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I'm not sure if you still are looking since you posted quite some time ago. But if you are really give Dumont in Bergen County a look. I lived there for 10 years and loved it. I could not imagine growning up anywhere else. I'm only in college so I can't really help you with taxes. However if 500K is your price area you should be fine with finding a house. Dumont is a wonderful small, quiet town. It's very safe and there's definitely a strong sense of community. For the commute to NY you could drive to a nearby train station (theres one about 10-15 minutes away, depending which one you go to) or take the bus. My mother did both. Overall, most towns in Bergen County are very nice towns. Also, I saw you were looking into Middlesex. I have family who has lived there for years and as far as I know they love it.
I'll second Dumont as a possibility. I live in a neighboring town, and have many friends and acquaintances from Dumont, it is a nice, family oriented town. More of a blue collar town, than some of those towns surrounding it, but you also get more for your money in Dumont (in terms of house).
I would recommend at least looking into South Orange, Maplewood or Millburn. You can find beautiful Colonials and Tudors on gorgeous, quiet streets in these towns.
All three are nice towns, but Millburn is definitely a better alternative than the other two (if you can afford it).
Both South Orange and Maplewood are somewhat divided towns and border on some pretty rough areas. South Orange borders on Orange to the north and Newark to the east. Maplewood borders on Newark and Irvington; and the poorer side of Maplewood is not exactly a great neighborhood itself.
I live in Saddle Brook and love it. Nice town, good schools, nice parks near all the major highways and the trains. Plus our taxes are low for Bergen County. Any questions let me know.
Thanks. We ended up in Hasbrouck Heights, we found a nice property under $500K, recently renovated, close to the bus to the City, which I understand is about 30 minutes or so. The town seems small and quaint, mostly middle-class folks. The nearby Euclid elementary school is rated well.
Does anyone have any more insight into this town? We should be closing in January. Thanks.
Hi. We're yet another couple looking to move to NJ from NYC. Despite the talk I've read on these boards about the insane expenses, property taxes, car insurance and over-population, we're currently living in NYC and are already accustomed to worse than what we perceive NJ to be. The reason we're looking to move is that we're currently throwing away money on rent, and we're looking to start a family in a more suburban setting.
Here's our situation: my wife will be working in Jersey City by the water, while I will continue to work in Downtown Manhattan. We are looking for a more suburban feel, first-time home for ourselves and potentially one child on the way.
Concerns are: safety, ease of transportation (most likely NJTransit although we have a car) to JC and NYC, an affordable house around $500K or less. We don't need a mansion, just a quaint first-time home in good condition on a nice street.
From what I've read on the boards here in the past few days, I'm starting to look at Rutherford, Lyndhurst, Hasbrouck Heights, Carlstadt. It seems a home for $500K or less is difficult but not completely impossible to come by in the above areas. Combined we currently make about $250K pre-tax.
Any suggestions in general would be appreciated. Also I read a suggestion to ask my employer to calculate NJ taxes on my paycheck. Great idea. In general, won't I be paying less taxes by living in NJ and working in NYC, as opposed to living and working in NYC ? Thanks.
Out of those towns you mentioned the nicest one would be Hasbrouck Heights. It is in a great location, has excellent schools and low crime. Lots of traffic and high taxes are also present but really close to NY and for a couple making 250k a year you should be ok there. Hope this helps. Also Rutherford is a close second with all the same features I mentioned about Heights. P.S. RUtherford has a train station and a main bus line into NYC.
ok guys this might not interest you but I too used to live in NYC.. and i'm glad i move out .. i regret throwing so much money on rent.. i guess that the experience of living in the city was good.. but anyways.. to get to the point. .i bought a house in ELizabeth about 4 yrs ago when moved to NJ and i will not regret it no matter how people bad mouth ELizabeth.. currently I own 4 houses in Elizabeth.. i have over 500k in equity now.. if you don't have kids yet and willing to buy new construction homes for about 500k.. which means worry free as the new construction houses have 10yrs warranty and 5 years tax abatement.. it's a great investment.. Elizabeth is located very conveniently near everything.. NYC, Newark Airport.. commuting to NYC is so easy.. i work at 30 Rock and i take the bus daily.. i'm there in 25 mins..
well this is just my 2 cents.. good luck with your decision.. btw there is a ferry to NYC under cosntruction from Elizabeth Seaport section.. also 2 train stations service elizabeth into NYC and about 5 NJT bus lines as well.. i normally take the 112 from North Ave in Elizabeth..
I live in Wood-Ridge which borders Hasbrouck Heights and Carlstadt. New Homes are going for about 700k and the older homes are anywhere from 400k and up . . . depending on what you want and how much you want to fix . . .
I work in midtown and the commute for me is a matter of hopping on the NJ Transit bus falling asleep and waking up practically at work.
Taxes are high. New homes are in the 8-12k range a year. I wish you luck! I would not live any other place. The people are great, the schools are fantastic but I do believe you pay more for these benefits.
just a note to the poster who said you still have to pay nyc taxes. this is not true. i live in jersey city and work in nyc and do not pay city tax to nyc. i pay ny state taxes though. you have to file nj taxes as well, but you get a credit for the ny state taxes so you net out paying nothing usually.
I think your taxes might be slightly lower. You will still need to pay NYC taxes if you work there, plus the usual taxes based on where you live. However, NJ taxes are IIRC lower than NY ones. So its probably a net win for you that way.
Rutherford is nice but if you want suburban I'm not sure that's what you want. It's more like some parts of Queens. I haven't been to the other places you are considering. As folks have said to me, you really should go visit the places you are considering moving to get a feel for what its like to be there before you decide what area to move into. That'll give you a sense of the commute too.
Cat05; i'm afraid you are mistaken if you work in NYC and live in NJ you don't pay local tax (NYC taxes); you will pay NYS taxes, however, at year end you'd need to file a non-resident tax return, the credit pretty much offset your NJ state income taxes. It can be a bit confusing.
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Bergen County
