Gloucester County Relo Help Needed (Camden, Glassboro: sales, salon, car insurance)

[foreverloves]

Hi all,

I'm actually originally from South Jersey (Marlton area) but moved away 8 years ago and am now looking to relocate for work. I need a driveable commute to the Philly Airport area, so I was focusing on Gloucester County.

Need:
Single Family Home with a yard
Very good (or better) public schools
Appreciating area - I am willing to do work on a house in order to build equity, ie: find the ugliest house in a neighborhood of 250K homes and buy it for 215K - looking for upside though.
Need to have access to at least some "stuff"; shopping, nice fitness club, etc.
Price range (here's the kicker) under 225K

Some things I know (or remember):
Paulsboro - no
Woolwich Twp - nice but high high school taxes
Mullica Hill - nice but there's that 322 issue
Swedesboro - seems to be up and coming but a lot of new construction
Glassboro - iffy, the main areas are older

Some things I have HEARD (unconfirmed)
-Pitman and Sewell are not terrific
"Stay away from towns on the Delaware River"
"It depends where you are in Mantua"
"Nobody really knows where 'Washington Township' is, but stay out of Williamstown"
and mixed reviews about Logan Twp and Beckett; some have said it's terrific and some have said they've heard bad things.

Just looking for good schools, communities with pride of ownership, and future desirablity for upside potential. Eventually, I want the equity in this house purchase to let me move to Haddonfield, which I know is terrific and well located. Can't afford that yet - have to start somewhere!

Thought I'd ask you all since most realtors are pretty tight lipped about the "real deal". They are interested in a sale and can't legally say much because of "steering". Thank you!

[frankgn87]

why are you focusing on Gloucester? Id be looking at Burlington. It has what you are looking for. Great schools, close to airport(Takes me 25 mins from Cinnaminson) fantastic areas, lower car insurance and homeowners then Camden county, lower taxes then most areas.. Look at Delran, Cinnaminson, Riverton, Moorestown, Maple shade..

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by foreverloves

Hi all,

I'm actually originally from South Jersey (Marlton area) but moved away 8 years ago and am now looking to relocate for work. I need a driveable commute to the Philly Airport area, so I was focusing on Gloucester County.

Need:
Single Family Home with a yard
Very good (or better) public schools
Appreciating area - I am willing to do work on a house in order to build equity, ie: find the ugliest house in a neighborhood of 250K homes and buy it for 215K - looking for upside though.
Need to have access to at least some "stuff"; shopping, nice fitness club, etc.
Price range (here's the kicker) under 225K

Some things I know (or remember):
Paulsboro - no
Woolwich Twp - nice but high high school taxes
Mullica Hill - nice but there's that 322 issue
Swedesboro - seems to be up and coming but a lot of new construction
Glassboro - iffy, the main areas are older

Some things I have HEARD (unconfirmed)
-Pitman and Sewell are not terrific
"Stay away from towns on the Delaware River"
"It depends where you are in Mantua"
"Nobody really knows where 'Washington Township' is, but stay out of Williamstown"
and mixed reviews about Logan Twp and Beckett; some have said it's terrific and some have said they've heard bad things.

Just looking for good schools, communities with pride of ownership, and future desirablity for upside potential. Eventually, I want the equity in this house purchase to let me move to Haddonfield, which I know is terrific and well located. Can't afford that yet - have to start somewhere!

Thought I'd ask you all since most realtors are pretty tight lipped about the "real deal". They are interested in a sale and can't legally say much because of "steering". Thank you!

Pitman has the best schools in the area. My sister & her husband have taught in another district for 35 years but bought in Pitman for the schools & both of their kids went through them & got into top colleges for their majors.

http://www.greatschools.org/

[JerzBoy]

I would look at towns such as Haddon Township (Westmont) or Haddon Heights. You can definitely find some older 3br homes for under 225k and the commute to the Philly airport is very easy (20-30min tops). Plus Camden County has more shopping/restaurant options than Gloucester County does.

[templeu]

Camden county neighborhoods (Haddon Township, Haddon Heights, Barrington, Audubon) will offer easy access to highways and a pretty easy commute to PHL on most days. There is also quite a bit to do in this area given all of the amenities offered in Collingswood, Cherry Hill, Haddonfield, etc.

