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Greetings all!
have lived in NYC all my life and have been seriously thinking on moving to NJ. I have managed to save some money to buy either my own condo or townhouse. Dont want to rent anymore. if i am going to pay a rent i want to invest it on something for me.I have family there,also have alot of people i know from work also live in various towns and i have been checking checking checking... Any input would be appreciated
Where are you coming from? Bronx NY
Why are you moving? Looking for better quality of life
Where will you be working ? If NYC, what part of NYC?I am downtown manhattan near world trade. have easy access to path trains etc.
Will you buy or rent? Want to buy
What is your budget ? from what i see i am looking at around $150-200-ishk.... maybe less. Dont think with my salary i could afford me something higher. I work in IT. making close to 70k with OT. before taxes.
What kind of place are you looking for ? i want SPACE. like suburbs but dont want to be all the way out there.i want to have peace, grass, some lawn space to BBQ and my own parking. Maybe i can invte some buds over to hang out.
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ? Single dude. Age 35
Do you need/want good public schools? Schools always a plus since good kids= less crime?
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)
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- safe
2- rural
3 short commute
Just want something nice and modern is possible. Like i said, want some open space with peace and quite in a nice safe neighborhood where i dont have to worry my car will be missing the next am lol. I dont mind if i have to drive to get to the shopping centers in NJ. being away from bars etc doesnt bother me. Just want to be within a decent commute to NYC. 1 1/2 hours would be nice. where i am now i am away from shopping centers and bars and stuff. I have been living in the hood all my life. Just want a better quality of life already.
Any input would be greatlyly appreciated. have been checking westfield, montclair, edison,piskataway, metuchen, marlboro. At work i am getting alot of different places to check out so i have been on zillow like a mad man.
If you have been checking out those towns, then you are surely aware that your budget is really low for NJ. It actually stunned me that someone would say $150k for NJ, lol. You live next door--surely you know that NJ is one of the most expensive places to live in the country.
Understand something: "Rural and short commute" DO NOT EXIST IN NEW JERSEY and have not for fifty years. I find it bizarre that so many New Yorkers seem to believe the Northern NJ suburbs are the "country". Have you never been here?
Finding what you want will be difficult, but not impossible. You will have to make concessions, and that is most likely your commute time. Just be realistic.
Now, I myself bought a 2-bedroom condo for $180k five years ago. I have a fenced-in patio/garden area in the back. Since then, prices have dropped, and a place like mine goes for about $165k. 942 square feet.
Here's the catch. I live in Monmouth County. I also work at the WTC. I am on my NJ Transit train right now. It takes almost an hour to Newark Penn Station, where I will transfer to a PATH train to the WTC. Total door-to-door is an hour and 45 minutes if all goes well. That commute costs about $380 a month plus parking at the train station.
The positive side is that the ocean is ten minutes away. There is a lot to do year-round for all different ages--theater and shows and bars and restaurants in Red Bank and Asbury Park, for example.
There might be pockets further north in NJ that have condos at prices similar to what I found, but you will have to search for them or maybe others on here can clue you in. Again, just be realistic about commuting and the limitations of your budget. You will find something.
Last edited by Mightyqueen801; 07-07-2015 at 06:15 AM..
Want to buy
from what i see i am looking at around $150-200-ishk.... maybe less.
Unless you are looking at urban areas, "safe" is not a problem, as NJ is an overall very safe place to live.
Camden, Irvington, Newark, East Orange, Plainfield, and a few other decidedly UN-rural places are not safe, but they are obviously much too urban for your liking.
However, something has to give with your other criteria.
A "short commute" is something that everyone wants, but few can achieve unless they live fairly close to NYC, and that type of location is ruled out by some of your other criteria.
And then, there is the price range that you mentioned.
That might be attainable for a smallish condo in a rural location.
It might even be possible with a run-down fixer-upper in a rural location.
But, expecting to find something with "space" in your specified price range w/in short commuting distance to NYC is just not realistic.
I don't want to rain on your parade, but you will need to modify your criteria.
If your price range cannot be increased, then you are going to have to settle for something that is further away from NYC, and then your commute will be...long.
Or, you can focus on smaller condos that are closer to your work location, but then you are going to have to give up the "space" requirement, along with the lawn space.
Rethink your criteria, and you will have many more options than you do currently.
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- safe
2- rural
3 short commute
I'm fairly certain this is all but impossible to achieve at the same time. Safe and less dense with a short commute might be Port Liberte however there isn't going to be much of a downtown with nightlife. Looking at condo units on sale you can get in for a bit under $200,000 but there might be some catch like an older building that has not been updated.
Any community that fits the description above & is cheap to move into has already been discovered and blown up into a mini Williamsburg.
Safe and less dense with a short commute might be Port Liberte however there isn't going to be much of a downtown with nightlife.
Plus, the OP's desire for his own lawn and...space...is not attainable in that type of setting.
