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So we are looking to buy in NJ and have been visiting various towns in NJ that are conveniently located for a commute to Manhattan. We decided to take ride to check out Fair Lawn, and some of the towns on Main/Bergen and Pascack Valley lanes.
There appeared to be many homes for sale in FAir Lawn. One street where we went to see one house, there were literally 4 houses for sale next to each other.
The homes around the town for the most part looked very beat up with poor landscaping. The roads were pretty bad. From what I read, the school district is mediocre. However, taxes are pretty high for current market valuation.
Where exactly did you see these beat up houses? My brother's lived here About 25 years. I moved to fair lawn almost a year ago and in fact among the factors that motivated me to choose fair lawn were the safety, quiet, trees, pretty hones, family feeling (even though I moved here my own without children).
There are the less desirable sides of living here- mainly (IMHO) the lack of a nice central shopping area, like you have in other nearby towns like Glen rock or ridegewood.
In terms of transportation to NY, depending on where you work in Manhattan, it is a very convenient commute. It takes me about 60-80 minutes door-to-door from the radburn station to midtown east (near grand central)
Not sure what and where you read about the school district and what you consider mediocre. But according to GreatSchools, very common school rating web site, 5 our of 9 Fair Lawn schools are rated 8-10. High School is rated at 7 which I would consider slightly above mediocre but not great.
South of 208, Fair Lawn has a lot of small GI Bill area Cap Cods on small lots. That is probably why you saw a lot of houses on sale. Some of these houses do look old and beat up. But they are priced accordingly, probably offering one of the less expensive house in Bergen county I a town with two train stops... If you can afford, try to buy North of 208. Taxes are pretty typical for Bergen County...
Last edited by DefiantNJ; 07-11-2016 at 08:39 AM..
Fair Lawn offers the best bang for the buck in Bergen County. The schools are consistently ranked at or near the top of schools in towns of similar socioeconomic standing. If the high school is currently ranked at a 7 on GreatSchools, it just got a downgrade, because it was a 9 a couple of years ago. In fact, check this out: In 2014-2015, Fair Lawn High School's overall SAT average score was a point higher than Pascack Valley's - a high school comprising towns of considerably more affluence.
Yes, there are houses that are small and run down, since the town's "boom" was Post-WWII when tiny capes on small lots were all the rage for returning soldiers and a whole lot of people looking to move up from Paterson - that's a large part of the reason why median housing prices in Fair Lawn tend to be lower than in other Bergen County towns of similar socioeconomic standing. (Check out towns like Waldwick, Midland Park, or Westwood to see how much more housing costs there.) But there are also really nice house and sections in the town. The Milnes and Radburn areas come to mind, but, of course, you're going to pay more for those fancier houses and areas.
The town isn't perfect, as already stated... it's densely populated for Bergen County, there's a lot of traffic on main roads, and there isn't a true town center like in Glen Rock or Ridgewood. Of course, a comparable house in Ridgewood would probably cost you close to double what it would in Fair Lawn.
But the town has good schools, excellent services, and fair prices for the area. Don't give up on Fair Lawn.
To me Fair Lawn seems to be on the decline, although it was never really great. It is nicer than Carlstadt if you had to choose between those two towns but not by much. Some areas of Fair Lawn are pretty dumpy.
To me Fair Lawn seems to be on the decline, although it was never really great. It is nicer than Carlstadt if you had to choose between those two towns but not by much. Some areas of Fair Lawn are pretty dumpy.
It is definitely NOT on the decline. The new community center is beautiful. And have you seen the new Fair Lawn Promenade center? It's a zoo all day and night, over two years after it opened. Do you think businesses like Starbucks and Habit Burger, which selected Fair Lawn as its first East Coast location, would be clamoring to build in a town on the decline?
And are you really comparing Fair Lawn to Carlstadt?!? Carlstadt certainly isn't a bad town at all, but c'mon... there's a significant difference between the two towns.
No, Fair Lawn is not Ridgewood or Saddle River... but it's not Carlstadt or East Rutherford either.
It is definitely NOT on the decline. The new community center is beautiful. And have you seen the new Fair Lawn Promenade center? It's a zoo all day and night, over two years after it opened. Do you think businesses like Starbucks and Habit Burger, which selected Fair Lawn as its first East Coast location, would be clamoring to build in a town on the decline?
And are you really comparing Fair Lawn to Carlstadt?!? Carlstadt certainly isn't a bad town at all, but c'mon... there's a significant difference between the two towns.
No, Fair Lawn is not Ridgewood or Saddle River... but it's not Carlstadt or East Rutherford either.
Agree with this. It's a decent town, with more ball fields than any other town I've ever seen. Big on sports and activities for kids/family.
Thanks everyone for your responses. They were very informative. My intentions were not to make this post about Fair Lawn bashing. I did happen to see homes on both sides of 208, including Radbarn and the school that they have there. I wasn't considering Fair Lawn before, but I may revisit east of 208 again, we'll see. I am not sure it really fits our criteria. We really want a decent walkable downtown, and from what I saw and have read online, FL just doesn't have it.
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