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Try Rutherford, NJ. Nothing fancy but close to everything but has nice parks, can bike ride go walk down Main Street...May find something , maybe small but you never know....
You can occasionally find a small charming old house in South Orange, Montclair or Maplewood for 300K these would not have renovated bathrooms or kitchens but these are GREAT towns. All walkable villages with hip, artsy, upscale downtowns around train stations 30 min commutes to Penn Station. If you are really committed to the search an occasional property in the very safe and beautiful Glen Ridge will pop up. Bloomfield is also a potential option. All four of these towns have real estate values that have been steadily rising much more quickly than the rest of New Jersey. They are relatively close to Newark and East Orange so they experienced somewhat of a decline in the 70s and 80s but much like Brooklyn, Jersey City and Hoboken, they are experiencing a very strong resurgence.
Keep in mind that when people say a place like Roselle is "not safe" what they mean is that the crime rate in those places are higher than in other suburbs. The likely hood of being the victim of a crime in many of those places is still extremely low. Even in Irvington and Newark you are not in a serious amount of danger if you aren't driving a Mercedes or Range Rover around at night or involved in gang related drug trafficking. With the exception of gang and drug related murders crime in New Jersey's urban centers is plummeting (burglaries, muggings, break-ins, assaults) so if you are thinking of resale value then Hudson, and Essex Counties are the places to invest.
Wow, I just got an email saying I had replies. Sorry for the delay and thanks for the responses!
I did speak with a realtor last week and she was throwing around names of places that would meet my criteria, including Cranford and areas near it. Alternately, I've been seeing some great homes in East Heaven and Fairfield, CT for my price range. I think they're further away from NYC? Maybe 1.5 hrs, which isn't bad.
Am I doing better with those locations...or?
I'm actually going to NYC this Sunday for the day via Amtrak from DC and what a pain! It'll be my first time taking the train in, vs driving, but if I lived a lot closer, so much better!
I'll check out the places you've all mentioned and let you know how I make out. Thanks again!
If you are willing to live in an apartment, there are a ton of options and you are spoiled for choice. Edgewater is super-nice but for a 2/2 apartment you will stretch to the top of your budget, assuming anything is available on the market.
Are you guys kidding or something? It costs $300K to rent an apartment? What kind of apartment is this?
I think Nyack Ny in Rockland County will tick off most of your wants. The bus ride is about an hour into nyc but you can drive in about 35 minutes. Some small nice houses and a cute downtown. Some areas are not as nice as others so you have to do your research.
Take a look at New Brunswick. You can even get a 2 bed 2 bath + den in a townhouse with garage in a gated community right outside downtown along route 27. I believe nicely under the $300k mark. It would make sense since you will have all the shopping you'll ever want on route 1 within 10 minutes drive. You can also hit 2 malls north on route 1 in about 15-20 min. They are also in the Edison area where friends are. Downtown New Bruns is about 5 min away and the NJ transit takes you straight into NY Penn station (there are a few express trains that take 35 min.).
Since there is so much traffic from a high population and desire to be near NYC, you're talking about a 1 hr 15 min commute for the same money that would buy you a place in other cities outskirts with a 30-45 min commute.
I would suggest Hackensack, except the schools really aren't good for resale.
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