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 wife and I are looking to buy a house within a year or less. We have been living in an apt in Philadelphia for about 3 years now. Her family lives in South Jersey and mine lives in Bucks County (Holland). We would like to move somewhere semi-close to both of our families. We have been looking into both PA and NJ. Specifically Haddonfield or Collingswood in NJ and Yardley or Newtown in PA.
We want good school districts, a nice sense of community and a safe neighborhood.
We visited Haddonfield last weekend and I fell in love with it. But am just hesitant because of how high the property taxes are.
We are both first time buyers, and still need to do a lot of research on first time buying. But I have a few questions.
1. Our total income is $130,000 a year - what can we afford? we want a 3 or 4 bedroom, 2 bath. with an ok size backyard. We pay $1950 mo. right now for our rental apt. and we are pretty comfortable.
2. Is Haddonfield worth the taxes??
3. Should we stay away from houses that don't have central air?
4. Are there any other towns in the South jersey or bucks county area that you recommend? (with good school districts, a nice sense of community and a safe neighborhood, also would be nice if neighbors had families - so neighbors around our age, we are in early 30s).
5. What are the pros/cons about buying a foreclosure home?
Thanks for any and all help! Any other tips would be great.
Elliott
Last edited by Elliott27; 07-03-2012 at 12:09 PM..
Bucks County will offer a lot more charming communities with good school districts than South Jersey. Most of South Jersey was farmland until the 1950s and was subsequently built in clusters--ergo, strip malls, big box stores, and McMansions abound. Still, there are some lovely places closer to the river that could suit your needs--namely Haddonfield and Moorestown, the latter of which would make for a decent Midway(ish) point while still being close to Philadelphia proper. Haddon Heights, Haddon Township, and Collingswood are great as well, though the public school quality is not so hot. There are points North of Moorestown in Burlington County that could also potentially work, though I am less familiar with them (I'll defer to Frank on this one).
lol. so was bucks county! You have the same housing stock in Bucks as you have in South jersey. To the op= Its a toss up.. I would say to look in both areas and pick the home you like the best. The taxes and schools are pretty even actually. We were in the same boat as you with the same budget and looked in Montgomery, Bucks and Burlington counties and wound up in NJ.
lol. so was bucks county! You have the same housing stock in Bucks as you have in South jersey. To the op= Its a toss up.. I would say to look in both areas and pick the home you like the best. The taxes and schools are pretty even actually. We were in the same boat as you with the same budget and looked in Montgomery, Bucks and Burlington counties and wound up in NJ.
Yes, but Bucks County tends to have a much less "soulless and sprawling" feel (eg, Lower Makefield), while places like New Hope, Newtown, Doylestown, etc. are quite historic and lovely.
Last edited by ElijahAstin; 07-05-2012 at 07:12 AM..
If you work in Philadelphia, make sure you take into consideration NJ's state income tax credit for income taxes paid to other jurisdictions. You may be able to credit your wage tax against your NJ state income taxes. In PA, you cannot. You pay your local taxes (except local wage), pay the city wage as a commuter, and state taxes. To frank's point, it's much more of a toss-up once you do the math than the numbers initially appear, especially if you work in Philadelphia.
Haddonfield and Collingswood are both great towns; I've lived in both. Overall, 3/4 bed houses with 2 baths are "newer" (post 1950?) homes. In NJ, you will have an easier time finding a house like that in a town where that style of house is predominant, like Cherry Hill, parts of Haddon Township, Barrington, etc. rather than the older downtown towns like Haddonfield, Collingswood. In the older towns, the housing stock on the whole is established, limited, smaller, and the bigger houses go for a large premium. In short, you may be looking for one of a few in your price point in Haddonfield or Collingswood, or one of many in a town like Cherry Hill.
What you get in SJ is: closer proximity to the shore and NYC from all of the NJ communities. Closer proximityand center city, airport & stadiums from the Haddons, Collingswood and CH. Rarely do congestion issues on this side come close to the snarls I run into every time I cross over the bridges...no matter what time of day on the main interstates or the numbered highways which are also parking lots on a regular basis. PA offers lower taxes overall in state income taxes with a lower overall flat rate that is less than NJ and you won't have to worry about getting bumped into a higher bracket as your income rises. PA is closer to DC, Baltimore and skiing. Comparing apples to apples (comparable school districts, age of home, size of home, etc.) I found PA real estate taxes to be cheaper than NJ...by at least 30%.)
Still, we live in NJ...
I grew up in NJ as did all my family and immigrant ancestors. We have family here. We frequent the shore regularly.
Another difference is that in NJ, you find areas that have school districts that are smaller and 'match' the town. PA has mostly idependent regional school districts that cover multiple towns. Haddonfield, Moorestown, Collingswood, Cherry Hill, and Haddon Township all have their own public K-8 school district and town-based high schools. Haddon Heights goes to a regional high school after having town based K-8. We liked the idea of the town, the high school, the community being connected in that way to our biggest investment. Of course this is what leads to higher taxes in NJ too...everything comes with a price!
Yes, but Bucks County tends to have a much less "soulless and sprawling" feel (eg, Lower Makefield), while places like New Hope, Newtown, Doylestown, etc. are quite historic and lovely.
very true but Jersey has Collingswood, Moorestown, Haddonfield, Riverton etc etc too. Like I said,. They are even..
very true but Jersey has Collingswood, Moorestown, Haddonfield, Riverton etc etc too. Like I said,. They are even..
Actually, I will agree that Burlington County (though not South Jersey as a whole) is almost on par with Bucks, charm-wise, and is leaps and bounds more convenient at that.
Last edited by ElijahAstin; 07-06-2012 at 07:01 AM..
Actually, I will agree that Burlington County (though not South Jersey as a whole) is almost on par with Bucks, charm-wise, and is leaps and bounds more convenient at that.
Thats what I am talking bout!! What other NJ county is as nice??
Thats what I am talking bout!! What other NJ county is as nice??
I thought you were lumping in Camden, which, beyond those several communities already mentioned, I would have to take great issue with.
Development wise, Burlington seems about a decade behind Bucks. A lot more unspoiled wilderness remains.
Either way, if you want to be reasonably between South Jersey and Bucks, Burlington probably is the way to go. Too much congestion on the PA side to accomplish this effectively.
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.
What other NJ county is as nice??
