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Hi all! I have been a lurker for a couple of months but I now have more concrete information and wanted your advice.
We are looking to move to NJ in a couple of months. As my husband is self-employed the "where" is pretty wide open.
Here are these answers first, then I'll add more details below:
Where are you coming from? California
Why are you moving? Hurricane Sandy brought husband and he fell in love with area
Where will you be working ? If NYC, what part of NYC? All around Northeast, not in NYC though
Will you buy or rent? Rent initially, then buy
What is your budget? Rent: $3000-4000, buy will be around $800,000
What kind of place are you looking for ? Larger home (around 2800+ square feet) hopefully with area in either finished basement or actual "in-law quarters"
Will anyone (spouse, children) be moving with you ? 3 small children (6, 3, 2)
Do you need/want good public school? Yes, very important
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) We would like a neighborhood with some distance between houses (we live on 7 acres now, we don't need that much but prefer at least 1/2 an acre so our neighbors aren't right on top of us). Families with small children somewhat nearby would be great too.
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)
1. Good schools
2. Nearby food and shopping (preferably nicer shops and restaurants, not only fast food and Walmart), and by nearby I mean within about 5-10 minute drive
3. Friendly people
I have only been to NJ once, flying into PHL and visiting the western area near Washington, Lebanon, Tewksbury and also into PA near Bethlehem, PA and the Center Valley, Quakertown area. I love these areas in general. I prefer the Bethlehem, PA area for the availability of nearby shopping and dining and also understand Bucks County is known to have good schools. However, my husband thinks he is going to be doing more work in more eastern NJ (he's a contractor) and we want him to be a little closer to home. A commute up to an hour is ok. I am looking for an area like the area near Bethlehem but in NJ instead.
I hope that gives you an idea of what I am looking for, please feel free to ask more questions if you need more information. Thanks so much!
I don't have any specific recommendations but I think a lot of places in Morris County would satisfy those criteria. You wouldn't want to live in Morristown itself (lots too small) but you'd find nicer shops and restaurants there.
Based on your criteria and preferences I agree on Morris county or Hunterdon also fits. The commute to eastern NJ will be rough though.
Another option but totally different feel would be Eastern Monmouth County, instead of mountains you'll get a beach feel. Both areas have great schools and nice towns to raise a family.
With that money, you can afford the best schools. Tenafly, Ridgewood, Millburn, Chatham. I probably missed one or two of the top districts. They're all very fancy towns with a lot to offer nearby.
This is different than what you've mentioned, but I'll bet you never thought of looking in this area. Check it out, if you get a chance. Have a good map or GPS; it's easy to get lost in this area. There are some developments with a lot of land in this area: Township of Tabernacle
With that money, you can afford the best schools. Tenafly, Ridgewood, Millburn, Chatham. I probably missed one or two of the top districts. They're all very fancy towns with a lot to offer nearby.
I believe the op is looking for more rural than Bergen County
This is different than what you've mentioned, but I'll bet you never thought of looking in this area. Check it out, if you get a chance. Have a good map or GPS; it's easy to get lost in this area. There are some developments with a lot of land in this area: Township of Tabernacle
While Howell is rural you wouldn't consider this town for top schools.
Mendham and Chester are near-perfect for you. A little less shopping/dining within 10 minutes than some other areas, but in those other areas you'd have to sacrifice either on lot or house size. A couple of other towns for consideration would be Mountain Lakes and Chatham Twp, though not sure if you could get 2800 sq ft in an updated home for 800k in those two towns. Lastly Warren and Basking Ridge, actually those two might be the best fits. Check out those 6 towns and you can't go wrong.
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