CBS New YorkNEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Six military veterans from across Long Island received keys Thursday to new homes that were built just for them on a big discount.
The homes in Islandia were built by the Long Island Home Builders Care Development Corp. specifically for returning veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
The six-lot subdivision, which has been dubbed “Veterans Way,” features three-bedroom homes at the cost of $199,000, about half of the going market rate.
Former Marines Lance Cpl. Paul Milazzo was one of the lucky veterans to be offered a new home at a discounted price, 1010 WINS’ Eileen Lehpamer reported. The 29-year-old served four years with the Marines.
Milazzo had previously been living in a one-bedroom place with his wife and 2-month-old son, Liam, before receiving the news that he had been chosen for the special offer.
“Knowing that we have a family surrounded by us, filled with veterans — he’s going to be one luckykid, growing up in a neighborhood like this,” Milazzo said of his son’s future.
Milazzo was incredulous that complete strangers had built the brand new homes.
“It’s overwhelming to be honest with you,” he told CBS 2′s Jennifer McLogan.
As the year wound down workers were in a race against the clock to have work on the homes completed ahead of the new year.
“You cannot believe the number of people who worked to make sure this happened, from the electricians to the guy who laid the sod,” Long Island Home Builders Corp. CEO, Mitchell Pally said.
Milazzo’s wife Marianne was grateful for the family’s new home.
“This is th ebest present ever. Who gets a house for Christmas?” she said.
Milazzo said that upon returning from Iraq his family realized that they could no longer afford to live on Long Island. They had been preparing to move out of state when this Christmas gift landed in their laps.
The six veterans were selected from a group of 130 applicants by a panel of Veterans of Foreign War commanders.
Great news!!! Now they finally have a headline that makes people think Obama cares about the veterans, just in time to distract people from the fact that their pensions are being stolen, and the V.A. hospitals want them all dead.
“…..three-bedroom homes at the cost of $199,000, about half of the going market rate.”
Are you kidding me? Who’s pocketing all of that money when houses are being sold on a buy-one-get-one-free basis in California? Or you can buy a house for a buck in Detroit?
Did an idiot somewhere actually spend $398,000 ($199,000 X 2) on a three bedroom house, or were these calculations done in “government-waste arithmetic”?
Being that this is LI ny the property values will always remain high just as they do within the nyc area. I could care less how much he paid he should be concerned about the taxes he is going to have to pay for that property. Don’t think for one second that purchase price of 199k or so is what the assessors in that county will slap onto that properties true market value making his taxes higher. That’s not the only tax he will be getting forced to pay as there are school taxes(incorporated into property taxes) he must pay even if he decides to home school his child.
Check out this property in the same Islandia area at $359k
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/10-Oak-Forest-Dr-Islandia-NY-11749/32667052_zpid/
Year Property taxes Change Tax assessment Change
More
2011 $10,031 3.8% $44,400 —
2010 $9,668 3.4% $44,400 —
2009 $9,348 5.7% $44,400
They should have gotten out of ny when they could have instead of staying being further controlled by that state government hell bent on creating more slaves. My thing would be can I sell it for the higher true value and gtfo of dodge buying another home away from long island, nyc, and nys? But that’s just me another Vet.