A Synopsis of Suffolk County

If you are a New Yorker, you are most likely acquainted with the prestige that dots the Long Island region known as the Hamptons. The elite escapes to their luxurious weekend enclaves in this area to find solace from the city’s turbulent atmosphere. 

Suffolk County covers ¾ of Long Island. In fact, the county line goes directly across Long Island from the south shore at Amityville, NY, to the northerly village of Cold Harbor, NY. And yes, Amityville is where the infamous “Amityville Horror” was filmed in the 1970s. Suffolk County has around 600,000 properties that bring in tax revenue to fund school, fire protection, police, and other local governments and districts.

A City Dweller’s Playground with Hidden Gems of Investment Opportunities!

Suffolk County is one of four counties that spread across Long Island, NY. The diverse population includes the affluent Hamptons, where gorgeous estates are sprawled along the coastlines and inland areas. Tourists pour in from the Northeast to vacation on the island. Beach destinations and charming villages make Long Island attractive not only to visitors but to those seeking to put down roots. The wide range of property opportunities draws in the attention of investors. 

Many residents living in Suffolk County commute to jobs in New York City by rail.

Eastern End of the Island

Vacation properties are scattered about where tourists, vacationers, and weekenders seek the healing environment of the ocean and beaches.

North Fork

A more rural area where the countryside hosts vineyards and wineries. Farm stands welcome those seeking fresh produce as small villages and hamlets warmly welcome visitors.

South Fork

Home of the Hamptons, where weekend homes await the arrival of their owners to enjoy an escape from the city.

Owning or Renting Property in Suffolk County

Suffolk County offers prospective homeowners a wide range of choices in location, price, and style. Whether you’re looking for a modest family home in a great neighborhood or a vacation home, there’s something for everyone!

Quick Facts About Suffolk County
  • Covers 2,737 square miles
  • Founded in 1683
  • Population over 1.4 million
  • 11 Hospitals
  • 71 Public School Districts
  • Public Safety
  • Suffolk County Police Department
  • Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office
  • Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services
  • 20 Colleges and University Opportunities
  • 7 Coast Guard Stations
Property Climate in Suffolk County

Home Value Appreciation for Suffolk County

Home values in Suffolk County increased 2.5% compared to 2019 (median value in 2019 was $536,922.) Currently, the median price of a home listed is $549,000.

Owner Occupancy Rate for Suffolk County

From 2014-2018, the owner occupancy rate for Suffolk County was at 81%. Weekend, vacation, and vacant properties accounted for the 19% unoccupied rate.

Mortgage Facts for Suffolk County

The economy of the area does, of course, impact one's ability to prevent default of a mortgage and/or property taxes. The county populus is mainly sustained through incomes generated from employment in governmental sectors within the county.

  • GDP Suffolk County

018: $92,983.255 (government)

017: $90.601,801 (government)

Note: private goods/services were not included in the report

A stark 24% of homeowners in Suffolk County who have mortgages also have a second mortgage or and/or a home equity line of credit. Credit of any kind is beginning to weight down homeowners across our nation. However, 96.5% of Suffolk County's adult population overwhelmingly tapped into credit in 2017. The Mastic Beach zip code in Suffolk County has high credit utilization.

Percentages of Credit Scores in Suffolk County

(Range 280-850: Equifax)

  • Prime (being very good)

    • (720+): 58%

  • Near Prime (good)

    • (660-719): 18%

  • Subprime (low/poor)

    • (below 660): 24%

Property Insurance and Risks in Suffolk County

There are always going to be unexpected occurrences in the county that incur large-scale insurance claims. Whether natural or caused by humans, it’s valuable information to have when you are making inquiries into properties in the area.

Suffolk County is highly vulnerable to hurricanes, tropical storms, and flooding. When Hurricane Sandy hit back in 2012, it took 15 months to clear debris in Suffolk County. Flooding impacted over 31,000 homes. More than 750,000 homes were left with no power. FEMA filed claims for over $1.3 billion in individual aid and $160 million in public assistance.

Other disasters in the county include blizzards such as the 2007 Nor-easter and the Blizzard of 2013. Flooding is also a problem for coastal properties due to storm surges.