As you suggested, and as I stated previously, the OP is going to have to compromise on at least one of his criteria.
Thanks for all the replies all!
I realized a short commute would probably out of the question... my commute now is roughly 1 hour 15 minutes door to door.
i guess i would be willing to let go of the thought to have a little yard.. but definitely want my parking space. Seems like a condo would be the better choice in my situation. 1 1/2 hours i think should be doable if i can get to the transportation fast.
I appreciate all your honest replies. Its rare to read replies in forums where people are respectful
Its a nice change.
I am still looking around.....lol This is stressing!!!
If you have been checking out those towns, then you are surely aware that your budget is really low for NJ. It actually stunned me that someone would say $150k for NJ, lol. You live next door--surely you know that NJ is one of the most expensive places to live in the country.
Understand something: "Rural and short commute" DO NOT EXIST IN NEW JERSEY and have not for fifty years. I find it bizarre that so many New Yorkers seem to believe the Northern NJ suburbs are the "country". Have you never been here?
Finding what you want will be difficult, but not impossible. You will have to make concessions, and that is most likely your commute time. Just be realistic.
Now, I myself bought a 2-bedroom condo for $180k five years ago. I have a fenced-in patio/garden area in the back. Since then, prices have dropped, and a place like mine goes for about $165k. 942 square feet.
Here's the catch. I live in Monmouth County. I also work at the WTC. I am on my NJ Transit train right now. It takes almost an hour to Newark Penn Station, where I will transfer to a PATH train to the WTC. Total door-to-door is an hour and 45 minutes if all goes well. That commute costs about $380 a month plus parking at the train station.
The positive side is that the ocean is ten minutes away. There is a lot to do year-round for all different ages--theater and shows and bars and restaurants in Red Bank and Asbury Park, for example.
There might be pockets further north in NJ that have condos at prices similar to what I found, but you will have to search for them or maybe others on here can clue you in. Again, just be realistic about commuting and the limitations of your budget. You will find something.
Yes I made this face when I read that, too.
I mean we have rural. We have beautiful rural areas. They're just not within short commuting distance to the city and the non-rural areas of NJ that draw a lot of people.
You can find places in NJ with a yard, space, in a nice/safe suburb, with a decent to good commute, for sure, except your budget is too low for them. So yes, as others have said, you have to give up something - or some things.
Plus, the OP's desire for his own lawn and...space...is not attainable in that type of setting.
As you suggested, and as I stated previously, the OP is going to have to compromise on at least one of his criteria.
Yup!
Personally my compromise would be the rural search criteria. The only places that quality for rural in close proximity to NYC might be parts of North Jersey above the GW but that is because those are sprawling multi-million dollar homes.
OP could always look at Secaucus Junction. I mean it is sort of rural in that there are more rundown warehouses and swamps than people
Would you be willing to drive part way during your commute?
I ask because many of the NJTransit trains go to NYPenn (and some don't even stop at Secaucus for you to make a change), and anywhere within walking distance of a PATH Station tends to be very expensive.
If you are willing to drive for a portion of your commute, you'd be able to broaden your search. You would just need to drive to a PATH station (such as Harrison) or a ferry that goes to WTC.
If you were to do the Harrison PATH station option, you'd want to look at towns that have easy access to the 280 (or the 80, but probably not too much west of Parsippany). Then I'd think you'd be on the highway for about 30-45 minutes (including traffic) + 10 minutes to park and wait for a train at Harrison + 30 minutes on PATH to WTC + however long it takes you to walk to your job.
I know there are also some Decamp buses that go straight to WTC, but I'm not too familiar with the routes. Similarly, I don't know much about the ferries, but keep in mind the costs of parking and fare.
If you are willing to accept a town that is less rural, and more suburban, something with mostly single family homes and small apt/condo buildings you could try Wood Ridge. After doing a quick trulia search I know there are several 2 bd condo's within your budget, and some that even have garages. There is also a very nice looking updated one bed room, though IDK the parking situation. There is a train station in Wood Ridge that is a short trip (~21 min) to Hoboken, from there just hop on the PATH (the PATH station is adjacent to the NJ Transit Station) and in 15 min you are at the WTC Parking at the Wood Ridge Station is $120 per quarter for residents. Your commute from home to desk would be right around 1 hr.
As others have mentioned Rutherford is also an option, a little more breathing room than some other close to NYC towns, though I think it may be slightly over budget for what you are seeking. There does not seem to be much on the market within your range, and what is are all older one bedroom condo/coops. Rutherford does have a train station, and the trip to Hoboken is ~20 min. and again you'd have to switch to PATH to get to the WTC. Total Commute time would be between 1 to 1.5 hours depending on distance home is from the train station. Parking permits at the Rutherford station are $50/mo for residents, there may be a waiting list though, you'd have to ask the town about that.
HTH
KoalaNJ
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