OT/ What makes a place like this so much cheaper

And crime up in rural areas? In rural New York? Where? A few spefics please - I haven't noticed any difference in the years I've been here, and I spend a lot of time near Lake Ontario/Canadian border areas, central New York farming areas, and the Adirondack park.

Also - about not being "enough customers" for local business? There are more customers all the time as the population grows. The issue is - all the Walmarts, Lowes, Home Depots etc. popping up all over the place. Many if not most people will drive 30 minutes to a big store - instead of paying more down town. Even when in the middle of the Adirondacks - people are shopping at Walmarts.

Just about all towns and villages have libraries, volunteer firedepartments, EMT squads, etc. If they don't have their own, they're covered by the town next-door.

We've also got more law enforcement around than ever - State Police, County Sheriffs, town constables, State environmental police, etc. I miss the way it was 20 years ago when I could drive 50 miles without seeing one. Now - I can't drive 10 without usually seeing 2 or 3.

What specific area are you talking about? - maybe I'll move there if it actually exisits.

Jim WJ

I don't live too far from Fulton County and am pretty well aquainted with land values and taxes in central New York. I do the web-advertising for several real estate companies here. That price is normal for now, and was probably $75,000 a few years ago.
That area is NOT in the snow-belt and does not get the big snowstorms areas do up north near Lake Ontario. That area is at the foothills of the adirondacks and is pretty flat - so land does not sell for near what it would up in the nearby mountains of Hamilton County. It's not as picturesque, but has some beautiful lakes and trout streams. There are many Amish families farming in that area - but the growing season is short. Go just 50 miles further into the Adirondack Mountains, and land is usually $8000 per acre and up. Taxes in the Adirondacks are also very high. I've got to pay twice the taxes on an 8 acre parcel I have in Indian Lake - Hamilton County, than I pay for 50 acres up north. The plain fact of the matter is - this area of New York state has some of best land bargains in the country - but that won't last long and all is going up. That is why the Amish keep buying land here. Yeah, you can buy scrubby dry desert out west cheap, or flat Michigan sand with 2" trees - but here there's still land with hardwood trees, some of the cleanest water in the U.S., etc. - for pretty low prices. I've got over 100 acres in three separate parcels in nearby Otsego County - 1/3 good farm land, the rest dense hardwoods -and my total taxes with house, shop, barns, etc. are $2200 per year. Many parts of New York have much higher taxes - especially just 50 miles away in the capital of Albany. I bought much of my land for $400 per acre. I've also got several large forest-parcels up north in the snow-belt near Lake Ontario - and total taxes have gone down two years in a row. Those are in Jefferson County on top of the Tug Hill Plateau. That area is also getting bought up by Amish farmers. Ten years ago there were farms all over the flatter areas of central and northern New York priced at $500 per acre - but no more. They often come with large farm-houses, old barns, lots of fresh water, and often large stands of hard maples, oak, and ash. I bought 50 acres of hardwoods 10 years ago for $10,000. Now it would probably sell for $50,000. Total taxes this year on one 50 acre hardwoods lot were $220.

The one thing about this place is that it's close to everything, yet enough room to enjoy it, 2 small creeks, 20+ acre pond, water is never a problem here good aquifer and usually enough rain.

Realtor says a pair of combined lots 100' x 150' ea., or combined 200 x 150 (was approved like that in the 50's) on my lane is worth is $50,000-$60,000 today, might take 2 years to sell it at that price but people have paid that much already. Who in their right mind would pay that? It's right next to me and I may have to because I don't want a neighbor there and I like the attached field left as is, but it belongs to my father and he's fed up with the taxes and you can't blame him. This darned house is $3600/year on 3 of those old small lots on this lane. Combined with the land it would be about $15,600 a year, used to pay double that in income tax per year too. I'm all for supporting the U.S. and everything it stands for, but for darned sakes it's ridiculous to have to pay in the neighborhood of $40,000 a year to enjoy a home and some land combined with your income tax if yer single. No wonder every hay field wants to be a development around here.

