Best Places to Live in the Poconos - An Official Poconos Real Estate Web Guide - Poconos Real Estate -Guide to Poconos Real Estate

USA Realty professionals can guide you to the best places to live in the Poconos. Here we have a diversity of homes and neighborhoods. It is unlike anyplace on earth. Really. The region is home to over 10,000 daily commuters to Northern NJ and New York City and 8,000,000 visitors yearly coming for outdoor, family and couples activities. Poconos neighborhoods are unlike standard suburban neighborhoods – most have a blend of commuter, locals and vacation homeowners.

Where you live in the Poconos has a relationship to the demographics of the people who surround you. In the western and northern Poconos (West of Lake Naomi and northwest of Milford) neighborhoods have a larger percentage of vacation homeowners.

The blend is related to the distance from New York City and Philadelphia. Commuters buy less then 1.5 hours from the city, but vacation homeowners like the “2 hour” distance as it is just a little more remote and rural. Vacation homeowners in the western Poconos tend to be from Philadelphia and points south. Vacation homeowners in the northern Poconos tend to be from New York City, Long Island and Northern NJ. Vacation owners in the center (near Camelback) are a blend of NYC vacationers and Philly vacations.

Questions? Call 570-517-2428 or email Click Here

Poconos Home Values

Home values are subject mostly to the general economy. However there are four distinct markets which effect the values of homes in the region.

First and the smallest market is the local move up market. This is the smallest market. Most locals tend to stay put once they have selected a home.

Second, there is a market, about 15% of total sales, of retirement buyers. People select the Poconos as a place to live in retirement because the cost of living and housing is less than the metropolitan areas of New York and Philly. Yet, it is close enough that they can still keep in touch with their friends and relatives. Many buy so that their grand kids can come and visit and enjoy the outdoor activities that the region offer. And, some buy a smaller home here and a retirement home down south where they split their time.

Third, commuters make up a reasonably large percent of the local population and homeowners. With Rt. I-80 as the direct access to large employment areas of Northern NJ and NYC and low costs, folks find the Pocono region to be the only alternative to affordable housing. With hundreds of buses leaving each day for the city, commuters find it easy to get back and forth to their jobs.

The fourth market is the vacation home and second home market, terms which we usually use interchangeably. This market has been the driving factor in the Poconos region for over 100 years. Convenience to over 23,000,000 people living in New Jersey (both North and south), New York City, Long Island, Philadelphia, Baltimore, southern Pennsylvania, and Northern Maryland make the Poconos region with its skiing, lakes, river, mountains and streams the ultimate choice for vacation homeowners seeking either the ambiance of the Mountains or for a low cost alternative to high beach prices. This home owning segment has a sub segment of vacation homeowners who rent their homes to other vacationers in order to pay for the home. About 20% of buyers of vacation homes depend upon rental income to carry the property. Since the Poconos has a high number of visitors each year, there is an active home rental market. Indeed, there are a number of people who make renting multiple homes an investment business. Actively renting up to 10 homes and using the rental income to pay for the homes with the expectation of owning them free and clear and expecting to sell them later as retirement income.Questions? Call 570-517-2428

Where to Live in the Poconos

So. Where to live?

Here are our Picks for the Top Poconos Neighborhoods:

Best Vacation or Retirement Community

Pinecrest Lake and Country Club. Pocono Pines PA. A neighborhood with everything. Golf, pristine lake, outdoor pool, excellent (maybe the best in the Poconos) tennis facility, good management, homes with award winning design, and a great location on top of the Pocono Plateau with its unique weather system allowing for cooler breezes in the summer and more snow in the winter.

Pinecrest is also, easy to get to from either New York of Philadelphia and is convenient to skiing at Jack Frost or Camelback. Less than 6 miles to the MT Airy Casino and minutes to river activities on either the Lehigh or Delaware rivers. Homes are constructed with better than average materials and labor and are situated in quiet alcoves of Mountain Laurel and Pines.

There are some second runner ups to this category. … Like Lake Naomi also in Pocono Pines, PA.

The Good the Bad and the Ugly about Lake Naomi/Timber Trails:

Good: Great location in the geographic center of the Poconos region, about 2 hours to both Philadelphia and New York City. Lots of activities in and around the community, beautiful lake and community center, and well respected management.

The Bad: Some older stock of housing with many, at this point, needing renovation.

The Ugly: The cost, the cost, the cost. There is a high entrance fee (About $8,972 (Unless it has gone up recently) and to get access all of the amenities is also VERY expensive … (Including usage fees/ kids camp, boat storage / misc guest fees you’ll spend over $9,000 per year) and this is on top of taxes.

Another second runner up is Hemlock Farms. Gated, well run, lots of community activities, and reasonable fees. Hemlock Farms would be the number one community, bar none, except that there is no skiing in the immediate area and the travel distance to this activity is over 1/2 hour.

Questions? Call 570-517-2428 or e-mail Click Here

USA Realty can help you find the right home for your family in any of the above neighborhoods.

Best Unknown Place to Live

Cherry Valley – Some hope to designate part of this quiet rural area as a 20,000-acre National Wildlife Refuge. I’ve always related driving through Cherry Valley as like driving through West Virginia. A valley surrounded by high hills of maples, pines, and oak trees. The valley floor is a patchwork of working farms and country estates. Very small villages (some with less than 10 homes) make up the social network Yet all this is within a minutes of Stroudsburg and Allentown and less than 2 hours from Manhattan. There are no “communities” in Cherry Valley since it is a geographical region comprised of Smithfield, Stroud, Hamilton and Ross Townships, and many small villages. There is no good way to find a home in Cherry Valley online (one of the reasons that it is quiet and nice) other than to call a local Realtor and ask for a list in your price range. (USA Realty can help 570-517-2428)

Best All Around Low Priced Vacation Home Neighborhood

Pocono Farms Community Association (note not Pocono Farms East) This community has homes from the low 100’s, paved roads, community water, a small lake, a nice pool and tennis complex, good management, a golf course, low dues, and a sense of community. It is about 2 hours from Manhattan and 2 from Philly. Skiing, casino, more golf, state parks and the big Lake – Wallenpaupack are all close by. Local Pocono Farms Real Estate web site.