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Old 10-15-2011, 01:48 PM
 
901 posts, read 2,239,312 times
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You know "quiet" and "nightife" go together like oil and water. What you need is a good, safe, quiet town with good schools and train to NYC that is close by (a few towns away) from some nightlife.

If you want real night life you have to go to NYC or Philly. If you stay in Central Jersey you have New Brunswick and to a much lesser degree Princeton. I'm not really sure what you're looking for clubbing? or just going out to some good restaurants and maybe hit a bar or two?

Not sure why you ruled out Metuchen, it seems to me like a nice little town with all that a young couple would be looking for. It's got very good schools, the train and nice starter homes in good neighborhoods. It's quiet and has a little downtown with some restaurants and bars. Surprisingly it's actually affordable.

If you want to stay closer to the Princeton area, South Brunswick is very nice, but farther from places to go out. East Brunswick is another option and gets you closer to New Brunswick for some nightlife.

I really think those are your best options in Central Jersey, everything else you'll find either A) Too Expensive or B) Not as good of a town (Schools, crime, ammenites, etc.)
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Old 10-15-2011, 02:54 PM
 
Location: Montgomery County, PA
2,771 posts, read 6,260,993 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OysterCatcher View Post
You know "quiet" and "nightife" go together like oil and water. What you need is a good, safe, quiet town with good schools and train to NYC that is close by (a few towns away) from some nightlife.
It's not at all clear what OP "needs" or wants because they didn't really give enough information for us to determine their priorities.

However, it is pretty clear that they do not "need" a place with good schools. Based on the original post, this is an unmarried couple who "want to have children eventually".
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Old 10-15-2011, 07:55 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by elflord1973 View Post
It's not at all clear what OP "needs" or wants because they didn't really give enough information for us to determine their priorities.

However, it is pretty clear that they do not "need" a place with good schools. Based on the original post, this is an unmarried couple who "want to have children eventually".
Read the original post, this time with your eyes open. They care about the school systems!
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Old 10-15-2011, 08:03 PM
 
Location: Elsewhere
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cf77 View Post
Jersey City is nothing like Hoboken. I don't understand why the two are always lumped together. It's like saying Maplewood and Irvington are not for us. Not trying to get on your case just can't stand when people do this.
I agree, and I don't know how Metuchen got in with either of them!
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Old 10-15-2011, 08:14 PM
 
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Default Living Area Search- NJ

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Originally Posted by Jabis View Post
Hello all! My boyfriend and I are looking for a house in NJ. We're looking for somewhere with not a far commute into the city, and pet friendly! Something along the lines of a town like Metuchen, Hoboken and Jersey city aren't for us. We like quiet but a hint of a nightlife where we can go out to eat with the pups or just out for a drink after work. Eventually we want to have children so a great school system would be a plus! Thank you for all the help!

Hey there,

Um I'm only 21 years old but I've lived in NJ my whole life. I know Metuchen very well and all those town you mentioned, been there many, many times and I can understand why that's not of your interest. First off, it depends on your financial situation. Westfeild is good night life, everyone is always out and walking around with friend or sitting outside eating dinner. The restaurants are very good, decent variety of menu and also take-out/eat-in places. VERY pricey though. Not particularly the food, but living there is expensive. If you guys get a house in Westfeild, NJ then you officially have "upper class" status haha. Very safe, great education (I also attended middle school here too), good nightlife and good for family.

The towns I would recomend looking at are: Roselle, Roselle Park, Scotch Plains, Berkely Heights, Union and Westfeild. They are all very safe, decent nightlife but now renovating more restaurants etc, education is good (Kean Univ. also as an excellent status now--in Union.) That train is the Raritan Valley Line. All nearby and accessible to Newark Penn.

Hope this helps! Good luck finding a place.
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Old 10-15-2011, 08:21 PM
 
2 posts, read 2,356 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OysterCatcher View Post
You know "quiet" and "nightife" go together like oil and water. What you need is a good, safe, quiet town with good schools and train to NYC that is close by (a few towns away) from some nightlife.

If you want real night life you have to go to NYC or Philly. If you stay in Central Jersey you have New Brunswick and to a much lesser degree Princeton. I'm not really sure what you're looking for clubbing? or just going out to some good restaurants and maybe hit a bar or two?

