Hasbrouck Heights or Wood Ridge? (Garfield: how much, houses, buy)

[itznin]

Disclaimer: I KNOW Hasbrouck Heights is the better town....
I'm not asking for any other comparisons to other towns around, and I do realize there is a big difference in property taxes between the two towns. I am asking the following to help with my home shopping/comparisons for what the house offers and the price.

The question is HOW MUCH better is it?

If you take the same exact house in wood ridge and put it in Hasbrouck Heights how much more do you think it's worth?

Perfect example so "location" doesn't become an issue: Take a house on one side of Lincoln Ave and put it on the other side of the street (One side is WR the other is Heights).

[pbergen]

to me, the difference between the two towns is negligible. just go for the nicest house you can get within your budget.

as you know, the commute to the city is about the same from either town, the demographics are more or less comparable (although HH is slightly more diverse), and both are relatively similar-looking in terms of their housing stock and streetscape. heights has the larger and more active downtown, but not by a huge margin. both towns are equally safe and have similar potential for retaining their home values.

to answer your hypothetical question, there shouldn't be any significant difference between two identical houses straddling the border of the two towns.

[itznin]

I would think the better schools in HH would make it more desirable/expensive by some sort...

For a difference of 2,500-3k in taxes YEARLY WR makes sense I think.... just want to be certain.

[pbergen]

i don't believe the difference in the towns' schools is as large as you seem to think. yeah, heights is probably a little better (at least that's what the rankings suggest), but i certainly wouldn't pay more for an identical house there based on relatively minor statistical differences.

besides, neither town's schools can compare, reputation-wise, with the top school districts in the county. the truth is that the schools in HH and wood-ridge are more or less on the same level; it's not like you're choosing between two towns with a large gap in perceived educational quality such as lodi and ridgewood.

and don't forget, part of the reason for wood-ridge's lower taxes is because of the industrial properties on passaic st (some of which are still active), whereas most of HH's non-residential ratables come from small businesses on the boulevard and route 17. heights is also about 50% larger in population, meaning that there is a greater strain on services than in a smaller town like wood-ridge which has a couple of large businesses to ease the tax burden on residents.

keep in mind that if the wesmont development on passaic street is ever built out as planned, wood-ridge's population will grow by several thousand, to the point where it won't be that much smaller than HH. not sure how this will affect the borough's tax base, as most of the housing in that development seems to be geared toward families with children.

like i said, just go for the best house your money can buy you in either town. the quality of life for you and your children will be practically the same regardless.

[itznin]

Thank you for the advice....

I wonder how the Westmont development pans out for WR overall. I would imagine it brings more interest to the town and ultimately it helps out overall in housing prices appreciating. I hear there is a train station to be built for that development as well?

[ottomobeale]

>to me, the difference between the two towns is negligible. just go for the nicest house you can get within your budget<

BINGO. I work near them and drive through both regularly. You wont know the difference unless you read the city sign as you cross from 1 to the other.

You would think with HH running the Rt 46 lane trap near the diner the taxes would be lower with all that revenue coming in!

[pbergen]

Originally Posted by itznin

Thank you for the advice....

I wonder how the Westmont development pans out for WR overall. I would imagine it brings more interest to the town and ultimately it helps out overall in housing prices appreciating. I hear there is a train station to be built for that development as well?

no problem.

i think the wesmont development will be a plus for wood-ridge in several respects - the ugly commercial/industrial site will replaced by nice (albeit cookie-cutter) housing and ballfields, plus truck traffic down passaic street will be reduced somewhat due to the shift in land use for such a large property. i also think it will bring in a lot of upwardly mobile professional couples with young children, which will help raise the town's profile and possibly the schools in the long run. the only concern is the effect that this will have on taxes in wood-ridge (not sure either way).

and yes, there will be a train station constructed adjacent to the development, which is great news not only for wesmont residents, but also for those who live in the adjacent areas of hasbrouck heights, lodi, and wallington.

[pbergen]

Originally Posted by ottomobeale

You would think with HH running the Rt 46 lane trap near the diner the taxes would be lower with all that revenue coming in!

haha no kidding...

[itznin]

I wonder if the new train statioin would replace the Garfield station on the Bergen line... since garfield station and plauderville are so close.... but that's another story

[stevemorse]

Originally Posted by pbergen

no problem.

i think the wesmont development will be a plus for wood-ridge in several respects - the ugly commercial/industrial site will replaced by nice (albeit cookie-cutter) housing and ballfields, plus truck traffic down passaic street will be reduced somewhat due to the shift in land use for such a large property. i also think it will bring in a lot of upwardly mobile professional couples with young children, which will help raise the town's profile and possibly the schools in the long run. the only concern is the effect that this will have on taxes in wood-ridge (not sure either way).

and yes, there will be a train station constructed adjacent to the development, which is great news not only for wesmont residents, but also for those who live in the adjacent areas of hasbrouck heights, lodi, and wallington.

where is passaic street??? Is that the road that turns into Terhune? Is that the sight Curtis Wright used to be??