Need Advice! Not familiar with Jersey (Union, North Brunswick Township: condo, low crime, how much)

[DecoDiva]

Hi all!
I'm a Long Island girl, tried Florida for 2 years, now moving back up north, husband misses his kids. OK now Long Island's too expensive; we've been looking in Brooklyn but it's expensive too. Here in Florida, you can buy a great condo for under $150K. In Brooklyn they start at $500K. So I'm thinking Jersey...but have no idea where to start. He'll probably work in NYC; I'm a Nurse, I can get a job anywhere. We want someplace nice, nice restaurants, nice shopping, low crime. You know, we want the impossible!

Any suggestions? I think I'd prefer a house to a condo.

[wileynj]

Originally Posted by DecoDiva

Hi all!
I'm a Long Island girl, tried Florida for 2 years, now moving back up north, husband misses his kids. OK now Long Island's too expensive; we've been looking in Brooklyn but it's expensive too. Here in Florida, you can buy a great condo for under $150K. In Brooklyn they start at $500K. So I'm thinking Jersey...but have no idea where to start. He'll probably work in NYC; I'm a Nurse, I can get a job anywhere. We want someplace nice, nice restaurants, nice shopping, low crime. You know, we want the impossible!

Any suggestions? I think I'd prefer a house to a condo.

Try Sussex and / or Warren County via gsmls.com You will get more for your money out this way - hubby can take the bus or the train and there are several hospitals out here as well - Hackettstown Hospital which I now believe is Adventist and Newton Hospital... Saint Clare's in Denville...Morristown Memorial in Morristown.

[FloridaDreaming]

I live in Central Jersey, North Brunswick to be exact. We have 2 great hospitals here, Robert Wood Johnson and St. Peters Medical Center. Average 3 bed, 2 bath, 1800 square fooot house is around $350,000 with taxes around $7500. Great shopping and restaurants in town. Very Low crime rate. Commuter train in town with about 1 hour to NYC. This is great location, 1 hour from NYC, beaches and mountains. Where are you living in Florida? I have always wanted to relocate but really don't want to leave my family here. Good luck with your search. Let me know if you would like any other info about the area.

North Brunswick Township Municipal Government Web Site

[Sergio M]

Union County has many positive features including quick commute to NYC. Towns like Cranford and Westfield have a lot to offer. You'll love the downtown for shopping and dining. You may also want to look at Schotch Plains. I work with a many clients from NY making the westward movement into NJ.

[Diane Giam]

What Price range are you looking in, that might help a bit.

Diane G

[DecoDiva]

Thanks for the input, any additional would be appreciated. I'm not sure how much we want to spend...LOL as little as possible! We could probably manage up to $400K without any trouble.

As for leaving Florida...well...to be honest...there are many lovely things about Florida. Can't beat the gorgeous beaches and sunsets, dolphins, palm trees, spanish moss, snowy egrets, everything smells like jasmine and orange blossom; people are more patient, and nice, for the most part.

The bad things about Florida? Are you ready, here they come: except for nurses, who make great money down here, the pay sucks. Hubby made close to $100k a year in NYC, down here believe it or not, he was offered $8.00 an hour for an electronics technician with 30 years of experience. He was finally able to find something for $14.00 an hour but was not a happy camper. Me, on the other hand, I can make down here what I made in NY, and everything is SO much cheaper it's unreal. For example, on Long Island, my electric bills were close to $500/month no matter what season. Down here, with the a/c running 24/7, my electric bills are under $50 a month. So up north, we live pretty much paycheck to paycheck. Down here I'm rich. (sigh).

But...the (scuze me, hope I don't offend anyone) locals down here hate us "Yankees" (yes, they're still fighting the civil war, someone should tell them WE WON and WE DON'T CARE ANYMORE). I never realized people would be so different. Help me, I'm in Hillbilly Hell down here.

I keep repeating my mantra: I WILL NEVER FRY UP SOME ROADKILL IN A DOUBLE WIDE WHILE MY MAN DRINKS BUD LITE OUT OF A CAN AND WATCHES NASCAR.

I just ended up in a bad area, on the Gulf Coast. People keep telling me I'd be happier in a more cosmopolitan area like St Pete or parts of Tampa.

Another thing I find less than pleasant is I seem to be the only one in the state who doesn't chain-smoke cigarettes. The food here is positively AWFUL, Denny's and The Golden Corral are the "nice" restaurants. What passes for Chinese food is a joke! And pizza??? I've thrown more pizzas in the trash than I've eaten in the 2 years I've been here. There are NO bagel shops. No Deli's; no one's ever heard of a "buttered roll" for breakfast. And NO DINERS. By 10pm if you haven't eaten, you're out of luck.

People at work keep telling me I'm "too aggressive"; I move too fast, think too fast, talk too fast.

I wanna come HOME.

thanks for letting me vent.

[Lusitan]

You might want to hang out for a bit and wait for Long Island prices to deflate ... depending on where your kids are it might be a hassle to visit them in LI if you have to drive from Jersey.

I think prices will come down, so if you're in no rush make sure you pick a spot that will be convenient for seeing your family, especially if that's one of the main reasons you're moving back home.

Good luck!