Relocating to New Jersey; how is Fair Lawn? (Paterson, Passaic: houses, transfer)

[chickok]

Our family will be relocating to New Jersey from Chicago this spring. My husband has accepted a new position in NYC.

I've checked out realtor.com for lots of cities/towns, particularly in Bergen County. We'd like to be close to the train line and in an area with good schools. We'd like to spend around 500K--530K for a single family home. Is Fair Lawn a good city? It seems to offer a lot more for the money than other places in the county. We have 3 young children, so we need at least 3 bedrooms. Any other towns you would recommend for a family? Thanks for your time.

[GJM]

I would recommend Saddle Brook, it is right next to Fairlawn. You can find a house in that price range and the shcools are great.

[JoeNJ]

i think Fair Lawn would be an excellent choice for your family. A house a block down from mine sold for $450,000 it was a 3br 2bath house, and it was beautiful. i dont suggest saddle brook because the schools are o.k. and every house in saddle brook has an add-a-level. you will be the little guy on the block with these enormous add a levels.

[sarimcg]

Fair Lawn is a much nicer town than Saddle Brook and now is the time to buy. For the 500,000 range you can get a beautiful house. Our house is 700,000 and it was 875,000 5 months ago...the market is making everything come way down. Look for houses in the Milnes school area and the Radburn school area. Stay towards the area closer to Glen Rock if possibe - it is really nice. Great place to raise a family.

[NCtoNJ]

how is the commute to NYC from Fair Lawn or Saddle Brook?

[joe moving]

People desire different things... of course for a family with kids your most important things tend to be safety and schools. Commute could be up there too, because it can mean hours a day, counting up to days every year! Now when it comes down to the house... you can get a nicer town and a less nice house or vice versa. Less nice will likely just mean older and with fewer renovations/updates.

I would not even consider Saddle Brook but I am very biased.

[ira]

Originally Posted by NCtoNJ

how is the commute to NYC from Fair Lawn or Saddle Brook?

Commute from Fair Lawn is pretty good. You can take a train which will bring you to Penn Station (you have to transfer in Secaucus). The whole trip takes about 40 min (or less if you take an express train). There is also a bus that goes to the city.

I agree with others - stay in the Radburn section closer to Glen Rock, it's a nicer part of town.

[Kevin1975]

I grew up in Fair Lawn. Nice town, I agree with the others that you should try and live in the Radburn section of town. This section is also near the train station. If you are going to drive in the city, you can easily get on Route 4 from Fair Lawn to the George Washington Bridge. As with all approaches to the city, there will be traffic during rush hour. Your price range should definitely net you a nice home.

[invertigo]

I'd say Fair Lawn is a good town. The areas near Paterson may not be as nice, but still pleasant. Another option may be Hawthorne just one town over in Passaic County. But for 500k, you might be able to squeeze in Ridgewood or Glen Rock....both quaint places. Though, I've been out of the area for three years now so I'm not totally up to date on prices.

[sarimcg]

No traffic driving in to the city about 25 min. to get over the bridge via route 4.