Springfield, Summit, Millburn, Cranford, or Westfield (Jersey City, Union: how much, houses, to buy)

[dsp2]

Greetings. I just discovered this place, and after finding some useful information via quick searches, I thought I'd start off with a first post with a long and confusing subject line!

My fiancee and I are looking to buy a house in one of the towns listed above. We both live in the area, and are currently gravitating towards Springfield due primarily to the fact that you can get more house there than the other towns listed (actually, not sure about Cranford...but I know Summit, Millburn, and Westfield are all a bunch more expensive).

We really like the downtown areas of the other towns listed, though. Also, I like the train service in those areas (though Springfield is well served by NJT buses and is close to Summit, Short Hills, and Millburn trains).

Anyway, my long-winded question - would anyone care to share opinions on which of these towns is the best? I know this is subjective, but I'm just looking to see if anyone has any opinions to share.

Many thanks, and I look forward to participating here.

[mumra]

Do you find any reason not to buy in Springfield?
Don’t let the better downtown areas sway your decision, no matter where you buy you will most likely drive there anyway and a few more minutes in the car won’t kill you. Springfield to Millburn downtown is no more than 2 miles away. I think Springfield has plans to rejuvenate their small downtown area.

[Eric S]

Springfield will save you money. Taxes are taxes: Pay as low as you can to start off. Your list of towns smacks to me of an experiment in social climbing. Give it up now and save yourself heartache, expense and some really ugly lessons about your fellow man/human nature. Lots of people in NJ seem to feel that the town in which they live somehow mirrors the quality of the person that they are. If you've got money to throw away, there are better areas in Bergen County.

All things considered, go with the town where the cost/benefit of short commute to NYC and low taxes intersect... and if you can walk to the train station - even if you do not commute to NYC - the better.

-Eric, ex NJ resident

[Lusitan]

I think trying to determine "the best" from among those towns is a futile effort. All of them are good towns, with good schools, and with a few minor differences that really come down to a matter of suitability for individual lifestyles.

Millburn and Summit have better train access to Hoboken or NY Penn Station; for some that might be the most important factor. Westfield probably has the most robust downtown from among that group, and that would be more of a factor for some than others. Cranford is of course very close to Westfield and has its own smaller downtown, but it also has the Rahway River and canoe club and stuff like that may interest some more than others. Springfield has more affordable housing which is of course important as you point out, and is centrally located among these towns and easily accessible to all.

In the end, it will really come down to finding a house you like (and since prices are likely to continue sinking for the next year or so, you should be really sure you'll be happy staying in the house for a long time because you may find yourself underwater in the short term) for a price that you can afford without overreaching.

Everyone will have their personal preferences, but it's pretty much impossible to go "wrong" in any of the towns you're looking at (aside from the issue of whether now is the "wrong" time to buy, of course).

[Hal Jalikeakick]

of the towns you listed, my personal preference would be Westfield, Summit, Cranford, Millburn, Springfield in that order. again, that's just my personal preference.

[dsp2]

Thank you, everyone. I'm not really looking for a status symbol purchase. My ideal would be to be able to walk a few blocks from my door to a downtown area which interests me and to a train. This is why Millburn and Summit interest me most. Also, the Millburn schools are ranked ridiculously highly.

I do really like Springfield, too, though. Does anyone have any additional information on the revitalization of their downtown area? Is this the small strip on Morris Ave where McGlynn's is? Or the area on Mountain Ave from the library down towards Tom's Pizza?

Thank you again for the helpful opinions! I am struggling with the whole "houses likely to depreciate" thing...

[mumra]

from their website it looks like its geared towards Morris Ave. Springfield Township - downtown

[dsp2]

Wow. Thanks, mumra. Very useful information. I had no idea about those plans. Now the project manager in me wants to learn more about next steps and timing, but this is a great first step, and I'd love to see some of that stuff come to fruition! I can't tell you how much money we've spent at the movies in Union, Cranford, Millburn, Summit, Westfield, and Mountainside. Would be great to support our own town a bit

[NJamboy]

Originally Posted by mumra

Don’t let the better downtown areas sway your decision, no matter where you buy you will most likely drive there anyway and a few more minutes in the car won’t kill you.

This couldn't be more true, seems obvious after I read it, but your right, unless you live in Hoboken or Jersey City, you will most likely be driving, especially in the winter.

[dsp2]

I get what you're saying, but I don't think that's always the case. For instance, I lived in New Brunswick for 3 years, and walked to the train station most mornings to commute to work. Also, it was great being able to walk to a variety of bars and restaurants. Or, even to places like Rite Aid for bandages after I had surgery. It was really, really nice.

The "problem" is, of course, that's an extremely desirable situation, so it's very expensive. But my ideal situation would be a place which would be a nice and short walk to town and train, and I do know that such places exist in Summit and Millburn (and, obviously, New Brunswick. But I'm too old for that now