Selden draws young families looking for starter homes
Homes along Talbot Lane in Selden, where prices range from about $300,000 to $600,000. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
THE SCOOP One of the most frequently cited attributes of Selden is that it’s a convenient place to live if you have to work anywhere east or west on Long Island, says Sophia Serlis-McPhillips, director of the Middle Country Public Library, one of the largest libraries in Suffolk.
Kevin LaValle, a Brookhaven Town councilman who has lived in Selden for 10 years, says, "It’s a very hardworking middle-class community." He describes the community as a mix of older residents who have raised their families there and younger ones who have moved in over the last five to 10 years. "There’s a pretty good price point here for houses so it’s a good starter-home area for younger couples," he says.
Homes in Selden include ranches, Colonials and expansions of original cottages, with prices ranging from about $300,000 to $600,000.
Suffolk Commuity College's Ammerman Campus. Performances at the Shea Theatre on campus are open to the public. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
A major construction project slated to be completed by early 2023 will create a 20-acre park on the corner of Boyle and Hawkins roads with four baseball fields, a multipurpose field, a playground, walking trails, rinks for dek and roller hockey, and pickleball and basketball courts.
Selden also has one of only two dog parks in Suffolk accessed with a free town "pooch pass." And the hamlet is home to Suffolk Community College, where the Shea Theatre has performances open to the public.
Like much of Long Island, Selden was originally farmland, noted for producing melons and early garden vegetables. But when the main thoroughfare, Middle Country Road, was paved from Smithtown to Coram around 1927, developments soon followed so that by the 1950s it was a solidly suburban area. By the 1970s Selden had three shopping centers, and a fourth opened in 1992, all along the Middle Country Road corridor. It is this five-lane highway that Linda Miller, president of the Selden Civic Association, says draws people to the area.
Independence Plaza on Middle Country Road, a shopping corridor that attracts consumers from the area. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
"Everything you need is right here," Miller says, adding that people come for the chain and mom-and-pop stores, as well as the varied restaurants. But she acknowledges that all the retail options mean that traffic can be an issue.
Despite the expansive shopping area, Miller, who has lived in Selden for 47 years, says what has kept her there is the small-town vibe of the community. "I can honestly say that you can depend on your neighbors so you never feel alone," she says. "The kids are always playing out in the streets and it's just a nice community."
Selden's Magnolia Park. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
CONDOS AND CO-OPS There are four co-ops on the market ranging in price from $158,000 to $185,000.
SALE PRICES Between Sept. 30, 2020, and Oct. 31, 2021 there were 377 home sales with a median sale price of $415,000, according to OneKey MLS. The low price for that period was $150,000 and the high was $675,000. During that period a year earlier there were 301 home sales with a median sale price of $357,000. The price range was $130,000 to $531,000.
OTHER STATS
Town Brookhaven
Area 4.3 square miles
ZIP code 11784
Population 21,262
Median age 35.8
Median household income $95,801
Median home value $440,000*
Monthly LIRR ticket from Ronkonkoma $405
School districts, graduation rate Middle Country (91%), Sachem (94%), Comsewogue (92%)
Parks Rose Caracappa Memorial Park, Selden Dog Park
Libraries Middle Country, Sachem, Comsewogue
Hospitals Stony Brook University, Mather, St. Charles hospitals
SOURCES: 2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; OneKey MLS; LIRR, data.nysed.gov *Based on 168 sales in the past six months, according to OneKey MLS
NOW ON THE MARKET
Priced at $825,000, this five-bedroom, three-bath Colonial on Highview Drive in Selden built in 2020 features five balconies and two fireplaces. Credit: Vision Media NY
$799,000
Built in 2020 and set on a 0.33-acre lot, this Colonial has five bedrooms, three bathrooms and an open floor plan with an eat-in kitchen and custom cabinetry. It also a formal dining room, five balconies, two fireplaces and a full, unfinished basement. Taxes are being assessed. Margaret Tsoukaris, RE/MAX, 631-332-7897.
Priced at $474,900, this high-ranch on Fountain Avenue features a renovated lower level with mother-daughter possibilities. Credit: Afsaneh Ghazizadeh
$474,900
This high-ranch built in 1963 includes three bedrooms, 1½ baths, den, formal dining room and eat-in-kitchen. There’s a renovated lower-level mother/daughter or apartment with separate entrance and proper permits that has two bedrooms, one bath, a new kitchen and a family room. The property is on 0.21 acre. Taxes are $10,212. Frederick Blustein, Keller Williams Realty Greater, 516-873-7100.
Priced at $339,000, this ranch on Plandome Place features a living room-dining room combo with cathedral ceilings and wood-burning stove. Credit: Gary Busto
$339,000
A two-bedroom ranch built in 1940, this house has a slate front porch, living room/dining room combination with wood stove and an updated bath. The kitchen features cathedral ceilings, ceiling fan and wood beams. There’s a yard patio with outdoor fireplace and a shed. The property is on 0.21 acre. Taxes are $6,364. Rudolph and Diane Aversano, RE/MAX Best, 631-585-2222.
RECENTLY SOLD
$675,000
Address Embassy Rd.
Style Colonial
Bedrooms 4
Bathrooms 3½
Built 1999
Lot size 0.75 acre
Taxes $15,053
+/- list price -$25,000
Days on market 62
$526,000
Address Loebel St.
Style Colonial
Bedrooms 5
Bathrooms 4
Built 1985
Lot size 0.41 acre
Taxes $13,159
+/- list price +$46,000
Days on market 91
$485,000
Address Biscayne Dr.
Style Colonial
Bedrooms 5
Bathrooms 2
Built 1966
Lot size 0.24 acre
Taxes $10,233
+/- list price +$15,000
Days on market 82
ON ONEKEY MLS
Number of listings 39
Price range $158,000 to $825,000
Tax range $5,267 to $15,147
