Moving to Syracuse really soon (Solvay, West End: neighborhood, bus, area)

[grdnrman]

Originally Posted by ElenaM813

Hi everyone,

My husband just found out that he will be completing his medical residency at SUNY Syracuse, so we need to move there in the next couple months. Since we know we will be in the area for at least 4-5 years, we are looking to buy a house and I would really appreciate some advice on what neighborhoods I should be looking at. His commute to the hospital should be no more than 15-20 minutes, and my biggest concern is safety since I will be home by myself frequently. We are looking for a family friendly neighborhood that is very close to shopping/restaurants. We are from NJ and currently very spoiled with how close we are to everything and I would like to not have that change too much if possible. I don't mind older houses as long as they are fairly well maintained, he prefers newer houses but ideally not "cookie-cutter" houses. Budget-wise, we would like to keep it closer to (or under) $150k.

Any advice you can give is greatly appreciated! We will be up in the area to look around soon, but it would be nice to have a good idea of where to start looking. One more thing- should we look into buying a vehicle with 4WD?

Thank you in advance!
Elena

Hello Elena & husband,

Because Metro Syracuse has a great expressway & highway system, driving to any location in the Suburban/City metro area is very convenient, quick and easy. Traffic jams are just about ZERO. Therefore you can live in most suburbs and commute to Syracuse hospitals within minutes; so don't be afraid to buy a nice affordable home in the Suburbs.

Please buy/get a Metro Syracuse/Suburbs street map to refer to the places i will list for you; map at AAA, a bookstore, or in Syracuse=most large grocery stores sell the maps.

I am not listing neighborhoods in the suburbs of Manlius, Fayetteville, Cazenovia, nor Skaneatles as those suburbs are more upscale and a lot of homes there are more expensive than your price range of $150,000. I am not listing any City of Syracuse neighborhoods.

In your your price range the following decent nice safe middle-class family-friendly neighborhoods/areas will have many homes to choose from. These neighborhoods/areas will maintain their future value and will be easier to sell in the future than certain other locations.

There are opportunities to build your own brand new home at several locations in the various Suburbs.

Cicero suburb>>> look for homes on streets that run off Lakeshore Rd. & off Snowshoe Trail N. & off Button Rd. & off South Bay Rd. & off Whiting Rd. & off Thompson Rd. & off E. Gillette Rd. & off E. Pine Grove Rd.
There are brand new homes that you can have built >> just off Lakeshore Road-Cicero << with a starting price around $190,000.
The shopping/business area at Cicero is along Route 11-Brewerton Rd. @ Caughdenoy Rd.

Clay at Cicero area>>> look for homes on streets that run off Caughdenoy Rd. & off Stearns Rd. & off Lawton Rd.
The shopping/business area for this part of Clay is the same as for Cicero above=along Rt. 11-Brewerton Rd.

Liverpool (huge suburb/area)>>> look for homes on streets that run off Soule Rd. & off Balboa Dr. & off Fairway & off Pine Gate Pkwy. & off Blackberry Rd. & off Buckley Rd. & off Homeview Dr. & off Bear Road & off Limestone Dr. + Juneway Dr.
There are several shopping/business areas in the Liverpool area serving the various neighborhoods.

Camillus>>> look for homes that run off Knowell Rd. & off Hinsdale Rd. & off Sylvan Way.
The shopping/business area for Camillus & Fairmount is along W. Genesee St.

Fairmount>>> look for homes on streets that run off Onondaga Rd.-Rt. 173 & off Kimberly Dr. & off S. Terry Rd.
The shopping area for Fairmount & Camillus is along W. Genesee St.

East Syracuse-Fremont Hills neighborhood>>> look for homes on streets that run off N. Burdick St. & off Manlius Center Rd. @ N. Burdick St.
East Syracuse-Franklin Park (older) neighborhood>>> look for homes on streets that run off Franklin Park Dr. @ Kirkville Rd.
The shopping/business areas for East Syracuse are on Bridge St. & Erie Blvd. East.

Baldwinsville east-Kimbrook neighborhood>>> look for homes on streets that run off Gaskin Rd. & off Theodolite Dr.
Baldwinsville east-Radisson neighborhood>>> look for homes on streets that run off Drakes Landing Rd. & off Willett Pkwy. & off River Rd.
Baldwinsville southeast>>> look for homes on streets that run off Cold Springs Rd.-Rt. 370 & off Bendigo Dr. & off Shanagarry Dr. & off Dunderry Heights St.
There are shopping/business areas in the village & along Oswego Rd.-Rt. 57 & along State Rt. 31 East.

In my opinion, it would be in your best interests for you to buy a home in one of the above Suburban areas. As a side note, I recently observed new out-of-state residents who moved to Cicero area neighborhoods from Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, and last week from New Jersey.

I do not believe that you will need to buy a 4WD vehicle for Winters unless you will be going to participate in Winter Sports (snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, snowboarding, winter outdoor camping) on top of Tug Hill Plateau or in the Adirondack Mountains. Winter weather is usually more extreme NORTH of Oneida Lake-Brewerton-Baldwinsville; and maybe in the hills around Lafayette & Pompey NY=south of Syracuse City.

