Do I Go Back or Keep Looking? (Old Bridge, Dover: real estate, houses)

[back2jersey]

Originally Posted by findinghope

why dont you try the upper section f passaic county. its close to sussex and has that same feel. i dont know what your pricerange is, but there are many homes in that area that are up for sale at a decent price

That's what I'm doing now. Any suggestions as to good towns there or what areas to avoid because of the flooding?

[back2jersey]

Originally Posted by stevemorse

Rockaway Twshp, mls 2461315

We looked at that one. I can't remember what exactly the reason was - there were quite a number of them that looked similar all in and around the Roxbury and Mt. Olive area that looked nice in the media but once we got there, it was a different story. One was directly on the corner of 46 - there was a little bit of overgrown brush with lots of litter and debris and that was it for the side of the house. Not a pretty site out the window - the cars were wizzing by on 46 too. Another was one house in from 46. The fenced back yard butted up to what looked like a junk yard behind the back which was the view from the kitchen window. Along the long side of the yard (fence) were cars parked head on into the fence. They were parked in the parking lots behind the businesses that were on 46. That was Roxbury I think. Another one had a vacant overgrown littered junky lot across the street from it with old discarded tires laying in it. That was the view from the living room. The pix can be so deceiving. One house we went to was all updated and really, really nice inside. Then we went out into the backyard which was all fenced in with chain link. Well the neighbor on one side had a bunch of noisy dogs running back and forth barking aggressively (like fence fighting). On the other side of the fence (the other yard), it was very unkempt with just piled up stuff - debris, junk, etc. - everywhere in the yard. It was mess. It did not make for a very nice view from inside. It's been very discouraging.

[findinghope]

Originally Posted by back2jersey

That's what I'm doing now. Any suggestions as to good towns there or what areas to avoid because of the flooding?

try wanaque, west milford, ringwood and bloomingdale. these all surround the passaic river, so you still may find some flood zones--you just cant get away from that. but as you go further south passaic county, the flood areas are harder to avoid. good luck...

[fastninja500]

Originally Posted by back2jersey

I would be commuting a lot between Flanders, Randolph, occasional trips up to northern Sussex, etc. but want to be able to have an easy commute in to the Parsippany and/or Wayne area as well. Lower Sussex does not work for me. I don't want a lalke community that's all hilly with the houses on top of each other because I need to have some sort of decent size level back yard (we saw a lot with absolutely no yard at all - or some with steep drop offs in the lake communities - that was one of the major sticking points). $275,000 with taxes under $5,000 is ballpark right now. Thanks.

My 2-cents: based on the requirements you posted, try looking in Wharton or Minehill. I know these two towns very well (as well as Rockaway, Roxbury, Randlph, Mt. Olive and Flanders) as we have several friends that live in these towns. In fact, we still go to church at St. Mary's on Route 46 and Main St.

Wharton (zip 07885) might be a good fit for your requirements: flat land (front and back lawn), about .5 to .75 acre, and around $300K, $5K taxes, 5 minutes to I-80, close to Randolph .....

Specifically, start looking for homes in the intersection of East Sterling St. and Lafayette St., right by the park.
20 East Sterling St., Wharton, NJ 07885 - Google Maps
I used to take my son to that park when he was learning to ride his bicycle. Very friendly little village! And you can see pride of ownership in most of the houses in the area. Clean houses. I know several folks who've chosen to renovate their homes rather than move to another town.

Minehill also has some hidden gems. Specially those homes close to Hedden Park. Same characteristics that you're looking for.

I'm talking about older homes, though. Say 25 - 30 years old. In that price range. And not sure about the schools, though.

[stevemorse]

Originally Posted by back2jersey

We looked at that one. I can't remember what exactly the reason was - there were quite a number of them that looked similar all in and around the Roxbury and Mt. Olive area that looked nice in the media but once we got there, it was a different story. One was directly on the corner of 46 - there was a little bit of overgrown brush with lots of litter and debris and that was it for the side of the house. Not a pretty site out the window - the cars were wizzing by on 46 too. Another was one house in from 46. The fenced back yard butted up to what looked like a junk yard behind the back which was the view from the kitchen window. Along the long side of the yard (fence) were cars parked head on into the fence. They were parked in the parking lots behind the businesses that were on 46. That was Roxbury I think. Another one had a vacant overgrown littered junky lot across the street from it with old discarded tires laying in it. That was the view from the living room. The pix can be so deceiving. One house we went to was all updated and really, really nice inside. Then we went out into the backyard which was all fenced in with chain link. Well the neighbor on one side had a bunch of noisy dogs running back and forth barking aggressively (like fence fighting). On the other side of the fence (the other yard), it was very unkempt with just piled up stuff - debris, junk, etc. - everywhere in the yard. It was mess. It did not make for a very nice view from inside. It's been very discouraging.

yes I understand pictures can be deceiving. I am sorry its been such a lousy visit!!! But the good news is that you can come back and start with new homes on your list to see next time. There will be more coming, look at it this way, at least you know what you want and you are seeing so many that when you do see the right one, YOU WILL KNOW THIS IS IT!!!!! No one can say you jump into it too quick. The people who bought my old wreck in Hillsdale, I am sure they are cusing me right now!!!! My husband and I drove past the old wreck and he said the funniest thing, he said I hope they dont see us, they may just run and get the baseball bat!!!

