Help: Looking for info on Dunellen, NJ (Newark, Elizabeth: condos, how much)

[Olive1215]

Hi, We're a young couple, work in NYC and future plans to have a family and we've been searching NJ for a place to buy a home. We've targetted Union and Middlesex County for the easy commute on the rails. We put two offers in Colonia and ended up in a bidding war..Fishy..fisshy...Anyway, we've now decided to look towards Dunellen, however our realtor is trying to discourage us as it's close to Plainfield. Any thoughts? Advice?
Our price range is 350-380, taxes 4-6, 3B/2B and good schools along with decent commute to NYC.

[BobKovacs]

What's fishy about bidding wars? Houses in that price range in Colonia go quickly, so it doesn't surprise me that there would be multiple offers.

IMO, Dunellen is too close to Plainfield, and there's no comparision between Dunellen and Colonia. I'd look at Iselin or Woodbridge rather than Dunellen if Colonia isn't working for you.

Bob

[Olive1215]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

What's fishy about bidding wars? Houses in that price range in Colonia go quickly, so it doesn't surprise me that there would be multiple offers.

IMO, Dunellen is too close to Plainfield, and there's no comparision between Dunellen and Colonia. I'd look at Iselin or Woodbridge rather than Dunellen if Colonia isn't working for you.

Bob

It was fishy becasue both homes we were looking at were on the market for 4-5 months with no movement..It's like the listing agent put out a call after each bid was accepted by the seller to all previous bidders..

[kort677]

Originally Posted by Olive1215

It was fishy becasue both homes we were looking at were on the market for 4-5 months with no movement..It's like the listing agent put out a call after each bid was accepted by the seller to all previous bidders..

colonia is much more desirable than dunellen, dunellen is in a transitional area with plainfield in one dircection and elizabeth in the other.
If the costs aren't much different stick with colonia

[KatelynNJ]

Originally Posted by kort677

colonia is much more desirable than dunellen, dunellen is in a transitional area with plainfield in one dircection and elizabeth in the other.

Hi there! First of all, yes, Plainfield is right next to Dunellen, but Elizabeth is not very close to Elizabeth… it’s about 15+ miles east. 2nd of all, it is not on the opposite direction of Plainfield, it’s the same, but it’s no where near it, so don’t worry about that. I have lived in Middlesex all my life (which is right next to Dunellen) and it is very nice … same price range same type of area and a small cute town like Dunellen. If you decide to stick with Dunellen, I would recommend it! But yes, I would stay away from the area of Dunellen that is near Plainfield (the eastbound side), stay more towards the area near Greenbrook and Middlesex (the westbound side).

[emanon]

Dunellen is on a downward spiral economically. Middlesex is good and Greenbrook in Somerset Co. has some afordable areas and you get to send your kids to the"upscale" Watchung HS.

[yrgm]

I just read the title of your thread and thought, too close to Plainfield. I see most feel the same way. I agree about Middlesex being nice. I dont know how the schools are holding up. There used to be a pricipal named Mr. Diskin. Many of my relatives including my parents spoke very highly of him. Others here can speak on weather or not his traditions were carried on.

[kmansmom]

Good towns near Eliz. train to NYC would be Cranford or Clark, Metuchen/ Edison all great schools and also have a train stn. In Middlesex county look at East Brunswick/ South River good schools nice people. Good Luck!

[TomWaits]

I grew up near here so take my advice with a grain of salt

It's not too close to Plainfield. And as pointed out before, Elizabeth is no where close. Dunellen is safer than the average town in NJ according to state reports. Plus because the school system is so small (but manages to have kids go to Ivy League colleges, AND have championship sports teams), you don't have to worry about gangs taking over. There are some areas that are more desirable in Dunellen, that being the North-West side of town (by Middlesex) since that's where some of the elite lived a century ago. Since it's not far from Bound Brook, there sometimes are issues with flooding... make sure you check to see if you are looking in a floodzone. Although with your budget, you shouldn't have any issues. Lots of NYers have moved to Dunellen because of the train station (although you will have to switch in Newark, I know that there's talk that this will change in 2 years... there are also about 3 bus lines that end up in NYC too). A downtown with a historic movie theater, lots of restaurants, a park in every section of the town (concerts during the summer/ day camp for kids). There's no school bussing since the town is only 1 square mile.

To me, Colonia is too close to Woodbridge But before you make a decision, you should actually take a day to drive/walk through both towns.

BTW... most of the other towns suggested, it's going to be hard finding houses in your price range.

[mk002]

[SIZE=3]We are a young professional couple with 2 small children and are also considering purchasing something in Dunellen. My wife is from central Jersey and I'm from Philly. I work in Morristown and out of the City occasionally so the location seems convenient. We are impressed with the amount of home you can purchase in Dunellen relative to the areas surrounding it and love that the train runs into the City. We have driven through the area a number of times and walked around on the weekends. During our trips we didn't see anything glaringly wrong with the place. It is difficult to tell if it is improving or declining from these types of trips. I've spoken to a number of residents while walking around and one problem seems to be that there are a number of day laborers moving in but at the same time they mention that the housing prices are increasing and making it more difficult for working class families to afford... so I’m not sure what is what? I noticed that the census completed in 2000 noted a 75% Caucasian population and roughly 25% Hispanic and I would be interested in knowing how much that has changed. Our realtor found out that there was a major development project planned for the downtown, adjacent to the train station, to include new retail shops and condos, but it has since been put on hold. I'm sure the recent housing market didn't help move it along. Anyway just wondering if you guys pulled the trigger and bought something in Dunellen or if anyone else can provide some additional insight. Thanks! [/SIZE]