East Rutherford - Yay or Nay (Edison, Hackensack: appointed, real estate, apartments)

[indmirage]

I got great help from the forum on my other thread regarding good area to move for commuting to NYC and with good schools. Here i am with some more questions :-)

As suggested by everyone we WERE leaning towards Edison coz of reasonable commute to NYC and good area/ schools but then considering the fact that we will be without car for a few months till we get our driving licenses (since our US licenses expired way back and we are returning after more than 5 years) we are thinking Edison might not work out to be the best place for us atleast for the first year.

After doing some research on walkable towns - close to NYC and with good schools we liked Rutherford but the apartment rents are out of our budget. The only place which fits into our budget after stretching a bit is Liberty Terrace ( 140 Hackensack Street, East Rutherford ) where we are getting 2 BR for $2300/month. The place otherwise looks fine with direct bus to NYC, train station and police station close by and lot of shops/restaurants and library at walking distance. I just want to get opinions whether the place is really worth (both the apartment and the city) and also are we making the correct decision of choosing East Rutherford and not other slightly affordable towns like Lyndhurst.

Here is the info about me once more:

Relocating from India (but places with more Indian population is not a criteria, have lived in US before for half a decade) - Safety is the primary concern

Husband needs to commute to Times Square
School age kid (2nd grader)
I will also be looking for jobs (IT) so easy and quick accessibility to NYC will be plus for me too
Looking to rent 2 BR, 2 BA apartment/ townhome - Budget $2000 or so

[MrsPiggleWiggle]

East Rutherford... don't rent from a luxury complex. That's just throwing your money away. You rent a nice big unit in a two or three family house close to the train station and it'll cost you maybe $1400-$1500.

[arrieros81]

Originally Posted by MrsPiggleWiggle

East Rutherford... don't rent from a luxury complex. That's just throwing your money away. You rent a nice big unit in a two or three family house close to the train station and it'll cost you maybe $1400-$1500.

Yes, however 2 baths are rare in private homes... it shouldn't be a big deal though. ER should be fine, but without a car they'll need to have groceries delivered. Lyndhurst might actually have better bus transportation to where they can get groceries; I'm thinking of that shop rite on New York avenue.

[indmirage]

Thank you so much! Can you also please suggest some nice areas close by that meet our requirements and are not in flood zones. I did check out Ridgewood but rents are high, apartments are almost none and its far from train station considering our no car situation.

[arrieros81]

you probably should do a search on craigslist for rentals in either Lyndhurst or ER. If your husband is commuting into Times Square he'd actually be better off taking a bus to Port Authority; bus stops are in close proximity just about everywhere in these towns. The money you save from renting a cheaper place will be worth it, grocery delivery will be necessary.

[indmirage]

Thanks Arrieros81, you are right..all the private homes have 2 BR, 1 BA..for Liberty terrace apartments location is nice in the sense that they have the ER downtown right behind them and ALDI is also walkable but I'm just finding them a little overpriced considering that it's ER and NOT Rutherford (different school district you see). As for Lyndhurst, how are the schools there in comparison to ER and also the safety. I did look at Fair Lawn but again the without car thing is killing our options for a while, but maybe we can rent the car on weekends to do grocery etc (hoping that atleast my husband will get his license sooner than me - I'm too bad at parallel parking :-)

[MrsPiggleWiggle]

Don't worry so much about the grocery delivery. You can Uber to the local supermarket and back for probably $10-$15 roundtrip regardless of where you live in the South Bergen County area. There are a ridiculous number of supermarkets all around. I personally prefer Lyndhurst out of the three towns you mentioned (L/R/ER) because of the nice amenities near the train stations. There is the giant shopping plaza on New York Ave/Valley Brook Road. There is the huge, gorgeous municipal park that I often drive from towns over to bring my son to its playground. Lots of decent dining/takeout options on Ridge Rd so it's more "fun" for car-less folks. I don't think there is a big difference between elementary schools in Lyndhurst vs East Rutherford. Both are a big step down from Rutherford.

[indmirage]

Thanks MrsPiggleWiggle, you are right...I am prepared to spend at Uber during weekends provided I get good education for my child which is our primary reason of moving to US. I also looked at the District factor group ratings and was disappointed that ER is ranked CD, does this have any effect on the quality of education and activities offered at the school for students (earlier I was just looking at Greatschool ratings where Mckenzie has a rating of 8). If thats so, we will be ready to look at a longer commute and go for nicer school districts.

[Ivan Putski]

If you're willing to commit to a longer commute, I would suggest Ramsey. Take a look at a place like this (walking distance to train, schools, downtown, excellent schools etc.):

MLS Number 1544798 - 2 bed,2 bath, Rentals-Residential Property for $2,100 - 93 Arch St, Ramsey, NJ - New Jersey Multiple Listing Service

[Ivan Putski]

If you want to find more listings, go to this link==> Find Real Estate in New Jersey - New Jersey Multiple Listing Service

1) enter the town you're interested in
2) check off 2-4 family and residential rentals
3) set your max price to whatever amount your max price is