Moving to Rochester area- Looking For a house (Buffalo, Syracuse: for sale, real estate)
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Hi everyone! My wife, 2 kids, and I are planning a move to Rochester this summer, and I have some questions I hope to learn more about.
I'm going to work at the University and my wife will look for a job in the dentistry field my son is 15 (freshmen) and daughter is 12 (6 grade). We have been advised to focus on Brighton and Pittsford because of the superior public school districts in those communities and we'd like to have a school environment that respect academic but also provides sport programs.
Here are my questions:
1. What is the way to decipher real estate taxes?
2. We're looking for a home in the 100K-200K and we noticed a big range of houses at this price but the spread was also big. Is there a difference between specific locales at these suburbs? Are there areas to stay away from?
3. Are there good recreation activities/centers? Good athletic clubs?
4. Is there a specific middle school that one should look for? stay away from?
5. Are there any realtors one should work with? Are there any other locales to check out?
6. Finally, is there a good place for a temporary residence while we look for a new home?
Brighton and Pittsford don't really have any "bad" areas, so a 100-200k house will still be in a safe neighborhood in either of those towns for sure. Your money doesn't go quite as far in those towns as it would in most other Rochester suburbs but if its top quality schools you want that is where they are.
no Whole foods but Wegmans has a decent selection for Organic food for being a non organic supermarket. Lori's natural foods is dedicated to organic foods and is a good substitute for whole foods.
Thank you for the follow up. We're still looking for good real estate agent. As we're coming from AK we want have the luxury of multiple visits before we will move there. Does anyone have a suggestion regarding the timing of the visit, and how one can rent a place for a short period of time while we're looking for a home?
Well, if you are moving here this summer, and want to visit sometime before then; I'd suggest visiting in mid-may; maybe around the time of the Lilac Festival. Spring will be in full peak bloom and this area is beautiful that time of year with nice weather usually in the 70's. I would have advised you to come in February/March to see Rochester at it's worst whether to see if you can handle it but A) This has been a very mild March and much more springlike than usual, and B) you are from Alaska so you'd probably laugh at a Rochester winter.
1. To get a basic feel for the taxes in the area, use Nothnagle.com - Full Service REALTOR® - Homes for sale in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Elmira/Corning NY They really do a great job on the listings... one of the few realtors that actually let you know how much you'll end up paying in taxes (which are significant in NY and Monroe County). My parents used them when they bought their house and were very satisfied. The only other thing which they may not include in the tax listing is the STAR exemption... which is a weak attempt at assisting those that aren't mega-wealthy. Basically it's a small amount (typically in the $400-$600 range) taken off the top of your property taxes.
2. Stay out of the city area itself when looking for a home. The east side (Webster, Penfield, Perinton, Brighton, Fairport, Pittsford, Victor) is definitely the better side of town. The public schools in all of those towns are very good, and most have a strong athletics program. High school football is pretty huge here... almost as big a deal as it is in Texas. But whatever you do... and I can't stress this enough... do not get your kid into the Rochester City School District... unless you want to condemn them to flipping burgers for life.
1. To get a basic feel for the taxes in the area, use Nothnagle.com - Full Service REALTOR® - Homes for sale in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Elmira/Corning NY They really do a great job on the listings... one of the few realtors that actually let you know how much you'll end up paying in taxes (which are significant in NY and Monroe County). My parents used them when they bought their house and were very satisfied. The only other thing which they may not include in the tax listing is the STAR exemption... which is a weak attempt at assisting those that aren't mega-wealthy. Basically it's a small amount (typically in the $400-$600 range) taken off the top of your property taxes.
2. Stay out of the city area itself when looking for a home. The east side (Webster, Penfield, Perinton, Brighton, Fairport, Pittsford, Victor) is definitely the better side of town. The public schools in all of those towns are very good, and most have a strong athletics program. High school football is pretty huge here... almost as big a deal as it is in Texas. But whatever you do... and I can't stress this enough... do not get your kid into the Rochester City School District... unless you want to condemn them to flipping burgers for life.
No offense to any RCSD graduates, here, but I'm not sure I'd trust one to flip a burger, even. I've worked around some of those "graduates" and they were idiots.
Not trying to hijack the thread, just sayin'.
Most of the really good districts are east and south of the city.
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Thanks for the posts
