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Scratch East Orange off your list. Carteret is very industrial and not a step up from Hackensack plus the commute would be longer. Totowa is another town worth investigating with the big caveat if there is inventory within the budget. Agree with JG183's suggestions too - all decent commutes into NYC.
Check out Hawthorne, NJ. The schools should be a step or 2 better than Hackensack. There is decent train service and plenty of 2 families in her price range.
A couple of years ago, my daughter, son-in-law and 3 kids relocated to NJ as she had a job in NYC. Pressed for time when searching for a place, they ended up in a small, cramped apartment in Hackensack. Every time her lease is up, she says she is going to move but, never does. Two of the kids are now in middle school, and what I was told in this forum, has come true about the school.
She has asked me to help her search because she puts in 60-70 hours per week at work and has crazy hours. Plus, she depends on her phone for everything.
Well...anyway...here is her criteria --- Rent: $1600/month (She knows she will have to pay utilities) but will go a little over that amount if she finds something suitable. She needs at least 2 bedrooms but would prefer 3. She needs at least 1 1/2 bathrooms. She needs a washer and dryer in unit, or at least hookups for them. Plus she needs to be either near a NJ Transit train stop or bus route that goes into Port Authority.
How far out from NYC would she have to go to find this---if it is even possible at all?
Agree with previous poster that the budget won't get you any better schools.
East Orange and Carteret schools are surely worse than Hackensack, not to mention East Orange is not very safe?
Lyndhurst is a nice blue collar town but the schools are definitely not very good either...
Recommend you cross reference your town search with greatschools.org and look at the score for the middle schools.
^^^^Thanks---good suggestion re: greatschools.org As for Lyndhurst --- it had some apartment complexes where the rents were astronomical Not to say all complexes were like that as I did find one in her price range that looked decent. Also, thanks for the heads up on East Orange and Cateret.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sonofagunk
wow, works 60-70 hours and can only afford $1600/month!?!?
^^^^Since it's a white collar job, she gets no overtime pay.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BPt111
Checkout Stamford/Norwalk CT
^^^^When she first moved to the NYC area, I did look in those areas---didn't find anything that she could afford at the time.
Does she have to live in a complex? There are cheaper apartment options. Also, could she possibly afford to buy a two family house and rent out half of it to help pay the mortgage? We have a single mom friend who did that. I'm sure there are a few headaches but they don't seem to take up much of her energy. She works FT and has two young kids.
Does she have to live in a complex? There are cheaper apartment options. Also, could she possibly afford to buy a two family house and rent out half of it to help pay the mortgage? We have a single mom friend who did that. I'm sure there are a few headaches but they don't seem to take up much of her energy. She works FT and has two young kids.
She only wants to look at complexes so she doesn't have to pay a realtor.
That said, you are correct---If she were willing to work with a realtor, she might find something in a 2 or 3 family building.
She does want to buy someday. Right now, she's also hoping to move at some point to a place with a lower COL.
Even if she did have to pay a fee, it would pay for itself in the long run if she found a cheaper place!
Thank you ^^^^ I will point this out to her.
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Not to say all complexes were like that as I did find one in her price range that looked decent. Also, thanks for the heads up on East Orange and Cateret.