Welcome to Metro Syracuse/Suburbs & Central New York.

I hope my information is helpful; of assistance to you.

grdnrman

[NaleyRocks]

Nope you don't need a 4wd. When we lived there we had two front wheel drive cars and never had a problem, as long as we kept good tires on the cars.

I would question buying a house for only 4-5 years of living. Definitely do your research on time on market, I don't know how quickly houses sell. For 4-5 years you might be better off renting. Rent is pretty reasonable in the area.

Liverpool is actually a very big area so it depends on where you are looking to buy. In the actually village taxes are higher and traffic can be a nightmare, but out in the subdivisions its really not a problem. We owned a house there for a few years in Bayberry, a nice but older subdivision.

Clay is also a nice area to look, and I think they had much cheaper taxes. Baldwinsville is one of my favorite villages, but they have high property taxes, made it unfeasible for us to own a home there.

I personally was not a fan of North Syracuse or Mattydale. It seemed pretty congested to me, but I'm a rural girl.

[ckhthankgod]

Here are some home rentals, if that is an option: RealtyUSA - Property - Property-List

[grdnrman]

Originally Posted by ElenaM813

Hi everyone,

My husband just found out that he will be completing his medical residency at SUNY Syracuse, so we need to move there in the next couple months. Since we know we will be in the area for at least 4-5 years, we are looking to buy a house.

Any advice you can give is greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance!
Elena

Hello Elena & husband,

I've been told by realtors and bankers that it isn't economically wise (considering having to pay closing costs, fees, etc.) to buy a home unless you will be living in/or owning that home for more than three years; of course you mentioned living there 4-5 years. Best of luck to you.

grdnrman

[luckycharmer010]

hey everyone so I'm moving to Syracuse from New Jersey for job transfer with Sports Authority at the carousel mall I used to be a Army soldier stationed at Fort Drum, ny. I haven't been up to the area since 2008 and I'm looking for a 1 bedroom that will allow me to have my cats as well as within walking distance to the carousel mall. I'm not looking for anything really huge as long as it has she heat and hot water with laundry on site and it's no more than 700 I would be really happy. I don't have a car at the moment but I do have a license and it just be easier if things were within walking distance.

[wingedmunkie]

That's going to be a tall order.

There isn't much residential property south of the mall. To the east is Franklin Square and Downtown. $700 is going to be tough in Franklin Square, especially with pets (though there might be a building with studio apartments). Armory Square is the next downtown neighborhood you'll hit and $700 would be almost impossible there, I would think. You might find something out towards S. Salina but that walk is probably at least 30 minutes unless you're a speed walker. North is probably your best bet, up around the Washington Square Park area. Walking distance is a judgement call but I don't think you're going to be very happy making that walk on a regular basis. Does anyone know if that stretch of Hiawatha has sidewalks?

Honestly, I'd be looking for a car. At the very least I'd be looking into public transit and expanding my search radius.

I found this on Craigslist. (Washington Square Park)
N Side Syr CozyQuiet 1 bd across frm park ALL UTILS INCLUDED!

[ckhthankgod]

Another possibility is to look in the Liverpool area. There are apartments off of Old Liverpool Road and Buckley Road near 7th North that may work. Here are the apartments on Old Liverpool Road that I had in mind: Lakeview Apartments Apartments for Rent - Liverpool, NY Apartments | Apartment Finder

You have these too, but they may be a bit suspect: Syracuse New York Apartments: Onondaga Lake Townhomes

I believe that the apartments on Buckley Road that I had in mind are called Buckley Apartments, if i'm not mistaken. Apartment Spotlight

Buckley Apartments

They are older, but may work for the time being, but check to make sure. Both are on bus lines and the apartments on Buckley are a close walk from restaurants on 7th North. Both are within a reasonable walk from DestinyUSA as well, which will take you to the back entrance of the mall down Park Street. I don't think that there are any sidewalks though. Here are a couple of bus schedules too: http://www.centro.org/2012-Sept-04%2...hedules/46.pdf

http://www.centro.org/2012-Sept-04%2...hedules/16.pdf

On both schedules, you would be looking at Line F.

I hope this helps, luckycharmer010.

[nocrapman]

I have studied and worked with a lot of med-students from SUNY. Most dont stay here afterwards for residency unless they have strong roots in the area. For 4 years - dont buy. Rent and you will not repent! You can easily buy decent homes in your budget in many locales but the taxes are pretty high in most areas and you will not build much equity and will pay a lot in taxes in 4 years.
On campus, there are a few good options and many students utilize that. There is good shopping eateries and downtown is very close to campus as well.
Good luck to you and your hubby!

[ckhthankgod]

You may also find some home rentals here as well: syracuse apts/housing for rent classifieds - craigslist

[luckycharmer010]

I'm def looking into north side. I've seen things on craigslist but, nothing for June. Thanks for the help. I'm looking into hawley green area. Can anyone tell me about the area?