Possible move to Suffolk county, NY

[dabirdguy]

Hi,
I'm considering a job offer in Hauppauge, NY and so I'm looking for opinions on the problems a HAMBer guy like me might encounter.

Any and all information would be appreciated.

PM me and we can arrange a phone call or a chat?

Thanks!!

Glenn

www.glennsplace.com

 

[jay50]

In another life, back in early 80's used to have to travel to that area about every month on business.
Was very pricey evn back then.

You better have a big bank roll tucked away to buy anything decent and to pay property taxes.

I hated getting stuck on the LIE trying to get back to airport; place sucked big time.

 

[toxicz28]

This will help with the home search. Sit down and have a few shots of your favorite adult beverage before you click it!
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-search/Hauppauge_NY

Rediculous taxes, and crippling traffic are also the norm out there.

 

[MoToys]

Live/work/grew-up in Suffolk county.
I have a lot of customers in hauppauge. There is a lot of commerical and industrial areas in hauppauge which helps with property taxes.
I love long island but most who didn't grow up here don't feel the same way.

 

[jay50]

Live/work/grew-up in Suffolk county.
I have a lot of customers in hauppauge. The is a lot of commerical and industrial areas which helps with taxes.
I love long island but most who didn't grow up here don't feel the same way.

Is Circuit Technology still in business; I believe they were located in Smithtown? I used to stay at Smithtown Sheraton back in the day.

 

[ratdoggy]

Grew up on Long Island. It has many many plusses but also some pretty big minuses.
PM me. Hope you are getting a nice raise in pay.

 

[SARG]

Don't plan on a pistol permit........... that county is a pita.

 

[mikester]

Lived here for my whole 57 years. The worst thing about Suffolk is the taxes. Most folks I know pay between 10 and 15K for property taxes. Roads are congested, gotta go through the outer edges of NY city to get off the island which ALWAYS *****.

 

[ratdoggy]

Since I lived there my whole life until Jan 2009 I might be able to point out some things.
Well we can start with home prices.
When I started looking in Ohio. EVERY house seemed affordable. I just didn't care for some neighborhoods because they seemed too "ritzy". I was able to afford the house but didn't think my Long Island "blue collar" way of life would help me get some Grey Poupon from the neighbors. Basically we picked out our current neighborhood based on how many trampolines,swingsets and basketball hoops we saw when we drove through it.

Property taxes
LI......3 bedroom cape (2 car garage) on 1/2 acre next to section 8 rental over $8,000
NE Ohio NEW 4 bedroom colonial (3 car garage) on 1 acre abutting a stream $3,500

Electric bill
LI. $220
NE Ohio $120

Heating your home
LI $300-$400 (especially if you have oil heat-lots of houses there do)
NE Ohio house has a fireplace ,gas heat,gas dryer and oven $75 on budget plan.

 

[ratdoggy]

Since you like cars. Islip town has a law that no vehicle can be on your property (wether or not it's in your garage) if it's not registered. Of course it's not enforced and the illegal apartments codes aren't enforced either. You wouldn't believe how many of the houses have them.

 

[ratdoggy]

But if you like boating. There are not too many places that are better

 

[mikester]

I think the two biggest issues that put LI taxes up where they are the salaries of teachers and police. The county police make over 100K after 4 or 5 years. Teachers here average 75K and up. The gym teacher in our local elementary school makes $128,900 a year. The superintendent makes over 300K to oversee 2 small schools. Its out of control. And ratdoggy is right. Towns make up their own little BS laws, never make them public, so when you do something simple you get a summons for breaking a law that you never knew existed. I think the tax situation has made many companies leave the island.

 

[mikester]

On the bright side, there are plenty of cruise nights out here. At least one every night when the weathers warm. Plenty of fun and some nice rides to see if you dont mind driving with maniacs to get there.

 

[dabirdguy]

Thanks for the help guys!

Keep 'em coming!

And ya I'm gettin a pay raise...right now I'm un-employed...lol... but they are gonna do a bit better than here.

Any areas I should avoid (too costly or "declining")?

