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I'm looking to buy a house in the next few months, looking to see if South NJ is good for us. Me and my wife are in our early 30's and have a 7 year old. I'm a network engineer, my job is in Jersey City and I make 90k. I would like to know the following:
- Would 350K get me a decent home with a good school district?
- What's the best town in South NJ with a decent commute into Jersey City?
- What's the IT job market like in Metro Philly? In comparison to NYC, is there a big salary gap?
My wife works in Secaucus, she brings home 25K(If we go south, she will quit her job). I'm originally from Uptown NYC, unfortunately it seems we wouldn't be able to afford a decent home in North NJ with a good school district. In comparison, South NJ seems to be a doable. I've been looking into Bordentown, would like to know if there's any other towns I haven't looked at.
To be honest. That is a rough commute from even this area.
S. NJ is going to have cheaper real estate than N. NJ and Southeast PA. BUT your commute to Jersey City is going to get old. FAST. Like within 6 months you will hate your life.
To be frank, Metro Philadelphia has a healthy and diversified economy. Quite a few tech companies are located here. SAP for example has their North American headquarters in Newtown Square, PA. Amongst many other. (TONS in King of Prussia, PA)
Your job is in relatively strong demand and you should find a position comparable in Metro Philadelphia. Therefore i would 100% recommend you locate a position in this metro before you move here; based on the information below.
Things to note: Metro Philadelphia is rather large, and Southeast Pennsylvania is 5 times the size of S. Jersey in terms of Job Market/Population etc. Therefore if you were to move to a place like Bordentown,NJ but find a job somewhere like Newtown Square, PA, your commute would be just as equally miserable.
With that, you definitely should be able to find a job within a 4 month time span of active looking. Top IT markets in Metro Philadelphia:
Center City Philadelphia
University City Philadelphia
King of Prussia, PA
Conshocken, PA
Radnor TWP, PA
West Chester, PA
Delaware County, PA
Cherry Hill, NJ
Moorestown, NJ
Again, I would not move to this region, until you found a job here. Or either way you could end up with absolutely depressing commutes and find your quality of life to suck. Also to note; overall the quality of life in Greater Philadelphia IMHO exceeds NYC. You have all the big city amenities and perks at literally 1/3 of the cost. It just doesn't get any better. And there is so much colonial character that just isnt in NY anymore.
Last edited by rowhomecity; 01-08-2018 at 05:11 PM..
Yeah...don't move to South Jersey if working in Jersey City. It's not worth it. Yes, your budget is low for Central and North Jersey for a better commute and good schools, but that commute is just not something to tolerate. You will wake up earlier and get home later...you won't see your family that much, and your life will be nothing but work and sleep Monday through Friday. Lots of money on gas, Turnpike tolls, and mileage wear and tear on your car.
On Zillow, I see a $340K 4 bed, 2 bath house in Cranford. That's a pretty good deal. You can find some similar houses for your budget in Parsippany as well, which also has some pretty good schools and relatively low property taxes as far as Northern NJ goes. West Orange has some stock in your range as well. Even Montclair has some options for you, and that's considered a very desirable town. Edison is a little further away but still a much better choice than South Jersey. Again, $350K won't get you anything fancy close to your job with good schools, but the key word for housing here is "decent." They will be older, but prioritize your commute here.
I'd suggest you look around those towns. If you want to move to South Jersey/Philly metro, don't do it as a commute to North Jersey/NYC metro. Some people do it, and I just think it's insane. If you want to make that move, get a job down there first, and if that job ends up being in PA, whether the suburbs or in Philly proper, then I would recommend you live there. Although, the PA burbs will leave you hard-pressed to find a decent house in a good school district for $350K as well, just like Northern NJ. You will be able to get a home in a good school district at a cheaper price in South Jersey, but you would likely pay more in property tax and likely more in state income tax as well, so you need to really do the math to see what works out best.
Also, if you do get a job in Philly/PA as opposed to North Jersey, expect a salary cut if you make a lateral move, so keep that in mind as well.
If I make a lateral move I would take a pay cut in S NJ? I was hoping that wouldn't be the case. Oddly enough if I was to make a lateral move to Dallas, I would be able to keep the same salary if not make more. I see Comcast is based out of mount laurel, I'll continue to look at my options. Thanks to both for the input.
If I make a lateral move I would take a pay cut in S NJ? I was hoping that wouldn't be the case. Oddly enough if I was to make a lateral move to Dallas, I would be able to keep the same salary if not make more. I see Comcast is based out of mount laurel, I'll continue to look at my options. Thanks to both for the input.
Generally speaking, yes, I would expect a pay cut if making a lateral move from anywhere in NYC metro to anywhere in Philadelphia metro. Unless your current company is underpaying you...
Comcast's headquarters are in Philadelphia. They have offices in Mount Laurel too (as well as plenty of other places across the country), by they are technically "based" in Philly.
If I make a lateral move I would take a pay cut in S NJ? I was hoping that wouldn't be the case. Oddly enough if I was to make a lateral move to Dallas, I would be able to keep the same salary if not make more. I see Comcast is based out of mount laurel, I'll continue to look at my options. Thanks to both for the input.
I would start looking at job opportunities; your field is definitely in demand, so it is hard to say exactly what the pay situation would be. With that though as I said in the above post Greater Philadelphia has a fair share of tech companies. Comcast is based in Philadelphia, and Southeast Pennsylvania has a great deal as well, with some in S. NJ. Comcast will be completing their new supertall tower this year in the city, and plan on hiring thousands of engineers. So I would definitely investigate them first. They are an excellent company to work for.
With that I would not move to this region until you found a job. Or you could be stuck in another unfavorable commuting proposition.
Also this region is LARGE. Smaller than NYC, but one of the largest metros in the country. Cost of living is 100% less than Metro NYC.
There are 5 times more people and jobs on the PA side in Metro Philly. S. NJ definitely has jobs and a sizeable population. But more tech jobs are in PA. Therefore there are many variables. As Leps12 accurately said if you get a job in PA, move to PA. Your commute will be more tolerable. Southeast PA is very colonial and charming with strong transit.
If you get a job in S. NJ then move to S. NJ. But the point is. Do not move to Bordentown, NJ and commute to Jersey City, you will hate your life.
Comcast is headquartered in Center City Philadelphia. SAP is headquartered in Delaware County, PA. And there are alot of tech companies in King of Prussia, PA and Radnor TWP. PA as well as Center City Philadelphia, and University City, Philadelphia.
Point is. I 100% would look for jobs in this region first. And then move to an area that is close proximity.
Then once you find a position then post on best places to live within your budget and commute time.
Would 350k still be a reasonable budget for a good home and good school district in that area?
It can be, it really depends on where you get the job, as I said the region is large, some areas are pricey and some are more affordable. 350k will buy you more than N. NJ for sure.
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