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My fiancé and I are currently renting a 2BR apartment in Rockville Centre and our lease is up in the next few months. We are looking to enter the housing market for the first time (I’m 29, she is 27). We love Rockville Centre but can’t afford a house there (maybe someday). Our budget is around $600K with the potential to go slightly higher. I usually commute to Manhattan 2-3 days per week for work, WFH the others. She is a teacher in the Elmont School District. We get married within the next 9 months and plan on starting a family within the next 1.5 to 2 years. We are looking for a good starter home that ideally has 3 or 4 bedrooms. Our preferences are as follows:
-reasonable commute to Elmont by car and NYC by train
-proximity to the beaches (especially Long Beach), as we spend a lot of time here during the summer
-good school district
-Safe neighborhood
-good restaurant options (we like to go out to eat) & shopping
I drove through North Merrick last week and really liked the area. It has excellent highway access and looks solidly middle class, but there isn’t much inventory on the market there. Will we be able to find anything in our price range in these towns that is move-in ready and won’t require a lot of work? To anyone who has lived in or is very familiar with these neighborhoods, just wondering how you would rank them as a best fit for us? Any other towns we should be looking? Thanks in advance!
There's no way that a potential buyer looking on the South Shore in the towns they listed would be looking to buy in Elmont and you know exactly why (race) Ditto for Valley Stream although not to the same extent.
To the OP - Why isn't Lynbrook on your list? Close to both Elmont/Rockville Centre and has the LIRR.
There's no way that a potential buyer looking on the South Shore in the towns they listed would be looking to buy in Elmont and you know exactly why (race) Ditto for Valley Stream although not to the same extent.
To the OP - Why isn't Lynbrook on your list? Close to both Elmont/Rockville Centre and has the LIRR.
Lynbrook is definitely another potential option for us as it would be the easiest commute to Elmont/NYC and proximate to RVC like you mentioned. We are keeping our eyes open there as well, but the area feels a bit more congested (probably due to the small lot sizes) and from what I've seen on Zillow and read on this forum, a lot of the housing stock is old and needs updates. There also doesn't appear to be much inventory on the market in Lynbrook. There seems to be more available in neighboring East Rockaway, and I'm not really interested in that area.
I grew up in New Hyde Park and later moved with the family 8 blocks SE to western Garden City, right by the Stewart Manor Train Station. She grew up in Franklin Square. Our parents are still in those same locations. While it would be nice to be close to them, i don't think you get much bang for your buck in New Hyde Park and Franklin Square. Floral Park is nice, but another town that doesn't seem to have much on the market in our price range.
this might not make sense for you but I would encourage you to take the long view and and keep renting for a while. If you really want RVC, remain in your apartment and save for another 2-3 years (or whatever) until you can afford the house/neighborhood you want. Babies come with a lot of stuff - but it's not impossible to fit 2 little kids in one bedroom for a year or two.
There's no way that a potential buyer looking on the South Shore in the towns they listed would be looking to buy in Elmont and you know exactly why (race) Ditto for Valley Stream although not to the same extent.
To the OP - Why isn't Lynbrook on your list? Close to both Elmont/Rockville Centre and has the LIRR.
Good enough to take the money from the Elmont District but not good enough to live there I guess then.
One day suburban whites will get smart and gentrify areas to save big bucks on housing.
this might not make sense for you but I would encourage you to take the long view and and keep renting for a while. If you really want RVC, remain in your apartment and save for another 2-3 years (or whatever) until you can afford the house/neighborhood you want. Babies come with a lot of stuff - but it's not impossible to fit 2 little kids in one bedroom for a year or two.
I agree with this completely, especially if he's in a walkable part of RVC and his rent isn't too expensive. Having young kids in a normal apartment is great while they're young, he shouldn't feel pressured to run out and buy a house (if that's the reason why he's looking to buy), especially if he can't really afford to buy in a town in which he wants to live.
OP -- why the rush to buy a house right now vs rent for a few more years?
Quote:
Originally Posted by NSHL10
Good enough to take the money from the Elmont District but not good enough to live there I guess then.
One day suburban whites will get smart and gentrify areas to save big bucks on housing.
The whole south shore corridor is becoming more like Elmont. One good town next to a not so great town from Valley Stream out through Suffolk. The borders between the towns blur each more everyday. Towns like Elmont are becoming the new norm for Long Island: more diversified and higher percentage of renters compared to previous generations.
If you think you can escape the creep in from the not so great town you are mistaken. Buying in the more expensive but somewhat whiter area is no guarantee it will stay that way. Spending top dollar on a house during a period of relatively high interest rates in a decreasing market may not be the best financial decision.
Elmont is an example of a town that is open for gentrification. Test scores are identical to Franklin Square. Valley Stream is another type town with similar potential. If they were in NYC they would be snapped up by young people. Public transportation is readily available, access to highways, and close to NYC for work make them desirable.
If Elmont was in NYC, it would be flooded by young folks looking for a bargain. It is weird that by crossing over the Nassau line the rules change.
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