Nicest North NJ town? Saddle River, Alpine, etc. (Englewood, Ramsey: house, schools)

[Wah]

Well... if i had to stay in NJ. hehe....

[anoninnyc]

i don't have all the money in the world. i am very frugal which is why i can afford to buy in franklin lakes if i want, but definitely not the nicest home. for investment it is usually good to buy the worst home in the nicest location. franklin lakes is very nice though, but would have to compare taxes to saddle river's. i don't mind spending money on a home but feel like i am throwing money away with too high taxes. i hear alpine doesn't even have normal town services like garbage, mail, etc. If true this is a bit too much for me. i need a balance of frugality and quality of life. Prefer a town where it is super nice but you don't get taxed for a top public high school but residents don't care because they send their kids to private school anyway. from what i recall, ramapo high school is very good and franklin lakes residents probably get taxed accordingly. so franklin lakes is probably not the best choice for me

[Inbred_Alcoholik]

Alpine over all those. Simply for the proximity to the city. 8 minute drive and ur over the bridge. and its ****ing gorgeous BTW.

[LittleMissSunshine]

I like Alpine and the often forgotten little town of Rockleigh too. Both gorgeous. I am really not sure what you get for $2 mill or less there though. I have surely never been rich enough to look into it lol. Norwood is over there too. I am sure Norwood has a lot of options in the $700,000 to million range, but I am not sure of taxes.

I lived in Caldwell a while, that might be a good choice. There is a walkable town center and three towns: Caldwell, West Caldwell and North Caldwell and definately many options under $ 2 mill still. The Caldwells do have some mega mansions, but there are also sections with normal sized homes. Essex Fells is amazing, but I think the homes have to be over $2 mill for sure and the police are out to get anyone who passes through lol. You have to keep in mind though the Caldwells is a much further commute to NYC than the Alpine area, tons of people still do it, it's just further mile wise.

[macnbloo]

You may want to try Allendale. We lived there a few years ago. It's a small but beautiful town (very Rockwellian....they used it as the backdrop for the NBC series "ED") with a great sense of community and outstanding elementary and middle schools. Right next to Saddle River. Easy train access if you need. Lots of houses in your range.

[LittleMissSunshine]

Originally Posted by macnbloo

You may want to try Allendale. We lived there a few years ago. It's a small but beautiful town (very Rockwellian....they used it as the backdrop for the NBC series "ED") with a great sense of community and outstanding elementary and middle schools. Right next to Saddle River. Easy train access if you need. Lots of houses in your range.

Oh I forgot Allendale, I love it there as well. Very worth looking into, it's so nice.

[KyleJames]

[quote=LittleMissSunshine;1495865]
I lived in Caldwell a while, that might be a good choice. There is a walkable town center and three towns: Caldwell, West Caldwell and North Caldwell and definately many options under $ 2 mill still. The Caldwells do have some mega mansions, but there are also sections with normal sized homes. [quote]

Have you been to Tony Sopranos House?

[mbp451]

20,000 on $2million isnt too bad for NJ. Its only 1%.

[EANJ]

None of the towns listed can really compare to Franklin Lakes, Alpine or Saddle River. You would be comparing a small enclave, or a few homes, to something more the norm so to speak. That being said -- I would look to Alpine first. The taxes should be expected to be and are high. There are certain services you will pay for, as with many towns that you would truly want to be in for the $2m figure. Don't listen to what people tell you about taxes, services, etc., and not that I don't want to share information, however, I don't want to waste your time or mine in having it turn out to be a redundant or circular discussion. Learn first hand.

The market in Alpine is strong, and has been for recent years. They have seen a strong increase in value in recent years. There are a few older homes, but you would just be paying for the land (knockdowns). You can leave Alpine for shopping, grocery stores, etc. and you go to Closter, Cresskill, Tenafly, Demarest, and so on. The proximity to NYC is a very, very strong selling point and attribute.

Saddle River is a bit more expansive. There are older homes, newer homes, and it's a bit more disjointed. Like Alpine, there is not a lot the town itself has to offer. There's a small "square" and a few isolated stores here and there. You can tend to find "more" in Saddle River as the town has a wider array (slightly) of offerings. Saddle River is more situated in the middle of much more -- Mahwah, Ramsey, Allendale, Upper SR, etc. and Paramus, Washington Twp., etc. just to name a few.

Franklin Lakes is nice, without question. I think you might get slightly more house, but it's not like the taxes are going to be "that much cheaper" on the kind of house we are talking about. You might get slightly more, vis a vis proximity to NY, highways, etc. It's more "out there. Like SR, there are newer homes, older homes, an offering. Don't get me wrong, you are still not looking at the lower, mid or average entry level.

I think you had the best idea when you said you were going to check out all of them, first hand. Also, don't expect a major drop at this level, now or in the next year. At this level, the market tends to avoid the snake slither, and it can be very independent.

You would and will find some very nice homes in other areas as well -- just certain, isolated homes, in other towns that are very nice homes. $2m will get you a very nice home in Englewood, Englewood Cliffs, Demarest, Cresskill, Closter, Tenafly, etc. as well as Allendale, Upper SR, Wycoff, and so on. Good luck.

[KewlGuy]

Saddle River has the lowest property taxes in New Jersey. As long as you can afford to buy a house there.