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I was thinking of potential scenarios that may come up on here or as an example for others that may view the forum. I'll give an example and you can give your answer, as well as give an example/scenario too.
Here is one: Single male, 28 years old and will be starting position as a Staff Engineer at O'Brien and Here making $58,000. He is interested in nightlife like neighborhood bars, live music of various types and comedy clubs, but is more apt to partake in activities such as skiing, running, ice skating and hiking. Would like shopping(grocery store, Big box, etc.) within 10 minutes of residence. Doesn't mind driving, but close proximity would be a nice bonus. This person is looking at homes in the $100-120,000 range, that are at least 1200 square feet/3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. Here are some homes that he is interested in: Dewitt Real Estate - 116 Revere Rd, Dewitt, NY, 13214
Proximity to any form of real nightlife would lend itself to the one in Eastwood or the one on Onondaga Blvd, I'd think. Though the former is certainly more attuned to young professionals. Eastwood would also have the easiest (and most mass transit-compatible) commute of the four. The one on Revere would be a good fit - that's actually very close to the city line.
Then again, I wouldn't live in Clay if you paid me to, and though I could be convinced to live in Lafayette, it quickly leaves the shopping/nearby nightlife behind. I'm personally partial to older homes (more character and interesting architecture), which is at least relatively unusual for someone my age (28, same as your scenario, though married).
I was thinking of potential scenarios that may come up on here or as an example for others that may view the forum. I'll give an example and you can give your answer, as well as give an example/scenario too.
Here is one: Single male, 28 years old and will be starting position as a Staff Engineer at O'Brien and Here making $58,000. He is interested in nightlife like neighborhood bars, live music of various types and comedy clubs, but is more apt to partake in activities such as skiing, running, ice skating and hiking. Would like shopping(grocery store, Big box, etc.) within 10 minutes of residence. Doesn't mind driving, but close proximity would be a nice bonus. This person is looking at homes in the $100-120,000 range, that are at least 1200 square feet/3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. Here are some homes that he is interested in: Dewitt Real Estate - 116 Revere Rd, Dewitt, NY, 13214
Which do you think would work best for this person?
In order to better answer the question, we made need some answers to the following questions:
1.) Is this person concerned about the quality of the school district and does he plan on residing in this home for an extended period of time (or does he plan on moving if he gets married and has children)? He may not have an answer to this question, however even some single homebuyers without children are concerned about school quality for purposes of resale value. If the quality of the schools was a chief concern and this person preferred a mid-sized or small district with high standardized test scores and relatively low poverty rates, I would be more inclined to recommend Revere Road in the Jamesville-DeWitt School District and 4317 Onondaga Blvd in the West Genesee School District.
2.) If he enjoys hiking, skiing, and running, would it be safe to conclude that he prefers hilly topography? If so, I would recommend all but the location in Clay and probably put the listing in LaFayette at the top of the list. The Northern Suburbs which include the towns of Clay, Salina, and Cicero consist of mostly flat plains, although Baldwinsville and parts of Oswego County have more rolling hills. LaFayette is closest to downhill ski slopes like Toggenburg, Greek Peek, Song Mountain. and Labrador Mountain in southern Onondaga and Cortland counties. Onondaga, Camillus, DeWitt and Collingwood Avenue in the city are hilly as well which may be important if he likes jogging. CNY/regional downhill and cross country ski areas | syracuse.com
If he prefers cross country skiing (like I do), there are more choices north and northeast of the city, so the location in Clay would be more convenient to the Tug Hill Plateau region, Beaver Lake in Baldwinsville, and Battle Island State park north of Fulton in neighboring Oswego County. CNY/regional downhill and cross country ski areas | syracuse.com
3.) Does he like commuting via highways, side streets, or major commercial corridors. Assuming he will be working at OBG's downtown headquarters, all of the listings with the exception of Onondaga Boulevard are relatively cose to highways; although the Lafayette is on Route 11 midway between the Route 20 and Nedrow exists of I-81. The home in Onondaga Boulevard is located in a solid neighborhood, however the most direct way of commuting to downtown involves driving down West Onondaga Street which for the most part is a very blighted and utterly depressing part of the city and includes many stop lights. Some people, especially those from vibrant cities or more suburban areas would find this commute to be a depressing start and end to a workday. While others have said they disliked driving West Seneca Tpk through the Valley section of the city, I don't think there is any comparison between the two. I have driven West Seneca Tpk many a time and would have no issues with driving that way on a daily commute. An option he may want to consider is using Terry Road to get to Route 5 and then taking Route 695 to I-690. This route would add some additonal time to the commute but it would still likely be under 20 minutes to downtown. Once he gets on I-695 there are no stop lights so he may actually save time.
4.) Does he prefer living on a main road or being in a subdivision or a side street. If he prefers a development, then the location in Clay and Revere Road in DeWitt would be at the top of the list. Revere Road isn't technically part of a development but it is near the Orvilton neighborhood and properties in the immediate area have larger lots and more winding roads. Onondaga Boulevard in Onondaga and Route 11 in LaFayette are main roads; although the Onondaga Blvd listing is a on a residential and quite stretch of the road.
5.) Does he care if he is close to rental properties including apartment complexes, homes, and two and three family structures. If he doesn't want to be near rental properties, I would remove Collingwood from the list.
6.) Is proximity to a college for continuing education and grad school a priority? If so, the homes on Revere Road (which is close to Le Moyne College) and somewhat near SU as well as Collingwood Avenue would get my top votes.
7.) If being closest to nightlife and entertainment is a top priority - I would chose Collingwood Ave and Revere Road.
8.) Is living in a diverse area with varying ages, races, ethnicities and occupations a major factor?
If so, I would choose Collingwood followed by Revere and Taormina in Clay
Rolls, I was thinking for #3, the other alternative from Onondaga Boulevard could be to take Onondaga Boulevard to Velasko. Take that left, then a right on Grand to Geddes Street. Veer left and go to West Fayette and take a right and pretty much take that right to OBG. Wile that drive isn't blightless, it is pretty short in terms of commute time and has less blight than the West Onondaga drive would.
Rolls, I was thinking for #3, the other alternative from Onondaga Boulevard could be to take Onondaga Boulevard to Velasko. Take that left, then a right on Grand to Geddes Street. Veer left and go to West Fayette and take a right and pretty much take that right to OBG. Wile that drive isn't blightless, it is pretty short in terms of commute time and has less blight than the West Onondaga drive would.
I agree with the Velasko Road alternative route. That is actually a much more direct way than taking West Onondaga since OBG's headquarters is on the western edge of downtown near Fayette. This route would also avoid the traffic on the 300 and 400 blocks of Salina Street that one would encounter if they took West Onondaga.
Two weeks ago I drove around the Near West Side and continue to see drammatic improvement - I really hope this momentum will continue. The recent upgrade to Fowler High School that actually includes windows is a major improvement to S. Geddes Street. If and when the facade of the former Lipe Warehouse at the corner of W Fayette and S. Geddes is renovated I think the small incremental changes in that immediate area will become more noticeable and hopefully serve as a catalyst for further redevelopment.
Last edited by RollsRoyce; 02-06-2013 at 10:15 AM..
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