I suspect $225K will buy you less in Camden County compared to Gloucester or Burlington, however, and from what I understand property taxes may be higher (you'd probably be looking at property taxes in the 5K-6500K range in Camden County on a $225K house, depending on which specific neighborhood you settled down in). That range could definitely buy you a 3 bed 1 bath (perhaps another bed or bath depending on 'hood, etc) with at least a small yard (.1-.2ish acre) in some the areas I and JerzBoy mentioned.

[ooodsie]

I would "steer" (lol) you towards Camden County as well.. There are some great deals to be had in Collingswood right now, and you'd be very close to the bridge and not far at all from the airport.

[NJGOAT]

Figured I would chime in since my wife and I grew up and spent a lot of time in Camden/Burlington, but recently made the decision to move to Gloucester County and Logan/Beckett in particular.

I'm not sure what you heard about the area, but I can attest that it is a very nice place to live and one of the best bang for your bucks you are going to find. My wife and I have 3 kids and we had a similar budget to yours and an emphasis on school district. Bang for the buck was important to us as my wife is a SAHM, so we needed to make our one income go as far as it could.

We both grew up in Camden County and know the area very well. If you want a good/great school system you are essentially looking at Cherry Hill, Haddonfield, Voorhees, Haddon Twp., Haddon Heights, Audubon, Barrington and Berlin Boro. There are other areas, but the school systems are not as good, or they have good elementary, but only OK high schools. With the budget Haddonfield is pretty much out and you are limited to only certain areas of Voorhees or Cherry Hill and these areas tend to be older with smaller homes and the taxes are still very high. The budget would buy you a decent starter home in the remaining areas, but you are looking at annual tax bills in the $5k - $6k+ range and even more in Haddon Heights or Haddon Twp. who have the better schools.

Burlington County has options, but you will be hard pressed to find a home in a nice area with a good school district for $225k. Cinnaminson is just about the only town that would come close given the budget. Taxes there are also more affordable than Camden County and they have a good school district. Moorestown is out of the price range as is Mt. Laurel and Marlton with the exception of a couple areas.

So, Gloucester County. There are really 5 dominant areas of Gloucester County: Swedesboro, Washington Twp., Mullica Hill, Deptford and Woodbury. With your budget and list of needs you have pretty much wiped out everything but the Swedesboro area. The other locations are either out of your budget or the areas of them that are in your budget won't have the type of schools you are looking for.

The Swedesboro area is made up of a few towns: Swedesboro proper, Woolwich Twp., Logan Twp., East Greenwich Twp. and South Harrison Twp. All of these towns are part of Kingsway Regional High School, but each operates independent elementary districts with the exception of Swedesboro and Woolwich which share the same elementary district.

Out of all of them the most affordable is Logan Twp. and Logan actually has the best elementary (PK-8) of all of the towns. Logan also enjoys the lowest taxes of any town in Gloucester County and is one of the lowest taxed towns in the state. The main reason for this is that Logan has a large ratable industrial base and the town government has done an excellent job keeping spending in check and not running up large debts. Now, the bad is that the sections of Logan that are near the water (mainly comprising Repaupo and Bridgeport) are not the nicest of areas. They aren't "bad" as in riddled with crime, they are just not the nicest suburbs you will find and are near a lot of industry.

The exception to this is Beckett. Beckett is a collection of developments and shopping that borders Swedesboro and Woolwich. Also, all of the recreational sports fields and both elementary schools are located in Beckett. Beckett also contains the largest shopping center currently in the area that contains several different places to eat, a gym, a grocery store, some convenience stores, etc. You are also only 5 minutes from downtown Swedesboro and the restraunts there. Major shopping (BJ's, Target, mall, etc.) is tough and the closest area in NJ is in Deptford, but you are also very close to Delaware as well. Housing stock in Beckett is a mix of small and large townhomes and single family homes. Prices range from the $180's up to the $380's. Property taxes are in the $3k - $5k range.

