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Thanks a lot for all your suggenstions, especially about schooling, which is one of our biggest concern. I will certainly check the websites you recommend. Can any of you tell me if Episcopal Church linked Schools are any better when it comes to performance and general atmosphere? can you also tell me how school enrolment works. Should we have a permanent address before we try to enroll our children? Are there waiting lists? How early does one need to enroll children for the following school year?
I don't know anything about Episcopal Church linked schools unfortunately. Those would be private schools and you would have to contact any individually. In the public school system you merely contact the local education department for your town to enroll your child. There are no waiting lists and your child can start as soon as you have taken care of the requisite paperwork and medical requirements - a medical and a specific list of immunizations. You merely need to be resident in the town to enroll -which you prove with utility bills, a lease or mortgage, there is no residency time requirement.
for your sound advice all around! (This is not meant to be a judment by omission of others who disagree with them/us!)
SheSellsNJ: you are a selfless, ethical professional who does not put her personal needs above her clients'. How I wish more realtors were like you! I lived in NJ for 20 yrs, moved to So Cal 4 years ago, and am now in the process of selling and moving to Chicago. I've spoken with numerous realtors there and none have conducted themselves as you have. Rest assured that if the future were to take us back to NJ, you are the realtor I would call. I will also be glad to recommend you to all our friends and family there. What area are you in?
AnthonyB: you are a nice man, make a lot of sense, and I'm glad you're on these boards!
Thanks a lot for all your suggenstions, especially about schooling, which is one of our biggest concern. I will certainly check the websites you recommend. Can any of you tell me if Episcopal Church linked Schools are any better when it comes to performance and general atmosphere? can you also tell me how school enrolment works. Should we have a permanent address before we try to enroll our children? Are there waiting lists? How early does one need to enroll children for the following school year?
In general public schools in NJ are very good. Many people send their children to private schools because they either live in a town where the schools are not as good as they would like or they like the religious affiliation. The towns Tahiti mentioned all have very good school districts. There isn't a waiting list for any public schools. Every child can be enrolled and usually the paperwork can be completed immediately. As was mentioned, bring your children's immunization records. Then you will need to bring a copy of your lease or mortgage to the District's offices and complete the enrollment forms. You can enroll a student any time during the year.
I know there is a lot of debate here about buying now versus renting. I think if you can narrow your choices where you think you would like to live and then look for a rental it would be your best bet - realize that not all towns have the same number of rental options and since you have children, if you send them to a public school they will have to change schools if you change towns after a year. I'm a regular person off the street telling you that it is EXTREMELY doubtful that the cost of a new home is going to rise much in the next year and it is quite possible that prices will come down.
Thanks a lot and thank you especially to ShesellNJ, AnthonyB, Tahiti and hrjersey for your helpful suggestions. I feel the whole thing is quite daunting mainly because of the children (we have moved countries several times before but before having children) and I really value ideas that can help us along the way.
First of all, I definitely agree with those who recommend renting, at least for the first year. It will give you a chance to visit different areas and also you may get a better sense of whether you will remain in NJ or not. If you're not planning on staying for more than 5 years, you'd probably be better off renting while you're here, but if it looks like you will stay beyond 5 years you can then look for a house at your convenience and you won't need to rush since you'd already be settled in and renting something.
As for what towns to look at, either to rent or to buy, I think you should consider :
- Cranford, Westfield, Fanwood, and Scotch Plains
- Maplewood and South Orange
- Montclair
- Metuchen
All of these towns are very nice, safe, and within easy commuting distance to NYC, and most have very good schools. You will likely find quite a few Europeans in many of these towns as well, although not as many as in New York City proper.
But definitely rent something first, so you can get an idea of the area and make you decision slowly. Good luck!
