Some Long Island Facts to ponder -

The combined area of Long Island is 1,199 square miles.  Nassau County:  286.8 square miles and Suffolk County:  911.2 square miles.  The length of Long Island (from Manhattan to Montauk) is 118 miles.  The widest point is 20 miles.  Long Island has 1,189 miles of shoreline!

The average temperature in the winter is 32° – in the summer 73°.  The yearly average rainfall is 43" - and the snowfall is 28". 

There are three main roadways into New York City – The Long Island Expressway (I-495), The Northern State Parkway and The Southern State Parkway.  No trucks are allowed on the parkways.  The largest commuter railroad in the nation is The Long Island Railroad.  There are seven airports and five ferries (to Fire Island, Shelter Island, Block Island, RI and Connecticut).

And finally, the total population in 2005 for Nassau and Suffolk Counties is 2,831,753.  Nassau County Total:  1,348,357.  Suffolk County Total:  1,483,396.

Suffolk County Libraries now provide early articles from four historical newspapers on Long Island.  You can access digitized copies of the original newspapers from the The Long Islander (1839-1861); The Corrector (1858-1871); The South Side Signal (1869-1879); and The Long Island Traveler (1880-1892). 

The process for putting all of this online is complicated.  Microfilm of the original newspapers is digitized into an image film.  Then each article is broken down and indexed.  The goal is to digitize all 30 newspapers from Suffolk County since the 1700’s.  Go to www.suffolk.lib.ny.us to access the files.

2005 Home Sales
Stats for Dix Hills, SD# 5

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported that 2005 was another record-breaking year for sales of previously owned homes – with an increase of 10.5% nationally from the year before. On Long Island, 2005 surpassed 2004’s record setting numbers. Housing prices in Nassau and Suffolk Counties increased 11% from 2004. During the last few years the dramatic rise in housing prices is partly due to low interest rates for mortgages and the continued demand for housing across Long Island. However, the LI Multiple Listing Service does report that during the last quarter of 2005, prices did stabilize. Furthermore, "despite rising residential inventory levels, demographics and the continuation of reasonable interest rates will keep the market sound and in a better sense of balance." In other words, we have gone from a "Really Great Market" to a "Very Good Market"!

I’ve compiled the 2005 market stats for Dix Hills, SD#5 to establish the basis for the housing market this year. The market stats for the first quarter of 2006 are listed as a means of comparison and perhaps an indication of where the current market is headed.

Looking at the 2005 monthly totals of when homes went into contract and when they closed is helpful in answering the question, "When is the best time to sell my home?" All of the data refers to existing-home sales and was compiled from the LI Multiple Listing Service.

The housing market fluctuates from month to month and can be influenced by outside factors. The information that follows is a "history" of what happened and should be looked at from that perspective as a guide and not as a guarantee. From the point of view of the seller, the best time to sell is when there are more buyers than homes. "Supply and Demand" has a major effect in the selling price of a home.

Dix Hills (SD #5) Stats for Existing Home Sales:

2004 Average Listing Price: $742,884
2005 Average Listing Price: $842,951
LP$ increased 13.47% from 2004