Not sure why you ruled out Metuchen, it seems to me like a nice little town with all that a young couple would be looking for. It's got very good schools, the train and nice starter homes in good neighborhoods. It's quiet and has a little downtown with some restaurants and bars. Surprisingly it's actually affordable.

If you want to stay closer to the Princeton area, South Brunswick is very nice, but farther from places to go out. East Brunswick is another option and gets you closer to New Brunswick for some nightlife.

I really think those are your best options in Central Jersey, everything else you'll find either A) Too Expensive or B) Not as good of a town (Schools, crime, ammenites, etc.)


I definitely agree with this. My parents have been involved and around Metuchen since the 1980's. I've been around Metuchen since I was literally 1yrs old. Great town, VERY safe--cops everywhere, good school system, and not a bad nightlife. They have upgrade the nightlife a lot. It used to be quiet and not really "attractive" enough to actually want to hang out there but now people make it a plan every weekend to go out to dinner there. The train is very accessible too.

East Brunswick is not a bad town. However, the closer you get to Rutgers campuses, the more prone you are to noise, parties and a lot more cops. The school isn't the problem--its the party/nightlife that can get crazy at times. I'd say if your willing to accept the college life and parties from time to time depending how close you are to the campuses, then it shouldn't be a big concern.
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Old 10-15-2011, 08:28 PM
 
Location: Montgomery County, PA
2,771 posts, read 6,260,993 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OysterCatcher View Post
Read the original post, this time with your eyes open. They care about the school systems!
I did read the original post, and I understand that it was on their wishlist, but then, so was night life. Whether or not it's on their original wishlist, I wouldn't tell someone who is unmarried and has no immediate plans to have children that they "need" to be in a town with good schools. Maybe they "need" to be in a town with good night life instead.
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Old 10-15-2011, 09:15 PM
 
901 posts, read 2,239,312 times
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I would advise anyone making the huge investment in a home to consider purchasing only in a town with a very good school district, whether they plan to have kids or not. The resale value of your investment depends on it.

Towns that have good school districts also tend to be very safe. They tend to have well taken care of roads and commercial areas, be clean and well run. All of these factors are important when you are making the leap from renter to home owner. You can no longer just not re-sign the lease and pack up your boxes, you are tied to your property. Make a wise choice.

The other reason I suggested these towns is they are a good middle location for one person working in NYC and the other in Princeton. Middlesex County would be really the only place that would make sense so one person wouldn't have an unreasonable commute.

In Middlesex County the best school districts are; (in no particuar order) Metuchen, East Brunswick, South Brunswick and Highland Park. If one is interested in a single family home (not a condo or townhouse), you can find a nice 3bd/2bth (1200-1700sq ft) in the older sections of town for around $350K.

This concludes my lecture of Real Estate 101
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Old 10-15-2011, 10:08 PM
 
Location: Montgomery County, PA
2,771 posts, read 6,260,993 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OysterCatcher View Post
I would advise anyone making the huge investment in a home to consider purchasing only in a town with a very good school district, whether they plan to have kids or not. The resale value of your investment depends on it.
This is a fallacy, because you have to pay extra for that "resale value" up front. If "good schools" make a place 20% more valuable when you resell it, they also make it 20% more valuable when you buy it, so return on investment is the same. Basically, 1.2X*r / 1.2X = r .

Moving from math 101 to the real world -- condos in downtown Jersey City were a pretty good investment in the '90s, even though they don't have the greatest school district. Condos in Hoboken were also a pretty good invesment back in the days when the average person could afford them.

Quote:
Towns that have good school districts also tend to be very safe. They tend to have well taken care of roads and commercial areas, be clean and well run.
I agree completely with this, but if these are your primary criteria, maybe it's better to assess them directly instead of using the test scores as a proxy for them.
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Old 10-15-2011, 10:57 PM
 
901 posts, read 2,239,312 times
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Lets switch for a moment from theoretical real estate math to the real world.

I have a relative who bought several years ago in Fair Haven, NJ (good school district) for 465K reassesed just recently at 425K, loss of about 9%.

I also have a neighbor (bad school district) who just sold their house for 200K, who bought for 300K back in 2005. Loss of 33%.

You tell me which is the better investment? I know now from experience and mistakes made.
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