Doing recon for CA to NJ move in Spring 2013

[hdavis44]

I think you can get that type of house with your budget in even the priciest NJ towns. Just not sure why you'd want to pay that premium for those towns, when its generally done to get access to their school systems. I am actually looking for a similar house in several of the same towns more in the 650-700k range and i feel pretty good about finding something. Finished basements are usually not included in the official sq footage of a house.

[KoalaNJ]

Originally Posted by pontoon2012

Hi,

My girlfriend is getting relocated to the Parsippany area for work in Spring 2013. We have lived in Southern CA for most of our lives (I've lived in Virginia & Maryland briefly). We are trying to narrow our target research to just a few communities prior to actually being on the ground for house hunting trips. We have a budget of about 800K for a house...our kids are away at college so schools are not a major concern, we are active and like to be able to have parks, vibrant downtown areas, etc within a reasonable walking distance. We would like to keep my girlfriend's commute distance fairly reasonable...she has never driven in snow before!

A town with low crime is a plus, coming from Southern Calif we have probably seen it all and want to avoid towns that are "crime challenged." We have spent some time on business trips in Morristown and although the downtown area seemed to have a good vibe, there appeared to be some sketchy individuals "hanging around" the square and some of the businesses...

Towns that interest us are--Millburn, Essex Fells, & Chatham. Pros, cons? And any advice on the obvious culture changes we will experience will also be much appreciated!

Thanks!

Madison, the Chathams, and Morristown are all great options and meet your criteria of proximity to Parsippany higher end towns with walkable downtown areas with plenty of shopping and restaurants. I would not worry about Morristown, while there is an extremely small area (the Hollow)that is a little bit sketchy, by no means dangerous as in Newark dangerous, by far you'll find the town to be wonderful and pretty upscale. You might want to check out Convent Station, which is a section of Morris Twp, a community that surrounds the "hub" that is Morristown.

I'd recommend not considering Essex Fells. Although it is a wonderful community, it is a long commute and Essex County has extremely high taxes.(high for NJ, where we "enjoy" the highest taxes in the nation)

I'd also suggest you check out Mendham, both the Borough and Twp. There is a cute small downtown area, with shopping and restaurants. They both are wonderful, welcoming, "small town" upscale communities, and you are only a few minutes (5/10 min) from Morristown and all it has to offer.

KoalaNJ

[pontoon2012]

Thanks for the info...to answer the question about considering Essex Fells...we are trying to consider the more affluent towns (w/o respect for the school districts)....but all things equal, we may be very happy with something in Madison or Chatham given the shorter commute time....from what is being described here, they both sound like solid, well-kept communities...

I do have another question...with respect to the high taxes in some of the other towns/counties....does that translate into a substantially higher level of public service, I mean what do you get for it? Are the roads plowed more in the winter?? Is there more recreation offered? Are the police more responsive?

Thanks!

[nybbler]

Madison, Chatham (both of them), Essex Fells, Millburn, and Mountain Lakes are all considered "more affluent" towns, it's not like you'd be "settling" in Chatham.

As for the high taxes, well, I live in one of the highest tax-rate towns, and the only thing I really see is a bill. I suppose twice-weekly trash collection counts. And every time there's some road construction, there's at least one and often two or three cops sitting around guarding it and/or directing traffic (when I lived in PA, there'd typically be a flagger, no cop). Nothing really useful to me, though.

[KoalaNJ]

Originally Posted by pontoon2012

Thanks for the info...to answer the question about considering Essex Fells...we are trying to consider the more affluent towns (w/o respect for the school districts)....but all things equal, we may be very happy with something in Madison or Chatham given the shorter commute time....from what is being described here, they both sound like solid, well-kept communities...

I do have another question...with respect to the high taxes in some of the other towns/counties....does that translate into a substantially higher level of public service, I mean what do you get for it? Are the roads plowed more in the winter?? Is there more recreation offered? Are the police more responsive?

Thanks!

It has been my experience that you really do not "get" anything additional by paying the higher Essex County taxes. Street plowing and the like is pretty similar in all of northern NJ. In fact as far as Essex Fells is concerned, what you do get there is more crime and home break-ins. Not that the area is unsafe, just more car thefts, car break ins as well as home robberies, than you will find in Morris County. You do however get a shorter commute to Newark/Jersey City/NYC than in Morris County. As far as recreation you will find more recreation venues and programs in Morris County than in Essex Fells. I have to say that if you felt that Morristown had some "shady people" hanging around you will REALLY feel uncomfortable with the downtown areas nearby EF (West Caldwell and Caldwell), which are more urban and less genteel in nature. Having said that I, as a woman, have never felt unsafe walking around in either W. Caldwell or Caldwell when patronizing the local businesses or going out to eat. (FYI Calandra's Bakery located in W Caldwell is fantastic!) While EF itself is pretty upscale, it is more of an island surrounded by a more blue collar and urban environment and you are a very short trip ( ~11 miles) to downtown Newark. I have spend a considerable amount of time in EF, one of my best friends has lived there for 20+ years. The general vibe is vastly different than what you will find in the Morris County towns you are considering. Spend some time in each community to see what fits your needs/wants better.

I know there are many gated communities in So Cal, so if you are seeking something similar I'd check out Smoke Rise located in Kinnelon. It is a nice very upscale gated community. The commute to work would be reasonable as well, especially if the office is located in the northern portion of Parsippany. (Although Kinnelon does not have a real downtown)

KoalaNJ

[MiamiLIFE]

Originally Posted by pontoon2012

Another question....can I get opinions on Basking Ridge as comparable to Madison, or Chatham? Commute time aside because I can see its farther away, but just as a liveable town.... thanks!

Basking Ridge is a great town. However, if you're willing to give up a downtown as you would be doing to be in Basking Ridge, you should then check out Florham Park. You will get a better deal there and Florham Park is a great family town, clean, safe, and great access to the highways. Basking Ridge is a little pretentious. A good friend of mine lives there. His neighbors are a bunch of snobby A-holes. My other buddy lives in FP. The people there are don't live in a bubble. $850k in Basking Ridge isn't much.

[pontoon2012]

Thanks, based on some other homework we have done we have ruled out Basking Ridge..... really looking forward to getting there to do some "on the ground" house hunting... the forums like this one for example are great for info and helps to narrow the search...

And my final (probably not ) question for any of you.....culture change, challenge, shock, indoctrination, etc..... from CA to NJ??? Other than the obvious, "a real four season locale!" for instance.... what can we expect???

thanks!