My wife and I moved here about 6 months ago and we love it. The schools are fantastic and our neighborhood is a great mix of families. People are friendly and we have had no issues. The only real complaint we have is that we wish there was closer major shopping. I work in Mt. Laurel, so I can get a lot done at lunch/after work, but we still find ourselves driving up to Camden/Burlington County to shop at least three times a month. They are planning a massive retail area similar to the Promenade in Marlton that will also have a movie theater and major chains such as Target (Wal*Mart was pretty much banned, lol) and a Home Depot. This is slotted to be built on 322 near Kingsway High School in Woolwich.

The other areas around here aren't bad either and the only sketchy area IMO is downtown Swedesboro that is going through a revival, but still looks like it could swing either way as time progresses. They are rehabbing and building a lot of homes, but it sort of goes; nice block, OK block, not so nice block, OK block, nice block, etc. However, given that Logan and Beckett give you everything the other towns have and do it for taxes that are 33% lower, it's a slam dunk.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by NJGOAT

Figured I would chime in since my wife and I grew up and spent a lot of time in Camden/Burlington, but recently made the decision to move to Gloucester County and Logan/Beckett in particular.

I'm not sure what you heard about the area, but I can attest that it is a very nice place to live and one of the best bang for your bucks you are going to find. My wife and I have 3 kids and we had a similar budget to yours and an emphasis on school district. Bang for the buck was important to us as my wife is a SAHM, so we needed to make our one income go as far as it could.

We both grew up in Camden County and know the area very well. If you want a good/great school system you are essentially looking at Cherry Hill, Haddonfield, Voorhees, Haddon Twp., Haddon Heights, Audubon, Barrington and Berlin Boro. There are other areas, but the school systems are not as good, or they have good elementary, but only OK high schools. With the budget Haddonfield is pretty much out and you are limited to only certain areas of Voorhees or Cherry Hill and these areas tend to be older with smaller homes and the taxes are still very high. The budget would buy you a decent starter home in the remaining areas, but you are looking at annual tax bills in the $5k - $6k+ range and even more in Haddon Heights or Haddon Twp. who have the better schools.

Burlington County has options, but you will be hard pressed to find a home in a nice area with a good school district for $225k. Cinnaminson is just about the only town that would come close given the budget. Taxes there are also more affordable than Camden County and they have a good school district. Moorestown is out of the price range as is Mt. Laurel and Marlton with the exception of a couple areas.

So, Gloucester County. There are really 5 dominant areas of Gloucester County: Swedesboro, Washington Twp., Mullica Hill, Deptford and Woodbury. With your budget and list of needs you have pretty much wiped out everything but the Swedesboro area. The other locations are either out of your budget or the areas of them that are in your budget won't have the type of schools you are looking for.

The Swedesboro area is made up of a few towns: Swedesboro proper, Woolwich Twp., Logan Twp., East Greenwich Twp. and South Harrison Twp. All of these towns are part of Kingsway Regional High School, but each operates independent elementary districts with the exception of Swedesboro and Woolwich which share the same elementary district.

Out of all of them the most affordable is Logan Twp. and Logan actually has the best elementary (PK-8) of all of the towns. Logan also enjoys the lowest taxes of any town in Gloucester County and is one of the lowest taxed towns in the state. The main reason for this is that Logan has a large ratable industrial base and the town government has done an excellent job keeping spending in check and not running up large debts. Now, the bad is that the sections of Logan that are near the water (mainly comprising Repaupo and Bridgeport) are not the nicest of areas. They aren't "bad" as in riddled with crime, they are just not the nicest suburbs you will find and are near a lot of industry.

The exception to this is Beckett. Beckett is a collection of developments and shopping that borders Swedesboro and Woolwich. Also, all of the recreational sports fields and both elementary schools are located in Beckett. Beckett also contains the largest shopping center currently in the area that contains several different places to eat, a gym, a grocery store, some convenience stores, etc. You are also only 5 minutes from downtown Swedesboro and the restraunts there. Major shopping (BJ's, Target, mall, etc.) is tough and the closest area in NJ is in Deptford, but you are also very close to Delaware as well. Housing stock in Beckett is a mix of small and large townhomes and single family homes. Prices range from the $180's up to the $380's. Property taxes are in the $3k - $5k range.