Edited to add: Don't worry about some people rushing you to BUY NOW! BUY NOW! Real estate prices in the USA will not be going up anytime soon, at best prices will remain flat in NJ, but all signs point to prices going down over the next couple of years. We have had a HUGE bubble of inflated prices in real estate in the USA, and prices have reached levels that are not justified by the average income. NJ real estate has skyrocketed along with the rest of the country, and while it won't fall as far or as fast as some other parts of the country, there is no reason why NJ would be immune from the housing market collapse that is sinking real estate everywhere in the USA. Take your time, don't rush into buying anything. Spend a year renting and seeing what towns you like, and then see about maybe buying something. You have plenty of time.
Edited again to add: Here's a link to the map of the New Transit train system, you can get an idea of towns to check out by looking at the towns on the train line:
If you are looking up to 500.000 the i would recomment Springfield, Union, Roselle Park, Kenilworth, or even Cranford. In springfield you can get a pretty nice house for about 500.000 something like a split level or cape cod located on a nice average yard size of 80X150, and schools are good in springfield. In Union you can get a very beautiful house that wont need any work on it even with in ground pool, with average backyard size of 55X120 and schools are good too. In Union try to stay away from Vauxhall section of it. Roselle park is a nice little town with houses little less then Union but with smaller backyards with average of 40X100 depending on section of RP, schools are good but overcrowded, and a lot of Indian people living in that community. Kenilworth is a little town also liitle crowded with houses on top of eachother and a lot of factories and companies around residential houses but that brings the taxes down. All of those towns are very good located with a good comunication to NYC.
Sorry not to sound like a jerk but are you just trying to grab clients on here. Why would suggest Union as a nice place to live with 3 young children? It is not exactly the nicest town and doesn't have the greatest school systems.
Some towns to look into in Northern NJ that will have houses in your range are Rutherford or Even East Rutherford. Further north you will find Westwood, Washington Township & River Edge. You can also look into Wayne.
Raffaela - I guess another question for you is what kind of lifestyle you are looking for ? Do you come from a small village or a more cosmopolitan area ? Where in Europe do you live now ? Would you prefer a rural area where your children have to go to school by bus and there are no sidewalks and no local shops in walking distance ? Or do you prefer a town that everything is walking distance, the kids can walk to school, you can walk or bike to library, parks, shops ? What square footage would you be comfortable with - a 4 BR, 2 BA "cottage" or are you looking for something over 3000 SF that is more "grand" looking vs. a town where houses are small and right next to each other.
What are your interests, your hobbies, what types of things do you like to do as a family ? Would you consider a townhome (which is a home attached to another, similar to a row-house with a tiny yard) or do you have to have a free standing home with large yard ?
I think alot depends on what your expectations are and what type of life you would like to lead. NJ has everything, but each town has way different "flavors". It would help to narrow things down considerably.
Another thing, will you both be working ? You need to factor in commute and parking costs (to park at train station, train ticket) and childcare. Housing in NJ is expensive, but I think all would agree that childcare is perhaps even MORE expensive as a ratio. Your older children could likely take advantage of after school programs, but as far as childcare for the baby, what are you looking for ? You may have better luck living near a university where you can find students to care for the baby if you are hoping for an affordable sitter in your home vs. a daycare situation. Just a thought.
I too moved here from UK about 11 years ago and live in Berkeley Heights, New Providence area. When we looked in 1997, we wanted to buy in Summit 'cos of direct train into mid-town manhattan but prices were too high. So we moved to Berkeley heights- one town over and simply drive to summit and take the train or bus. Schools are great, no crime, nice life style, close to NY for weekend trips into the city with the kids, lots of stuff for kids to do, down to earth neighbors, lower(Comparatively speaking) lots of expats...............
If you have 500k, you could get a small 3-4 bedroom house that will retain its value and you can sell fairly quickly 'cos these towns are close to manhattan. Commute door to door is about an hour. My hubby waits until after peak hours and then drives into the city and he sometimes does it in 35 mins.
If you decide to visit these towns, let me know and I'll recommend the broker we used.
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Kudos to SheSellsNJ and AnthonyB...
