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Hi, my fiance and I are planning on buying a home around May/June of this year. She works in South Plainfield and I work in New brunswick. We need to find a place that we can live that is decent (reasonably low crime, no flooding, ok schools) that is reasonable for us to drive from. We really do not want to live in Middlesex County. Can someone please suggest us a town? We are looking to buy a home around $250-$280,000 , preferably a starter ranch.
Hi, my fiance and I are planning on buying a home around May/June of this year. She works in South Plainfield and I work in New brunswick. We need to find a place that we can live that is decent (reasonably low crime, no flooding, ok schools) that is reasonable for us to drive from. We really do not want to live in Middlesex County. Can someone please suggest us a town? We are looking to buy a home around $250-$280,000 , preferably a starter ranch.
Why don't you want to live in Middlesex County? You're eliminating lots of nice towns and putting yourself further from your workplaces. That budget is quite low for a house, but you might be able to find a small 3 bedroom, 1.5 bathroom ranch for that price in North Plainfield, Bound Brook, Linden, or Rahway. These are all lower middle class to middle class towns with okay schools and are commutable to both New Brunswick and South Plainfield. If you are willing to live in a condo, you can definitely find something with 2 or 3 bedrooms for that price range.
I agree with the previous posters. You'd be better off going to Middlesex County. Unless you would want to consider adding to your commute and going to Mercer County - Hamilton or Mercerville, or Burlington County -Bordentown. Its going to be very difficult to find a house in that price range. If your flexible - you can do it. Good luck!
our own CuCullin got a starter in High Bridge (Hunterdon County) for $175K - it's a "reasonable" commute to your places of work. You're going to have to look west (if you don't a commute that will absolutely kill you). If you want a condo you can get something closer.
Hi, my fiance and I are planning on buying a home around May/June of this year. She works in South Plainfield and I work in New brunswick. We need to find a place that we can live that is decent (reasonably low crime, no flooding, ok schools) that is reasonable for us to drive from. We really do not want to live in Middlesex County. Can someone please suggest us a town? We are looking to buy a home around $250-$280,000 , preferably a starter ranch.
You can find just what you want in Piscataway it is close to both S plainfield and New Brunswick. OK so it's in Middlesex County your not going to stay there forever are you?
My very first home I purchased was in Piscataway and it served it's purpose intil I relocated. You could do a lot worse than Piscataway and it is rated better than some Somerset County towns. I would stay away from Arbor and North Stelton areas though.
wow! what a deal! they are out there...but you have to be willing to be patient and do the leg work.
Thats for damn sure - I spent about a year total in searching, doing all the work myself - and its a fixer upper. The rest of the homes in the area are *not* in that price range, but they are in the mid $200k's range - some of which are also fixer uppers.
chadquille4, this is my favorite recommendation because its pretty easy to do, and it gets your sights in the right areas. Whats a reasonable time for your commutes? Make a circle around her place of work for roughly the distance that would be that travel time, and a circle around yours doing the same. I recommend google maps for this personally, it makes it easier imho.
Now, you have narrowed down areas that will be acceptable. Start there, then take your next most important factor - whatever it may be - and narrow down your list further. When you get down to the towns/area you like, regularly check out the mls, the classifieds on nj.com, so on, until you've got what you're looking for. Drive the area and look for FSBO properties. Also, check major bank web sites for REO's (you can usually find them by searching for 'REO' at their site) - REOs are Real Estate Owned, aka foreclosed properties. Worth looking at for a potential deal, but remember, a home inspection is a *must* for any buyer, regardless of the condition it appears to be. Any reasonable lender will let you get an inspection of a REO property, if they won't, don't even give it a second look.
Be prepared to not get everything you want in your first home, because you likely won't. What you will do, though, is build up equity as opposed to throwing your money away into a rent pit, so it will be easier to trade up in the future.
The house across the street from me in South River (low taxes & nice neighborhood) is going for $259,900. 3 bedroom, 2 bath colonial. They just lowered it A LOT (they were very optimistic) and I think are eager to sell.
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Too bad you don't want Middlesex County