My wife and I moved here about 6 months ago and we love it. The schools are fantastic and our neighborhood is a great mix of families. People are friendly and we have had no issues. The only real complaint we have is that we wish there was closer major shopping. I work in Mt. Laurel, so I can get a lot done at lunch/after work, but we still find ourselves driving up to Camden/Burlington County to shop at least three times a month. They are planning a massive retail area similar to the Promenade in Marlton that will also have a movie theater and major chains such as Target (Wal*Mart was pretty much banned, lol) and a Home Depot. This is slotted to be built on 322 near Kingsway High School in Woolwich.

The other areas around here aren't bad either and the only sketchy area IMO is downtown Swedesboro that is going through a revival, but still looks like it could swing either way as time progresses. They are rehabbing and building a lot of homes, but it sort of goes; nice block, OK block, not so nice block, OK block, nice block, etc. However, given that Logan and Beckett give you everything the other towns have and do it for taxes that are 33% lower, it's a slam dunk.

I'll tell you my little secret, for shopping. I did this once a month when I lived in Cherry Hill, because it's more efficient.

Cross the Commodore Barry Bridge. Go South on 95 to 495. Immediately get off at Naamans Road. Go to your right, & you will pass Home Depot on your right. Drive down the road until you get to Concord Pike. At this intersection is a Target. Drive in there & behind Target is a Lowes & many other stores. & a small separate shopping center with a big Trader Joe's.

Going back to the intersection of Naamans Road & Concord Pike, if you turn left instead of going into the Target shopping center, You'll find Ulta, the Concord Mall, Kohl's, another shopping center with Happy Harry's & just beyond that is a really big Dollar Tree.

Go on a Sunday & traffic is almost non-existent. That's a good way to get the lay of the land. Oh, & shhhh! don't mention to anybody, but there's no sales tax in Delaware.

[NJGOAT]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

I'll tell you my little secret, for shopping. I did this once a month when I lived in Cherry Hill, because it's more efficient.

Cross the Commodore Barry Bridge. Go South on 95 to 495. Immediately get off at Naamans Road. Go to your right, & you will pass Home Depot on your right. Drive down the road until you get to Concord Pike. At this intersection is a Target. Drive in there & behind Target is a Lowes & many other stores. & a small separate shopping center with a big Trader Joe's.

Going back to the intersection of Naamans Road & Concord Pike, if you turn left instead of going into the Target shopping center, You'll find Ulta, the Concord Mall, Kohl's, another shopping center with Happy Harry's & just beyond that is a really big Dollar Tree.

Go on a Sunday & traffic is almost non-existent. That's a good way to get the lay of the land. Oh, & shhhh! don't mention to anybody, but there's no sales tax in Delaware.

Southbound, thanks for the advice. My wife and I have talked to several locals who all talk about going to Delaware to shop, but we haven't tried it yet. All of our family is in Camden County, so we generally stop in to see one of the sets of parents and then get some shopping done, but given how close we are to Delaware, it is stupid to not consider making the trip. It seems the key is to wait and make it a big monthly trip.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by NJGOAT

Southbound, thanks for the advice. My wife and I have talked to several locals who all talk about going to Delaware to shop, but we haven't tried it yet. All of our family is in Camden County, so we generally stop in to see one of the sets of parents and then get some shopping done, but given how close we are to Delaware, it is stupid to not consider making the trip. It seems the key is to wait and make it a big monthly trip.

Goat, Some people down there go to Christiana Mall & other places more easily accessed from the Delaware Memorial Bridge. I discovered this other area, which is more popular with people coming down from Pennsy, when a former hairdesser took a job as manager of the salon at the Ulta.

There are a lot more stores than what I mentioned. You're much closer that I was, so you should be able to get there in 15 - 20 minutes. You can just go down the road & hit most of the stores that you'd want to hit on 2 roads. 2 roads! That's it. It cuts the shopping time down so much that you won't believe it!

You could load up the kids & go as a family once a month & your wife could go during the week once a month & do most of your shopping that way. There's no running all over hell's half acre. Just drive down the 2 roads. It couldn't be easier! Yeah, there's a bridge toll. It doesn't take much to save the bridge toll when you don't have to pay sales tax.

Try it next Sunday. It will take you a couple of trips to get it all down. Both sets of parents will be going to your house to caravan to go shopping with you. I can guarantee that.

I used to go once a month & fill the car. With 3 kids, you won't get as much in the car, but if you make 2 trips, that will make so much of a difference that you won't believe it.