Have you been looking at Long Island houses for sale? Here what you should know before you commit:
Our Property Taxes, Noise, and Traffic Situations Are Bad…
I’m going to be upfront with you, living in Long Island is far from perfect. Like any major New York region, we have our fair share of problems. The three biggest tend to be our property taxes, noise, and traffic situations. Hey, nobody’s perfect, right?
See, Long Island is a big place made up of many towns, with some of the most popular being Kensington, Oyster Bay, Syosset, University Gardens, Stony Brook, Huntington, Brookville, and Garden City. The more popular the region, though, the higher the property taxes. In general, homeownership in Long Island can cost up to 70% more than the average elsewhere. On the plus side, a big reason for these taxes is because of Long Island’s many diverse and high quality school districts. If you’re moving to Long Island and you don’t have plans to raise a family, though, that might not sway you.
When it comes to finding the right property for your budget, it’s important to visit the different communities within Long Island and find which one has the best combination of affordability and livability, based on your own personal preferences. One of those preferences might very well be the noise level. While much of the region is known for having a relaxed atmosphere, the closer you get to the more metropolitan areas, especially when close to school zones and nightlife complexes, the nosier it will get.
The same goes for traffic, which can get very dense in Long Island’s more urban locales, and it only gets worse the closer you get to Manhattan.
But Everything Else is Pretty Much Awesome. Honest.
Okay, now that I’ve got the bad news out of the way, here’s the good news. Property taxes, noise, and traffic may suck in certain areas. But everything else—and I do mean EVERYTHING—is awesome. Don’t just take it from me, though; Long Island has consistently been ranked as one of the best places to live in all of the United States, with Oyster Bay and Huntington, in particular, getting nods from Money Magazine year after year after year.
Why is Long Island such a great place to put down roots? Well, there’s our school offerings for starters. Property taxes may be steep, but the payoff is a thriving educational system, the largest in the state outside of New York City. Long Island also has a strong economy with an unemployment rate of around just 3%, and the proximity to Manhattan allows for virtually infinite job opportunities via commute.
What really sets Long Island apart, though, isn’t how close we are to New York City. It’s how different we are. In many ways, we’re worlds apart. Even our most chaotic urban areas are positively placid compared to the nonstop hustle and bustle of Manhattan. The vast majority of Long Island, however, is made of wide-open spaces: lush beaches, rolling forests, and beautifully maintained parks. For outdoorsy types, Long Island is a bonanza of hiking, swimming, skiing, sailing, and fishing opportunities.
Most famously, Long Island is home to America’s “wine country,” with more than 60 wineries and vineyards dotted throughout the region. Every year, people from all over the state—and far beyond—descend on Long Island to take part in Winterfest, a month-long celebration of wine and art. If nothing else, a tasty glass of Merlot should help ease the pain of the pricey real estate market.