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My husband and I are looking to buy a home in NJ, somewhere in the vicinity of Cherry Hill. We're in our 30s and moving from Center City with our dogs and no kids (no plans for any either, so we're not obsessing about schools other than in terms of home value). He needs to commute back to CC so we need to be within a reasonable distance from a PATCO station, but we'd also like to be near the shopping along Route 70/73 and Whole Foods.
Are there any neighborhoods/towns you'd recommend for around $400-450k? I'd certainly appreciate any help figuring out where to look. Thank you!
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Originally Posted by therenothere
My husband and I are looking to buy a home in NJ, somewhere in the vicinity of Cherry Hill. We're in our 30s and moving from Center City with our dogs and no kids (no plans for any either, so we're not obsessing about schools other than in terms of home value). He needs to commute back to CC so we need to be within a reasonable distance from a PATCO station, but we'd also like to be near the shopping along Route 70/73 and Whole Foods.
Are there any neighborhoods/towns you'd recommend for around $400-450k? I'd certainly appreciate any help figuring out where to look. Thank you!
Start in Haddonfield. In Cherry Hill, look in Erlton, south of Rt 70. There's a range of houses & prices. Barclay Farms has a couple of smaller ranch models that are perfect for 2 people. Look in Kingston, too.
My husband and I are looking to buy a home in NJ, somewhere in the vicinity of Cherry Hill. We're in our 30s and moving from Center City with our dogs and no kids (no plans for any either, so we're not obsessing about schools other than in terms of home value). He needs to commute back to CC so we need to be within a reasonable distance from a PATCO station, but we'd also like to be near the shopping along Route 70/73 and Whole Foods.
Are there any neighborhoods/towns you'd recommend for around $400-450k? I'd certainly appreciate any help figuring out where to look. Thank you!
Wow. And I thought my wife and I were the only two 30 year old couples living in Haddonfield area without kids but with dogs. I would also suggest Haddonfield/Westmont (certain sections). These two towns have walkable downtowns (westmont/collingswood many sections walkable to Patco) and give you a minor city feel where Cherry Hill is more of a "get in your car" for everything type feel. Wegams on Rt 70 is a decent option if you don't want to drive over to Whole Foods in Mt. Laurel. Hit me up if you want to hang out.
If I was going to commute to Philly everyday, I would much rather do it from Rt 130 & 73 near the Tacony Bridge than Rt 70. You can look at Delran, Cinnaminson or Maple Shade depending on your budget. MS gets a bad rep sometimes, not sure why. It is A LOT more blue collar than the others, but that is not a bad thing at all.
Good suggestions so far. I would double up the Haddonfield recommendation. The only other choices along the PATCO line would be Collingswood and Haddon Twp. Outside of that it's all about how much tolerance you have for the drive to a PATCO station. Marlton and Voorhees are nice options as well, but they slant more towards the shopping you wanted and would mean around a 20 minute or so commute to PATCO.
I've lived in both Haddonfield and Collingswood. Haddonfield has way more expensive housing due to the exceptional school system and it being an old money town. At your price point, you can buy something very nice (but not a mansion) in Haddonfield, or buy almost any house for sale in Collingswood/Haddon Township. If you're worried about resale and less about home size, then Haddonfield is the safer bet. If you want the most house you can buy and want to save some on taxes, Collingswood or Haddon Township are the better bet. Also, the Lumberyard in Collingswood could be something worth checking out if you want new construction and a Center City-type feel in the burbs. Good luck with your hunt!
I don't see any reason to spend $400k+ for a house in south Jersey if you're not taking advantage of the school district. Buy the same $400k house for only $150k in a nice part of Pennsauken or Merchantville and call it a day. Just because you can afford $400k doesn't mean you need to spend it. There are parts of those towns that border Cherry Hill and have great neighborhoods with plenty of trees. The commute to Philly is negligible and you can get to Moorestown shopping and Marlton easily. Save the rest of your money and pay down your mortgage so you'll be mortgage free in a few years. Or spend the rest of the money on nice vacations, or gourmet dog treats. If you have no plans for kids, why pay for the premium school district. If you really want to spend $400k to live in an upscale area around upscale people, then go somewhere like Wayne, PA or Jenkintown... NJ suburbs will never hold a candle to PA suburbs as far as upscale shopping and dining goes. KOP > Cherry Hill IMO. That's my two cents.
I don't see any reason to spend $400k+ for a house in south Jersey if you're not taking advantage of the school district. Buy the same $400k house for only $150k in a nice part of Pennsauken or Merchantville and call it a day. Just because you can afford $400k doesn't mean you need to spend it. There are parts of those towns that border Cherry Hill and have great neighborhoods with plenty of trees. The commute to Philly is negligible and you can get to Moorestown shopping and Marlton easily. Save the rest of your money and pay down your mortgage so you'll be mortgage free in a few years. Or spend the rest of the money on nice vacations, or gourmet dog treats. If you have no plans for kids, why pay for the premium school district. If you really want to spend $400k to live in an upscale area around upscale people, then go somewhere like Wayne, PA or Jenkintown... NJ suburbs will never hold a candle to PA suburbs as far as upscale shopping and dining goes. KOP > Cherry Hill IMO. That's my two cents.
I came from Pa and now live in Jersey.. CH has way MORE then KOP.. Not even close.. The KOP mall is larger.. Thats about it.. Other then that CH has it all over KOP as far as shopping and restaurants..
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I would also suggest Haddonfield/Westmont (certain sections). These two towns have walkable downtowns (westmont/collingswood many sections walkable to Patco) and give you a minor city feel where Cherry Hill is more of a "get in your car" for everything type feel. Wegams on Rt 70 is a decent option if you don't want to drive over to Whole Foods in Mt. Laurel. Hit me up if you want to hang out. 
