Cliffside Park or Hackensack? (Elizabeth, Fort Lee: real estate, condos, houses)

[srain]

Hi,

I was curious as to ppl's opinion on this. Which do you consider a better place to purchase a condo for living and for possible resale in a few years. I am debating between Cliffside Park and Prospect Ave. in Hackensack. Bergenfield (near Washington Ave.) is also a distant possibility.
Thanks!

[E-TOWN-R.I.P.]

Originally Posted by srain

Hi,

I was curious as to ppl's opinion on this. Which do you consider a better place to purchase a condo for living and for possible resale in a few years. I am debating between Cliffside Park and Prospect Ave. in Hackensack. Bergenfield (near Washington Ave.) is also a distant possibility.
Thanks!

The fact that this question is even being asked shows just how far Cliffside Park has fallen in the last 10 years.

[srain]

Originally Posted by E-TOWN-R.I.P.

The fact that this question is even being asked shows just how far Cliffside Park has fallen in the last 10 years.

Because?

I am not a native NJer so I have no idea about the history of these places. I thought it looked fine with all the restaurants and such which Prospect Ave does not have, so I'm curious. Was Cliffside Park really that much better before?

[Kevin1975]

Depends on where in Hackensack. Some areas of Hackensack are nicer than others. Both towns are good areas for the NYC commuter. More condos to choose from in Hackensack.

[E-TOWN-R.I.P.]

Originally Posted by srain

Because?

I am not a native NJer so I have no idea about the history of these places. I thought it looked fine with all the restaurants and such which Prospect Ave does not have, so I'm curious. Was Cliffside Park really that much better before?

In a word ... yes. It's been awhile since I've been in either, but, believe it or not, Hackensack used to be considered the "ghetto" of Bergen County. I never thought it was that bad, but native Bergenites used to turn their nose up at Hackensack left and right. On the other hand, everybody used to want to get into Cliffside Park ... charming little town, borders Fort Lee, short commute to NYC. Million dollar houses on the border of Edgewater ... they even shot the movie "Cop Land" there. However, I heard the illegals from down Bergenline have crept their way in and the locals have moved out of town. Same thing happened in Elizabeth, but far worse, and on a much grander scale. What a shame. It really was a great little town.

[brandy76]

I used to live in Cliffside Park and I loved the town, small town vibe with a good "main street" area, good commute into NYC on express bus. The most popular condo buildings are the Winston Towers with great views of NYC. If you're looking for condo's, Cliffside & Fort Lee (next to Cliffside) have a lot. Here's a link for condo descriptions in Cliffside Park: real estate agent, realtor, kaili, fort lee, edgewater, englewood cliffs, nj 07024,07020

Hackensack has the condo strip of Prospect Ave, which is very nice, but some of the surrounding areas can be a little shady, especially at night. Hackensack is very big so there are so many different neighborhoods. And the other poster was right, so many bergen county ppl look down on hackensack. It is more diverse than Cliffside.

[gradstudent77]

Originally Posted by E-TOWN-R.I.P.

In a word ... yes. It's been awhile since I've been in either, but, believe it or not, Hackensack used to be considered the "ghetto" of Bergen County. I never thought it was that bad, but native Bergenites used to turn their nose up at Hackensack left and right. On the other hand, everybody used to want to get into Cliffside Park ... charming little town, borders Fort Lee, short commute to NYC. Million dollar houses on the border of Edgewater ... they even shot the movie "Cop Land" there. However, I heard the illegals from down Bergenline have crept their way in and the locals have moved out of town. Same thing happened in Elizabeth, but far worse, and on a much grander scale. What a shame. It really was a great little town.

The sort of person who would consider Hackensack a ghetto would never consider Prospect Ave. a ghetto.

Cliffside is still what it was ten years ago.

[E-TOWN-R.I.P.]

Originally Posted by gradstudent77

The sort of person who would consider Hackensack a ghetto would never consider Prospect Ave. a ghetto.

Cliffside is still what it was ten years ago.

If Cliffside was what it was 10 years ago, then the OP wouldn't even be asking this question.

[gradstudent77]

Originally Posted by E-TOWN-R.I.P.

If Cliffside was what it was 10 years ago, then the OP wouldn't even be asking this question.

He's looking for a condo to live in for at least a few years, with an eye towards re-sale. He's looking at the nicest part of Hackensack and comparing that to the whole town of Cliffside. The condos he's looking at are probably within a certain price range. He might be looking at really nice condos in H-sack, while looking at middle-tier Cliffside properties.

Cliffside was only ever prestigious to the people moving on up from Hudson County. It's not as if somebody living in Ridgewood or Fair Lawn ever thought cliffside was a peer town. And, if they did it was not ten years ago, maybe 20.

[Lusitan]

Cliffside Park is infamous these days as the home of some delusional, housing-bubble-crazed lunatic who dubbed himself "Alpine the Realist". Apparently, he went off the deep end when he couldn't sell his house after 3 years, and was looking at upwards of a 40% drop in value and losing all of his downpayment. Last I heard, there was something about him bunkering down in the basement "waiting for the bidding war" to start. It was sad, really.

Other than that, I'm sure there some nice people in Cliffside Park, but I would proceed with caution.