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A couple of years ago, my daughter, son-in-law and 3 kids relocated to NJ as she had a job in NYC. Pressed for time when searching for a place, they ended up in a small, cramped apartment in Hackensack. Every time her lease is up, she says she is going to move but, never does. Two of the kids are now in middle school, and what I was told in this forum, has come true about the school.
She has asked me to help her search because she puts in 60-70 hours per week at work and has crazy hours. Plus, she depends on her phone for everything.
Well...anyway...here is her criteria --- Rent: $1600/month (She knows she will have to pay utilities) but will go a little over that amount if she finds something suitable. She needs at least 2 bedrooms but would prefer 3. She needs at least 1 1/2 bathrooms. She needs a washer and dryer in unit, or at least hookups for them. Plus she needs to be either near a NJ Transit train stop or bus route that goes into Port Authority.
How far out from NYC would she have to go to find this---if it is even possible at all?
With a $1600 budget , I don't know if she'll find that in a place with much better schools than Hackensack.
She is finding the middle school to not be great at all. Plus, she lives 3 miles away from it and no school buses are provided. Is that par for the course in NJ? No matter how far a child may live from school, there are no school buses?
From a commuting standpoint, Hackensack isn't that far from NYC. However, with her budget, there is nothing decent available. They are bursting at the seams in their small apartment.
She is finding the middle school to not be great at all. Plus, she lives 3 miles away from it and no school buses are provided. Is that par for the course in NJ? No matter how far a child may live from school, there are no school buses?
From a commuting standpoint, Hackensack isn't that far from NYC. However, with her budget, there is nothing decent available. They are bursting at the seams in their small apartment.
From what I've read on here, Morris County seems to be the place to go in the NYC metro area for more affordable housing and good schools. Not sure what the rental market is like there but may be worth a look.
It might be possible to find something in Weehawken or Secaucus if you search hard. Buses are plenty, trains too in Secaucus, ferries too in Weehawken, and her commute would be shorter. I lived in Weehawken for two years and left because it didnt feel like a forever home and I wanted to start putting down roots somewhere else. The schools in Weehawken are very decent. We have a friend there, a single mother with two young kids and a job in NYC, and she loves it and plans to stay "forever."
Lyndhurst is also pretty close and commutable, and you might be able to find what she needs there in that range.
The Morris county towns with decent schools and somewhat tolerable commutes to NYC might be beyond the $1600 budget given the stated criteria (1.5 baths, washer/dryer). Most of the garden apartments in Parsippany are just one bathroom - a friend lived in one that allowed a washer hookup. Morristown, Madison and Chatham would be out of reach.
It might be possible to find a single family home in not so great shape in Parsippany, Denville or Rockaway within the budget - as far as I know all of those towns have bussing for schools (Parsippany definitely has bussing). 3 br town homes where I used to live in Parsippany that were rented out went for $2500-2700 / mo. West of Rockaway the commute into NYC would be brutal IMHO (I could barely tolerate the commute between Parsippany and NYC).
A previous poster suggested Lyndhust - that might be worth looking into along with Clifton. Both offer a better commute to NYC than Morris county. I can't vouch for the schools - they might just be on par with Hackensack, but they're not bottom of the barrel. Wayne, Little Falls, and Woodland Park might be worth looking into too if there are properties available within the price range.
I've heard Wayne has good schools, at least they should be better than Hackensack. There's a train station there, but I think most people take the bus. It's a lot more suburban than Hackensack but still has lots of shopping available.
Thanks again for all the suggestions! I will look into them all. From what I've seen so far---she may have to bump up her budget a bit. So far, I found some places in Lyndhurst, East Orange and Carteret for her to consider. Each place is slightly over $100 extra when it comes to her rent requirements. I sent the links to her but with her crazy work hours, she hasn't responded with feedback yet.
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