Moving from RVA - need advice (Bayonne, Montclair: apartments, lease, houses)

[Tribegirl]

Hello!

I am a 25 year old female, who lives alone and I'm trying to find a safe place to live in NJ and commute to Manhattan. Any help would be greatly appreciated !

Where are you coming from?
- Richmond, VA

Why are you moving?
- Job

Where will you be working ? If NYC, what part of NYC?
- Manhattan

Will you buy or rent?
- rent

What is your budget ?
- $1350

What kind of place are you looking for ?
- safe area, close to transportation to NYC

Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ?
- nope

Do you need/want good public schools?
- nope

Briefly describe the kind of neighborhood you'd like to live in
(examples: families with young children, young, mature, artsy, diverse, safe, close-knit, block parties, etc)
- looking for a place where I don't need a car 100% of the time, and has a easy enough commute to NYC

List three things that are important to you in order of importance.(examples: nightlife, outdoor activities, rural/urban, safety, downtown area, charming, new construction, proximity to XYZ, family oriented, easy parking, short commute, etc)
- safety
- commute around an hour max
- walk ability of town

Been looking at Montclair, Maplewood, and Wood Ridge so far.

[HalfFull]

Which part of Manhattan?

Montclair and Maplewood are good fits. I'd add Rutherford.

However, your budget may be a few hundred low. Would you consider a roommate situation?

[jaymoney]

Be sure to add the costs of your monthly commuting pass to your budget, that'll be a few hundred dollars as well.

[Tribegirl]

Times Square near Bryant Park. I'm open to roommates, but I don't know anyone in the nearby area, and would prefer to live on my own first to get situated. I've been looking at rooms to rent in homes too - but $1350 would be my budget for anything without utilities.

I'm open to tiny studios, or rooms in houses, my #1 concern is walking around alone at night from work (ie:safety), as I'd prefer not to drive into the city.

EDIT- also have $300 in budget for commute, one of the reasons rent is on the lower side

[Goldendoodle1969]

For $1350 you could easily get a share in Hoboken. The commute from there would only be about $100/month so you could also up your housing budget. It's only a 5 minute walk from The Path Station at Herald Square to Bryant Park.

[Annikan]

I would also suggest finding a roommate(s) on Craigslist or somewhere. Best case scenario, you end up with built in friends. Middle-of-the-road scenario, you are just roommates who both respect each other. Worst case: your roommate really sucks and you move out at the end of the lease.

I know a lot of people wouldn't even try CL, but until I got married, I had 4 roommates in a row from CL and every single one was great. Just don't sign a lease unless you meet in person and you get a good feeling from them. And ask questions--- Is the apartment clean? Do you share food or do people stick to their own foods? How are utilities split? Are sleepover from friends/sig others allowed and how many times a week?

I used to actually place ads that said, "You are fun and like to go out, but you don't bring the party home". That pretty much landed me good, fun roomates who were quiet at home every time.

[Tribegirl]

Thanks, everyone! What about Weehawken or Bayonne?

These were names given to me by co-workers when I asked for safer areas.

[nybbler]

Originally Posted by Tribegirl

Thanks, everyone! What about Weehawken or Bayonne?

These were names given to me by co-workers when I asked for safer areas.

I think Weehawken's also going to be out of budget unless you have roommates. Nothing wrong with it. It's a much quieter place than Hoboken, so it's a matter of what you're looking for.

Bayonne is cheaper, but despite being physically close to Manhattan can be a long commute, as there's no ferry, train, bridge, or tunnel direct from there. Maybe some day they'll restart Bayonne ferry service, but it won't be soon.

[pretorius]

You can find a 1 bedroom apartment within your budget in Weehawken. Best way is walk around the neighborhoods near Boulevard East and Gregory Avenue, find "for rent" sings attached to multifamily homes, call the homeowners, and agree a lease. Many of these apartments are not advertised on the internet.

The town is safe.

Commute from Weehawken to Bryant Park, door to door, will be 30 to 50 minutes. Monthly NJ Transit bus ticket is $98. Better way is buy ten trip NJ Transit tickets for $70. To go into the city, use one of the ten trip tickets for a NJ Transit bus or pay $3 for a jitney bus, whatever bus arrives first. Returning from New York to Weehawken, use one of the NJ Transit tickets to take an NJ Transit bus. Total monthly public transit bill equals $80 to $120.

[EBWick]

Originally Posted by nybbler

I think Weehawken's also going to be out of budget unless you have roommates. Nothing wrong with it. It's a much quieter place than Hoboken, so it's a matter of what you're looking for.

Bayonne is cheaper, but despite being physically close to Manhattan can be a long commute, as there's no ferry, train, bridge, or tunnel direct from there. Maybe some day they'll restart Bayonne ferry service, but it won't be soon.

But i think Bayonne has the light rail which hooks up with the PATH in downtown JC.