Chaim37

To rent a house can cost 1150+. However you will most likely will need to pay for water, heat and possibly grass/snow removal (or you can do this yourself). You can possibly negotiate this. Also there are not that many houses available to rent year round but there are a few I believe.

Heat cost can vary greatly. Will very much depend on the equipment in the house and pricing. When I rented in upstate I used around 800 gallons of oil a winter approx. When I purchased my house (in Woodridge) I am using approx 430 gallons of oil a winter season (which is considered very low compared to my neighbors, my sibling in Passaic used more than me where the temp is not as low in the winter) since the house was better insulated (I think) and the oil burner is very efficient and multiple zones with programmable thermostats). Cost will also depend on the price of oil/propane which goes up and down. Last year at this time oil cost 3.35 a gallon. Now around 2.45 a gallon. Big difference when purchasing oil in large quantities. Two years ago over $4.

You will also have to figure commuting costs into the equation. Insurance for a car is about 40%-50% less then the city.

If you are just renting renting at the end of the day it can be a wash (but you will live in a house) between the two. However if the goal is to purchase a house a year or two later it will be worth it. That is what I did.

I see you mentioned Albany. If you want to be a little closer to NYC you can consider the Catskills. Specifically Woodridge and South Fallsburg. I would recommend Woodridge as I live there. If you are Yeshivish then South Fallsburg.

There are express commuter buses (shortline bus) to the city (which I commute daily). Trip is a bit less then $10 each way when including transit check discount.

The day school (Torah Umesorah affiliated) is small. Hebrew studies you cannot compare to Brooklyn. Not such a high level but still good. Good secular education. They will work with you for tuition.

Housing very reasonable. On average houses around 130K. I paid less.

Every summer you live in-town as the entire city population comes up. Pretty busy between Pesach and Succos. Now it gets pretty quiet with certain weeks in the winter where it gets busy again. Yom Tov you have many people in shul and in the area.

Just 1 hour and 15 min from Monsey.

Generally speaking everyone gets along. There are all kinds that live up here year round.

Two year round kosher groceries. One Pizza shop open year round. South Fallsburg, Woodridge and Mountaindale are all pretty close to each other by car (10 min point to point). Everything is here to live in a frum community without all the people part of the time.

I have published articles I can send you with more info on the area etc… Articles were written in summer 2013.

You can do what I did. Move to an out of town place loaded with New Yorkers (in the summer time every year). For example the Catskills. There is Woodridge and South Fallsburg that have year round communities. Problem of course is parnassah and schools. For parnassah some commute to the city daily. There are daily express buses (shortline bus lines). Of course you can find a new job closer.

There is a Torah Umseorah Day school in Kiamesha Lake. It’s not for everyone but for the right family it can work out very well. Fallsburg has a cheder which is like a typical Lakewood school.

Also it’s not too far from missing family simchas etc… 1.25 hours from Monsey. Two hours from Brooklyn. Year round kosher groceries…

Houses cost 110K-150K. There are loans out there where you only need to put down 3.5% (FHA). Even SONYMA all you need is 5% down. Yes there is a PMI but with rates so low today it’s a viable option.

dimyon, I certainly do remember. Thanks for the kind words.