Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Would love advice about neighborhoods. So far, liking the houses and schools we are seeing in Mountain Lakes and Randolph. Looking for what we might be missing.
Where are you coming from? Northern VA, right outside of DC
Why are you moving? Be closer to where we grew up, away from DC politics
Where will you be working ? If NYC, what part of NYC? We both plan to work in Northern NJ, but exact locations are unknown. We will probably move while still teleworking for employers down here. It seems like there are employers in Parsippany/Morristown area and then the Edison/Brunswick area, so maybe in between, though we really like Morris County, so I hope all of you tell me that there are tons of jobs in Morris County and we will be fine buying there.
Will you buy or rent? Buy. Child with anxiety cannot handle two moves, so we will not rent first.
What is your budget ? Under $600K
What kind of place are you looking for ? Singe family home in a neighborhood where you can't hear highways with fantastics schools.
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ? hubs, two kids, 2nd grade and Kinder next fall.
Do you need/want good public schools? YES - nothing less than a 7 on Great Schools rating
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, close-knit, block parties, sidewalks ideally for little ones to ride bikes on. Walk to elementary school would be ideal.
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) Good schools, 2) Great family neighborhood, 3) 4BR house for under $600K (no split levels!)
You'll get a lot more house for your money in Randolph. Mountain Lakes as schools that are amongst the very best; Randolph schools are quite good but a notch below.
Commute from either to Edison/Brunswick are would not be good -- maybe 70 minutes. Somerset County is probably a better midpoint (around Basking Ridge) if you are really looking for both work areas that you mentioned.
I live in Randolph and there is plenty of houses that meet your criteria.
All I can say is North NJ is expensive, not just the price of housing, everything from transportation, food, etc.
I would be reluctant to purchase right now since there's only few places left that can still rise in value while the rest will just stay and likely drop depending on market conditions next year.
Renting is better choice for you to figure out NJ instead of jumping into some $600k home that you regret later on.
All I can say is North NJ is expensive, not just the price of housing, everything from transportation, food, etc.
I would be reluctant to purchase right now since there's only few places left that can still rise in value while the rest will just stay and likely drop depending on market conditions next year.
Renting is better choice for you to figure out NJ instead of jumping into some $600k home that you regret later on.
Coming from NO VA, they will be used to the cost and they already know a fair amount of the area.
The most problematic request is the block party neighborhood part. Doable, but I find people in NW NJ already have circles of friends. NOT mean. Just already do their own thing.
Coming from NO VA, they will be used to the cost and they already know a fair amount of the area.
The most problematic request is the block party neighborhood part. Doable, but I find people in NW NJ already have circles of friends. NOT mean. Just already do their own thing.
That's kind of a broad generalization. If the OP finds a neighborhood where the people have kids of similar ages to theirs, it's likely those people haven't lived there that long, and a tight knit neighborhood might grow.
I do know what you mean. I had to move back to my parents house when my daughter was five and the house I was renting burned down. We thought it was great because a girl her age lived next door, but she already had her friends on the street and the mothers were friends with one another and they were all SAHMs, and it didn't work out for us. I worked full-time and in the city to boot, and their kids didn't want to play with my daughter. They would leave her outside while they all went into somebody's house. So, we found other friends for her. And me.
But, taking the time to do drivebys and whatnot when you are planning a move could pay off. They don't want to find a street, for example, where the kids are now all teenagers and they have the only young ones.
Check out Bernardsville! Great neighborhoods with sidewalks, walkable downtown with shopping, restaurants, and groceries, excellent school system where kids walk/bike to school. The community is very close-knit, we have a private facebook forum that is active every minute of the day with postings on recommendations, helping each other out, community events, etc. You won't feel like you're near the highway at all, but you're literally a 5 minute drive from I-287 and a few more minutes to I-78 & I-80.
Although there are many multi-million dollar homes here you can find something for $600k. Look close to downtown, there are really no bad neighborhoods. Many colonial-style homes that will hold their value.
Would love advice about neighborhoods. So far, liking the houses and schools we are seeing in Mountain Lakes and Randolph. Looking for what we might be missing.
Where are you coming from? Northern VA, right outside of DC
Why are you moving? Be closer to where we grew up, away from DC politics
Where will you be working ? If NYC, what part of NYC? We both plan to work in Northern NJ, but exact locations are unknown. We will probably move while still teleworking for employers down here. It seems like there are employers in Parsippany/Morristown area and then the Edison/Brunswick area, so maybe in between, though we really like Morris County, so I hope all of you tell me that there are tons of jobs in Morris County and we will be fine buying there.
Will you buy or rent? Buy. Child with anxiety cannot handle two moves, so we will not rent first.
What is your budget ? Under $600K
What kind of place are you looking for ? Singe family home in a neighborhood where you can't hear highways with fantastics schools.
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ? hubs, two kids, 2nd grade and Kinder next fall.
Do you need/want good public schools? YES - nothing less than a 7 on Great Schools rating
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, close-knit, block parties, sidewalks ideally for little ones to ride bikes on. Walk to elementary school would be ideal.
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) Good schools, 2) Great family neighborhood, 3) 4BR house for under $600K (no split levels!)
combined yearly income?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
