Wantagh Home w/ Levittown School Questions

We saw a house in Wantagh w/ Levittown schools.

Its right above Jerusalem Ave. and under Southern State Pkwy according to google maps.

Any idea which specific schools would it be zoned for? Also how is the area itself? We are from Queens and have no idea so any and all info. would be appreciated.

Thanks so much

Wantagh Home w/ Levittown School Questions

Great neighborhood. Not sure of the elementary but middle school is Salk and high school is MacArthur. DH & I lived in an apartment there for 5 years and would have stayed if we could have found a house in our price range. IL's live there.

Re: Wantagh Home w/ Levittown School Questions

Depending on which side of Jerusalem (east or west) it would be East Broadway Elementary or Gardiners Avenue.
It's a nice area....I grew up here and still live in the area.

Wantagh Home w/ Levittown School Questions

I grew up in Levittown and my youngest sister just graduated MacArthur. My parents have 5 successful children from that district. The block I grew up on always had a great community feel to it.

Wantagh Home w/ Levittown School Questions

you'd be my neighbor!!! LOL I'm closing on a house this week in Forest City (that's the neighborhood). i personally love it even tho i havent moved in yet. The elementary school is Lee Road. there are only 322 kids in the whole school and i hear wonderful things about it. middle is salk and HS is macarthur. only bad thing is the taxes are high.

Wantagh Home w/ Levittown School Questions

I grew up in Levittown- that's a nice area! And MacArthur is a great school.

Good luck!

Re: Wantagh Home w/ Levittown School Questions

DH and I lived there b4 moving to CT for his job. We still own our house on Lawrence Drive and rent it out. We love the area.

Re: Wantagh Home w/ Levittown School Questions

I live very close to MacArthur and I really like it here. Many of my neighbors are from queens.

The schools are really good. The taxes are high though.

Wantagh Home w/ Levittown School Questions

As a PP said it is probably going to be Lee Road elementary. It's a great area, everything is nearby. I went to MacArthur too (a verrrrrry long time ago )

Re: Wantagh Home w/ Levittown School Questions

Great neighborhood. You're walking distance to lots of shopping, 1 minute from the Southern State, and a 6 or 7 minute straight drive to the train station. It's zoned for Lee Road Elementary, as others have said. My friends with kids there are really happy with it. The neighborhood has lots of young families.

Re: Wantagh Home w/ Levittown School Questions

LIke PP said this is Forest City. I moved there 3 years ago and love it. It has a nice community feel. THe do organized family events at the local park and community house. I went to Salk and MacArthur and there are great schools.
Hope to see you around!!!

Re: Wantagh Home w/ Levittown School Questions

If it's the "D" section, it's Lee Road. I live in that section..
GOOD LUCK!

I went there as kid, as well as gardiners ave and wisdom lane, then salk then macarthur grad 1991.

Message edited 12/18/2013 1:37:11 PM.

Re: Wantagh Home w/ Levittown School Questions

Posted by MrsProfessor

As a PP said it is probably going to be Lee Road elementary. It's a great area, everything is nearby. I went to MacArthur too (a verrrrrry long time ago )

Re: Wantagh Home w/ Levittown School Questions

Thank you so much for all your input! It really helped make our decision to put in an offer. Unfortunately, we just got the call that they have a full-price offer and we were "second"... not really willing to go above asking especially since the comps don't warrant it.

I'm very sad, this is the third house that we got outbid on. It was only on the market for a few days..... getting discouraged.

Thanks again though, maybe another good one will come up

Re: Wantagh Home w/ Levittown School Questions

Posted by d-h2008

Thank you so much for all your input! It really helped make our decision to put in an offer. Unfortunately, we just got the call that they have a full-price offer and we were "second"... not really willing to go above asking especially since the comps don't warrant it.

I'm very sad, this is the third house that we got outbid on. It was only on the market for a few days..... getting discouraged.

Thanks again though, maybe another good one will come up

Re: Wantagh Home w/ Levittown School Questions

Posted by Century 21 Dallow - Christine Braun

Posted by d-h2008

Thank you so much for all your input! It really helped make our decision to put in an offer. Unfortunately, we just got the call that they have a full-price offer and we were "second"... not really willing to go above asking especially since the comps don't warrant it.

I'm very sad, this is the third house that we got outbid on. It was only on the market for a few days..... getting discouraged.

Thanks again though, maybe another good one will come up

I don't know what price point you are looking in, but my office is in N. Bellmore (I live there, too), and I do a lot of work in Seaford, Wantagh, Bellmore, Merrick, etc. If you are looking north of Sunrise Highway in any of those towns, it's VERY competitive right now, especially if you are looking in the $400,000 or under price range (even $450,000 or under). The demand outweighs the supply, so it's really important to (i) be educated about the market, (ii) be prepared to move very quickly (houses are getting offers immediately after they are listed and often multiple offers), and (iii) present your offer in the strongest light (be clear about ALL terms, not just price, put offer in writing, provide preapproval when making offer, etc.).