[back2jersey]

Originally Posted by stevemorse

yes I understand pictures can be deceiving. I am sorry its been such a lousy visit!!! But the good news is that you can come back and start with new homes on your list to see next time. There will be more coming, look at it this way, at least you know what you want and you are seeing so many that when you do see the right one, YOU WILL KNOW THIS IS IT!!!!! No one can say you jump into it too quick. The people who bought my old wreck in Hillsdale, I am sure they are cusing me right now!!!! My husband and I drove past the old wreck and he said the funniest thing, he said I hope they dont see us, they may just run and get the baseball bat!!!

I left and headed back to the Carolinas on Monday morning. To add insult to injury, my car broke down on the way home and I had to get it towed. I'll find out about the repairs tomorrow - I think it's major. Argh!!! I didn't get back home until late tonight. It has not been a good trip. I feel like I wasted a lot of time and money for nothing and spent a lot of time spinning my wheels getting nowhere but that's just the way it went this trip. With all the people moving out of NJ, I was sure I'd be able to find something this trip!!!! Hopefully by the next trip up, there will be more listings on the market now that Spring is here and with summer coming. Everyone's fleeing NJ and here I am having a hard time getting back in! It's kind of ironic.

Next time I come back, I know where not to look. I definately want to be closer to the interstates and more into the Morris/Passic area with a little bit more suburban feel to it. I'm a Bergen County native (born and raised) so I never realized northwest NJ had so many hills, woods, lakes, etc. or that it would be so difficult to find a flat, open lot. It's very pretty up that way but it just doesn't fit my needs.

Nex time up, I won't waste so much time looking in the 'wrong' areas (hilly, cliffs, woods, etc.) and also I'll have a better idea of which towns in Morris may be better suited to my needs.

[back2jersey]

Originally Posted by fastninja500

My 2-cents: based on the requirements you posted, try looking in Wharton or Minehill. I know these two towns very well (as well as Rockaway, Roxbury, Randlph, Mt. Olive and Flanders) as we have several friends that live in these towns. In fact, we still go to church at St. Mary's on Route 46 and Main St.

Wharton (zip 07885) might be a good fit for your requirements: flat land (front and back lawn), about .5 to .75 acre, and around $300K, $5K taxes, 5 minutes to I-80, close to Randolph .....

Specifically, start looking for homes in the intersection of East Sterling St. and Lafayette St., right by the park.
20 East Sterling St., Wharton, NJ 07885 - Google Maps
I used to take my son to that park when he was learning to ride his bicycle. Very friendly little village! And you can see pride of ownership in most of the houses in the area. Clean houses. I know several folks who've chosen to renovate their homes rather than move to another town.

Minehill also has some hidden gems. Specially those homes close to Hedden Park. Same characteristics that you're looking for.

I'm talking about older homes, though. Say 25 - 30 years old. In that price range. And not sure about the schools, though.

Great, thanks. Yes, the look of a neighborhood is important to me. Being around other homes that show pride in ownership is a big thing to me. Even if homes are older, if they're well kept, clean and maintained, then it's appealing to me.

Wharton does sound like a good fit for my needs. I'll look into that. Those size lots would be perfect for me.

I just wish I hadn't wasted all my time on this visit spinning my wheels in areas that didn't work out. Now it will have to all wait until my next trip up. Maybe by then, there will be more listings on the market because of late Spring/Summer.

[back2jersey]

Originally Posted by hln917

The house in Washington is nice, however the taxes is listed at 10,000, which sounds a bit high for the area; the one in Mansfield has the powerline literally behind it.

I agree that you may want to look into Warren county. You can get easy access to where you need to go.

Which towns in Warren? Thanks.

[back2jersey]

Originally Posted by findinghope

try wanaque, west milford, ringwood and bloomingdale. these all surround the passaic river, so you still may find some flood zones--you just cant get away from that. but as you go further south passaic county, the flood areas are harder to avoid. good luck...

Thanks. Those are all convenient to 23 and 287. I looked a couple towns up on gsmls.com and most of the listings were flood (i.e. Pequannock, Lincoln Park, Pompton Plains, etc.). The pix were really nice and the taxes were low but they were flood zones.

[back2jersey]

Originally Posted by wileynj

OP - If you were willing to go as far as Mt Olive, try one or two more exits west. The traffic on 80 doesn't start until the Mt Olive area so the extra travel time in minimal. What is you price range? And what are you looking for exactly? Ranch, townhouse, single family? I am in Warren County just on the border of Morris and Sussex. Very nice area out this way and you can get alot more home for your money. There are a few open houses out this way today.... exit 19 off 80 but don't be fooled by the exit number, they jump quickly out here. 25 to 19 down to 12 but it's only 3 exits.

Which are the towns that are convenient to 80 on the border of Morris/Sussex that would be good to look in? Thanks.