New Jersey town that offers everything (Jersey City, Montclair: sale, real estate, rental)
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This question has been done so many times before yet I still can't seem to find the answer I am looking for.
We are a family of 4 - 2 boys starting high school and middle school. Wife has a 1 year job in NYC (mid town) starting in September. Looking to rent in a nice town with a good (public transit) commute of no more than 1 hour door to door. Can pay around $5,000 per month. Prefer a house to a condo/townhouse. Either option needs to accept a pet (our beloved dog). Prefer more urban than country rural. Community must have good schools and a strong sports program for the boys. Some friends recommended Westchester County (i.e. Scarsdale/Bronxville) but for our budget I don't think we get much. Franklin Lakes seems beautiful but the commute looks tough. Currently thinking Ridgewood/Montclair although Ft Lee/Edgewater were recently suggested. Any expats/families out there who can make a suggestion please? Having never been to NJ we have no idea of any of these towns.
No matter where you're looking, there will be traffic. But I think Montclairs pretty nice for where its situated. Gotta be good enough for Stephen Colbert, right?
I like Montclair but the public schools don't exactly have the best reputations. There are plenty of private schools in the area however.
Westfield is a good choice, Ridgewood too and you could use the public schools there.
If your ok with private school then how about Weehawken, Jersey City or Hoboken? Edgewater is nice too but I have no idea what the school situation is there may someone else could elaborate. Those 4 would give your wife a very short commute, that urban vibe you like, excellent views and lots of amenities. You should find plently in your price range too, however private school might take a chunk of that budget...
Rutherford is nice little town close to the city. I believe they have decent schools. You said ex-pats where are you coming from? I'm assuming Europe.
Ridgewood, Westfield, and Summit are 3 towns with excellent schools that have a great down town or high street.
Thanks everyone for the prompt replies, it is much appreciated. I realize that everyone has their own preferences but at least it gives me some idea of things. We are working with a real estate agent and I sent her a request for Westfield properties and she sent me some very nice lease options. I will look at Summit as well. In answer to a previous poster we would prefer public schools and we are coming from Canada. I know from friends that many expats who moved to NYC ended up in Bronxville which I am told is exactly like our current neighborhood however it appears that meeting our budget is not possible there, hence I am looking at NJ which I hear is quite nice.
Ridgewood, Westfield and Summit are all excellent recommondations. The train runs from Summit directly to Penn Station, Mid Town NYC (and is best commute of the 3 IMO) Folks that work in Midtown typically take the bus from Ridgewood. Westfield to Midtown is probably bus too, but not sure on that.
The previous op raises another question. Is my proposed rental budget (around $5000.00 per month) realistic for these areas?? I know when I mentioned this figure to my Scarsdale connection they said to double it to $10,000 for their neighborhood which has led me to try NJ.
The previous op raises another question. Is my proposed rental budget (around $5000.00 per month) realistic for these areas?? I know when I mentioned this figure to my Scarsdale connection they said to double it to $10,000 for their neighborhood which has led me to try NJ.
Usually a $5k rental budget would be equivalent to a $650-$900k mortgage with taxes in most of these areas mentioned. There are many homes on sale for this price range and depending on the situation you may want to speak to the owners to see if they would be willing to rent as well. Or if you plan to stay 5+ years, then it may make sense to just buy.
Towns like Westfield and Ridgewood are pretty big and have quite an urban feel with top schools. Summit as well. Madison, Cranford and Glen Rock have smaller town centers and smaller school districts also with top schools but also are close to the bigger urban towns mentioned (Westfield-Cranford; Summit-Madison; Ridgewood-GR). Scarsdale just happens to be very affluent (more so per capita then the towns mentioned) also, with top schools, great commute--- but also carry higher taxes then even these NJ towns mentioned. So with higher taxes/more expensive property your rental property will likely be more expensive. Bottomline for $5k you should easily find a great home close to the downtown areas and with good schools.
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