[ravenr2]

NJ is becoming too expensive. We live in northern nj so you can imagine how costly it is to live here. We have the bus right outside our unit that goes directly to NYC. Many are moving out and moving elsewhere to be able to afford to live. I've been living in NJ for 20 years and my hubby, myself and our son are looking to move. It is way to costly to live here..trust me..you don't want to move here. We are actually looking to move to another state. Anyone who suggest move to Jersey, unless they live here for more than 2 years, has no clue how this it is here. You have a job already which is good. The houses are way too expensive for what you get..which isn't much. I would look into another to central/south/west jersey...stay clear of northern nj. There is a reason people are moving out of NJ, particularly up in my area. I see people who in my complex, (we rent a 2 bdrm condo paying 1700/month) who are selling their units and moving elsewhere to be able to afford to live.

[NewJeffCT]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

NJ does have higher property taxes, but there are a few more affordable towns commutable to Wall St than there are in CT.

True - there are many more commutable to NYC options from NJ than there are from CT. However, you also suffer the same problem in NJ - if you go down in price, you're going to suffer in school quality.

[ppriyank]

Looks like, I'll hold off on my search for now then. Give it an extra year to save some more $ so I can get better school district, cuz I def dont wanna have to move or pay extra for private schooling down the road!


Thank for everyone's input. Bit of a eye opener...Grew up in suburban chicago area, and there $400k will get you a mini mansion haha.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by ravenr2

NJ is becoming too expensive. We live in northern nj so you can imagine how costly it is to live here. We have the bus right outside our unit that goes directly to NYC. Many are moving out and moving elsewhere to be able to afford to live. I've been living in NJ for 20 years and my hubby, myself and our son are looking to move. It is way to costly to live here..trust me..you don't want to move here. We are actually looking to move to another state. Anyone who suggest move to Jersey, unless they live here for more than 2 years, has no clue how this it is here. You have a job already which is good. The houses are way too expensive for what you get..which isn't much. I would look into another to central/south/west jersey...stay clear of northern nj. There is a reason people are moving out of NJ, particularly up in my area. I see people who in my complex, (we rent a 2 bdrm condo paying 1700/month) who are selling their units and moving elsewhere to be able to afford to live.

Boy this sounds familar. When I got out of college a long time ago, I got my first job in northern NJ. I too found it too expensive. I wanted a condo but even though the pay was decent it was not enough to buy a decent one. This is the problem with living near one of the most expensive cities in the world. Since the OP is working on Wall Street, they could look into areas south of Bergen County. They should look along the train routes that serve downtown Manhattan. Jay

[Stylo]

There is no way anywhere from CT is an hour door-to-door, UNLESS they are driving at off peak hours with little traffic.

Greenwich on the train would be over an hour door to door, and that's the quickest.

[mrgmrg]

Originally Posted by Stylo

There is no way anywhere from CT is an hour door-to-door, UNLESS they are driving at off peak hours with little traffic.

Greenwich on the train would be over an hour door to door, and that's the quickest.

Yeah, if you live within 5 minutes of the train station in Greenwich and you work within a block or two of Grand Central, you might have a chance of a train commute that is consistently an hour or less. Connecticut is really just a terrible commute and only getting worse with Metro-North's continued issues.

[ravenr2]

I'd try in western nj. Northern nj is wayy to expensive..I live in Rutherford and we are looking to move. Forget Harrison or Kearny. If you want a nice home, Rutherford is great..but the downfall is it is expensive...for us at least. Rutherford has a train station and lots of buses that go straight to NYC..so commuting is not a problem for the residents here. Again, it is up to the budget and the schools here are great. I happen to live in a condo complex (Rutherford Manor) that is nice but too many problems in my condo..plus we pay 1700.00/month rent to live here. The upside is, that there is a bus stop right up the street which many, many people in my complex work commute to NYC.

CT is beautiful. I have visited Torrington and of course like any area, it is either nice or not. My mother-in-law owns a cute home and she has lots of front property as well as back yard property. The crime rate in her area is low to none. The schools are good as my nephew attends one which I cannot recall at the moment. The cost of living, from what she tells me is not expensive at all, and you will have no issue buying a home on your budget. In fact, you will even save. I'm not sure about the transportation, but it takes us 2 hours to get there from Rutherford by car.

Best of luck to you!

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by ravenr2

The cost of living, from what she tells me is not expensive at all, and you will have no issue buying a home on your budget. In fact, you will even save. I'm not sure about the transportation, but it takes us 2 hours to get there from Rutherford by car.

That's because Torrington is one of the most remote (and affordable) cities in CT. There is no way the OP could even think about commuting to Wall Street from Torrington.

[BPt111]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

That's because Torrington is one of the most remote (and affordable) cities in CT. There is no way the OP could even think about commuting to Wall Street from Torrington.

Bridgeport is cheap also.

[psu98]

If you decide to look in Central NJ, West Windsor/Plainsboro school district is very good… commute on NE Corridor NJ Transit line into the city from Hamilton or Princeton Junction… could also connect to PATH in Newark to go downtown which would avoid you having to go into Penn Station at all. They run express trains during the rush hour that are direct to Newark from Princeton Junction though will still take you over an hour though door to door as there are almost always delays..

Another central NJ option closer to the city is the town of Metuchen.. may find more in your budget there. Cute town and neighborhoods, though schools aren't rated quite as high as WW/P, I do have friends that live there and are very happy with community feel, overall quality of life and schools.

I'd post on the NJ board to dig deeper when you are ready, and good luck to you.