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We've realized we aren't really city people at heart. We miss being able to drive to get groceries and put them in the trunk. We want more space and a yard so we can feel comfortable getting a dog. We're geeky people who stay at home most of the time and don't take much advantage of what NYC has to offer, anyway. Basically we want a suburban lifestyle.
Where will you be working ? If NYC, what part of NYC?
Right now we both work in NYC. I work in upper Manhattan (Columbia area) and he works in the Bronx (Yankee stadium area). For that reason, commutes convenient to the GW Bridge seem appealing (Bergen County area). We've made that drive plenty of times, but not during rush hour, so we're not sure how grating that daily experience will get.
Will you buy or rent?
Buy
What is your budget ?
$400k
What kind of place are you looking for ?
Move-in ready home (but quirky is welcome) with 3+ bedrooms and decent amount of space and a finished basement. Want to avoid flood zones.
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ?
Do you need/want good public schools?
We are a young married couple (late 20s or early 30s) who don't have kids yet, but expect to in the not-too-far-off future.
We want decent public schools - basically, around the state average or better - but not a super-high-pressure kind of environment. And we also care about having some diversity in the school system!
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 are unabashedly liberal with hopefully-good-for-the-world type jobs and prefer someplace where that won't make us the crazy outlier. We like diversity... we would prefer not to be in an all-white town. If there were vegetarian-friendly restaurants in the area, that would definitely be a bonus. We also are that annoying type of Whole Foods/Trader Joe's shopper. But if all that stuff is within reasonable driving distance, we don't care if it's within town lines or not. As mentioned above, we do want at least decent schools as well.
And as above, we're wary of flood zones.
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) Affordability (we know our price range and the type of house we want puts a lot of towns out of our reach)
2) Schools
3) Commute to NYC
I realize the things we want are the things most people want, so I apologize in advance for being repetitious with prior posts.
So... does this affordable, diverse, liberalish town with decent schools and yuppie amenities exist?
What do people think of these towns in relation to what I've outlined above: River Edge, Dumont, Bergenfield, New Milford, Maywood, others?
As I was reading through your description I quickly thought Maywood would be a good match for you. Then I was pleased to see that you had already written it down as a possibility. What's nice with Maywood is Whole Foods is just a drive down Maywood Ave to Paramus and Trader Joes is right up Rt 17 North (in Paramus). You also have West Pleasant Ave which has a nice downtown area of various stores and restaurants. I also see it as a community that is tight and has it's own charm to it. The only drawback (which is not necessarily a drawback for everyone) is that Maywood students attend high school in Hackensack. Hackensack High School, while diverse than most area schools, is ranked below the state average. However some families will tell you the school does well and is a good school with many opportunities (athletics, AP classes, etc.). I would speak to some people in the area about that.
Of the towns you've listed Maywood is of the most diverse. New Milford has a widespread problem with flooding in town so that could be a concern. River Edge is possible to move into on a 400k budget but you'll have a limited selection. I'm personally not too crazy about Bergenfield, especially with a budget like yours. Dumont I cannot comment much about but it's one of the least diverse towns you listed and is a bit of a drive to the highway (a few extra minutes compared to the other towns you listed--not really a big deal).
Some other towns I think are worth considering are Teaneck and Fair Lawn in that order. Teaneck is one of the more diverse towns in the area and the schools are about "average". Fair Lawn has better schools and is diverse but the houses in the area don't really scream "unique" (maybe in the Radburn section but the style of the neighborhood there isn't for everyone.)
Definately take a look at Maywood first. Hope I was of assistance.
The only people I ever knew who lived in Maywood were a gay couple, one of whom was a SAH parent and the other a lawyer, and their adopted children. (They've since moved out of state.) So, Maywood might be OK with liberal! ; )
I think it's a good suggestion for the things you are looking for.
Thanks to both of you for your insights!! Especially rural_urban for your detailed thoughts!
As we've investigated more, we really liked Maywood - it really meets what we're looking for. And it has the only Reconstructionist synagogue in Bergen County apparently (I'm Jewish and prefer reconstructionist, though we're an interfaith family). And we ate at Maywood Pancake House, which was an amazing, extremely veg-friendly experience!
But we haven't seen any houses that really stand out to us in Maywood.
We did see a house we loved in New Milford, and we're seriously considering putting in an offer on it. It's not in a flood zone - but it looks like relatively little of New Milford is actually in a flood zone, despite the town having historical flooding problems anyway. Is there any way to tell if there might be problems other than the official flood zone maps and seller disclosure? (Those maps have this house looking fine.)
Have you checked South Orange and Maplewood in Essex County? Diverse, Liberal, decent schools and an easy commute.
I'm not sure about the restaurants but your close to Millburn/Short Hills where you'll find both Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.
Agree. Culturally, you're looking for Maplewood/South Orange, but I can't speak to the commute. It's the ideal area to live when commuting by train to Penn Station/Midtown NYC. Your budget is on the low side, but not impossible. Come spend an afternoon in Maplewood village.
Ageed on South Orange and Maplewood. Obviously have to throw Montclair into that mix!
I just looked up a half-million dollar house in Maplewood and the taxes in 2013 were over $13,000. Taxes in these towns seem really high, or is it just me?
I had originally considered Maplewood, South Orange, Montclair as they have kind of the right vibe I'm looking for - they're closer to where I grew up in NJ (Livingston) - but it seemed like they wouldn't be as convenient for our commutes to upper Manhattan and the Bronx (though mine could change if I change jobs, which isn't unlikely). And yeah, high taxes for sure! So I started to look at Bergen County, but was much less familiar with what the different towns there were like. (Actually, we started our search with Westchester County, NY, but felt priced out of the region and like it wasn't a great cultural fit).
If we expanded our search... In Maplewood, South Orange, Montclair - what is the waiting list like for train parking spots (if there is one at all)?
I don't know about the waiting list for parking...however both towns have Jitney service. I did miss the part in your post about being in Bergen County...sorry. I did have a neighbor though who used to commute up town so I thought I'd throw it in there.
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