Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am planning on moving to NJ in late 2014 for work in the NYC Financial District area. My girlfriend will come with, but may not work in NYC. Both late 20's. Jersey City seems like the best location, and for reasons of price, I have been mainly considering apartments in:
Journal Square area
Grove Street area
A couple other things that might be relevant: we are night owls, love diners, and are not gastronomically adventurous.
I have looked through this forum (very helpful), but I would appreciate any advice on:
1. Where to live and why (other JC options are OK, but need to be convinced)
2. How to find the place and other tips (How long before moving should we look? Do we need to use realtors/brokers? Are there good sites I might not know of?)
Form Answers:
Where are you coming from? Cambridge, MA Why are you moving? Work Where will you be working ? If NYC, what part of NYC? Financial District
Will you buy or rent? Rent What is your budget ? $1000-$2000. I would prefer under $1500. What kind of place are you looking for ? An apartment. I will not be there much, but my girlfriend probably will, so she has to like the area.
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ? Girlfriend and 2 cats. Do you need/want good public schools? No, does not matter.
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) None of those seem relevant. My girlfriend would probably best get along with friendly, working-class people like her.
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) 1. Proximity to PATH is a MUST. 2. Good parking is a MUST. 3. Good shopping would be nice (we come from areas with huge strip malls everywhere).
TL;DR Should we prefer Journal Square over Grove Street, and why? Any general advice on moving to JC?
Any advice is welcome, and thanks to anyone who takes the time to respond.
I am planning on moving to NJ in late 2014 for work in the NYC Financial District area. My girlfriend will come with, but may not work in NYC. Both late 20's. Jersey City seems like the best location, and for reasons of price, I have been mainly considering apartments in:
Journal Square area
Grove Street area
A couple other things that might be relevant: we are night owls, love diners, and are not gastronomically adventurous.
I have looked through this forum (very helpful), but I would appreciate any advice on:
1. Where to live and why (other JC options are OK, but need to be convinced)
2. How to find the place and other tips (How long before moving should we look? Do we need to use realtors/brokers? Are there good sites I might not know of?)
Form Answers:
Where are you coming from? Cambridge, MA Why are you moving? Work Where will you be working ? If NYC, what part of NYC? Financial District
Will you buy or rent? Rent What is your budget ? $1000-$2000. I would prefer under $1500. What kind of place are you looking for ? An apartment. I will not be there much, but my girlfriend probably will, so she has to like the area.
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ? Girlfriend and 2 cats. Do you need/want good public schools? No, does not matter.
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) None of those seem relevant. My girlfriend would probably best get along with friendly, working-class people like her.
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) 1. Proximity to PATH is a MUST. 2. Good parking is a MUST. 3. Good shopping would be nice (we come from areas with huge strip malls everywhere).
TL;DR Should we prefer Journal Square over Grove Street, and why? Any general advice on moving to JC?
Any advice is welcome, and thanks to anyone who takes the time to respond.
If you need to be near Path and want a working class environment then Journal Square is your answer. Grove Street isn't really affordable for you anyway. The parking issue will be tricky but you are more likely to afford an apartment with parking in Journal Square than in Grove. There are tons of shops around both areas so that isn't much of a concern. Grove will be more like Cambridge though. Journal Square is still a bit, I guess ugly? But I wouldn't call it a bad area, just stick to north of Montgomery ideally. Tons of Filipino and Indian restaurants by Journal Square if that matters to you.
Under 1500 in rent is doable in Journal Square and slowly becoming impossible by Grove Street. Having pets may limit your choices of apartments but it still shouldn't be a huge problem. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
If you are open to being further from Path then definitely consider renting in Port Liberte or Society Hill by the way. Pets are a non-issue and parking is ample there. Both are nice communities which are unfortunately surrounded by mediocre/bad areas. (They are gated).`
Second on focusing on JSQ. Other locations are nice too but they are just too far from direct Path access, meaning you either need to drive, take another form of mass transportation to get to Path.
If you want Grove and be more closer to 'heart', then you need to up your budget to at least 2000 if not more. Grove is quite expensive and parking there will require you to get a garage which is 150-300 a month in addition. Quick fyi is that luxury 1bedroom in Grove area is 2600 typically. That said, you can get non-luxury 1bed for lower than that if you look but even then it won't be easy and would be further up toward historict district.
Couple alternative options.
- Look at Newark but you'll need to know that area better because like Bronx and Brooklyn. There are some bad areas. In return, rent is much more affordable and you have Path to WTC.
- Look at towns like Weehawken (port imperial) with ferry access to FiDi (financial district). Towns without Path access are typically cheaper but in return, ferry is more expensive and more limiting in flexibilty of how often it runs and weekend service, etc.
All this said, it'll depend on background of both of you. If you guys did not grow up in urban environment and find say JSQ too gritty. Then yeah, don't bother with Newark.
