Attention New Yorkers

[Allisonfaye]

My husband thinks he might be getting a job offer soon from a firm located in NYC. I was just wondering what kind of house we could get compared to what we have here and what suburbs are nice in that area.

Schools are important since we have two little girls. Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Cailet]

I don''t live in NYC - but my friends do. They own a STUDIO apartment/condo thing and I believe they are currently assessed at 250,000-300,000?? Granted they are in a kind of trendy neighborhood in Manhattan so I''m guessing if you get out a little further from the city it might be better?

 

[scarlet16]

Hi Allison-

Your best bets are to look in Westchester County (NY), Nassau or Suffolk County (Long Island, NY), Bergen County (NJ), Lower Connecticut (I''m not as familiar with this area). All of these locations tend to have better schools. Can you give me a little more information as to what you''re looking for?

If you''d like to stay in NYC, places are available, but they will be apartments and they will be INSANELY expensive.

I grew up in NJ and LOVE it there, and currently am living in NYC.

 

[curlygirl]

I agree with scarlet. You''ll probably want to get a real house outside of the city, especially with children. The NYC prices for private pre-school are like $15,000/year and only get worse as they get older! There are some good public schools but you''re better off finding a place in the suburbs.

I grew up in Bergen County (northern NJ) and I HIGHLY recommend it! The schools are excellent, the commute is easy and it''s just a great area to live in. My husband and I are definitely considering moving back there once we have children but for now we''re enjoying city life! I''m not sure where you are moving from but just be prepared for high prices in this area, although I think it''s worth it! Do you have any specific towns that you''ve heard of or are thinking about? Please let me know and I''ll be happy to give any input I can!

 

[lost on 5th]

i agree with the others. outside the city within reach of NJ transit or LIRR is your best bet!

as for what you can get compared to what you have... it all depends on where you live now. do be prepaired for high prices, but it is well worth it!

also....living in the city with children isnt all that bad either... there is just a large cost associated with it.

would you husbands potontial firm be in midtown? if so the commute from anywhere is a breeze!

 

[moremoremore]

I'm doing this only to give you an accurate picture as I see it....and I am disguisted with NY LOL after house hunting for about 2 weeks. That was short lived.

A Queens county coop in an "ok" area (about a 10-15 minute drive to mid-town), which is small but decent size (say a two bedroom, 1200 sq feet) could easily sell at LEAST $350,000, plus you pay anywhere from $500-$800 monthyl maintenance that you have to pay. You also pay State, Federal AND city income taxes. It is a a very good commute to NYC.. I live in Queens. You do not want to live in Queens with two kids. No way. No how. (My opinion)...Single family houses in the nice areas (Forest Hills, Bayside...you are over $850 EASILY, and something nice for over a million)...

As for Westchester, I love it. As far as I'm concerned, all the places that would be an ok commute to NYC (rye, mamaroneck...) and a small fixer upper will be AT LEAST $600,000.00 plus at LEAST $10,000.00-12,000 +++++(that is low) taxes per year. A nice, decent home in a good area is at least $850k, and over 1 mil if you want a few bedrooms and a nice yard. In Nassau County $500k will sadly get you a really ugly small little house one on top of the other..in any decent areas modest/low taxes will be 8-10-12 grand very very easy. Really nice areas, you can be looking at taxes from 15k to 25k per year).... Suffolk is cheaper, but the commute is *long*.... NYC apartments are small but they can be cute and fun! And there are some great schools.

Best bet is to do a search for Long Island homes on realtor.com....search Nassau and Queens County. Also do coops and condos in NYC!!!!

If you are making a good salary, well, all is right with the world!!! And you might actually like it here

Best of luck.

 

[ammayernyc]

I was born and raised in New York City so I have nothing bad to say about it except... it''s very expensive.

I''m not sure what size house you have now, but if you are looking for an apartment that is decent sized in a nice area with a doorman and all the amenities it''s going to cost millions. I know of a very good broker if you''re interested in looking for an apartment.

Although there are a couple of good public schools in the city, the vast majority of them are not good and I would not send your daughters there. Private schools will run you about $25k per child per year.

If you are willing to commute, living in the suburbs is much less expensive and the schools are better. However, you''re not in NYC (which, to me personally, is a HUGE disadvatage). But, alas, I am a City girl so there''s not talking me out of here...