There was a time when it was rural and I was a kid, taxes were reasonable, farms abundant, not so much NYC & NJ traffic to VT through here land was inexpensive in this county, Rennselaer, latest article in the paper about how developers are eyeballing our area, because everything else is saturated. Been here 40 years, and I've always called it home, might bankrupt a person to stay here and have a little space. It's that or sell and leave because you can't afford it.

• Times Union article on Rensselaer County

We have another 50 acres or so off Rt 67, 2 barns house, big riding arena, not far from Amsterdam, close to Saratoga and it seems montgomery county and places further west are so much less on taxes, Saratoga has become a hot spot, at least this place has some serious value being where it is, not sure what they pay on taxes there or if they plan to stay, the neighbor up there commutes 30 miles to work everyday to enjoy his place. It's fair to say a lot of people are starting to realize the value of having some space.

The link was bad on that article, it's funny, as this area has been kind of isolated, but the greed of developers is always on the horizon, one good thing, not an easy place to develope and there is no highway close enough here to relieve traffic, so residents are not going to like development proposals, can't wait to see the cork blow off on this one, someday soon it's going to happen too much going on too fast.

• T/U article on Renesselaer County

This area was a well kept "secret" to the outside world - including New York City people until the Interstate # 88 got put in. It opened here in 1979, and it's helped to bring in delvelopment, city people, and basically - ruin it for people that want peace and privacy (namely me). The new Interstate also ruined many local farms. I live approx 2 miles from it. I'm on top of a mountain and I can see it from here. Some days I don't hear it at all, and other days it sounds like tractor-trailers are coming through my house. It's weird how sound travels up to mountain tops.

Fulton County is located off the bottom end of the Adirondacks and is near the Albany area.

Livestock buildings usually aren't much good for storage except maybe for a big barn, and they might be a bit smelly for a city nose. In other words, the buildings might be more of a liability than asset. Jim

JW

other than that its a great place to live

Looking at the address, it is pretty close to a river so the land may be swampy. Weather wise, they get a lot of lake effect snow from the end of Lake Ontario. Winter storms that drop 4-6 feet are not unusual.

My guess would be that the property is nearly in a state of abandonment and the owner (probably and heir) needs the money.

Photos almost look like the topsoil was removed with all those invasive weeds. But could be a real bargain, for the right person.

Depending on a persons skills, off farm work might only be a couple of miles away. Fulton is a small city with a few industrial employers engaged in metal fab, machining, Quarry products, and paper products.

A new methanol fuels plant is being built on the southeast edge of Fulton and Syracuse is only a half hour drive to downtown from that property. Locally grown corn is going to have a steady market here as well as other biofuel alternatives being developed at SUNY ESF in Syracuse.

Go northwest about 12 miles to Oswego and there are a few other industrial employers including Novelis(formerly Alcan) and Constellation Energy and Entergy who both own and operate nuke plants there. BTW, the nukes are hiring maintenance, security, and operations staff with pay ranges from about $45K base to over $100K, and Constellation just filed for a permit to build another plant.

There is a state college in Oswego and a community college in Fulton as well as a hospital in both cities and many extended care and outpatient facilities.

I don`t know what the local unemployment rate is but I don`t know of anyone who wants work that can`t find it. Skilled building trades work is also popular here.

I live about 10 miles north of this property, truly in the snow belt off Lake Ontario. This area and Fulton don`t get the snow like my area does(New Haven). Not to say that Fulton doesn`t get snow but snowfalls measured in feet certainly aren`t the norm and the local DPWs are quite adept at handling what does fall.

In summary, I don`t intend to portary this area as an undiscovered nirvana but it`s not nearly as bad as many here are describing it nor as bad as many places I`ve been. This place will be right for somebody and I`ll bet that alot of the locals don`t have $150K for this place.

For particular lots, that depends on whether there is enough dry land to build on, whether you can get water from the land or to the land, and whether you can properly dispose of you septage.

Without looking, my guess is that property is 45 minutes or more from the nearest Stop&Shop.

It`s crackin' me up that so many people who live 20 miles down a two lane from the minimart are thinking this is rural property. So be it, have a nice day!