Buying a house in Ridge
A small lake on Randall Road in Ridge on May 22, 2014. The community has good proximity to natural areas. Credit: James Carbone
Although new developments continue to sprout in Ridge, the area hasn't lost its bucolic feel, agents say.
"It's quiet," says former resident Jerry LaMonica of Century 21 Adams Real Estate, noting the sprawling hamlet is situated amid the central pine barrens of eastern Suffolk. Ridge runs east and west of William Floyd Parkway, he adds. "The east side is more rural with more horse properties."
Wooded tracts, including state conservation areas, weave throughout neighborhoods, where property sizes often range between a third of an acre and more than one acre. "Houses are spread out -- not on top of each other," says Peggy LoScalzo of Little Bay Realty.
Paramount Homes is building a 79-lot subdivision that abuts a nature preserve. "The houses come fully loaded," says Gina Galante of Signature Homes of New York, citing wood floors, granite countertops and central air-conditioning. Three models from about 1,850 square feet to 3,400 square feet on half-acre to one-plus-acre plots are priced between $379,000 and $479,000, Galante says. About half are sold.
Ridge also appeals to the 55-and-older set, who gravitate to adult communities such as Leisure Glen, Leisure Village and Leisure Knoll.
CONDOS AND TOWN HOUSES: (including adult communities) 64 listings between $64,000 and $399,900
SALES PRICES: From April 1, 2013, to May 20, 2014, there were 95 sales, with a median price of $280,000. The low price was $69,990 for a short sale, and the high was $450,000. From April 1, 2012, to May 20, 2013, there were 81 sales. The median price also was $280,000, this time with a low of $95,000 and a high of $486,000.
ATTRACTIONS: The Ridge Environmental Conservation Area offers 184 acres of varied habitats, which the public can access with a permit; the Long Island Shooting Range of Brookhaven includes skeet and trap fields; public golf courses are nearby.
MORE RIDGE STATS
Town: Brookhaven
Area: 13.2 square miles
ZIP code: 11961
Population: 13,336
Median age: 47.7
Median household income: $54,022
Median home value: $273,000*
LIRR time to NYC from Mastic Shirley: 1 hour and 37 minutes to 1 hour and 51 minutes at peak
Monthly ticket: $429
School district: Longwood
Sources: 2010 Census; mlsli.com; LIRR;
*Based on sales in the past six months, according to MLSLI
