Central Bucks (Chester, Horsham, Quakertown: sales, apartment, renting)

[Kisel17]

We're finally going to move to area after several years of it being something we wanted to do but just never did.

First, allow me to fill the handy questionnaire out:

When are you moving?
Summer 2012

Where are you coming from?
Long Island, NY (Suffolk Co.)

Why are you moving?
I obtained employment

Where will you be working?
Langhorne, PA

Have you been here yet?
About a dozen times to New Hope, Doylestown, Quakertown and Horsham over the past three years.

Will you buy or rent?
Buy

If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend?
House, about $450k-500k.

If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend?
N/A

Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up?
N/A

Are you married or single? Do you have children?
Married with three kids; 9, 6, 3.

Do you prefer public or private schools?
Public

Do you have pets?
No

Do you want or need a yard?
Yes, would like 1/2 to 1 acre.

Are you keeping a car?
Two

Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet?
Mostly calm & quiet

What do you want to be closest to?
Work - Yes (about 30-45 minutes max)
Shopping - Relatively close
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.) - Relatively close
Nightlife - No
Train or subway stations - No

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood?
Similar demographics

Coke or Pepsi?
Gave up on soda for the most part but have been known to sneak a coke here or there.

Before I continue I should add that we kind of already know where we want to be - Doylestown. What I need from you is information from areas closer to Langhorne (including NJ) since I am not that familiar with the immediate area of where I will be working. I just want to make sure I have all my bases covered before I make a commitment.

Obviously, schools are the most important factor for us. Secondly, I would prefer to keep my commute to about a half an hour to 45 minutes. Lastly, the closer to the NJ border the better as I plan on having to drive back to LI on a monthly basis. Everything else would be a lesser priority.

Thanks for any help and words of wisdom.

[Angus215]

Newtown would be an obvious place to look. It's closer to both Langhorne and I-95. Doylestown is far away from everything.

[frankgn87]

Like Angus says.. Newtown is very nice.. New jersey is pretty far from langhorne. I would stay in pa if to want to stay close to Langhorne. Langhorne itself has some really nice victoran homes too.

[kimrocktherealtor]

If you want Central Bucks schools you aren't going to be close to the NJ border unfortunately (Doylestown, Warrington, Chalfont, Buckingham) .. however, if you are okay with Council Rock, you could definitely focus on Newtown, especially the parts of Newtown more E on 532 closer to I-95 so that you can easily jump on to head to LI. I would also consider Yardley, which is Pennsbury schools. Yardley will be your most convenient to LI.

[Kisel17]

Thanks for the information, much appreciated. Will begin to take a deeper look into Newtown and Yardley. If I recall, the property taxes were really high - just like NJ.

[frankgn87]

Originally Posted by Kisel17

Thanks for the information, much appreciated. Will begin to take a deeper look into Newtown and Yardley. If I recall, the property taxes were really high - just like NJ.

ya get what you pay for No such place with low crime, great schools, clean streets and low taxes

[Angus215]

Originally Posted by frankgn87

ya get what you pay for No such place with low crime, great schools, clean streets and low taxes

Spoken like a true New Jersyan

[frankgn87]

Originally Posted by Angus215

Spoken like a true New Jersyan

whats that supposed to mean? Bucks, Montgomery and Chester counties are just as expensive or maybe more then were I live.
Can you name a place anywhere with low taxes, stellar schools that is safe with good housing stock, around here? No such thing.

[Angus215]

Originally Posted by frankgn87

whats that supposed to mean? Bucks, Montgomery and Chester counties are just as expensive or maybe more then were I live.
Can you name a place anywhere with low taxes, stellar schools that is safe with good housing stock, around here? No such thing.

It's supposed to mean that New Jersey residents are so used to paying ridiculous taxes that many accept it as normal and can't believe that a government could function any other way. i lived in NJ for over 5 years and couldn't wait to get out. the great thing about living in NJ was that i had the priviledge of paying taxes into TWO different school districts because of the convoluted structure of municipal government. In PA, i live in a house that's worth 50% more but actually pay LESS in property tax than i did in NJ (as well as lower income and sales tax).

In terms of places to live with reasonable taxes, good schools, safety, etc, there are many, many places like that in the philadelphia suburbs. I'm most familiar with montgomery county. In montgomery county, the school districts with the lowest taxes relative to the value of the property are Upper Merion, Colonial, Wissahickon, Lower Merion, North Penn, and Upper Dublin. Those are all great school districts (some of the best in the state) in great, safe areas. So, yes, you can actually have reasonable taxes and all of those other things . . . just not in New Jersey. NJ has the highest property taxes in the nation and the highest income tax in the nation. there's a reason why the state has negative population growth.

http://www.openpagov.org/property_taxes.asp

http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/1913.html

[Just1Lion]

NJ is really not that far from Langhorne. Trenton is like 10 minutes via route 1. not that i would recommend living in Trenton, but Hamilton Township is next door, and is a huge town with a decent school district. even burlington county is a doable commute to Langhorne, like Bordentown or Burlington. plenty of options.