Paramus NJ New Job (Hackensack, Fair Lawn: condos, townhomes, buyers)

[gongamonga]

My husband has a new job offer in Paramus, but the housing prices are pretty steep. Does anyone know of a good town with good schools within a 25 mile radius of Bergen Community College? NJ or NY would be fine. We are originally from NY. We're hoping to stay in the 300,000 to 350,00 range on a condo or house. One of our children is in elementary school; the other is in middle school.
Thanks!!!!!!!!

[stevemorse]

ok well here is the good news, I see alot of cute homes from 325,000 to 370,000. Now of course at 370,000 you would bargain them down. And guess what they are not complete wrecks!! So you picked a good time to come to NJ!!

Go to NJ MLS, search, hit the one that says north nj and search in Bergen. You can find towns like Waldwick, Dumont, Midland Park, Oakland, New Milford all have pretty cute 3 bedroom homes with 1 bath for about that price. Now will you be in a total palace , no but I do see cute little capes and ranchs and bilevels all in that range. Any place in Northern Bergen County is good and easy commute to Paramus!! Try and take alook. I saw a cute home in Oakland for about 360K with some property and not a wreck. I see in Waldwick a few cute ones too. So try some of those towns. I think you will be very happy. Good time to come and good luck!!!

[zhelder]

$350,000 for a house in most areas of Bergen County is a challenge. Some decent towns where you may have a shot (I won't mention the lousy towns): Fair Lawn, Dumont, New Milford, and some less fancy areas of Waldwick or Midland Park. $350,000 for a house in Paramus would be very difficult. Fair Lawn is right next door, and although it's a step down from Paramus, it's still a decent town with good schools (in fact, test scores in FL are comparable to those in Paramus) and housing is much more reasonable there. Waldwick and Midland Park are a hair fancier (and much smaller) than Fair Lawn (but not quite as nice as Paramus), but again, $350,000 might be a challenge in those towns, although there are some areas where you might be able to swing something. New Milford is pretty comparable to Fair Lawn in terms of prices and fanciness (Fair Lawn is a larger town and does have better schools, IMHO), and Dumont is a slight step down from those two towns. Bergenfield might be another town to consider, but I've heard that some areas there are starting to get a little rough.

If you're willing to travel 15-20 minutes, Wood-Ridge and Hasbrouck Heights in Southern Bergen County are OK towns too, and not insanely expensive, although the schools there tend to be a bit lower in quality than in the other towns mentioned. IMHO, Northern Bergen County is nicer.

Maywood and Rochelle Park are pretty nice towns too (especially Maywood), BUT (and it's a MAJOR but) students in these towns go to Hackensack High School which is one of the rougher high schools in Bergen County.

A $350,000 in Oakland would be a challenge unless it's an isolated shack in the middle of nowhere or a house in the middle of a flood zone.

I would focus on these towns. Any other towns would be either too expensive or not worth living in.

Zhelder's Recommendations (In order):

Midland Park (Be prepared for a challenge)
Waldwick (Be prepared for a challenge)
Fair Lawn
New Milford
Maywood (if the high school isn't a major concern)
Dumont
Rochelle Park (again, if the high school isn't a major concern)
Wood-Ridge
Hasbrouck Heights
Bergenfield (Check out the other towns first)

It can't hurt to check in the fancier towns, but your best bets would be in the towns mentioned. Good luck!

[EEEPNJ]

Originally Posted by zhelder

$350,000 for a house in most areas of Bergen County is a challenge. Some decent towns where you may have a shot (I won't mention the lousy towns): Fair Lawn, Dumont, New Milford, and some less fancy areas of Waldwick or Midland Park. $350,000 for a house in Paramus would be very difficult. Fair Lawn is right next door, and although it's a step down from Paramus, it's still a decent town with good schools (in fact, test scores in FL are comparable to those in Paramus) and housing is much more reasonable there. Waldwick and Midland Park are a hair fancier (and much smaller) than Fair Lawn (but not quite as nice as Paramus), but again, $350,000 might be a challenge in those towns, although there are some areas where you might be able to swing something. New Milford is pretty comparable to Fair Lawn in terms of prices and fanciness (Fair Lawn is a larger town and does have better schools, IMHO), and Dumont is a slight step down from those two towns. Bergenfield might be another town to consider, but I've heard that some areas there are starting to get a little rough.

If you're willing to travel 15-20 minutes, Wood-Ridge and Hasbrouck Heights in Southern Bergen County are OK towns too, and not insanely expensive, although the schools there tend to be a bit lower in quality than in the other towns mentioned. IMHO, Northern Bergen County is nicer.

Maywood and Rochelle Park are pretty nice towns too (especially Maywood), BUT (and it's a MAJOR but) students in these towns go to Hackensack High School which is one of the rougher high schools in Bergen County.

A $350,000 in Oakland would be a challenge unless it's an isolated shack in the middle of nowhere or a house in the middle of a flood zone.

I would focus on these towns. Any other towns would be either too expensive or not worth living in.

Zhelder's Recommendations (In order):

Midland Park (Be prepared for a challenge)
Waldwick (Be prepared for a challenge)
Fair Lawn
New Milford
Maywood (if the high school isn't a major concern)
Dumont
Rochelle Park (again, if the high school isn't a major concern)
Wood-Ridge
Hasbrouck Heights
Bergenfield (Check out the other towns first)

It can't hurt to check in the fancier towns, but your best bets would be in the towns mentioned. Good luck!

Pretty good advice here, but even with things as they are right now, your price range will be hard to come by in Midland Park or Waldwick, getting closer, but not there yet....

New Milford is nice but taxes are STEEP. Very steep and you're not getting the greatest of schools (just ok schools) as a trade off.

Maywood is nice, Rochelle Park has ok sections and ones ehh... sections. BOTH of them go to Hackensack HS and thats not good. And NEVER assume "oh we'll move by then" because you NEVER know... so I'd not consider them if you have school aged kids.

Wood-Ridge and Hasbrouck Heights are decent choices... you'll get better schools and rec programs in HH, but you'll pay a little more too.

If you are open to Condos/Townhomes, I would also add Mahwah to your list. The schools are good, there are A LOT of units to be had and the competition for buyers is steep - so you can get a good deal. It's a nice town.

Oh, and I would NOT consider Bergenfield. The town has seen better days and there is some gang activity there now too.

[gongamonga]

Thank you so much for the advice. It is really appreciated!!!

[NewJersey?]

I didn't read the thread, sorry, but just wanted to point out the low(er) property taxes that Paramus offers. That should be taken into account when looking at home prices/value. good luck.