Towns with decent commute to Annandale NJ (Bethlehem, Easton: sale, houses)

[daisylouk]

Hello all, we currently live in central/on the border southern NJ and my husband is being transferred to Annandale NJ. This is great as it means he will have a job but we will most likely want to move closer to his work as it's 60 miles or better from where we live now. We have one daughter who will be a junior in high school in the fall, so good school is important. I'm very interested in the Nazareth area, seems to be what we would like and the schools are rated well. I'm a little concerned if we can afford a decent house there. Our max would probably be around $350,000. My husband is losing a little money with the transfer and we don't want to over extend ourselves. We would want 3 bedrooms, 2 to 2 1/2 baths, something not too old. My husband has done 100 year old houses before and doesn't care for the upkeep-plaster walls and all that jazz. Our current house is 20 years old, so we don't have to have new. I've looked on Realtor.com and the houses seem to be all over in price-sure it must have to do with specific areas. I'd welcome any other advice on towns, etc. I have looked a bit on the New Jersey side, but I don't know much about Warren county and I know we won't get much in Hunterdon. I think I would prefer Pa anyway. I have family there, but not specifically Lehigh Valley. Thanks in advance for reading if you've gotten this far-I appreciate any advice.

[blazerj]

Originally Posted by daisylouk

Hello all, we currently live in central/on the border southern NJ and my husband is being transferred to Annandale NJ. This is great as it means he will have a job but we will most likely want to move closer to his work as it's 60 miles or better from where we live now. We have one daughter who will be a junior in high school in the fall, so good school is important. I'm very interested in the Nazareth area, seems to be what we would like and the schools are rated well. I'm a little concerned if we can afford a decent house there. Our max would probably be around $350,000. My husband is losing a little money with the transfer and we don't want to over extend ourselves. We would want 3 bedrooms, 2 to 2 1/2 baths, something not too old. My husband has done 100 year old houses before and doesn't care for the upkeep-plaster walls and all that jazz. Our current house is 20 years old, so we don't have to have new. I've looked on Realtor.com and the houses seem to be all over in price-sure it must have to do with specific areas. I'd welcome any other advice on towns, etc. I have looked a bit on the New Jersey side, but I don't know much about Warren county and I know we won't get much in Hunterdon. I think I would prefer Pa anyway. I have family there, but not specifically Lehigh Valley. Thanks in advance for reading if you've gotten this far-I appreciate any advice.

I work in NJ, but 15 miles or so east of Annandale (which is a lot of time during rush hour) and live in the NASD. Hunterdon county (from what I hear) has great schools and is affordable in NJ terms. I'd look there, if affordable.

The PA prices for houses that you see are probably a result of the school district. The Nazareth Area School District is the closest good school district to NJ on 78. Easton has nice pockets for sure, but the High School isn't the best. The same is true for Palmer and Bethlehem Township. That's why the Nazareth District tends to have higher priced homes (close to NJ border and good school district).

My suggestion is to look in the NASD or the Hunterdon Country district (note, the western part of the county goes to the Warren County Schools, and I don't know why).

[daisylouk]

Thanks blazerj for the reply. I have done some looking in Hunterdon county, I think we're priced out of there for the most part, but I will keep an eye out. I looked a little around Easton, but was concerned about the high school. I guess I will concentrate on NASD which seemed the most appealing anyway and Hunterdon. We're a few months away from actual house hunting. My husband plans to bite the bullet and do the commute until we get our house sale ready. Thanks again.