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.
My boyfriend and I currently live together in an apartment. We are planning to buy our first home together in the near future. I'm wondering about the best town for us. I grew up in Essex so would love to live there, but we are lower middle class. We are comfortable with areas that aren't the best, just not dangerous because he grew up in a major city and I enjoy city life as well.
The issue is these three factors:
One, like I mentioned before we are lower middle class, if not poor for New Jersey. However, I am lucky to have a good amount for a down payment saved so we can afford a bit more than we could otherwise in terms of the price of the house.
Two, and the hardest part, he works in Rutherford and I am returning to school at Rutgers New Brunswick.
Three, he is latino and so am I and some sort of latino population or community is important to us.
My only affordable lead so far is Union. I would strongly prefer not to live in Morris County but Parsippany seemed like a more pricey option. My others that I prefer but are far from Rutgers are Clifton, Bloomfield (farthest) and Maplewood (pricey?).
Without knowing what your budget actually is, it's hard to say. But check into places like Woodbridge or Rahway. The part of Rahway just west of the train station always seemed kind of nice but affordable too.
I be honest, the thing to do is shop for foreclosures and better rent. You can easily buy something expensive right now and lose money in 2-3 years when the housing market drops. It will drop because the interest rates has to go up soon before inflation hits even harder. If it doesn't we'll see $4 gas and then homes become unaffordable for the rest of the decade.
My boyfriend and I currently live together in an apartment. We are planning to buy our first home together in the near future. I'm wondering about the best town for us. I grew up in Essex so would love to live there, but we are lower middle class. We are comfortable with areas that aren't the best, just not dangerous because he grew up in a major city and I enjoy city life as well.
The issue is these three factors:
One, like I mentioned before we are lower middle class, if not poor for New Jersey. However, I am lucky to have a good amount for a down payment saved so we can afford a bit more than we could otherwise in terms of the price of the house.
Two, and the hardest part, he works in Rutherford and I am returning to school at Rutgers New Brunswick.
Three, he is latino and so am I and some sort of latino population or community is important to us.
My only affordable lead so far is Union. I would strongly prefer not to live in Morris County but Parsippany seemed like a more pricey option. My others that I prefer but are far from Rutgers are Clifton, Bloomfield (farthest) and Maplewood (pricey?).
Without knowing what your budget actually is, it's hard to say. But check into places like Woodbridge or Rahway. The part of Rahway just west of the train station always seemed kind of nice but affordable too.
Agree about Rahway. I was even thinking somewhere around Roselle, Roselle Park.
How long will you be at Rutgers? And where are the best job prospects after graduation? For example, if you will be graduating in a couple years, and if jobs are around NYC, no point buying closer to New Brunswick. Similarly, is your bf's job perm or contract, and how long does he plan to stay there? Consider 2-5 year employment scenarios before you buy.
One of both would need to commute depending on the location. Decide who is willing to commute, and how much. Add estimates for toll, gas, and parking. Then figure your housing budget. That will help you zero in on some potential locations or radius.
Market is at all time high and in case you have to sell in a few years, assuming home prices stay flat or sees correction, you might take a hit considering the money you might have spent on basic upgrades to a starter house, closing cost, and realtor fees.
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.
