By Angela Marshall
The median home price in the school district for 2001 was $453,000 based on the sale of 155 homes. The number is even higher when low sales like family-to-family transfers for $1 are taken out of the equation, according to Sue Rosenblum, a representative from the Office of Real Property Services. Extremely high sales could also skew the number slightly.
Of the 55 school districts in Nassau County, Rockville Centre had the ninth-highest median price in 2001, beating out all other South Shore school districts. RVC's median price is also up 11 percent from 2000, when the median sale price was $412,500 for 156 homes.
Agents from three of Rockville Centre's real estate agencies say the recession following the Sept. 11 attacks has not affected the market. It held right through, said Pommy Levy, owner of Rockville Realty. If anything [the home prices in RVC] have gone up.
Liz Wallace, of Century 21 Sherlock Homes, said there are two main buyers in Rockville Centre those who live here now and want to upgrade and New York City residents looking to move to the suburbs.
Wallace said the New Yorkers are attracted to Rockville Centre because it reminds them of the city. It's a small town with an urban flair, she said.
Marti Goldberg, co-owner of Village Homes, agreed, calling the village a hot town with a cosmopolitan flair.
Most of the recent homebuyers the Herald spoke with met Wallace's other criteria they wanted a bigger house and to stay in the school district.
Barry Cohen said his family moved to the village 10 years ago. They wanted a diverse community with many mixed marriages like their own. His wife has since converted to Judaism. He also liked the commute because there were so many trains he could take to the city.
Last year the family started looking for a bigger house, with more property. They didn't even think of looking outside the village or the Watson School area, Cohen said. When their new house came on the market six months ago, they didn't act quickly and it was gone. When it came on the market again with Village Homes the original buyers never moved in the Cohen's didn't hesitate.
Cohen acknowledges he probably overpaid for the new home but said it was worth it to stay in a village where there are so many athletics and cultural perks for both adults and children. He did not want to disclose the price of his new home.
Kathy Horace tells a similar story. She and her husband lived in the RVC school district portion of South Hempstead and wanted a bigger home for their family. They decided to look in the incorporated village and finally the right house came along in the New Canterbury section.
Although the prices are high, Horace felt it was a good financial decision. Whatever we put into this house, we know it will retain its value, she said.
Horace sold her house to Elizabeth and Greg Musnisky, whose reason for moving to the area was also cited by all three real estate agents the school district.
The Musniskys lived in Oceanside and originally they wanted to move into the village but said they couldn't find a home in their price range that didn't need $100,000 worth of work. Then their real estate agent suggested they look at South Hempstead where the market is a little lower.
Mrs. Musnisky called the area a hidden treasure.
Wallace said many buyers get nervous when a real estate agent mentions South Hempstead because they immediately think Hempstead. However, she has seen a growth in the market there as well. They sell very, very quickly, Wallace said.
But, like Rockville Centre, there are few homes to sell. All the real estate agents the Herald spoke to say they need more homes to sell.
Homeowners said the asking price for the majority of homes in the village that they looked at started in the high $300,000s and went much higher.
Recent advertisements in area papers show Rockville Centre homes prices starting at $199,000 and going well into the $700,000s.
