Moving our family from CA to NJ (Ridgewood, Ramsey: renting, condos)

[joe moving]

personally I would not suggest hoboken or weehawken or jersey city with kids.

depends I guess what the original poster is used to, or wants. the advantage with these towns of course is potentially the short commute.

[Appias]

Agreed that Hoboken or Weehawken would not be the first choice for quiet, family oriented lifestyles. The commute would be a breeze, but other factors should be considered as well. TorontoMom is correct in that some of the towns (such as Summit) she lists would not be doable on your budget. I am 100% certain that you can rent a house in Maplewood or South Orange for $2,000 or less though. You might not be in a grand house, but you can get a 3 bedroom house in a nice area with a little garage and a little yard for your budget. Another good point is the pet policy. Many landlords don't want them so that may be an issue for you if you have them, but that is true across the nation. Also be aware that realtors who list or show you places often take a commission, usually one month's rent. So just be aware of that. The best way to get around it is to look at local online sites (such as the one I linked to earlier). Craigslist is ok, but more likely to have scammers in my experience. Hope this helps!

[GByeCA4]

Originally Posted by TorontoMom

I recommend you get a realtor working with you, preferably one that understands the issues surrounding a major relocation such as yours. If your husband's company does not have a relocation program you can avail yourself of, I can put you into contact with the realtor we are working with - she's extremely patient, responsive and on-the-ball. She may not be making the big bucks with this particular transaction, but you can be sure she'll be the one we'll call when we're ready to purchase!

Wow.. thanks so much for all of the info! Those are the cities that we have on our 'list' so far. We'll for sure be flying out to check out the area. As I said in my OP, we have friends in Parsipanny, Monmouth Beach and Westchester.. and they've already offered to help play tour guides!
If you don't mind, can you please PM me the info for your realtor, that way I'll have it saved? I'm not sure that we're ready just yet to contact a realtor, but soon enough.

We'd really like to stay within our $2000 budget for the time being. As long as our daughter can still go to a decent school. As I said, we plan to rent first for at least a year. Once we're ready to buy, our budget will certainly be higher and we'll look different areas when that time comes.

Where did you stay when you went to NJ to look around? I'm trying to get a budget ready for our trip out there and am hoping that we can actually use my Grandmother's time share while we're there!

Originally Posted by Appias

Agreed that Hoboken or Weehawken would not be the first choice for quiet, family oriented lifestyles. The commute would be a breeze, but other factors should be considered as well. TorontoMom is correct in that some of the towns (such as Summit) she lists would not be doable on your budget. I am 100% certain that you can rent a house in Maplewood or South Orange for $2,000 or less though. You might not be in a grand house, but you can get a 3 bedroom house in a nice area with a little garage and a little yard for your budget. Another good point is the pet policy. Many landlords don't want them so that may be an issue for you if you have them, but that is true across the nation. Also be aware that realtors who list or show you places often take a commission, usually one month's rent. So just be aware of that. The best way to get around it is to look at local online sites (such as the one I linked to earlier). Craigslist is ok, but more likely to have scammers in my experience. Hope this helps!

Yes, we definitely want to be in a town that is 'family oriented'! That is pretty important to us.
We do NOT have a pet, so that makes things a tad easier! Thanks again for all of the advice.

Anyone know what sort of budget we should expect to allow for commuting, whether it be train/bus... either one?? Thanks!

[BergenCountyJohnny]

Originally Posted by GByeCA4

Wow.. thanks so much for all of the info! Those are the cities that we have on our 'list' so far. We'll for sure be flying out to check out the area. As I said in my OP, we have friends in Parsipanny, Monmouth Beach and Westchester.. and they've already offered to help play tour guides!
If you don't mind, can you please PM me the info for your realtor, that way I'll have it saved? I'm not sure that we're ready just yet to contact a realtor, but soon enough.

We'd really like to stay within our $2000 budget for the time being. As long as our daughter can still go to a decent school. As I said, we plan to rent first for at least a year. Once we're ready to buy, our budget will certainly be higher and we'll look different areas when that time comes.

Where did you stay when you went to NJ to look around? I'm trying to get a budget ready for our trip out there and am hoping that we can actually use my Grandmother's time share while we're there!



Yes, we definitely want to be in a town that is 'family oriented'! That is pretty important to us.
We do NOT have a pet, so that makes things a tad easier! Thanks again for all of the advice.