Second on focusing on JSQ. Other locations are nice too but they are just too far from direct Path access, meaning you either need to drive, take another form of mass transportation to get to Path.
If you want Grove and be more closer to 'heart', then you need to up your budget to at least 2000 if not more. Grove is quite expensive and parking there will require you to get a garage which is 150-300 a month in addition. Quick fyi is that luxury 1bedroom in Grove area is 2600 typically. That said, you can get non-luxury 1bed for lower than that if you look but even then it won't be easy and would be further up toward historict district.
2600 is a little bit of an overstatement. You can get a 1BR near Grove/Newport/Exchange for ~$2200-2300 in the cheaper new buildings last I was looking, earlier this year, though some buildings will start closer to $2600. If you look in older/small buildings, though, $1500 is doable near Grove St in the Hamilton Park area. Try Craigslist, or you could meet with a broker at one of the agencies around town.
Journal Square is definitely cheaper, though, and parking will be slightly easier, though parking is bad everywhere in Jersey City. I wouldn't bring a car unless your girlfriend is going to be working in the suburbs (or you end up living somewhere far from the PATH, like up in the Heights, though even there the HBLR is usually close).
Please note I mentioned 2600 as average number for 1 bedroom luxury in Grove in in Q2 of 2013. You'll find 1bedroom in range of 2400-2800 typically for Grove for 1bedroom luxury unit. However rental prices are going up, not down in our area so it will be higher in 2014 for sure. For example unit I'm in was rented out for 20% higher in 2013 compared to 2011 in Grove, JC. Unit I was in at Brooklyn raised their rental price by 10% 2012 vs 2013 hence I moved out. So do expect rental prices to be up somewhere between 5-20% in desirable areas in 2014.
This is how I always go about finding rentals and something for you to consider.
1. I try to exhaust non-broker resources such as craigslists and sites of rental buldings to try to work directly to landlord or building management first (which is no fee). Google will be way to go. There are many building management run buildings you can reach out directly to.
2. If I don't see anything I don't like that is publically available. I reach out to broker to see what brokers have in their listing. There are units only brokers have access to. Brokers are dime a dozen so you will not have problem finding one. Problem is finding one you can work with and show some eagerness.
What area to recommend depend largely on your budget and what the rental prices will be in 2014 when you move in. Sounds bit crazy but who knows if price will be up 3% on average or 15% in average in 2014. It is quite nuts. At high level, with 2000 rental price I'd suggest you focus primarily on JSQ and do spend some time in Grove area. Actually you can get into Hoboken too with 2000 price but once again it will be non-luxury unit and may not be close to Path. Plus Hoboken to FiDi is pain in arse because there is no direct Path line from Hoboken to FiDi. Meaning you need to transfer or use MTA/LightRail, etc.
Skip Newport and Exchange are just as expensive because almost all of the units available in Newport/Exchange are luxury rental only. If you don't mind longer walk, Hamilton Park has older buldings that are doable with 2k or less but you're looking at 15 min walk to Path.
Oh and few things to note that's bit different about renting in NYC area including JC. You will probably be asked about 40x income. In JC, only the luxury buildings asked about 40x and most didn't. As for what the heck 40x is. It means owner/management company will want to see your income 40x rental price as one of rule of thumb to see if you can afford the apartment or not. They take lot more than that into account such as your credit history, liqudity, debt, etc. But if you ar not familiar with 40x income rule, don't be surprised.
Many of the real estate offices in downtown Jersey City list properties in Journal Square, so they're probably worth checking too. Look up:
Coldwell Banker
Armagno
Del Forno
Century 21
Re/MAX
American Homes Realty
I'm sure each will have some listings on their websites (search by zip code 07306), or at least you can give them a call and ask if they have anything available in Journal Square. I've dealt with Weichert a few times in the past and always found their brokers easy to work with (I can give you names by PM if you're interested in a reference). In my experience, some of the agents at Del Forno and Armagno treat you like a waste of their time and will try to convince you that a $2000 ground floor studio that floods is a bargain. But putting up with a bit of that attitude can be worth it if they have the right unit for you. Good luck!
Edit: Just wanted to add another thought. There are many pre-war buildings in JSQ. If you have time to scout the neighborhood before you move here, walk around and take a look at some of these buildings. Many have a sign with a phone number near the front door. Give a call and see if they have units available. You might avoid a broker fee this way.
You'll save a good deal of money if you live in the Heights in Jersey City. The Heights offers an easier commute into midtown NYC (just take a bus or minibus and the minibuses run all the time.) The Heights used to be the nice part of Jersey City and downtown JC was a dump. Downtown has changed of course but there are definitely some hidden gem sections of the Heights. Go west of Kennedy Blvd to the Western Slope and you'll find a very quiet (as in low crime) inexpensive section of Jersey City.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
