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I have been looking in NJ for a few months now and exploring different towns..just curious if there are other towns that may fit my criteria..
I filled out the sheet below:
Where are you coming from? NYC
Why are you moving? Need space, will start a family soon
Where will you be working ? If NYC, what part of NYC? West Village
Will you buy or rent? Buy
What is your budget ? Up to $500K
What kind of place are you looking for ? Single Family Home, lnew construction, if not something built within the past 15 years
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ? spouse
Do you need/want good public schools? Kids in the future so yes
Briefly describe the kind of neighborhood you'd like to live in
(examples: families with young children, young, mature, artsy, diverse, safe, close-knit, block parties, etc) - good schools, not a killer commute to work
List three things that are important to you in order of importance.(examples: nightlife, outdoor activities, rural/urban, safety, downtown area, charming, new construction, proximity to XYZ, family oriented, easy parking, short commute, etc: in no particular order: commute, Schools, family oriented
We have looked at the following towns:
Robbinsville - LOVE this town the best, but the commute is far to nyc
Monroe Township - A little closer to NYC but still far (1.5 Hours)
Sayreville - Great commute, have new construction in Townelake (but heard schools aren't great and didn't love the town), concerned about Winding Wood Apartments crime and run down town
Old Bridge - Seem to have alot of (newer) houses for sale; schools seem okay, commute a little further than Sayreville; have heard Old Bridge is just an okay town though; nothing special - still looking here though
Any other towns I should be looking in that I'm missing?
Harder to find new construction but if you want more of a town feel and OK commute, how about Metuchen? Walkable, diverse, decent schools and fairly cute town on the NE Corridor line.
Very different from Robbinsville and Monroe which are a lot more spread out and suburban. Metuchen has a more urban feel. Might be a good compromise though.
You could also look at East Brunswick, which has a LITTLE bit better commute and really good schools. Less new construction but the housing stock is decent. Higher taxes though which you do need to look out for.
I have been looking in NJ for a few months now and exploring different towns..just curious if there are other towns that may fit my criteria..
I filled out the sheet below:
Where are you coming from? NYC
Why are you moving? Need space, will start a family soon
Where will you be working ? If NYC, what part of NYC? West Village
Will you buy or rent? Buy
What is your budget ? Up to $500K
What kind of place are you looking for ? Single Family Home, lnew construction, if not something built within the past 15 years
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ? spouse
Do you need/want good public schools? Kids in the future so yes
Briefly describe the kind of neighborhood you'd like to live in
(examples: families with young children, young, mature, artsy, diverse, safe, close-knit, block parties, etc) - good schools, not a killer commute to work
List three things that are important to you in order of importance.(examples: nightlife, outdoor activities, rural/urban, safety, downtown area, charming, new construction, proximity to XYZ, family oriented, easy parking, short commute, etc: in no particular order: commute, Schools, family oriented
We have looked at the following towns:
Robbinsville - LOVE this town the best, but the commute is far to nyc
Monroe Township - A little closer to NYC but still far (1.5 Hours)
Sayreville - Great commute, have new construction in Townelake (but heard schools aren't great and didn't love the town), concerned about Winding Wood Apartments crime and run down town
Old Bridge - Seem to have alot of (newer) houses for sale; schools seem okay, commute a little further than Sayreville; have heard Old Bridge is just an okay town though; nothing special - still looking here though
Any other towns I should be looking in that I'm missing?
Since you're going to want somewhere with NJ Transit into Hoboken (then PATH to Christopher St for work), you have an enormous number of options. All of the towns on your list are in Central Jersey, but there's no reason to limit yourself to that region.
Madison, Chatham, Morristown, Parsippany, Boonton, Mountain Lakes, Short Hills, etc. etc. all have rail access to Hoboken on NJ Transit and new developments probably within your price range. Bergen and Essex are harder if you're wedded to a new home, but if you'd be fine with an older home in great shape, there are a ton of options in Bergen County, and West Orange, Millburn, Livingston etc. are all worth looking into.