 

[rwhite692]

I grew up there. As already mentioned, Ridiculously High Taxes and very expensive utilities. If you are into boating then it is ideal. If you choose to locate in the more rural areas out on the East End, you will pay more but have some very good schools and nicer surroundings... You will get more property for your money on the North Fork vs. the South Fork. I would avoid the Shoreham / Wading River areas, Mastic/Shirley areas...Selden....

 

[mikester]

Check your PMs.

 

[ptab01]

I'm in the Nassau County area just to the west - Taxes are insane the people are too-
in suffolk county you want to steer clear of Wyndanch, Amityville over in Nassau it is Roosevelt, Freeport, Uniondale

 

[stevefasano]

removed due to

 

[MoToys]

Like I said, anyone who is not from here rarely likes it.
Traffic stinks sometimes but it's an island so get off the lie or parkway and take a road. You can't go to far before you hit water.
The east end is way to far for you though. There are plenty of towns near hauppauge with decent taxes (for around here).
Come out to the island and see it for yourself, no one here can give you an easy answer.
Oh and there is more than amityville and wyandanch to avoid, here is a small list.
Mastic, Shirley, Brentwood, central islip, bayport, and the two aforementioned.

 

[TheGunCollector]

Live/work/grew-up in Suffolk county.
I have a lot of customers in hauppauge. There is a lot of commerical and industrial areas in hauppauge which helps with property taxes.
I love long island but most who didn't grow up here don't feel the same way.

I grew up there. Still own a house on 3 acres in Suffolk.

If the OP likes traffic, crappy weather, excessive taxation, and draconian gun laws by the biggest overreaching state government in the least free state in the country, he'll love it there.

 

[ratdoggy]

On the bright side, there are plenty of cruise nights out here. At least one every night when the weathers warm. Plenty of fun and some nice rides to see if you dont mind driving with maniacs to get there.

Oak Beach on Sunday's was nice I think Billy Joel stopped by there a couple of times.I know Nathan's in Oceanside was hot for a long time so was Bald Hill. I don't think the Wendy's in Oakdale is still going. The problem is you find a good place to go and then the idiots start spinning tires and the cops have nothing better to do than break your balls.

 

[MoToys]

Oak Beach on Sunday's was nice I think Billy Joel stopped by there a couple of times.I know Nathan's in Oceanside was hot for a long time so was Bald Hill. I don't think the Wendy's in Oakdale is still going. The problem is you find a good place to go and then the idiots start spinning tires and the cops have nothing better to do than break your balls.

With all the recent police activity its a little hard top get down to oak beach.
And the OBI has been gone for a while.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/04/01/crime/main20049640.shtml:scared:

 

[ratdoggy]

I think the two biggest issues that put LI taxes up where they are the salaries of teachers and police. The county police make over 100K after 4 or 5 years. Teachers here average 75K and up. The gym teacher in our local elementary school makes $128,900 a year. The superintendent makes over 300K to oversee 2 small schools. Its out of control. And ratdoggy is right. Towns make up their own little BS laws, never make them public, so when you do something simple you get a summons for breaking a law that you never knew existed. I think the tax situation has made many companies leave the island.

Absolutely; we have some good friends there that are making serious, serious money as teachers.She had both of her sons become teachers and they are making $80K plus after being out of school maybe 4 years. The teachers union and school districts have a strangle hold on the homeowner. Beat a budget and they have "austerity" that might be more than the budget you just beat. But under "austerity" there is no sports,buses,music or art, The kinds of things that make a school district desirable.

 

[mikester]

Wendys in Oakdale is going strong ! I was there last night and the turnout was good ! Im sure when the weather gets a little warmer the place will be packed. I went to the one in Kings Park last year and that had a pretty good crowd too.
As far as teachers and school budgets, it pisses me off that the teachers are so greedy. They want their raises no matter how it will effect the homeowners in the town. They make big $$ for 185 days of work and the people that have to suffer so they make it have to break their butts for a full year to make less in most cases. I think the idea of putting a cap on the superintendents pay is a good idea but I think when they try to do that all these guys are going to retire early so they can get pensions on what they make now. It already happened in a district in Nassau. These guys are slick.

