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Would really appreciate your help / advise on this, as this would be our first home ever.
Read this list so you are aware of what should be included if you are moving from out of area and coming to New Jersey.
Where are you coming from? Weehawken, NJ
Why are you moving? Moivng out of rental property to own a condo/ town home / house.
Where will you be working ? If NYC, what part of NYC? Park Avenue, NYC
Will you buy or rent? BUY
What is your budget ? 600,000 - 7,00,000
What kind of place are you looking for ? Family friendly neighborhood
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ? My husband and son.
Do you need/want good public schools? 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) Families with young children.
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)
Family Oriented
Proximity to NYC.
Charming.
Thank you all of taking out time to read our request.
Since we are first time homebuyers, it is a big decision for us, and will be highly obliged for any tips received on the same, any other areas suburbs we should be looking at.
I love Livingston, as I live right next door in West Orange. As i already mentioned elsewhere, and I think posters here can elaborate, I've been told that the NYC commute entails either driving to Livingston Mall and taking the shuttle to S.O. train station or driving to Turtle Back Zoo and taking the Community Coach. Alternatively, people drive to the Harrison Ave. PATH station as well. Traffic can be heavy on 280, depending on the time of day.
What part of Park Ave. is he working? I used to take the Community Coach to PABT and from the Turtle Back as your starting point, it was a pretty quick ride. In that case, you could look at homes in Livingston near the West Orange border and near Northfield Ave or Rt. 10.
I think you'll get a lot of great responses from posters here though. lots of knowledge on this area. I also know a wonderful realtor who knows Essex Co. very well if you need.
Livingston is definitely a good call. Hits all of the things on your list and $700K will go farther there than in some other towns, schools are great and taxes are relatively low. Two of my best friends live in Livingston, both with young families(babies in fact) and they love it. One friend lives in a townhouse(which is super nice) the other lives in a split level which is also nice. Your budget would get you into either(even a larger colonial if you were stretching toward the top end of that)
I'd also like to throw into the discussion towns like Verona, Cedar Grove, the Caldwells, and Essex Falls. I can't speak to the budget and what it would get to you, but a friend lives in West Caldwell in a very nice split level that falls under your max, and I absolutely love Verona. But Livingston probably has the best school district out of all the above. Essex Falls is amazing, but i have the perception that it's expensive.
There are Community Coach #77 bus stops all along Northfield Ave., S. Livingston Ave. and Mt. Pleasant Ave. If you live on a street within walking distance to any of these, you can walk to the bus stop and won't have worry about shuttles and parking at all. (I personally wouldn't live on Northfield Ave., S. Livingston Ave. or Mt. Pleasant Ave. themselves though because they are busy roads.)
Livingston doesn't have the "charming walkable downtown" that people on this board are always talking/bragging about, so if "charming" is really important to you, you might also consider towns like Madison and Chatham.
But other than that, you can't really go wrong with Livingston.
I'm not so sure about DR Horton (the developer of The Grande units). I found out some not so great things about them when I was looking at their stock in Morris County. I don't think all the units in that town center complex are DR Horton, though. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
I'd also like to throw into the discussion towns like Verona, Cedar Grove, the Caldwells, and Essex Falls. I can't speak to the budget and what it would get to you, but a friend lives in West Caldwell in a very nice split level that falls under your max, and I absolutely love Verona. But Livingston probably has the best school district out of all the above. Essex Falls is amazing, but i have the perception that it's expensive.
Verona and Cedar Grove are highly underrated. I don't get it. They are great towns with a lot to offer.
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