New Brunswick and south real estate / Route 1 vs. I-95 commute (Jersey City: renting, condo)

[mccchr]

My wife is likely to get transferred for work to New Brunswick and I'm starting to look around for housing south of town. I've been tasked with trying to get a feel for the different neighborhoods south of town and the relative cost of housing in them.

So far it seems that Princeton/West Windsor/Montgomery are the higher cost areas and East Brunswick/Sayreville/Amboy/Old Bridge are a little lower. Am I correct or way off? Also, it seems that there is a relatively high ratio of townhome type structures compared to freestanding homes?

Secondly, which is more congested for rush hour commutes: Route 1 or I-95

And lastly, tell me if I'm dreaming, but I was hoping to find a freestanding house with 4 Bdrms and 1.5 Baths for under $300k.

Thanks,
Chris

[christina0001]

I think Rt. 1 is worse than I-95, but neither is great.
You are probably dreaming, looking for a 4 bedroom home in that price range. Your assessment of what towns are what price range sounds right on the money to me. You might also want to peek at East Windsor.

[KAAEJA]

Hey Chris,

My wife and I just went through that exact search. There is no way you are going to find that kind of house for that price, we tried. Unless of course you are willing to do a lot of work on it (I was not). We are purchasing a town house in Twin rivers (part of east windsor) 3 bedrooms 2 and a half bath, finished basement, decent size yard. Well within your price range and large as far as Townhomes go. For us it is a starter home, but might be worth considering.

If you find a nice area that has the house you described, let me know..g*d knows we tried

PS Christina is right Route 1 is always a mess...Turnpike is the way to go most of the time

Happy Hunting
Keith

[NickL28]

Even houses in the worst parts of Jersey City one family houses cost way more than $400,000.

$300,000 buys you a one bedroom co-op in parts of Queens or out in suffolk county but not a condo or single family home anywhere in this region

[mareeg]

Ok, I'm going to disagree with some of these folks..We got a 4 bedroom home in Milltown ( a beaver cleaver town) for a little more than you stated but still very good and a brand new renovation. I will also tell you that it took us two years of renting first! It might be the only one though! I agree with the one poster that East Windsor is a good option..schools are getting better by the minute and its cheaper than anything in Middlesex county....I think we got very lucky honestly....you might also look at highland park..though we had difficulty when we tried there. South Brunswick might also be a good bet. STAY away from Route 1 its a nightmare...If you lived in East Windsor you'd take 130...its only about 20 minutes south if you obey the law! I work in EW and take it everyday. Metuchen is also very nice but pricey!

[mccchr]

Thanks all, even if your posts confirm my fears... <smile> and thanks for suggestions on places that are a little less pricey. We're heading out in a few weeks to look around for housing.

I had thought that trying to get a place easily accesible to Rt.1 would be beneficial but I think we'll try and avoid that scene now.

Mareeg, I forgot about the possibility of renting for awhile first to give ourselves time to find something workable. Thanks for the tip.

-Chris

[regarese]

Rt 1 does suck-no way of getting around that, but there are backroads to get into New Brunswick that can make commute a lot easier. I commuted to Rutgers in New Brunswick from Old Bridge and Milltown and would take local, non-highway roads in. You'll figure out the tricks. Good Luck!!