Single mom with 5-year old looking to move to NJ-questions.... (Summit: apartments, rentals)

[meandzo]

Hello.
I am looking to move to NJ in December to the Chatham/Madison area and just don't really know where to look in order to find an affordable place in a safe neighborhood. Anybody have any suggestions?
I would consider living in a guest house or sharing a house ....
I am thankful for any advice.

[Summer16]

Hi Meandzo. Where are you moving from?

From what I know of Chatham, it's fairly expensive. But I'm sure someone else can provide you with more information.

I live in Monmouth County, and the town I live in is zoned mainly for single family homes.

Since you have a five year old, I'd be cautious with guest houses and other living arrangements, just my opinion.

What are you looking for in NJ? Is schools a priority? Commute? Do you want to be by the beach? Maybe this will give us a better sense of how to help you with some areas.

[ebbe]

I'm not aware of guest houses in either town. There are condos in Florham Park and Madison, as well as apartments in Madison.

[christina0001]

Chatham and Madison are very nice; I spent 2 years in Madison while in college. They are perfectly safe. The majority of Morris county is very nice and safe. I would check nj.com for apartment listings in the Star Ledger newspaper. Also my husband had luck using either rent.com or apartments.com (I forget which) back in his single days.

I would suspect, due to the number of universities in the area, you might be able to find some relatively cheap rentals.

[greffe]

Hi, Chatham, Madison, Florham Park, Summit, New Providence are nice, perfect for families and safe. Great parks for kids.
The rent is quite high, for a one bedroom apartment you will have to pay around $ 1,100-1,500. But you may find something cheaper. Newspaper is a great source, if I find something in tomorrow's Star Ledger, I will post it here.
Good luck.
local mom

[meandzo]

Thank you all for your replies. This is going to be a difficult move, I guess......
I'll look at the web sites of the local newspapers. Maybe I can find something in there...

[christina0001]

Afterthought: check craigslist . com as well. Just be a little extra cautious of people who post on the internet like that.

[royceb]

Originally Posted by meandzo

Thank you all for your replies. This is going to be a difficult move, I guess......
I'll look at the web sites of the local newspapers. Maybe I can find something in there...

I live in New Providence, NJ (5 minutes from Chatham), have three kids, a wife who works, and we find the entire area very expensive to live in. Both my wife and I make in excess of $80,000 so we have nice salaries, but we find it hard to save anything after we pay for the basics. Of course, the Chatham area has top schools, low crime, and beautiful surroundings, but we pay through the nose for it.

I was an only child in a single parent family and I totally understand how hard it is to find he best place for your child. I grew up in Hillsborough, about 25 minutes west of Chatham, and it was a prefectly fine place to grow up. Low crime, good schools (not at the level of Chatham, though), and plenty of activity in the surrounding area.

[meandzo]

Thanks. I am always open for good advice. Somebody said to me that Clinton isn't a safe place either...
What do you all think about Ramsey? Is anybody familiar with that area?

[royceb]

Originally Posted by meandzo

Thanks. I am always open for good advice. Somebody said to me that Clinton isn't a safe place either...
What do you all think about Ramsey? Is anybody familiar with that area?

I had family in Clinton. Great neighborhoods and very good schools. It is a little further west, about 30 minutes from the PA border.

Ramsey is very nice as well. I would say it is up there with Chatham as far as a high cost of living.