Anyone know what sort of budget we should expect to allow for commuting, whether it be train/bus... either one?? Thanks!

I'd say to stay away from Weehawken as someone else mentioned - I honestly don't understand that recommendation since you have kids. Most homes in that area (ESPECIALLY any that would be in your price range) have little or no yards and it's way too busy and crowded for raising kids...

I'd suggest you look at some of the more "blue collar" towns that aren't as urban as Weehawken but more suburban. Secaucus, Clifton, Lyndhurst, perhaps Hasbrouck Heights and Carlstadt, and definitely rent for a year while you learn the area.

I would say that for a year or two your kids will be in good schools in any of those towns. If anything, I would say to avoid Hackensack due to the school situation (but I might even be wrong about that).

The commute time is not bad from these areas. One hour is about right, some towns will be much less. I think a monthly pass on NJ Transit cost me close to a couple hundred bucks several years ago, so I'd say it's probably going to run you a couple hundred, plus whatever NYC MTA passes you'd need once in the city (could be none if he's walking distance from Port Authority or Penn Station).

You asked about commuting from Princeton or Monmouth Beach... I'd say forget about Princeton, too far. Monmouth Beach would be a couple hours commute, or close to it... Further up in Monmouth would be easier. I'd recommend checking out Hazlet, Keyport, Matawan, Aberdeen area if you like Monmouth County. In those towns you're close to the beaches but far enough inland that a commute to NY is much more manageable. I believe it takes my friend about 1 hour and 20 minutes to commute from Marlboro to Manhattan, by bus.

[luckyshoes]

I'm going to throw some Bergen County towns in...

Ramsey, Ridgewood, Mahwah, Hillsdale, Westwood/Washington Township (07676)

All great schools, all commutable to New York City, nice towns.

$2000 is a low budget, but doable. You might be looking at a 2 br apartment/condo though in some of the nicer towns.

[luckyshoes]

Originally Posted by joe moving

personally I would not suggest hoboken or weehawken or jersey city with kids.

Definitely agree.

[PalmBch]

Stay in Southern Bergen County or Hudson County

[GByeCA4]

Originally Posted by luckyshoes

I'm going to throw some Bergen County towns in...

Ramsey, Ridgewood, Mahwah, Hillsdale, Westwood/Washington Township (07676)

All great schools, all commutable to New York City, nice towns.

$2000 is a low budget, but doable. You might be looking at a 2 br apartment/condo though in some of the nicer towns.

Thanks.. I've been looking on Craigslist tonight using these towns. Obviously, we won't be renting anything that is available now.. because we're not moving for quite some time. But, I'm wondering what everyone's opinions are of these areas. OP, not that I'm not trusting your judgement.. I'd just like other opinions as well!

[Eric S]

Originally Posted by GByeCA4

We're looking to move from Southern CA to NJ. My husband will likely transfer in the next 18 months (most likely at the beginning of 2011), but we'd like to start looking into things now. He will most likely work in the NYC area, so we want to live within a decent commute but not in the city.

We have 2 young children, one in elementary school and one that won't be in school for another 4 years, so we do want a community that has good schools. Our plan is to rent for a while at first, until we know exactly what area we want to stay in.

I'd appreciate any and all info. Thanks

I can't believe you really know what you are in for. If you are comfortable and relatively happy in CA, don't move to NJ. If you are very young, you'll likely enjoy the NYC area. I wouldn't bring a family to NJ. Having a family is the reason that I left NJ and both of our (wife and me) NYC jobs. The price of entry into a decent community is too high for most young families and those lucky enough to have been around long enough to have tons of equity are better served moving south or west where you get a reasonable amount of home, land and a decent community for your money. A move from CA to NJ/NYC is one that would only make sense if (1) You enjoy NE winters; (2) You have a huge nest-egg - roughly $100K to $200K in the bank; and (3) Your family income will be roughly $200K per year. That is what it takes to live like a human being in NJ... and that will only make you "middle class." The taxes and commuter costs will eat you alive - and day-care will chew the left-over bones.

It's good to start the research now, but you should really look into actually spending some time in NJ before your really commit. I can't even conceive of why anyone would leave Southern CA for NJ .

-Eric

[luckyshoes]

Originally Posted by Eric S

It's good to start the research now, but you should really look into actually spending some time in NJ before your really commit. I can't even conceive of why anyone would leave Southern CA for NJ .

-Eric

Her husband is getting transferred here.