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I am looking to relocate my family to either Cranford or Westfield..We were actively looking last spring but decided to postpone it to this year. I have read all the threads on this forum about these two towns and have learned alot about them..What I am confused about is that alot of people say that you get more house for your money in Cranford as opposed to Westfield. Our budget is between 550k-650k. I am finding that the houses in Westfield are nicer(more updated) in this range than in Cranford however we have visited both towns alot and I think I would prefer to live in Cranford..Nothing against Westfield, love it there as well, just a little worried about fitting in there. The flooding in Cranford concerns me a bit, and would really like a finished basement. Alot of the houses we looked at last spring were definately wet. Sorry for rambling, and i know these towns have been discussed alot..Just not sure what to do..
You cannot go wrong with either town, they are both very nice. I live in Cranford and spend a lot of time in Westfield. The flooding in Cranford is not an issue if you do not live in a flood zone, which youll know if the listing says insurance is required. You will definitely find more listings in Cranford in that price range than in Westfield. I suggest waiting until the Spring market and check out the new listings. I have noticed that the buying activity in both towns has been relatively good despite the down market.
griffith, totally with you, (including price range) as we're shopping as well in those areas although to be honest Westfield is to us a better buy for what we want. The way we see it is Westfield is a much more desired town than Cranford so long term a better place to buy (and eventually sell). All things being the same (taxes/sqt ft), Westfield to us is the better buy. From the listings I've seen from Cranford, seems to me they are much more overpriced then Westfield in our range --and both are overpriced in comparison to the inventories for similar type of areas -- Chatham, Madison, Millburn and Ridgewood.
Fairly sure that the price per square foot is higher in Chatham, ridgewood, millburn, and westfield than it is in cranford. everything else being equal, a house of equal size and condition will sell for higher in westfield than cranford. With Cranford having a higher ranked school district and lower taxes, I'm not sure its clear which town is "overpriced". Both towns will see a significant value boost once NJT announces one seat rides for the raritan valley line, which is not dependent on the new tunnel project.
You cannot go wrong with either town, they are both very nice. I live in Cranford and spend a lot of time in Westfield. The flooding in Cranford is not an issue if you do not live in a flood zone, which youll know if the listing says insurance is required. You will definitely find more listings in Cranford in that price range than in Westfield. I suggest waiting until the Spring market and check out the new listings. I have noticed that the buying activity in both towns has been relatively good despite the down market.
The Garden State MLS has removed the flood zone field, probably due to liability concerns. Oddly, the NJMLS still has it. However, free flood maps are always available to anyone on the flood section of the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) website:
Potential buyers should always look the property up before making an offer to ascertain whether or not the property is in a flood zone.
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