should be obvious. Living in Brooklyn, for instance, is not so much different from living in Philadelphia to make a mortgage payment twice what one would pay for a house in Chester County, the priciest of the counties in the Philadelphia MSA, worth it. (And a Brooklynite would probably want a house in the city itself, where the differential is even higher.)

First of all, Philly is a big No because its crimes.

Exodus from NYC, not NYS, is largely caused by the high income taxes in the high income brackets.

West Chester PA is very expensive. I have looked. For what the town provides and where it's located, the houses are overpriced, by a mile. There are very few properties available for sale in any range that is within a short drive, let alone walking distance, to downtown. The only few affordable properties (400-600k) are in dangerous areas.

You can get a townhouse for about 500k in safe and convenient neighborhoods in northeast queens (Flushing, Bayside etc). A house for 800k-1.5MM. These used to cost a half only a few years ago. The RE tax rate is less than 1%.

[novavax]

If I were you, I’d move into a condo or coop in the city and buy a house in the countryside and get the best of both worlds.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by novavax

First of all, Philly is a big No because its crimes.

Speak for yourself.

The recent rise in violent crime worries me, but (a) it affects city neighborhoods here unevenly, just as it does in every other large city (b) every other large city save Boston has seen similar upticks over the past year.

BTW, I live in one of the rougher city neighborhoods here in Philadelphia.

And that Queens house would still cost half as much here. The OP will find more and better houses within their stated price range here.

[novavax]

To each’s own.

[FindingZen]

The OP asked about suburban Philadelphia neighborhoods. Mt. Airy/Chestnut Hill, as later suggested, offers a suburban-like atmosphere with many of the features the OP desires while still being in the city. I don't know NYC enough to know what city neighborhoods are "suburbanesque" but such a suggestion seems antithetical to the OP's goals.

[novavax]

Originally Posted by FindingZen

The OP asked about suburban Philadelphia neighborhoods. Mt. Airy/Chestnut Hill, as later suggested, offers a suburban-like atmosphere with many of the features the OP desires while still being in the city. I don't know NYC enough to know what city neighborhoods are "suburbanesque" but such a suggestion seems antithetical to the OP's goals.

Lateral thinking. At least one person on this thread found my suggestion interesting.

[Physics Guy]

Originally Posted by novavax

Lateral thinking. At least one person on this thread found my suggestion interesting.

If you are referring to me I did find it "interesting" in that I found it surprising. As I rather expected would happen, others provided a little more context that showed that your suggestion is fairly far off from the OPs desires.

Does a Queens digression add much to this specific discussion? Probably not as the purchase price of housing is too far apart to make it a real choice.