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We are looking for our first home in New Jersey and I am overwhelmed by the options and information. I've done a lot of research on this website and others and it just seems to confuse me more. I am looking in Bergen county or maybe Essex county, but it seems like Essex it is nice in one area, but bad a few blocks over. We plan to rent a car and drive around neighborhoods next weekend, so any assistance you can provide help narrow down the towns we are looking at would be greatly appreciated. Just not sure what town would be a good fit for us. We are open to all suggestions. Please see our info below.
Where are you coming from? - Upper East Side NYC
Why are you moving? - We want to buy a house.
Where will you be working ? - We both work in Midtown Manhattan.
Will you buy or rent? - Buy
What is your budget ? Under $350,000
What kind of place are you looking for ? - 3 Bed 1.5 Bath Home, doesn't have to be new or remodeled, we are willing to do some updates, but I would like a nice safe street to live on, (tree lined with sidewalks, if possible)
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ? - My husband and our small dog.
Do you need/want good public schools? Will possibly need good elementary schools in the next 5-7 years, but I know that high schools help dictate resale value, so I want to stay mindful of the school ratings, even if we aren't using the schools.
Briefly describe the kind of neighborhood you'd like to live in: Not too particular about the neighborhood, we get can get along with anyone, just as long as it is a safe neighborhood, that is accepting of a younger white couple.
List three things that are important to you in order of importance. Safety, short commute, clean nice street, outdoor activities.
You can get into West Orange for that. High taxes, tree-lined streets with sidewalks, some good elementary schools, houses in your price range. Relatively short bus commute in some places, jitney to train station in some places (not very reliable though), otherwise it's a drive to PATH and/or a wait for a parking permit.
in Essex i would check out west orange and Verona. There should be some stuff in your price range. If your open to condos that might help the cause as well.
Last edited by pinkydapimp; 04-18-2014 at 07:20 PM..
Reason: Nybbler beat me to it.
That budget's going to be tough for a decent town in either county, especially if you want good schools. With a lot of work, you may be able to find an older fixer-upper for close to that price in a few decent towns. Check our Fair Lawn, Rutherford, Nutley, New Milford, Dumont, Hasbrouck Heights and Wood-Ridge. West Orange is also a possibility, but the schools are not great and the taxes are crazy high. Good luck.
You are wrong about Essex. You can live in a nice area, very far from any bad areas. But as others have mentioned, your budget is limiting you. With that budget, you are looking at areas that are likely to be closer to the "bad areas". But that doesn't have to be the case. As others have mentioned, West Orange and Verona are good options. West Caldwell and Fairfield are nice too, but the commute is not quite as good. You can probably even find something in your price range in South Orange, Maplewood, or Montclair, all of which have train service. But in these towns, you have to be more selective about what neighborhood you pick.
You are wrong about Essex. You can live in a nice area, very far from any bad areas. But as others have mentioned, your budget is limiting you. With that budget, you are looking at areas that are likely to be closer to the "bad areas". But that doesn't have to be the case. As others have mentioned, West Orange and Verona are good options. West Caldwell and Fairfield are nice too, but the commute is not quite as good. You can probably even find something in your price range in South Orange, Maplewood, or Montclair, all of which have train service. But in these towns, you have to be more selective about what neighborhood you pick.
I was basically going to say this.
The thing you have going for you is that you don't need something updated. Maplewood/so. Orange are great towns, but as stated, you have to be careful with the neighborhoods.
As somebody else said, why not consider going a little more west? There are still towns that are reasonably close to NYC...
How far are you willing to go to get to the train station? Do you want to be in a town that takes you straight to NY Penn or are you ok with being in a neighboring town?
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