Public Record Access in Suffolk County

Property Records are publicly accessible. However, there’s a process to get those records. The infrastructure of entities responsible for handling property data may not be as clear cut as one would assume.

So, where do you go to do a Suffolk County lookup property “owner/ownership?”

In-Person Public Access Area

Suffolk County Clerk’s Office provides a starting point. But, that starting point requires you to go in person to the “public access area” where you’ll be required to sit at a library-like workstation. 

The workstation is a computer that reaches into a database of over 2.5 million images stored digitally. Now, if you happen to be searching land records before 1987 or liens before 2004, that presents a challenge because you won’t find anything in the “public access area.” For such a case, you’ll need to request assistance. You will most likely be referred to microfiche that dates as far back as 1660. 

We all know, perusing microfiche is time-consuming and requires diligence and attention to detail as you scan through thousands of records. Still haven’t found what you’re looking for on microfiche? You’ll need assistance again. The almighty, dingy “records room” is hopefully going to yield results for you. Books in the records room also contain property records. The task of going through hundreds of books won’t be quite as fast as microfiche. IF you do manage to find the information you are searching for, you will be charged a fee to print, copy, fax, or email it.

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Online Access

Upon arriving at the Suffolk County Clerk’s Office webpage, things may appear to be simple as a click of a button to start searching Suffolk County property records by name. However, you have to peel your way through, and at best, you end up hitting a dead end.

Liens

Doing a Suffolk County property tax search is traditionally the first step in digging up liens. To access any portion of lien records, your computer’s popup blocker must be disabled. You will then be required to accept various agreements to go further into the system. If you are lucky enough to get to the red bar at the top of your screen, you have gotten further than most others. To continue, you’ll need to do a “search 1” or “search 2.” In either case, you’ll need the owner’s name.

Land Records, Deeds, and Mortgages

Doing a Suffolk County property tax search is traditionally the first step in digging up liens. To access any portion of lien records, your computer’s popup blocker must be disabled. You will then be required to accept various agreements to go further into the system. If you are lucky enough to get to the red bar at the top of your screen, you have gotten further than most others. To continue, you’ll need to do a “search 1” or “search 2.” In either case, you’ll need the owner’s name.

AREIS System

Suffolk County offers AREIS(Advanced Real Estate Information System) for a stout licensing fee to access property records. This, however, is ideally not intended for individual use. AREIS merely gives a snapshot of ownership on parcels along with recorded sales. Further analysis of data is limited.

Governing Entities Handling Property Taxes in Suffolk County

Property taxes in the State of New York are administered by the Department of Taxation and Finance. Responsibility in managing, enforcing, and maintaining those taxes trickle all the way down to “Assessors” to “Receivers of Taxes” in each town, village, or municipality.

Local assessors are elected/appointed officials that handle property tax on a more local basis. Municipalities have either a shared assessor that works in more than one area, or they have a sole assessor (dedicated for that area.) These assessors are responsible for not only assessing a property’s value, but they also inspect properties and handle exemptions.

Hierarchy of Property Tax Entities
  • State of New York
  • Department of Taxation and Finance
  • County Real Property Director, Suffolk County
  • Overseer of all real property tax laws within a county.
  • Local Assessor (Suffolk County property appraiser)
  • Works for one municipality or multiple
  • Inspects properties for accuracy and valuation
  • Receiver of Taxes
  • Local municipality office who accepts and processes property taxes only.
Local Municipality “Receivers of Taxes”

It can be daunting trying to figure out who handles property taxes throughout Suffolk County. Each municipality has a “Receiver of Taxes,” which is merely an administrative office that collects taxes. They have no responsibility in property tax policies, data, recordings, or records.

  1. 1
    Babylon
  2. 2
    Brookhaven
  3. 3
    East Hampton
  4. 4
    Huntington
  5. 5
    Islip
  6. 6
    Riverhead
  7. 7
    Shelter Island
  8. 8
    Smithtown
  9. 9
    Southampton
  10. 10
    Southold

Bypass All of the Above In ONE STEP!

As you can see, the maze of trying to find the right department to obtain property records within Suffolk County, New York, is overwhelming, to say the least!

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