 

[Allisonfaye]

I don''t think we would live in the city. I want some grass. One of the things I hate about our current house is that the backyard is too small. A commute would be fine but not too long. 30 min tops maybe. We currently have a 4,400 sf , 4 bedroom, 4 bathroom house. I would like to have 5 bedrooms if we moved.

I think DH would be working closer to Wall St. but I am not sure.

As far as schools, when the girls are little, I don''t care if they attend a public school as long as it is a good one. I would like them to go to an all girls school when they hit middle school if anyone knows a good one. Might be too pricey but I want to look into it.

 

[SquareCut]

For that size, expect to pay about 2 million.

 

[moremoremore]

Oh boy. I would say Westchester area close to NYC $1.5 million at least for 3500 square feet. Plus what? $20k per year most easily in taxes.......but it's more than 30 min to nyc I think...Nassau County 30 min is maybe Great Neck area (most western Nassau County)....$2million easy.... plus again, $20k+ taxes...

In the city? 2 bedroom, 1200 square feet is over 1 mill! There is one online-- 5 bedroom, 4 bath 3500sq ft is $4.7mill And it's not that nice!

Depending on where you come from...you just need to prepare mentally for sticker shock LOL...but there ARE other places out there as expensive as NY!!! (I can't even stand the thought!!!

)

p.s. from Penn Station NYC alone, it will take 15 minutes at least to get to Wall St I think...So unless you're in NYC, the commute is going to be over 30 min no matter how you slice it. With NO traffic, I can be into the city (driving) in 10-15 minutes. It takes him 1 hour during the week by subway and train. There is simply no way to drive in. And if you GET in, there is no place to park.

Geez, I sound like I hate it here! Oh yeah, I kinda DO! LOL...It's just too hard to live.

But then again, it's NY!!! LOL..

 

[taitai_s]

Hi there,

I grew up in Northern NJ - I only hear the very best things about many school systems in Bergen County. I note that Tenafly (NJ) consistently has the top-rated schools in the state.

Good luck with everything!

 

[Kaleigh]

We have many friends that live in Bergen County. Great schools, great community etc... Good luck in your search and happy house hunting!!!

 

[dani13]

I grew up in northern NJ (about 45 mins west of NYC- Morris county). Dont know if you are looking to go that far, but it is lovely there too, and most likely a bit cheaper than Bergen in most areas). I now live a little south of where I grew up- although that would be too far for you- about an hr west of lower Manhattan.

Bergen county is lovely- Brian's (my fi's) brother lives there- there are many quaint and charming towns up there that I love to visit from time to time. Definitely agree with the others- expect sticker shock everywhere around this area, especially areas that are still commutable to NYC-you are going to pay an arm and a leg for everything!!!

Good luck!

 

[codex57]

Hmm, other than the taxes, the NYC prices are actually about the same as SF or LA. Sorta surprised. Everyone makes such a big deal about how expensive NYC prices are, but they aren''t as bad as I thought.

 

[curlygirl]

Date: 9/27/2006 12:49:04 AM
Author: codex57
Hmm, other than the taxes, the NYC prices are actually about the same as SF or LA. Sorta surprised. Everyone makes such a big deal about how expensive NYC prices are, but they aren''t as bad as I thought.

codex, you''re absolutely correct when comparing NYC to SF or LA. I actually think the bay area may be even pricier, considering places like Marin where it seems like most houses are starting over $1million! But when comparing NYC or SF prices to the rest of the country, I think sticker shock is definitely expected!! We''re probably jaded...

 

[moremoremore]

Yes..one of my friends X'd to a SF law firm from a NY firm, and she was shocked at SF prices!!!! We are definitely jaded....

 

[scarlet16]

I agree with everyone that Bergen county is excellent. I think it''s true for a house the size you''re thinking will probably be close to $1 mil...maybe just under in certain areas of Bergen county. Again, the schools are phenomenal there. I was raised there most of my life (aside for 3 years in Morris county), and really do love it.

Of course, when you start looking let us know because like anywhere else, certain towns should be avoided.