 

[ratdoggy]

One BIG plus is that you are a 1 hour train ride from one of the greatest cities in the world!! Also forget High School sports. It's nothing like it is in the rest of the country. The only people who go to the games are pretty much parents of the players and kids from the school. I thought it strange going to my son's high school baseball game (in Ohio) and seeing parents with jackets,hats and blankets with the team colors and emblem on it!

 

[ratdoggy]

With all the recent police activity its a little hard top get down to oak beach.
And the OBI has been gone for a while.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/04/01/crime/main20049640.shtml:scared:

That's why I didn't say "Inn". I have great memories of that place. Bob Matherson bought my wedding party champagne when we went there after my first wedding's after reception party.

 

[ratdoggy]

BTW Mikestr and Motoys where are you?

 

[scottzilla]

Born and raised, Suffolk County.
I've been to Mo. Trust me....you'd be moving up in the world.

 

[enz]

Oak Beach in the summer gets pretty packed, by 8am you can't find a parking space

 

[MoToys]

BTW Mikestr and Motoys where are you?

Grew up in west Islip. Our shop is in north babylon (I am mobile on the island all day). Currently living in Douglaston (queens/nassau border, the girlfriend works in the bronx)

The OBI was a great place. We have one of their old floor vaults in our shop.

 

[justanengineer]

1. Hope you make a $h!tload of money and enjoy living on top of each other.
2. Hope you have a pretty crappy daily driver that you either wont fix or have really good insurance on (as in you dont care when somebody sideswipes you in traffic bc theyre too busy eating a donut on the way to work, and youre not likely to catch them btw to get their insurance info - had this happen several times)

 

[ratdoggy]

Grew up in west Islip. Our shop is in north babylon (I am mobile on the island all day). Currently living in Douglaston (queens/nassau border, the girlfriend works in the bronx)

The OBI was a great place. We have one of their old floor vaults in our shop.

My wife and I both met at and worked at Bennigans in North Babylon. A friend of mine owns a gift shop in Babylon Village. My wife's dad lives in Dix Hills.
PS what do you do for a living?

 

[MoToys]

1. Hope you make a $h!tload of money and enjoy living on top of each other.
2. Hope you have a pretty crappy daily driver that you either wont fix or have really good insurance on (as in you dont care when somebody sideswipes you in traffic bc theyre too busy eating a donut on the way to work, and youre not likely to catch them btw to get their insurance info - had this happen several times)

Did you live on LI? This sounds more like the 5 boroughs.

My wife and I both met at and worked at Bennigans in North Babylon. A friend of mine owns a gift shop in Babylon Village. My wife's dad lives in Dix Hills.
PS what do you do for a living?

I'm a locksmith, right down the road from Bennigans which is now Buffalo Wild Wings.
Dix Hills is nice as long as you aren't in the part that borders Wheatly Heights/Wyandach.

What happened to the OP?

 

[neverenoughtools]

Geez, so much for "the I love NY" commercial !

 

[mikester]

Geez, so much for "the I love NY" commercial !

Remember NY is much bigger than just Long Island ! Upstate is a different world. The sad thing is most people who hate New Yorkers are getting to know folks from the city. Cidiots as we like to call them out here ! Rude, pushy asshats that take over from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

 

[mikester]

BTW Mikestr and Motoys where are you?

Check your PMs.

 

[johnny]

Long Island ROCKS.

 

[dabirdguy]

Thanks Mikestr!

 

[vette]

Been here most of my life and dont know if I'd leave. Yes its costly but the salary's reflect that.Older homes are less on taxes.I my self just finished a 3 car garage and machine shop[took 3 yrs w the town,but got it done]. Lots of race cars here[but no track *****] 15 min from any thing you could need[dont know how other places do it,drive for an hour 1way for some Italian bread and we have the best food in the country.

 

[holdover]

Huntington Sta was home but left years ago and other than an occasional visit, LI just is an old fond memory. I live in rural VA south of roanoke on a 17 acre piece of property, Taxes are low, people are friendly, and overall it has been a great place to spend the last 36 yrs. nearest stop light is 16 miles away.. Pay difference was about 20% when I moved down here but land taxes were only about 10% of what they were in NY..and i paid $1100 per acre.