Nice downtowns in Essex and Bergen Counties (Union, Montclair: houses, neighborhood)

[SSchirm]

Hi. We live in Tarrytown, NY, and are looking to relocate to NJ. My husband works in Hoboken, and the commute is getting to be a little much. He grew up in Scotch Plains, so we are very familar with that Union county area, but I don't want to live THAT close to my inlaws )

We would like to look at some nice towns in southern Bergen and Essex counties, so that his commute could be approx 15 miles or less to Hoboken. We have two children, 4 and 2 so schools and family comunities are very important. We also have become accustomed to the good ol' fashioned "downtown" that Tarrytown has to offer. I guess it could be compared to Westwood in Bergen county or Westfield in Union county. We would like to spend approx $500k for a 3 or 4 bedroom colonial. Does anyone have any suggestions for where we should start our search?

Thanks in advance,
Suzi

[kimchee]

Ridgewood in Bergen County and Montclair in Essex county are two family-oriented nice suburbs with a nice and walkable downtown area. School systems should be good too. They are expensive though but you can probably get a decent 3BR for 500k.

Those are two areas I'm looking into. I believe the train that goes into Ridgewood would also take you directly into Hoboken, instead of into Penn St. 34th St. Not the Montclair train... that goes into Penn St. directly.

That's very important 'cus you want the train going into Hoboken so your husband doesn't have to deal with getting from Penn St. back to Hoboken...

Good luck!

[SSchirm]

Thank you Kimchee! I have a roomate from college who grew up in Ridgweood - it is a great town. I was just worried that it might be too far if my husband was to drive - silly me didn't even think of the train!! We are looking at Montclair too. Don't mind the higher taxes since we're coming from Westchester with REDICULOUSLY high taxes (13k for a 1,900 sq ft house on 50x150 lot!!). Good luck to you too!

[JennyOnTheMove]

Originally Posted by SSchirm

Thank you Kimchee! I have a roomate from college who grew up in Ridgweood - it is a great town. I was just worried that it might be too far if my husband was to drive - silly me didn't even think of the train!! We are looking at Montclair too. Don't mind the higher taxes since we're coming from Westchester with REDICULOUSLY high taxes (13k for a 1,900 sq ft house on 50x150 lot!!). Good luck to you too!

Good luck finding a house in Ridgewood for $500k - not likely.

[kimchee]

I live in Hoboken so do NOT recommend driving into that city. Unless daytime parking is easier it's typically hard to find unless you park in the residential areas off the main streets. Some residential areas also have the 3 or 4 hour parking limit.

Check the NJtransit map to see what towns offer a direct train into Hoboken: http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/rail/Rail_System_Map.pdf

This webpage is also nice to figure out taxes in various cities... I was surprised to find out low property taxes are in Englewood and Saddle River! Of course, with the home prices are high as they are in those areas, there's a good reason!

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html...PHIC/data.html

[SSchirm]

Yeah, the only reason my husband drives now is that he has a private parking space in the garage of his office, and he frequently has to go out to meetings that require him to drive - it's kind of a pain -- but i bet he could figure it out without having a car in town. I'll check out those sites. Thank you.

[ira]

Ridgewood would be a good option for you. The train goes directly to Hoboken and it takes about 30-40 min (depending if it's local or express). $500K could be tough but not impossible. Look on njmls.com, there are houses in your price range and in this market, seller are definitely willing to negotiate.

Good Luck.

[downtownjc]

Given your $500K range Montclair might be a bit more doable than Ridgewood (it's pretty expensive). But taxes in Montclair and anywhere else in Essex County are astronomical, even more than most other places in NJ, so keep that in mind.

[SSchirm]

Thank you everyone for your advice. I was thinking that Ridgewood would be a little far (although VERY nice, as i have a good friend who lives their now, and another friend who grew up there). I guess i'm looking for information on the Montclair, Verona, Nutley or places in very southern Bergen areas. I understand Essex has very high taxes, but if we could keep them under $10,000 we would be doing better than our current situation!

Any advice on the areas mentioned above?

We'd be looking around $500k, 3/4 bedroom, neighborhood, good schools, prefer a colonial or cape, flat yard, garage, and the town has a "downtown" kind of feel. Kind of like Westfield or Cranford in Union county

Thanks!!

[Gravy Boat]

Downtown Maplewood is very nice and quaint. I am not sure you can live close it for $500k, but maybe.