Hi all, great forum here and been reading studiously for the last couple of weeks.
Where are you coming from?
Hong Kong
Why are you moving?
My career and western lifestyle/education for the young kids.
Where will you be working ?
If NYC, what part of NYC? NYC Manhattan
Will you buy or rent?
Rent for 1st year - then buy after exploring NJ.
What is your budget ?
I have 250K USD savings, so budget is around 500-750K. Salary is around 120K USD.
What kind of place are you looking for ?
Minimum 2 bedrooms.
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ?
Trailing wife, 2 young daughters, 5 and 2.
Do you need/want good public schools?
Yes!
Briefly describe the kind of neighborhood you'd like to live in.
Deciding between summit or maplewood.
List three things that are important to you in order of importance.
Safety, family oriented and 1hour max commute from NY Manhattan.
Seeking opinions of my initial plan.
1) Rent in Jersey City or Hoboken for the first year, explore NJ and then choose an area or go rent in summit/maplewood.
2) In HK it is common to have a live in nanny, are babysitting services easily available/common in the areas we want to move to? Reason is that we will be on our own with no extended family.
3) Is a car vital? If so, how much would you budget for a small family car?
4) After taxes and daily expenses, I will have 3-4k clear per month. As I already have some savings, would you keep saving or spend it?
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