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Clinton/annandale has condos in that range and a direct bus to port authority.
OK, in this case "easy commute" does not necessarily mean "short commute" to NYC. OP, does that fit your criteria? Look on a map and see where those towns are.
We're really not trying to be sarcastic here. It was just a little shocking to see someone ask for real estate in New Jersey with that sort of price tag. However, you are not the first person from New York City to mysteriously believe that New Jersey is an inexpensive place to live. We've had NYC people come here looking for $700, 2-bedroom apartments, a rent which could be had back in the early 1990s.
We've had NYC people come here looking for $700, 2-bedroom apartments, a rent which could be had back in the early 1990s.
Yup!
I was paying in the high $600 range for a 3 bedroom, 2 bath apartment in Cranford, in the mid-late '80s.
When those NYers seeking $700 apartments "in a nice area" of NJ post their inquiries, all I can do is shake my head in disbelief.
OK, in this case "easy commute" does not necessarily mean "short commute" to NYC. OP, does that fit your criteria? Look on a map and see where those towns are.
We're really not trying to be sarcastic here. It was just a little shocking to see someone ask for real estate in New Jersey with that sort of price tag. However, you are not the first person from New York City to mysteriously believe that New Jersey is an inexpensive place to live. We've had NYC people come here looking for $700, 2-bedroom apartments, a rent which could be had back in the early 1990s.
Yea not to mention the cost of the monthly bus ticket, and car payments and insurance since you definitely need a car to live around there. The bus is around an hour, not including the drive to the lot plus wherever you're going from port authority. And the clinton lot fills up quick so you better get there early! It is a nice area though.
I wouldn't say he's being unrealistic it just depends on where he's willing to live. Condo's in and around Newark, Belleville, East Orange, etc. can all be had for under 100k and have decent travel times to NYC. Obviously there's some trade offs in terms of location but without knowing the OP personally I wouldn't automatically exclude them because "nice areas" doesn't really mean anything until you visit a neighborhood and decide is it "nice" enough.
I wouldn't say he's being unrealistic it just depends on where he's willing to live. Condo's in and around Newark, Belleville, East Orange, etc. can all be had for under 100k and have decent travel times to NYC. Obviously there's some trade offs in terms of location but without knowing the OP personally I wouldn't automatically exclude them because "nice areas" doesn't really mean anything until you visit a neighborhood and decide is it "nice" enough.
+1. Some iffy towns can have some very nice areas.
As stated by others, you're most likely not going to find anything decent with that sort of budget unless it's in a crime-ridden area or rather far from the city.
You could probably find a co-op in Fort Lee around 100k, but the maintenance fee would be murder. Your monthly cost (mortgage/tax/fee/ins) would be comparable to the monthly cost to own a condo with double the purchase price. There is a recent thread on the topic of maintenance fees for Fort Lee co-ops.
I can think of nothing else that meets your criteria, unless you have a flexible definition of "nice area" and/or "easy commute" and/or "90k"
The Linwood Co-Ops fit the bill, cheap and absurdly well financially managed, but they're so aggressive about keeping costs down that it almost reaches the point of neglect.
Edit: just checked the MLS out of curiosity --- wow they've shot up in value over the last couple years.
Little back of the envelope for converting high maintenance co-ops to sticker is effective sticker = 120 x maintenance + 1/2 * purchase price, IFF tax is included in maintenance, so a typical Fort Lee co-op with for example $900/month maintenance and $80K sticker would be roughly equivalent to a $150K sticker price somewhere with a less lopsided maintenance/price ratio, which still isn't that bad all in.
I dont think this is really that unrealistic. If you are not particular about where you live and dont mind a condo that was built in the 1960s, you can find a perfectly reasonable 1 bedroom condo in a low crime area for $125,000 or less. Commutable to NYC. It seems like a relatively big jump, but in terms of monthly payments its only $150-200 a month.
My advice would be to save up a bit more and watch the listings daily. HOA fees and taxes need to be factored in just as much as the price. If you are flexible and do your homework you can find a decent place to own on the cheap.
Empire View condominiums in East Orange. It's the nicest building of the last 3 I've lived in. Google it. I lived there, then moved to Harlem which I LOVED and now I'm back in that building at empire view.
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