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3k a month for mortgage plus taxes; utilities would be extra. Given this, what do you recommend?
hmmm....
A fix her upper in Glen Ridge ? There is plenty of interesting architecture here. Looks like it takes an hour to get to journal square. This fits your criteria.
if You are looking for a town with a train station and good school. The town like that near me is Millburn, I would move in walking distance from the train station with back yard facing the reservation... This town does not have allot of for sale properties. Might be more time in commute and less houses in your price range.
Monclair, has a train station. Near me, you have to figure out the story with the schools, they are rated only 7.
Trains take you to JC and NYC, and even Hoboken, and Seacucs but also Newark. Newark pen station has NYC Path through Journal square so if you figure out how to get there there might be more options. There is a Harrison path station also. I never gone that way, so just an idea.
JC is less accessible from NJ then NYC. But driving there is constant traffic. one hour and fifteen minutes of this traffic is Verona, Livingston and Roseland.
Seriously, I prefer NYC to JC because commute is more complex.
Folks - thanks for all the responses. I do understand the point about icing on the cake but with all due respect, that is what we are looking for. I did find west Caldwell with about a 25 minute drive to the Harrison station from where I could take the path to work on grove street and keep the commute to an hour. This has the kinds of houses I am interested in. It I need to go to nyc, I could do a 10 minute drive to willowbrook mall and take the bus from there. If this is a good option, are there other areas like this within a decent drive to any of the path stations and close to bus station to nyc?
Folks - thanks for all the responses. I do understand the point about icing on the cake but with all due respect, that is what we are looking for. I did find west Caldwell with about a 25 minute drive to the Harrison station from where I could take the path to work on grove street and keep the commute to an hour. This has the kinds of houses I am interested in. It I need to go to nyc, I could do a 10 minute drive to willowbrook mall and take the bus from there. If this is a good option, are there other areas like this within a decent drive to any of the path stations and close to bus station to nyc?
I didn't realize WC had new construction like that in your price range. It's a nice place, enjoy!
Around Willowbrook park and ride is where I live so I can give some assistance. Just be forewarned the bulk of houses will have been built prior to the 90s. Try the following towns:
Wayne <--- will probably have a house which falls into your niche, check this town first
Fairfield: watch out for flood prone areas (FYI keep this in mind for this entire area)
Little Falls: (where I live) avoid section by the the river. There are newer homes in the town which are (usually) cheaper than other towns
Totowa: Try the area bordering Wayne
Cedar Grove: Some newer housing stock, but overall a decent selection
Caldwells: A little of everything, but it can get very expensive fast!
Keep in mind that NJ is getting worse and worse with the pension system and property taxes. I foresee and increase in income tax and property taxes in the future.
Folks - I get that my expectations on construction date have to be flexible. If I were to change it earlier than 1990's being ok, can you please advise what I could do?
New constructions have the highest property tax assessments. I would not buy one in NJ until I see some property tax records. The towns knows whoever buys one have no clue what to pay and they'll do an assessment and mark it with the highest rate. A lot of buyers or self builders have gotta killed by these unless it's a town struggling to keep people.
Folks - thanks for all the responses. I do understand the point about icing on the cake but with all due respect, that is what we are looking for. I did find west Caldwell with about a 25 minute drive to the Harrison station from where I could take the path to work on grove street and keep the commute to an hour. This has the kinds of houses I am interested in. It I need to go to nyc, I could do a 10 minute drive to willowbrook mall and take the bus from there. If this is a good option, are there other areas like this within a decent drive to any of the path stations and close to bus station to nyc?
Caldwell, did not match the initial criteria, school rating of 7. Never checked for W Caldwell yahh sounds good
Townships that don't have train service to NYC have bus service. Bus get's stuck in traffic more often then train (there is such a thing as train traffic). I was taking buss to NYC for like 4 years, before I got really fed up with it and moved close to a train station. Took train to work for a couple of years, and then got a job close to my house.
Drive to Harrison or Newark is an idea, you would have to research parking there. Cost of monthly pass and how long to get it. Sometimes you have to wait 6 month in line to get parking by train station like that.
Folks - I get that my expectations on construction date have to be flexible. If I were to change it earlier than 1990's being ok, can you please advise what I could do?
Just one piece of advice. Some houses built in the 70's were wired with aluminum conductors on the branch circuits. There is a remedy that most electricians know how to correct but if possible avoid those houses.
Lots of house fires happened because of that wiring until a remedy was developed later on.
I'm intrigued by your 1990's construction limit, why then? Construction materials? Better contractors? Fear of lead paint?
Regards, a guy who lives in a 1923 house and wouldn't want something from the 1990's.
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There is plenty of interesting architecture here. Looks like it takes an hour to get to journal square. This fits your criteria. 
