Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My girlfriend has a job offer in Jenkintown and I work in Mt. Laurel and we are looking for a nice place to buy a house on the Jersey side (currently live in Philly).
I'm originally from the area (Lumberton, went to Rancocas Valley HS), and know most of the good towns and school districts, etc. Moorestown and to some extent Cinnanminson are a little out range of our current budget (want to stay in the 175k range), so we started looking at places in Palmyra, Riverton and Riverside. Even for a relative local, I find myself a little unsure of just how good Palmyra and Riverside neighborhoods and schools are.
Being an RV grad, I know we didnt have the best rep (mainly from the bad parts of Mt. Holly), but believe me, my high school experience was a good one overall. Would Riverside and Palmyra be considered in the same boat?
Out of every town you listed, Riverton would be first, followed by Palmyra and then Riverside. I'm not overly familiar with Riverside, but I know it has the worst school district of all those towns.
FWIW, Riverton is great for elementary, but then the kids go to Palmyra HS, which is kind of like a Rancocas Valley. If it were me, I would try to find something in Riverton and then settle on Palmyra if that didn't work out. I personally wouldn't consider Riverside at all.
Great, thanks for the info. We also are considering Merchantville, which seems to be the same deal as Riverton/better parts of Palmyra: good until around HS time, then get out of dodge.
Good thing is, me and her are a long time away from having HS age kids, being in our mid-twenties without a child yet, and no plans for one is the near future.
You'd be surprised what 175k can get you right now. We've looked at a surprising amount of decent single family homes in that range, even in Cherry Hill. The taxes do suck, but, hey...that's NJ.
Great, thanks for the info. We also are considering Merchantville, which seems to be the same deal as Riverton/better parts of Palmyra: good until around HS time, then get out of dodge.
Good thing is, me and her are a long time away from having HS age kids, being in our mid-twenties without a child yet, and no plans for one is the near future.
You'd be surprised what 175k can get you right now. We've looked at a surprising amount of decent single family homes in that range, even in Cherry Hill. The taxes do suck, but, hey...that's NJ.
A lot can change over time but I would personally counsel people to buy in a town that can accomodate their needs without necessitating a move. Since your future seems to include kids, that means a solid school system. You can't bank on being able to sell and move at some point in the future. At least if you know your kids are going to go to a decent school you won't feel the pressure to have to move.
If it were me, I would take what my budget can get me in a town that has traditionally had a good school system and go from there.
A lot can change over time but I would personally counsel people to buy in a town that can accomodate their needs without necessitating a move. Since your future seems to include kids, that means a solid school system. You can't bank on being able to sell and move at some point in the future. At least if you know your kids are going to go to a decent school you won't feel the pressure to have to move.
If it were me, I would take what my budget can get me in a town that has traditionally had a good school system and go from there.
excellent advise. Don't assume that a move is in the future. Never know what the future can bring.. Move to a place that you could stay for the erest of your life. In other words, don't compromise..
If possible, keep renting a bit longer. It will give you more money for a downpayment.
Also, Merchantville & Cherry Hill are discussing a merger.
I guarantee you property values in Merchantville will go up if a merger happens. Heck, if they simply got the sending/receiving agreement changed to send those kids to Cherry Hill East or West, they would probably go up.
Riverside is much like Palmyra. There are areas which are seedy/trashy, areas which are a little too close to seedy/trashy areas for total comfort, and areas which are nicer. In Palmyra, that's areas bordering Riverton, and in Riverside that's areas bordering Delran, east of River Road. Palmyra's closer over the bridge for commuting to PA, but Riverside has more convenient shopping. Riverside is also more convenient if you had any thoughts of sending your kids to a Catholic grade school.
Riverside does have a nasty side, but I'd choose it over Palmyra. There are some low-class, unpleasant people in both, but in my opinion Palmyra has a worse problem because a) it has more, closely situated low-cost apartment units and the resulting impermanent residents and b) it's so close to a bridge into a bad section of Philadelphia.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
