Looking for affordable quaint towns. (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh: real estate, rentals, condos)

[karmel]

Can anyone suggest some places to explore in Eastern Pa, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersy that would be affordable. I currently live in Pittsburgh and would love to move east. I'm looking for a quaint town with character - coffee shops, etc. that might even be a bit rural. Work is not an issue and I don't need to commute into town. I've read about many areas around Philadephia that sound charming, but since I don't have to be close to the city, I thought some areas further out might be more affordable - tax wise, cost of real estate, etc. I'm kind of an outdoors person, but would lilke to have some metropolitan areas within a couple hours. I prefer something with in a few hours of DC as well.

Thanks in advance for responding to my inquiry.

[Sassygirl18]

Please define "affordable".

[karmel]

Probably what I'd like affordable to be would really be defined "impossible", but I would like to be able to find a 3 bedroom single family home - any age - for about 250 - more if taxes are reasonable.

[orrmobl]

Phoenixville, Collegeville, Downingtown, Pottstown, Honeybrook , maybe a suburb of Lancaster...if you don't mind the proximity to the city and some rude people, Lansdowne might just be the perfect place for you - taxes are high, schools are bad but the people are liberal, the downtown is supposedly coming back and housing is cheap and has alot of character...occasional property crime occurs and I'm not sure with the current economy what the enviornment going forward is going to be like, but the town is liberal and friendly and is having a Renaissance of sorts...

[toobusytoday]

Topton, PA in Berks county. Tiny town, probably cheap and it has some cute shops and restaurants. It's in the middle of the country so no close shopping but if you want to get away, it's a good place to look at. Not really sure why you would post your question on the Philadelphia forum. There's nothing rural and cheap within 30 miles of the city.

[karmel]

Thanks so much for your helpful replies. It's great to have some places to start. I will check out some of the areas that you both suggested. Toobusytoday may be right as far as where I'm even beginning my search - maybe I should even consider Delaware.

[MoorestownResident]

Originally Posted by karmel

Can anyone suggest some places to explore in Eastern Pa, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersy that would be affordable. I currently live in Pittsburgh and would love to move east. I'm looking for a quaint town with character - coffee shops, etc. that might even be a bit rural. Work is not an issue and I don't need to commute into town. I've read about many areas around Philadephia that sound charming, but since I don't have to be close to the city, I thought some areas further out might be more affordable - tax wise, cost of real estate, etc. I'm kind of an outdoors person, but would lilke to have some metropolitan areas within a couple hours. I prefer something with in a few hours of DC as well.

Thanks in advance for responding to my inquiry.

Suggest you look in NJ but let me first say there are no quaint towns I would consider 'affordable' with high property taxes. Medford, NJ in Burlington County is actually what you are looking for, great main street, a bit of a wooded, rural/agricultural feel and right next to Medford Lakes. About an hour from Philly. Taxes are high though and housing is not cheap. Plenty of condos and/or rentals if you looked to rent at first.

http://www.medfordtownship.com/

A second suggestion and less expensive alternative is Mullica Hill, NJ farther south in Gloucester County, maybe an hour from Philly, probably 2 hours from DC. Quaint area, rural/agricultural feel, great schools, good investment etc.

http://www.mullicahill.com/

Also if you want outdoor appeal with access to the NE corridor and DC, South Jersey is your best location. Burlington County, NJ has more open space, farms, waterways, parks and recreational opportunity than anything in PA. The Wharton State Park/Pinelands Park system is one of the largest in the northeast and you'll have much better access to major roads running north and south. The roads in PA are a mess compared to NJ's super highways, don't underestimate that fact.

I'm no fan of PA and would gladly pay more to live in NJ, but check both areas out for yourself and decide what is best. South Jersey in particular has a larger mix of condos and 'affordable housing' relative to PA because NJ is a higher cost of living state. So, even your most expensive towns might have some affordable housing options.

Lastly, the weather is better in NJ than PA. NJ is relatively flat and closer to the shore which means more sun, warmer air and faster moving storms. The western PA burbs have rolling hills which lock cold air in longer and make for a harsher winter and colder spring. Plus PA gets less sun and more snow in winter.

Good luck.

[toobusytoday]

Mullica Hill is an excellent suggestion. Also, the idea of South Jersey in general. Even the town of Pennsville, just over the Delaware Memorial bridge is pretty nice. My folks live in South Jersey and they are always two or three weeks ahead of us warm weather-wise and ALWAYS warmer.

Lower Delaware is similar to South Jersey, but I can't really think of any towns that come to mind as "quaint" in Delaware. Old and lower income come to mind but not quaint.

[rainrock]

Originally Posted by MoorestownResident

Suggest you look in NJ but let me first say there are no quaint towns I would consider 'affordable' with high property taxes. Medford, NJ in Burlington County is actually what you are looking for, great main street, a bit of a wooded, rural/agricultural feel and right next to Medford Lakes. About an hour from Philly. Taxes are high though and housing is not cheap. Plenty of condos and/or rentals if you looked to rent at first.

Ok so in all due respect this info is not applicable as Medford is not affordable.But thanks for the puff piece on Medford.

Originally Posted by MoporestownResident

South Jersey in particular has a larger mix of condos and 'affordable housing' relative to PA because NJ is a higher cost of living state. So, even your most expensive towns might have some affordable housing options.

True NJ has a higher cost of living than PA but what you fail to realize is that
the 4 Philadlephia suburban counties have a higher cost of living than the 4 South jersey suburban counties.

Its amusing to me your vague attempt to make NJ the best of both worlds. Its the most expensive part of the region while simultaneously being the most affordable part of the region when in reality its definitely just the most affordable part of the region. Thats your strongpoint(affordability) thats what you should be running with. Stop with the mistruths.

2007 Gross Adjusted Income by County

Chester(PA) $96,578
Montgomery(PA)-$86,685
Bucks(PA)-$77,180
Burlington(NJ)-$71,763
Delaware(PA)-$69,181
Gloucester(NJ)-$63,807
Camden(NJ)-$58,857
Salem(NJ)-$56,857

http://www.philly.com/philly/classif..._counties.html

In the Philadelphia region, Chester County is where the money is.

Chester County ranked 21st among the more than 3,100 counties in the United States by adjusted gross income for 2007, according to a new analysis of IRS data by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University.

Lastly, the weather is better in NJ than PA. NJ is relatively flat and closer to the shore which means more sun, warmer air and faster moving storms. The western PA burbs have rolling hills which lock cold air in longer and make for a harsher winter and colder

Are you serious? Are you that threatened by PA that you have to start comparing climates that are 10 miles apart? You're a real piece of work.

[MoorestownResident]

To the OP, suggest you take this response with a major grain of salt. My post is 100% accurate. You will see for yourself if you look in both areas. NJ has more affordable options than PA by state mandate due to the fact that it is higher cost of living state. All municipalities in NJ must have affordable housing options. Many NJ people move to PA for more house and lower taxes, and in fact, you too, might be better off in PA coming from Pittsburgh. But I recommend considering both sides of the Delaware if you plan to live in the Philly region. There is far more at your disposal in NJ relative to PA especially if you are looking for recreation, the vast NJ shoreline and moving around in the NE corridor. In fact, you might want to drive down and check out the quaint shore area towns in Atlantic or Cape May counties, housing off the coast is still fairly reasonable.