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Recent move to Cranford, New Jersey, work in Manhattan, looking for town with reasonable taxes, train states accessibility, good character neighborhood, curb appeal, good school district for resale
This is my first post here, so if I commit any faux pas, please excuse them.
My husband and I recently moved to Cranford, NJ. We're renting presently. I work in Midtown Manhattan and he works from home and travels a lot. We do not want children, but know that schools are important for resale value. We're looking for a town with reasonable property taxes, access within 5 miles of a train station to Manhattan, somewhere safe since he travels and I am home by myself. Our wish list: 3br/2ba with garage and backyard to put in a pool in the future, has character and good curb appeal potential. All for $400-500K
We have looked in
Cranford - can't get much for our money
Westfield - can't get hardly anything for our money
Fanwood - good houses, reasonable taxes, not sure of neighborhood
Scotch Plains - good houses, reasonable taxes, not sure of neighborhood
Maplewood - nice town, high taxes, not much for our money
South Orange - too close to scary areas for us
Clark - Good size houses, most a bit bland, reasonable taxes, no "town"
Any suggestions or comments would be great.
Here are some samples of homes that we have looked at:
Error (http://new.gsmls.com/public/detailLst.do?mlsNum=2540493 - broken link)
Error (http://new.gsmls.com/public/detailLst.do?mlsNum=2514337 - broken link)
This is my first post here, so if I commit any faux pas, please excuse them.
My husband and I recently moved to Cranford, NJ. We're renting presently. I work in Midtown Manhattan and he works from home and travels a lot. We do not want children, but know that schools are important for resale value. We're looking for a town with reasonable property taxes, access within 5 miles of a train station to Manhattan, somewhere safe since he travels and I am home by myself. Our wish list: 3br/2ba with garage and backyard to put in a pool in the future, has character and good curb appeal potential. All for $400-500K
We have looked in
Cranford - can't get much for our money
Westfield - can't get hardly anything for our money
Fanwood - good houses, reasonable taxes, not sure of neighborhood
Scotch Plains - good houses, reasonable taxes, not sure of neighborhood
Maplewood - nice town, high taxes, not much for our money
South Orange - too close to scary areas for us
Clark - Good size houses, most a bit bland, reasonable taxes, no "town"
Any suggestions or comments would be great.
Here are some samples of homes that we have looked at:
Error (http://new.gsmls.com/public/detailLst.do?mlsNum=2540493 - broken link)
Error (http://new.gsmls.com/public/detailLst.do?mlsNum=2514337 - broken link)
Welcome to NJ. You might a find a fixer upper in Metuchen. Great schools and resale value.
Fanwood and Scotch Plains make great spots, especially if you want to stick to the Cranford-like area, however you won't get the same downtown feel. In Clark, you won't get any downtown feel, because there isn't one. Scotch Plains does, and the Scotch Plains/Fanwood station is only two stops down from your current stop. You'll likely spend time in the same towns for the same reason, and unless you plan on walking into town, I don't see the big deal in not having the Westfield downtown. Its only a five minute ride after all, or to Cranford for that matter.
If you have more specific questions, I'm happy to answer.
Biggest downside on the less expensive one, the colonial, would be bathrooms - one full for three bedroom, alot of people like 2 full now. You may be able to find a spot for one, maybe not, not that big a deal though - could be a negotiation point for you. This home also has forced hot air, which I find less comfortable personally, but makes an easy conversion if you want air conditioning as the venting is already done (if it isn't already - it doesnt say).
The second unit looks generally nicer, has baseboard hot water (which I find more comfortable), and has central air already.
Both are natural gas; still, you will want to ask about any abandoned underground oil tanks. With the age of the houses, there may be one there. You can also get this out in negotiations, and recommend the grant wiley put up in the separate thread.
I'd say both are pretty comparable, so it would come down to numbers after that. Scotch Plains or Fanwood, it makes for a great choice. Good luck
Biggest downside on the less expensive one, the colonial, would be bathrooms - one full for three bedroom, alot of people like 2 full now. You may be able to find a spot for one, maybe not, not that big a deal though - could be a negotiation point for you. This home also has forced hot air, which I find less comfortable personally, but makes an easy conversion if you want air conditioning as the venting is already done (if it isn't already - it doesnt say).
The second unit looks generally nicer, has baseboard hot water (which I find more comfortable), and has central air already.
Both are natural gas; still, you will want to ask about any abandoned underground oil tanks. With the age of the houses, there may be one their. You can also get this out in negotiations, and recommend the grant wiley put up in the separate thread.
I'd say both are pretty comparable, so it would come down to numbers after that. Scotch Plains or Fanwood, it makes for a great choice. Good luck
Ahhh Cu, you are always so helpful. It won't let me give you reps tho. sorrrrry!
Awesome thanks! We are going to go to the open house of the tudor in Fanwood this weekend.
Awesome Good luck
A few quick tips...
1) Since you know your area, look at home inspectors now. Go to ASHI.org, find out who is in the area. Make sure they are a full time inspector, no contractors doing it on the weekend. Also ask for a copy of their typical report so you could see their work - this should not be a listing of crap with some check boxes, you want a written report, preferably with pictures. It will either give you a sense of security about the house, some ammunition for negotiations, or tell you exactly why you should look to another house. A few hundred bucks to know the real issues is well worth it, so don't just go with the cheapest.
2) If you aren't working with an agent yet, its not a bad idea. The seller's working with agents are paying out the percentage anyway, so you may as well get someone working in your favor. Try to get one that is strictly a buyer's agent - some only sell, others only buy, and others will do both. I have found the ones that have a niche tend to be incredibly helpful (this is from working at an agency as a tech a number of years back; I didn't really work with an agent on mine, long story).
3) Forget just going for a Pre-Qualification letter. Do your rate searching, find the company you want to deal with, get all of the fees explained, and get pre-approval! With a pre-approval letter in hand, you have a VERY strong position as a buyer - you are ready, while others may not be. You have been approved, not just qualified, so you can definitely get the loan. This is also a great negotiating point.
4) Drive the areas with a GPS and a camera. Seriously, this seems ridiculous, but what I did (and found very useful) was to drive around my target area, and when I found a home for sale I was interested in knowing more about, I would take a picture with my digital camera, note the picture numbers, and record the location on the GPS. When I found the house on the MLS/called the listing agent, I had all the info I needed to start my comparisons.
5) Paying points on a mortgage is *not* necessarily a bad thing. In fact, in can be VERY helpful, and much to your advantage - especially that first point. Talk to your broker about this.
6) Estimate any and all repairs and upgrades you will want to do on each house, and whether or not its feasible. Take your estimate, and add 25-50% padding minimum. Consider this the sale price of the home for the future, compare it with other properties which already have those amenities, and see if these upgrades will be worth it.
This is my first house but not my husband's... although, his ex-wife I imagine did most of the mortgage stuff cuz he seems as frustrated and confused as I am.
I have been using trulia dot com and google maps street views for checking out neighborhoods. Then on the weekends, I get loads of addresses in a particular town, in our price range, plug it into the GPS and we go a driving.
I am wanting to wait until we are closer to the end of our lease (2/09) but our Mortgage Broker and my counsin keep telling us, if you find a house, jump on it now. Mortgage Broker says Landlord rarely come after you for breach of lease (which I think is not true) and my counsin says, so you have to pay rent and a mortgage for a couple months (I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to be paying $2500 in rent and a $3000 mortgage).
Eyes are a bit blurred... just spent forever and day disputing 3 items on 3 credit reports from 2002.
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