Buying in Smithtown: Small-town vibe, downtown revamp draw homeseekers
Businesses along West Main Street in Smithtown. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
THE SCOOP With the 5-ton Whisper the Bull at its western entrance, the hamlet of Smithtown retains a "sleepy" and natural charm as changes to its downtown have begun under the town's master plan.
The Nissequogue River is a main reason why residents tout the outdoors. At its headwaters, the 627-acre Blydenburgh County Park features the Blydenburgh Farm and New Mill Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Sweetbriar Nature Center, which rehabilitates wildlife and educates visitors, features a reptile room. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
Caleb Smith State Park Preserve is for birdwatching and fly fishing. Upriver, the Sweetbriar Nature Center rehabilitates wildlife and educates visitors. The Smithtown Landing Country Club, with its golf courses and swimming pools, overlooks the Nissequogue as it flows into Smithtown Bay.
Landing Avenue Park sits along Nissequogue River. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
House hunters are attracted to the area's beauty and accessibility to two different worlds, New York City and Long Island beaches, said Christa Glenn, a real estate agent with Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty.
"People like that small-town vibe that it has, not too far from the city," Glenn said.
Some of Suffolk County's main thoroughfares run through the hamlet, where Route 25 is known for its density of car dealerships and Route 347 takes drivers toward the Northern State Parkway and Long Island Expressway.
In recent years, the hamlet's Main Street, or Route 25, has seen pandemic-related store vacancies, but a number are being filled by businesses relocating from the hamlet's outskirts, said Barbara Franco, executive director of The Greater Smithtown Chamber of Commerce.
While Route 25 is Smithtown's Main Street, Terry Road is also home to strips of businesses and eateries. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
For the hamlet, the town's master plan draft focuses on turning downtown into a more lively and pedestrian-friendly place, said Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim.
"That's what people are looking for," the supervisor said.
By the train station and town hall, an apartment complex with first-floor retail is partly finished, Wehrheim said, and similar developments are possible for lots with shuttered businesses. The challenges are getting $110 million to upgrade the sewage system and make high-traffic thoroughfares walkable, possibly with pocket parks off Main Street and wider sidewalks, he said.
People find the community comfortable, Glenn said. "People grow up here and they may go away from here, but a lot of times they come back to have family or they want to be close to family because they feel like it's home."
Homes along Cypress Court, top, and Oakside Road in Smithtown. Credit: Steve Pfost
CONDOS AND CO-OPS There are one condo, priced at $635,000, and two co-ops, priced at $219,999 and $271,500, on the market.
SALE PRICES Between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2023, there were 267 home sales with a median sale price of $707,500, according to OneKey MLS. The low price for that period was $260,000 and the high was $1.95 million. During that period a year earlier, there were 331 home sales with a median sale price of $655,000. The price range was $407,000 to $1.8 million.
OTHER STATS
Population 25,588
Median age 46.7
Median home value $706,000
Monthly LIRR ticket from Smithtown $378
School districts Smithtown (97%), Hauppauge (96.7%), Kings Park (94.5%)
Library Smithtown
Transit Suffolk County Transit Route 5
ON THE MARKET
$1.25 million
This $1.25 million Smithtown home is steps from Nissequogue River. Credit: Nest Seekers International
Steps from the Nissequogue River, this three-bed, three-bath ranch touts a yard with a new in-ground pool and stone fire pit on a property that’s just under 2 acres. Inside, the modern, open-concept features heated floors in the new eat-in kitchen and family room. There's also a wet bar, office and a full finished basement with a guest suite and separate above-grade entrance. Taxes are $20,141. Glenn Barnett, Nest Seekers International, 631-804-4182
$799,999
This $799,999 Smithtown home contains 2,200 square feet. Credit: Signature Premier Properties
Nestled among trees, this 2,200-square-foot house has three bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms, a formal dining room and a great room next to a sunroom. Built in 1955, the ranch-style home sits on a property just under an acre and has a partial basement. Taxes are $14,250. Kelly Choulis Auffret, Signature Premier Properties, 516-697-3742
$219,999
This $219,999 co-op in Smithtown contains one bedroom and one bathroom. Credit: Realty Connect USA
This 900-square-foot co-op apartment is a freshly painted corner unit with one bedroom, one bath and a kitchen with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. It has two new wall air conditioning units and hardwood floors. There is also an assigned parking spot in the garden apartment complex, which was built in 1964. Monthly maintenance is $1,117. Maureen Murino, Realty Connect USA, 516-480-0524
RECENTLY SOLD
$1.4 million
Grandview Lane
Style Colonial
Bedrooms 5
Bathrooms 3½
Built 2008
Lot size 0.5 acre
Taxes $21,082
+/- List price -$99,990
Days on market 77
$792,500
New Mill Road
Style Exp. ranch
Bedrooms 3
Bathrooms 4
Built 1961
Lot size 0.52 acre
Taxes $16,626
+/- List price -$32,4999
Days on market 88
$480,000
Rogers Lane
Style Ranch
Bedrooms 3
Bathrooms 1
Built 1962
Lot size 0.27 acre
Taxes $12,504
+/- List price -$19,000
Days on market 77
ON ONEKEY MLS
Number of listings 35
Price range $219,999 to $3 million
Tax range $12,506 to $40,012
