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Hi, I am new to the forum. We are a young couple looking to buy a house for ourself in Gloucester Township a little south of Gloucester Premium Outlets and close to Gloucester Township Community Park. Is that a good area to live in?
One of us will have a daily commute to center city.
There is another one we looked which is right between the Deptford mall and NJ Turnpike.
A little search over the web gave mixed reviews. what I read was west of Deptford is not so good area.
We are not bound to either of these area but are these ares safe and good for family?
Looks like center city commute will be approximately 1hr by driving to PATCO station and then taking the train.
Meh. Any particular reason why you singled out these areas in particular? I think you should get more in depth with some important details. What kind of atmosphere do you prefer to live in? What is your budget? One is commuting to Center City...what about the other person? I'm assuming you have children already because you ask about being good for family, so do you plan on staying in whatever place you choose for the long term and on using the schools?
You could very well be able to do better than these towns, but it is hard to know without answers to some of the questions that I posted.
No particular reasons for the area but some home were fitting our budget and criteria.
Our budget is $300k. i will be commuting to center city and my spouse will be looking for a job. We do not have children yet but hopefully in coming years.
We are not bound to stay forever but we are looking for atleast 7-8 years in same place.
Here is our minimum criteria
3 bed
2 bath
Garage (minimum 1 car)
Lots of closet space or basement
New construction would be great but we can do with something 10 years old at max.
Your biggest problem here may be the new construction part. 10 years back dates to 2007 right around the housing collapse, and SJ got hit really hard by this and the recession and has struggled to recover in line with most other areas. You are much more likely to find foreclosures than new construction. PA should have more ample new construction available, although the desirable areas and equivalent homes will be pricier (but with the trade off of lower property tax rates).
Plug into Zillow to see what you can find, although it won't be much. Here is an example. It is much closer to Philly and more likely to appreciate than Deptford or Gloucester Twp. 10 year old home well within your budget, safe area, good schools, right by PATCO for an easy commute to work or other trips into the city, and lots of cool spots to go for leisure (Downtown Collingswood, Haddonfield, Westmont) as well as close to Cherry Hill for big box needs, Wegman's, the mall, etc.
I don't think anyone really complains about Gloucester. It has the notorious Glendora section along the Black Horse Pike on the upper end on the border into Runnemede which, shall we say, has seen better days. Beyond that I don't see anything wrong with the area. It's a big one even by NJ standards, so it will have many different areas, but Glendora is really the worst of it. And so does every other town in NJ have an "underbelly"
Deptford historically was known for pig farms, and while it has done a lot in recent years to improve itself, is still essentially a working class town. The school system isn't good, on par with places like Winslow Twp and even Pennsauken, so in NJ for that reason I doubt it would be that good of an investment.
So I'd pick Gloucester Twp over Deptford if I were you.
I would recommend Camden County, specifically Cherry Hill, over Deptford or Gloucester Township. The only thing you won't get in your budget is new construction, but you can find a nice house in the $300K range for what you are looking for. Cherry Hill is very convenient for people commuting to Center City because they can take the PATCO High Speedline which is an easy 15-20 minute ride right into Center City (PATCO stations in Haddonfield, Westmont and Collingswood are convenient). Cherry Hill has great schools, the best shopping in Southern New Jersey and TONS of restaurants. It is also close to other nice towns that have great shopping (Moorestown, Mt. Laurel) and restaurants (Collingswood). Cherry Hill also has a fantastic library.
For your budget, I think the Barclay Farm or Colwick neighborhoods will be the nicest. Both are beautiful, quiet, quaint neighborhoods and both are convenient to everything. I would probably give an edge to Barclay Farm as there are more children in that neighborhood.
I would much recommend this area over Deptford and Gloucester Township. I grew up in that area but have lived in Cherry Hill for the last 20 or so years and Cherry Hill is a much better area for many reasons, in my opinion - better schools, better (and more options for) shopping, restaurants, closer to Philly, etc.
If you have any questions about the Cherry Hill area, feel free to ask, or PM me.
Good luck!
Last edited by Sassygirl18; 03-12-2017 at 05:58 AM..
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