Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
East Orange is one of the worst school districts in all of NJ. Nobody with kids is going to move there, so that will ultimately put a cap on how high real estate values can rise.
East Orange is one of the worst school districts in all of NJ. Nobody with kids is going to move there, so that will ultimately put a cap on how high real estate values can rise.
Someone probably said this about Hoboken and Jersey City at some point and look at those places now.
East Orange is one of the worst school districts in all of NJ. Nobody with kids is going to move there, so that will ultimately put a cap on how high real estate values can rise.
Not everyone moving has a family. There are plenty of seniors downsizing and millennials w/o kids looking for an affordable home (close to NYC), like myself. It made financial sense for me to buy a home now at these prices and pay less than my rent in NYC, or mortgage almost anywhere else in North NJ. Even with repairs and high taxes, I'm still living pretty comfortably. So down the line when I have school-age kids, I already have the opportunity to start saving for private school. And when I'm ready to leave NJ, I'm not concerned about being able to sell for at least what I paid and put into it. Too many people are buying homes for the sake of saying they have one and drowning in debt - especially in NJ -as a result.
Someone probably said this about Hoboken and Jersey City at some point and look at those places now.
How many of those people living there send their kids to the public schools? I know many people that moved out of those cities within the last 5 years when they started a family.
How many of those people living there send their kids to the public schools? I know many people that moved out of those cities within the last 5 years when they started a family.
I can’t answer that question. I’m not defending the school system there, just illustrating that property values can still skyrocket in cities with poor school systems.
How many of those people living there send their kids to the public schools? I know many people that moved out of those cities within the last 5 years when they started a family.
The public school system isn't a priority for everyone. I also have many friends in both JC and Hoboken and their kids go to charters or private schools. They love the location and have no plans to move. It's becoming an antiquated idea that you have to move to where the good public schools are. There are plenty more options these days. And again, not everyone has a family and wants a lifetime of paying into a good school system that they aren't using...
The public school system isn't a priority for everyone. I also have many friends in both JC and Hoboken and their kids go to charters or private schools. They love the location and have no plans to move. It's becoming an antiquated idea that you have to move to where the good public schools are. There are plenty more options these days. And again, not everyone has a family and wants a lifetime of paying into a good school system that they aren't using...
I agree not everyone needs a good school system. My point is that in most cases, the highest property values are going to be in towns with the best schools. Hoboken and JC are an exception because they border NYC, so the short commute is what drives up property values. But pretty much everywhere else in NJ you will see the highest property values correlate with the best school districts.
I agree not everyone needs a good school system. My point is that in most cases, the highest property values are going to be in towns with the best schools. Hoboken and JC are an exception because they border NYC, so the short commute is what drives up property values. But pretty much everywhere else in NJ you will see the highest property values correlate with the best school districts.
It's a pretty short commute from Brick Church to NYC as well.
I agree not everyone needs a good school system. My point is that in most cases, the highest property values are going to be in towns with the best schools. Hoboken and JC are an exception because they border NYC, so the short commute is what drives up property values. But pretty much everywhere else in NJ you will see the highest property values correlate with the best school districts.
I agree that the highest property values will be where the best districts are but there will always be increasing property values in proximity to Manhattan or transportation. Look what's happening in Crown Heights, Bed-Stuy, South Bronx, etc. - places that were once unthinkable to white people. Now those homes are going for millions and people are moving to NJ and raising the prices in formerly poor areas in Hudson/Essex County.
It's funny because, back in the day, states clustered poor minorities in cities downtown and ran highways through their neighborhoods to make it easier for suburbanites to get in and out of the cities. And then people realized they didn't actually want to be isolated, and spend all of their time commuting or money on living expenses. For that reason, there will always be people willing to move into centrally located "hoods" and developers will follow right behind them.
[quote=AllieM8630;54282213]I can share some good insight as a relatively new resident. I moved to the Brick Church area (from NYC) 2 years ago. I originally looked in Newark but it was too sprawling and way too dangerous for my partner and I. We work in the city and needed to be close to public transportation.
While there are definitely nicer-looking areas farther out in EO (close to the Bloomfield/Glen Ridge borders), you can't beat the walkability, and we've never had any issues with crime around our area. To be honest, a lot of EO's bad rep was from decades ago; crime has been dropping for years. While no murder is ideal, the fact that EO only had a handful of murders last year (for 65,000 ppl) when it borders murder city, Newark, says a lot. Most of the issues have been around the Newark border.
Also, redevelopment, especially around Brick Church, has been fast and furious. If renting, South Harrison St. is the best place to look. That's where the bulk of the new development has been. If buying, Brick Church/Second Ward is one of the best areas to invest in. The areas around both EO train stations are being redeveloped, S. Harrison St. and surrounding blocks are booming w/new luxury and market-rate rentals (+ more to come 2019/2020); renovated homes are popping up every day; restaurants and retail are finally coming to Main Street and cleaning it up; the horrible ShopRite and the plaza is being redone - the list goes on. Developers have been snatching up the land for market-rate apartments so the demographics are also changing. It's still a few years away from being anything close to a Jersey City-type renewal but it's definitely worth a look if you're able to wait it out. Just do your research as we did. Follow the city's social media pages and read the city's master plan for an idea of its direction. We don't have kids yet but we've heard the education up until middle school is pretty solid. After that, consider private school.
Thank you for the detailed response. We are definitely keeping our eyes open for the right house in the area. I too think that gentrification will over time produce better public schools. The rate of change will probably be a out of step with property values but it will happen for sure.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
