Woodmere | Imamother

amother

Thu, Dec 05 2013, 8:12 pm

amother

Thu, Dec 05 2013, 9:13 pm

amother wrote:

Could you tell me a bit about Woodmere, NY? Specifically, the area around the Aish Kodesh shul? The shul sounds amazing, but what is the neighborhood like? Is it suburban or city-like? Is it relaxed and mellow or hurried, with people cutting you off when driving? How is parking? Can you buy a decent house for around $400k? Are people generally friendly? Do they smile or just rush past you? Is the frum community warm and welcoming?

Um.....depends where you're from, I think. Here's my view as a native Californian transplant - it's suburban, REALLY not mellow (you'll get honked at if your car isn't moving BEFORE the light turns green), if you smile at someone you don't know they look at you like you're insane, not everyone responds when you say "good shabbos" / and no way can you find a decent house for $400k.

Thanks!

amother

Thu, Dec 05 2013, 9:39 pm

amother wrote:

I disagree with the responses. when I say good Shabbos to people they never look at me funny and always say good Shabbos back. also depends who you socialize with - plenty of "jappy" people but there are also plenty of "real" nice people. 400 would prob get you a small 3 bedroom that needs updating.

hopefully I'll meet you - I find this place tough. I have made some good friends, I totally agree with you that there are some nice people - but I don't find it at all welcoming (but I moved here knowing NO ONE which makes it harder, maybe).

amother

Thu, Dec 05 2013, 9:39 pm

amother wrote:

amother

Thu, Dec 05 2013, 11:55 pm

My husband and I keep coming back to woodmere as a place we are interested in living because its suburban, its convenient, lots of schools etc....but whats been keeping us back is that we do not know anyone there. But, I will say that, I have moved around quite a bit over the past 7 years and here is what I have learned - moving is tough, moving to a place where you do not know anyone is really tough. Not having a support network is incredibly lonely and its really hard to meet people. Woodmere is VERY large and it may be hard to find your place. On the other hand, if you do plan to go to aish kodesh I hear that shul is very warm and welcoming from friends who have grown up there are visited.

There are tons of school options. For more of the BY type places there is (Left to Right) shulamith (prob too left wing and tzioni), tag, bnos bais yaakov, and one other bais yaakov that opened recently - I just cant remember the name.

For boy (Right to Left)s: Siach (chassidish), Darchei, yeshiva ketana and south shore.

There are of course more modern options as well. Woodmere is affordable compared to many other communities in NY (as far as buying a house goes), that said you cannot find a house in the 400s that does not require work....but where in ny can you? You can probably find a house in the 400s that needs a lot of work or 500s that needs some work. Most of the houses in woodmere are not big unless htey have been added on to or torn down. You should be able to find something decent for 600K all in (including work)...but then again what do you mean when you say decent? It won't be big, but it will be bigger than anything you could get in queens/brooklyn. Go to zillow and check out what is on the market and what has sold in the area you want to live to get a better idea of prices.

You may want to check out cedarhurst as well.

amother

Fri, Dec 06 2013, 1:10 am

OP here. Thanks for all the info. I googled houses for sale, and found some beautiful ones for under $400k. Are they falling apart? Is that why the prices are so reasonable? By decent, I mean 4 BR, at least 2,000 SF, and a nice backyard.

(Like this: http://m.trulia.com/for_sale/W.....11598
Or:
http://www.zillow.com/homedeta.....odule)

amother

Fri, Dec 06 2013, 1:54 am

amother wrote:

Ok, so IMHO both of those houses need work. They might not be falling apartment but they do look like they have not been touched in a couple of decades. Keep in mind, its not only cosmetic issues, there are also roof, boiler, a/c etc that you may need to consider. So for house #1 - that house is only 1400 sqft. The second one I would assume the same. While it says its 5200 - thats an error - its actually the lot size. Also, I don't think you would want to be on Broadway - its a very busy main road. You can also check out milky forsts website, she lists a lot in the 5 towns and far rockaway....or better yet, you can contact her or another good broker who can help you and give you a better idea of prices.

amother

Fri, Dec 06 2013, 3:03 am

amother wrote:

one more thing. broadway is not as busy as I thought...but that house has been on the market for a very long time. I would imagine there is a reason for that.

also the BY I couldn't remember is Bais Yaakov Ateres Miriam. Very popular.

amother

Fri, Dec 06 2013, 12:56 pm

amother wrote:

OP here. Thank you for the info. What are tuitions like? Especially girls' high schools? Also, is transportation provided?

BY Ateres Miriam sounds amazing, but it's only for younger kids, right?

Yes, ateres miriam is only for younger grades. If you need high school its either TAG (mainstream BY) which is pretty popular or Bnos Bais Yaakov (more yeshivish - "far frumpt") or SKA (very strong academics, not bais yaakov but gets a few TAG girls and lots of shulamith girls for high school). Some of my friends fromt eh 5T went to Shevach in queens, or to Manhattan High school...and still others went to brooklyn. In terms of tuition I only know boys elementary...south shore for elementary - which starts around 6K for kindergarten and goes up to 12K for 8th grade. Yeshiva Ketana is a little more and Darchei is less. I think BYAM, BBY and TAG for nursery are around 6-7K. Try posting a thread in Chinuch under a title like Far Rockaway/5 Towns Schools. I am sure you will get better answers there.

I hear TAG is cheaper then BBY and Shulamith and definitely SKA. I hear they are pretty good with financial aid.

Also, as an FYI I think there are more BY types in cedarhurst. Housing is also a little cheaper there.

granolamom

Fri, Dec 06 2013, 1:19 pm

chayamiriam wrote:

My daughter moved there from Brooklyn and she knew no one . She BH made great friends. There are all kind of Jews living there from very modern orthodox to very yeshivish. All kinds of schools to fit. Parking is mostly no problem lovely community to raise kids!!!

parking on central ave is a nightmare. and the main parking lot is worse. really insane on a thursday or friday. sundays are not much better.

granolamom

Fri, Dec 06 2013, 1:26 pm

amother wrote:

just to point out that the first (not sure about the second) are in the hewlett-woodmere school district which means pretty high taxes compared to houses in the lawrence-cedarhurst district. Mora Pl (the first listing above) is near yeshiva south shore.
west broadway (the other listing) is a pretty busy street in some areas, that would bring the house value down but keep in mind that its a main thoroughfare.

woodmere's ok, its suburban but definitely in NY. meaning NOT mellow. I didnt know too many ppl when I moved in, I'm living here 16 years and I still dont know too many people. lots of people say good shabbos when they pass me in the street but lots look right through me when I say good shabbos to them.

amother

Fri, Dec 06 2013, 1:49 pm

granolamom wrote:

amother wrote:

this is a good point - a lot of the houses right near aish kodesh are in the hewlett-woodmere school district so the taxes are much higher. There are areas in woodmere that are in the lawrence-cedarhurst school district, and these areas have much lower taxes. Also, cedurhurst has become very popular for that reason.

also, woodmere is definitely not mellow, but I think the aish kodesh crowd is really nice. hewlett is more mellow, but not BY. cedarhurst I think is more mellow.