 

[lost on 5th]

closer to wallstreet? financial then? when he gets an offer, let me know the name and i can tell you if they might be moving big space shuffle in NYC at the moment for legal and financial firms as they restack. should shake out within the next year +/-

as for commute, you might be looking more like an hour is as a good time from outside the city. penn/grand central to Wall st. can be close to 25 min + train ride into the city. dont even think of driving unless well before 7am.


also, thats a fairly good size house, so the prices will be up there! im working on 2 in that size range 3 mil and 4 mil + our renovation costs $500 to $750k. but those are in some high end neighborhoods. (englewood NJ and on LI sound)

 

[smitcompton]

Dear Allyson,
I lived in NY my first 35 years. My brother who works for a brokerage firm was also transferred from N>Y. to Chicago. After a number of yrs the co. asked him to transfer back to N>Y. He would receive a good raise but when he checked it all out he ended up turning the promotion down. He would need a lot more money to live as well as he did out here in Chicago( Wheaton , IL). I visit friends and prices went way out of whack there. You may not be able to get any comprable there. Be careful with your decision. My brother was then transferred to London where he has lived very well and is happy. Research well.
Good Luck
Annette

 

[MaxineRet]

I grew up in Brooklyn, and currently live in Essex County, New Jersey (Northern NJ). There are areas in Brooklyn that are nice, but decent housing is EXPENSIVE. A semi attached two family house can go for $800,000, and it would not be in the best condition. Schools are okay, depending on which area. NYC has three of the top specialized prestigious high schools. A lot of the students go on to Ivy Leagues, top tier schools, so to me, that''s a draw to living in NYC.

There are many areas in Essex County that are nice, such as Millburn, Livingston, West Orange, etc... with good school systems, but I must warn you, taxes here are high. My house is a small to mid size 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath, and our taxes are $9K+. It goes up a lot every year. There are some nice towns in Union County, with lower taxes, but houses go for a lot (at least $500K+). All the areas that are close to NYC have pretty high taxes.

I doubt you can find anything like what you are living in for the similar price. It sounds really nice. Keep an open mind in your hunt or you will be severely disappointed.

Good luck!

 

[Allisonfaye]

Well, that''s kind of why I was feeling you NY''ers out a bit. While he would get a large $$ increase, it has to be enough to justify the move and if we cannot improve on our lifestyle, it won''t happen. (Not that we are unhappy with our lifestyle, but it will be a big change). I don''t just mean $$ lifestyle. DH is very lucky in that in his current job, he doesn''t have to work a ton of hours. I know in some positions, you are there long hours and if that was the requirement, we would say no. He likes spending time with his family.

We''ll see. I don''t think DH wants to move but if they made him a really, really good offer, and the culture is a good one, I don''t see how he can refuse.

I will keep you guys posted. He probably will go to NY in the next couple of weeks to talk to them. If he is at all interested after that, there will be a million and one questions to talk over.
I will also probably have more questions for you guys. Thanks!

 

[codex57]

What part of the country are you from anyways, Allison? Just the state is fine.

I''m buying my first house so all this talk about the various costs of living in different parts of the country is fascinating to me. I actually moved from an area with high cost of living to relatively low so I got reverse sticker shock. Instead of a 1 bedroom condo, we''re getting a 2 story house.

 

[lost on 5th]

for your amusement. some high end NYC living and prices

very nice, very modern, very well detailed! (macklowe is great to work with)


threeten condos


surprised how quickly this went! the presold almost 40% before the tower was even built!

edit: WOW. didnt realized they have the sales center on the site! (i worked on the design of the sales center... contact > sales center) that was almost 2 years ago! and im just now finding this.

 

[codex57]

Holy moly! What's a 421a abatement? That's some crazy real estate taxes. Gorgeous views and structure so the price seems sorta ok.

 

[j_yeh]

You can try nassau county (town of manhasset has an outstanding school district), its just outside of queens and if you work in the city you can take the LIRR to work. There are houses in the city but you would be surprised at how much you would pay for just a closet sized apt.

 

[moremoremore]

I love Manhasset! But $750k will only get you a small, ok house, and I'm sure the takes are at least 15k to 30k per year depending on the house, no? It's one of the most expensive places on the Island....a 5 bedroom, 4000 sq foot is going to bee way over a million.....My friends got a 5 bedroom in NC for $320!!!! It's insane!!!

Are you in Manhasset? I just love the Ital restuarant in the Miracle Mile!!!!! It's fab!!!! The nsma escapes me. Starts with a P? I work nearby in Great Neck!!!!!

 

[lost on 5th]

codex... this should explain the 421a abatement

http://www.urbandigs.com/2006/03/what_is_a_421a.html