Moorsetown & Mount Laurel & Vicinty.. (Union, Paramus: credit, travel, work)

[billb7581]

The age of the assessment has more to do with that than anything.

My assessment was 17 years old.

We were reassessed in 2007 and mine went from 140K to 285K. My taxes went up 80 dollars, so my effective rate halved.

[tahiti]

Originally Posted by tahiti

you do realize that means nothing, right? it's only one piece of the puzzle. as i've said ad nauseum in this forum, my current rate is 3.50, but our assessments are rock bottom and my taxes are lower than any surrounding town with a lower rate.

ah...i need to amend this statement before jimboc rips me a new one. i misread his post - he's talking about EFFECTIVE rate, which is different than the GENERAL rate I'm referring to. the EFFECTIVE rate gives an overall normalized view between towns. my apologies.

[JimboC]

Originally Posted by tahiti

ah...i need to amend this statement before jimboc rips me a new one. i misread his post - he's talking about EFFECTIVE rate, which is different than the GENERAL rate I'm referring to. the EFFECTIVE rate gives an overall normalized view between towns. my apologies.

Tahiti........I would never do that.

[Sters]

I've lived in Haddonfield for 8 years and love the convenience and walkability and close-knit community feel. The high speed line makes commuting to Philly a breeze, and the walk to the speedline is very pleasant one through neighborhoods. Nearly all my daily needs can be met by walking. The schools are excellent. The only problem is that it's expensive..you will pay more per square foot here... and the property taxes are very high. My tiny 3BR bungalow now has an $8,000 property tax bill. We've just had our 10-year reassessment so all the assessments are, in theory, in allignment.

Property prices have fallen over the past couple of years, so you should be able to get a "bargain" and a good selection, for Haddonfield. I'm looking to sell soon (moving out of state) and one thing our realtor said rings true. It's an "A" neighborhood, so even as prices are falling here, they are falling faster in places like Voorhees and Cherry Hill. All in all, Haddonfield is a good investment.

My inlaws live in Medford Lakes, in fact grew up there, and love it. Both Haddonfield and Medford Lakes are child-centered communities, each with its own feel. The only downside to ML is the lack of convenient shopping, something I hear my family gripe about a lot. In the summer, there is a terrific summer camp with canoeing and the like that my nephews and nieces enjoy tremendously and having the lakes (exta fee to use them) are a huge draw.

I'm sorry that I don't know much about Marlton, except from my brother in law who used to hate delivering pizzas there. Traffic is a *****.

[CafeLatte]

Looks like I'm going to work in three locations: Cherry Hill, Stratford and Washington Township. I'm still considering Mt. Laurel. I checked on google map and the driving distances doesn't seem TOO bad. Do you all think Mt. Laurel is out of the way? Should I consider another town? Just based on a quick search on Realtor.com, I'm considering Mt. Laurel to purchase a home eventually. But that's really without knowing the area. So, do you think commuting to these 3 places is ok from Mt Laurel?

[nic529]

The only thing you should know about Mt. Laurel is that the traffic is a nightmare! Other then that its a great place!

[JerzBoy]

You will be fine commuting from Mt Laurel to these 3 places. Cherry Hill is easy - roughly 5-10min. Stratford is probly 20-30min and Washington Twp is probly 30-40min. You will be going against the bulk of the traffic which is ideal. I think you'll enjoy Mt Laurel - you will def get a nice house w/ ur budget.

[JerzBoy]

nic529 - There are alot of shortcuts in Mt Laurel if you know the area. Everyone just thinks of all the congestion on 38 and 73. There are plenty of "back" roads to beat the traffic.

[nic529]

Not in my experience! But - I don't live there I'm sure you know better then I do

[Calcbunny]

Originally Posted by billb7581

And pay way more taxes for basically a similarly ranked school while being yet further from Cherry Hill with a cluster**** commute..

Lenape and Senaca are just big, and mostly rich white folks live there.

I'd like to think I could best answer this one, I lived in Southampton for 10 years and before than Cherry Hill for 30. Southampton is one of the best kept secrets around. Small town feel, you actually get land with your house, The schools are top notch and the taxes are lower as there is a high Retired population. You could actually make money on a home in Southampton.

I bought a home there in 1996, it was $50,000 less than the same home in Voorhees. I sold my home there for $50,000 more than that same home in Voorhess 10 years later.

Cherry Hill is nice too, but it is played out.

And as for the commute...I got from Southamton/Sooy Place Rd to Cherry Hill in 20 minutes at Rush Hour. It may seem far, but its what you would call a country mile.

Needless to say i would move back there in a second.

Now, you mentioned Moorestown...That is a great place to live, you will find homes there a lot more expensive.