I know you said the comps didn't warrant going over asking, but do you have an agent? I really think a buyer's agent is always a good asset for a buyer, but especially in a competitive market. They can guide you on offer strategy, home values, etc. They help you navigate through each phase of the process (through closing), and be your advocate each step of the way. Agents often have information on houses that aren't available to a consumer looking online that can help you act faster and make better decisions.

Even if you already do have an agent, I would just keep in mind that comps are backward looking. So if a house sold 5 or 6 months ago, it went into contract 7 or 8 months ago (and selling price was negotiated prior to going to contract). So the selling price may not be reflective of the current market conditions, as buyer demand and prices -- in certain areas -- are on an upward trend. So make sure you are looking at more recent comps and are taking into account market changes.

Let me know if I can be of assistance! I would be happy to help, and I am very familiar with Wantagh!

Re: Wantagh Home w/ Levittown School Questions

Posted by d-h2008

Posted by Century 21 Dallow - Christine Braun

Posted by d-h2008

Thank you so much for all your input! It really helped make our decision to put in an offer. Unfortunately, we just got the call that they have a full-price offer and we were "second"... not really willing to go above asking especially since the comps don't warrant it.

I'm very sad, this is the third house that we got outbid on. It was only on the market for a few days..... getting discouraged.

Thanks again though, maybe another good one will come up

I don't know what price point you are looking in, but my office is in N. Bellmore (I live there, too), and I do a lot of work in Seaford, Wantagh, Bellmore, Merrick, etc. If you are looking north of Sunrise Highway in any of those towns, it's VERY competitive right now, especially if you are looking in the $400,000 or under price range (even $450,000 or under). The demand outweighs the supply, so it's really important to (i) be educated about the market, (ii) be prepared to move very quickly (houses are getting offers immediately after they are listed and often multiple offers), and (iii) present your offer in the strongest light (be clear about ALL terms, not just price, put offer in writing, provide preapproval when making offer, etc.).

I know you said the comps didn't warrant going over asking, but do you have an agent? I really think a buyer's agent is always a good asset for a buyer, but especially in a competitive market. They can guide you on offer strategy, home values, etc. They help you navigate through each phase of the process (through closing), and be your advocate each step of the way. Agents often have information on houses that aren't available to a consumer looking online that can help you act faster and make better decisions.

Even if you already do have an agent, I would just keep in mind that comps are backward looking. So if a house sold 5 or 6 months ago, it went into contract 7 or 8 months ago (and selling price was negotiated prior to going to contract). So the selling price may not be reflective of the current market conditions, as buyer demand and prices -- in certain areas -- are on an upward trend. So make sure you are looking at more recent comps and are taking into account market changes.

Let me know if I can be of assistance! I would be happy to help, and I am very familiar with Wantagh!

Hi, thanks for the response! We don't have a buyers agent, we met this agent at a different open house and he showed this one. I'm sure he would like us to hire him as a buyers agent but my DH says we don't really have the extra $ for that! That agent is the one who emailed us like 10 other comps and his own words were do not offer above asking on this house, not worth it. Such a confusing process.

We have a 2 family in queens that we just bought 2 years ago. We also didn't use a buyers agent and honestly, we got the house with a secret flooding problem that Im 100% sure the agent knew about but just didn't disclose to us. I really want someone advocating for US this time!!!...

Re: Wantagh Home w/ Levittown School Questions

Re: Wantagh Home w/ Levittown School Questions

Re: Wantagh Home w/ Levittown School Questions

Yes, the other posters are correct. When I work as a buyer's agent (which is different obviously from just working with a buyer), the buyer gives me the exclusive right to represent them in the process. But the buyer doesn't pay me out of pocket. My fee comes from the seller's proceeds -- just as it would if I were working with the buyer as a traditional agent (i.e., representing the seller, not the buyer).

So it doesn't cost you any more money to have a buyer's agent -- at least not the way many buyer's agents do it. And as the buyer, you are the one bringing ALL of the money to the table, so why be the only party without representation?

Of course, a buyer's agent technically COULD charge a fee to the buyer (where the buyer would have to pay them out of pocket). It's up to each agent to decide if they want extra compensation. So I would just clarify with your agent how buyer agency would work if you feel comfortable with him and are interested in that option. But make sure he is comfortable with buyer's agency and experienced with it -- You would be surprised how many agents are afraid of buyer's agency (there is more liability and the agent has to be more knowledgeable in advising the buyer, not just on price but a variety of due diligence items).

The majority of my buyer side transactions are as a buyer's agent. I am very comfortable with it and have successfully closed many transactions as a buyer's agent. I think my background as an attorney and attention to detail helps in this regard, and it's a more intuitive way for me to work with buyers.

So my advice to any buyer is to hire a buyer's agent, but make sure that agent is a good fit for you, and up for the job! Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions, either via FM or at [email protected] or (516) 587-7618.