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I might be moving to work in NYC- 7th avenue, 50th st to be precise. I am moving for better career prospects and quality of life from where I am currently in Hong Kong.
I am seeking to rent a 2-3 BR apt. We are a family of 3 with a kid who would be around 2 years when we move. Seeking a safe neighbourhood, preferably in area with families having young kids and good schools. Not sure if need to worry about school as the kid is too young right now. But perhaps a place which has good pre-schools. Budget for rent is $2500 max.
I am willing to spend 45-60 min commute from door to desk. Another consideration is groceries and shopping within walkting distance and being safe. May consider buying own apt with a budget of 300k-400k in 2 years time frame so dont mind staying in the area for sometime (1-2 years) and start looking out places with good school district to buy own house.
Any advise and suggestions? Thanks very much.
Apologies for the long post but wanted to provide as much info as possible.
I recommend you look into Queens rather than NJ. Stay there for couple years and save for bigger downpay. By then your kid will be four years so it's probably about time to make the big decision to either move to Long Island NY or North NJ for public school system. In my opinion good school districts in Long Island and North NJ are very comparable and even in almost all areas. That said...so are the property taxes.
Unless you are willing to pay for private education or take a bet on charter school and hope your kid can win the lottery.
As for what towns in Queens, there's plenty to choose from. Bayside, Astoria, Forest Hills, etc. But please note except for three science high schools, there are no good public education system in NYC metro area. Hence people moving out to Long Island or NJ for their kids.
East Rutherford/Rutherford are nice and within your budget. Rutherford has a great main street with fantastic restaurants and the commute to the city is within your time frame. Also The Children's Studio is a daycare/pre-school right next door to liberty terrace.
Both of these buildings have nice apartments/townhouses Liberty Terrace has duplex/townhouse style layouts but Avalon is closer to the train and downtown:
1. There doesnt seem to be any train service from East rutherford, google maps show only NJ transit bus, so not sure if bad weather poses a problem to commute. Else, I like the feel of the place.
2. Queens is not a bad idea, but dont know about day care or pre-schools. Also in terms of income taxes how much the diff might be for high salaried individuals (~150-170k). I have current mortgage which prevents me to go on a high budget.
1. There doesnt seem to be any train service from East rutherford, google maps show only NJ transit bus, so not sure if bad weather poses a problem to commute. Else, I like the feel of the place.
2. Queens is not a bad idea, but dont know about day care or pre-schools. Also in terms of income taxes how much the diff might be for high salaried individuals (~150-170k). I have current mortgage which prevents me to go on a high budget.
2. Queens is not a bad idea, but dont know about day care or pre-schools. Also in terms of income taxes how much the diff might be for high salaried individuals (~150-170k). I have current mortgage which prevents me to go on a high budget.
Regards
N
Day care and pre-school is something you'll need to address no matter where you live so it's just matter of how much you are willing to pay, how many spots are available, and how prestigious/good the day care/pre-school is.
As for your taxes, it depends on how you are planning to structure it so I don't know answer to that question. Tax bracket information is available on NYC, NY state, and NJ state gov website to do comparison.
Personally I think it'd be best if you do online research or perhaps meeting with accountant/tax lawyer and do tax planning. If you are not familiar with US personal income tax system... I'll tell you right off the bat that there are many ways to reduce how much taxes you pay if you know where toe tap it.
Day care and pre-school is something you'll need to address no matter where you live so it's just matter of how much you are willing to pay, how many spots are available, and how prestigious/good the day care/pre-school is.
As for your taxes, it depends on how you are planning to structure it so I don't know answer to that question. Tax bracket information is available on NYC, NY state, and NJ state gov website to do comparison.
Personally I think it'd be best if you do online research or perhaps meeting with accountant/tax lawyer and do tax planning. If you are not familiar with US personal income tax system... I'll tell you right off the bat that there are many ways to reduce how much taxes you pay if you know where toe tap it.
I can afford upto $1000 per month for pre-school/day care, not sure though if can get something in this budget in NY. For taxes wanted a rough idea if staying in NJ saves tax compared to living and working in NY.
I might be moving to work in NYC- 7th avenue, 50th st to be precise. I am moving for better career prospects and quality of life from where I am currently in Hong Kong.
I am seeking to rent a 2-3 BR apt. We are a family of 3 with a kid who would be around 2 years when we move. Seeking a safe neighbourhood, preferably in area with families having young kids and good schools. Not sure if need to worry about school as the kid is too young right now. But perhaps a place which has good pre-schools. Budget for rent is $2500 max.
I am willing to spend 45-60 min commute from door to desk. Another consideration is groceries and shopping within walkting distance and being safe. May consider buying own apt with a budget of 300k-400k in 2 years time frame so dont mind staying in the area for sometime (1-2 years) and start looking out places with good school district to buy own house.
Any advise and suggestions? Thanks very much.
Apologies for the long post but wanted to provide as much info as possible.
N
I would say Hoboken fits the bill, with the exception of good public schools. There are many fine private options. Your office is a short trip via the ferry. There are many activities for kids. The town is one square mile so pretty much everything is within walking distance. And the town has a nice urban vibe. We have a young child here and love it.
There are Path train and light rail system you can use as well as bus service. Bus service will take you longer than a hour to commute door to door. Path service is pretty fast but you need to live in towns that has connecting light rail system. Most towns do not have Path that goes directly so you will need to transfer which is a downside. Since Path and light rail pass are separate.
Two main towns right by NYC that has direct Path system (Jersey City and Hoboken) have bad public school system. But will get you into city quick and reliably. When the weather are really bad, bus and ferry do shut down but Path do not.
Still if you want the fastest service into city Ferry is way to go from NYC unless you want to pay.
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