I would actually recommend against Robbinsville, Metuchen, Monroe, East Brunswick, etc. as they involve changing trains at Secaucus to get to Hoboken--bad idea when you have other great options.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BrownstoneNY
Since you're going to want somewhere with NJ Transit into Hoboken (then PATH to Christopher St for work), you have an enormous number of options. All of the towns on your list are in Central Jersey, but there's no reason to limit yourself to that region.
Madison, Chatham, Morristown, Parsippany, Boonton, Mountain Lakes, Short Hills, etc. etc. all have rail access to Hoboken on NJ Transit and new developments probably within your price range. Bergen and Essex are harder if you're wedded to a new home, but if you'd be fine with an older home in great shape, there are a ton of options in Bergen County, and West Orange, Millburn, Livingston etc. are all worth looking into.
I would actually recommend against Robbinsville, Metuchen, Monroe, East Brunswick, etc. as they involve changing trains at Secaucus to get to Hoboken--bad idea when you have other great options.
I agree with Brownstone that there is no reason to limit yourself to central NJ--you might add Summit to your list as you can find starter homes there. There are some smaller capes and ranches in the area. To get to the WV, you are probably going to want to have easy access to PATH. You might even look into Maplewood or at other towns along the Morris/Essex line, including Orange and South Orange, although you will get differing opinions here about the safety of these latter two towns. FWIW, I'm a petite white female, and I've never felt unsafe in Orange or South Orange, though YMMV, as I'm pretty street smart and tend to be aware and to take care of myself in most situations.
I suspect OP is limitng him/herself to those towns because those are the few towns left where you can get a new construction 3k sq ft McMansion with granite tops for ~$500k.
Half a mil is a lot of money to buy a house in a great neighborhood. Plenty of choices out there.
Since you're going to want somewhere with NJ Transit into Hoboken (then PATH to Christopher St for work), you have an enormous number of options. All of the towns on your list are in Central Jersey, but there's no reason to limit yourself to that region.
Madison, Chatham, Morristown, Parsippany, Boonton, Mountain Lakes, Short Hills, etc. etc. all have rail access to Hoboken on NJ Transit and new developments probably within your price range. Bergen and Essex are harder if you're wedded to a new home, but if you'd be fine with an older home in great shape, there are a ton of options in Bergen County, and West Orange, Millburn, Livingston etc. are all worth looking into.
I would actually recommend against Robbinsville, Metuchen, Monroe, East Brunswick, etc. as they involve changing trains at Secaucus to get to Hoboken--bad idea when you have other great options.
I really don't think I will get the house I am looking for in Madison, Chatham or Short Hills. Those are expensive areas with higher taxes. Where are the new developments in my price range because I haven't seen any?
In terms of Morristown, its an hour train ride to Hoboken, plus 10-15 on path, plus 10 minute walk in the city, plus 10 minute drive to train - so that is just as long/if not longer than Robbinsville/Monroe. Boonton train is even longer and there aren't that many trains that go in and our of Hoboken - I work a job with hours that are all over the place so the more train/bus options the better. Same for Mountain Lakes - if I miss the 6:17, I would have to wait an entire hour. I would actually prefer not to go into Hoboken because I don't want to deal with the walk once in the city either.
For Monroe, I would take the bus from 8a South Brunsiwck Park and Ride, so no train there. For Robbinsville, I would go out of the Hamilton Train Station - you don't have to transfer on this line (most trains are 65-70 min)
Harder to find new construction but if you want more of a town feel and OK commute, how about Metuchen? Walkable, diverse, decent schools and fairly cute town on the NE Corridor line.
Very different from Robbinsville and Monroe which are a lot more spread out and suburban. Metuchen has a more urban feel. Might be a good compromise though.
You could also look at East Brunswick, which has a LITTLE bit better commute and really good schools. Less new construction but the housing stock is decent. Higher taxes though which you do need to look out for.
I heard good things about East Brunswick - definitely going to check it out.
I guess I'm in charge of playing the keeping it real role. People suggest looking at Summit and Chatham with a $500K budget, when the OP has seen houses in Robbinsville? Sorry but there is no comparison housewise:
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