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spouse & I planning to buy a house. We want to stay in Bergen county as our child is in special education and Bergen is considered one of the best county in NJ for special ed school. Income is $100k. Lease end in April.
We own two car and car payment is $1400 for both. No credit card debt thanks God. Student loan at $25k
I’ve been thinking to return my car as I used it to commute & now I’m working from home. The only downside is that because I traded my old car I would be left with approx $15k balance. We are also planning to do delivery with one of the car to save more money.
We really want to buy a house but no idea how to make this happen. By April we will have $30k saved and our range is 350k-400k
I work in White Plains so I drive to work I don't need to live close to Train/bus. Wife is sahm
We were considering Morris County but we can't move farther than 20 miles.
Not sure exactly what you’re looking for a suggestion on. Do you want recommendations on a town to live in or feedback on your finances?
I don’t know anything about special ed in Bergen County or anywhere else. But I do know pretty much each town has its own school district, so I’m not sure why you’re making the blanket statement that Bergen County has the best special ed programs. Is special ed handled at the county level? If it is, then disregard what I just said. But if it’s not then maybe do some more research on the specific town you’re considering.
Regarding your finances, it’s great that you have no credit card debt and your student loan balance isn’t outrageous, but $1400 in monthly car payments on 100k salary is excessive. It should probably be half that amount for two cars. This is going to be the biggest limiting factor in your housing budget. If you can do with just the one car, it’s probably best you sell one of them even if you’re a little upside down. Heck, I would probably sell both and buy one that will keep my monthly payment below $500, but you may have different needs than me. Good luck to you.
I don’t know anything about special ed in Bergen County or anywhere else. But I do know pretty much each town has its own school district, so I’m not sure why you’re making the blanket statement that Bergen County has the best special ed programs. Is special ed handled at the county level? If it is, then disregard what I just said. But if it’s not then maybe do some more research on the specific town you’re considering.
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I think the OP is asking what nearby towns have school districts with Special Ed programs. These schools are handled by the Township and some have great programs for Autistic children like the one with Matthew Jago in Sewaren.
$1,400 a month on depreciating assets is pretty bad, especially on a $100k salary. You might not even have to do delivery if you eliminate one of those cars, as you're literally just throwing money into the fire of depreciation. I'd recommend fixing your auto situation first. Personally I dont know much about the schools and special needs but the farther west you go usually the better pricing and housing you get.
To be honest I think you have some work to do on your personal finances before you buy a home. 350-400k is the absolute high end for what a couple making 100k should buy in a house. I wouldn’t be comfortable unless I owned my cars outright and the student loan debt was manageable (which it seems to be for you guys).
Working in White Plains you would want to live in North Bergen county and 350-400k in the area is a bit light these days.
Thank you all for your responses. I'm definitely considering to sell my car but having my doubts because I would be left with $14K in debt but of course is best than having to pay that much on a car, right?
We are okay to move out of Bergen county but my child therapist said that Bergen has the best schools and I don't see a purpose of moving far if schools are bad and having to pay for private school.
My question is suggestion as to places with good schools and houses within our budget.
There's also really good counties and school districts that have good special education. Monmouth County and Hunterdon County come to mind, and will be cheaper than Bergan. Just throwing it out as an option, depending on your commute.
There's also really good counties and school districts that have good special education. Monmouth County and Hunterdon County come to mind, and will be cheaper than Bergan. Just throwing it out as an option, depending on your commute.
OP needs to be somewhere close to 287 corridor and closer to NJ-NY border. There are towns like Boonton or Kinnelon in Morristown where he can be in Morristown and still have a reasonable commute to White Plains. I personally feel, if the OP makes a move to NY, west of Hudson and near 287 (may be Warwick, I am always curious about that town), he would get better deal in house/taxes.
Somewhere in Rockland County NY close to the Tappan Zee Bridge might make more sense.
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