Townhouse/house 400k-500k, good commute to NYC and schools

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by Retriever

No, that place disappeared over a decade ago. It was a horror in terms of the way that the animals were maintained and--finally--it was shut down.

Good then.

This had to be in 1971.

[JohnRDel]

I'm a commuter and recently moved from South Orange to Wood Ridge, into a town-home community being developed around a new train station. The commute is nothing to complain about - a 10 minute walk to the train, a 10 minute ride to Secaucus, anywhere from 0-10 minute layover, and then a 10 minute ride into Penn Station.

We are in "Wright Place" but there is also "Liberty Square," which offers more variety in terms of size/pricing.

Townhomes in Wood Ridge, NJ

https://www.pulte.com/homes/new-jers...station-209255

[Mightyqueen801]

^Good info. Thanks for contributing.

I believe they call this TOD--Transit-Oriented Development.

[ArcticBlast]

Originally Posted by JohnRDel

I'm a commuter and recently moved from South Orange to Wood Ridge, into a town-home community being developed around a new train station. The commute is nothing to complain about - a 10 minute walk to the train, a 10 minute ride to Secaucus, anywhere from 0-10 minute layover, and then a 10 minute ride into Penn Station.

We are in "Wright Place" but there is also "Liberty Square," which offers more variety in terms of size/pricing.

Townhomes in Wood Ridge, NJ

https://www.pulte.com/homes/new-jers...station-209255

It is a good community if you plan to send your kids to a private school. Public schools ratings are nothing to brag about IMHO.

[JohnRDel]

@ArcticBlast Yeah - we are currently childless but probably not forever. In about 10 years (when getting ready to send a tot to school) we will probably head toward Cedar Grove/Montclair, my hometown area. This is a great place to plant a starter home and have small children - not sure about raising a family.

[Blackjack2000]

Originally Posted by JohnRDel

I'm a commuter and recently moved from South Orange to Wood Ridge, into a town-home community being developed around a new train station. The commute is nothing to complain about - a 10 minute walk to the train, a 10 minute ride to Secaucus, anywhere from 0-10 minute layover, and then a 10 minute ride into Penn Station.

We are in "Wright Place" but there is also "Liberty Square," which offers more variety in terms of size/pricing.

Townhomes in Wood Ridge, NJ

https://www.pulte.com/homes/new-jers...station-209255

Governor Cuomo has reached out to the federal government to help address the anticipated "summer of agony" in Penn Station. Says that in terms of disruption, it's as bad as a natural disaster.


https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/21/n...tion.html?_r=0

[JohnRDel]

Originally Posted by Blackjack2000

Governor Cuomo has reached out to the federal government to help address the anticipated "summer of agony" in Penn Station. Says that in terms of disruption, it's as bad as a natural disaster.


https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/21/n...tion.html?_r=0

That's good to know, thanks for sharing!
For the indefinite future I'm actually going from Wesmont > Hoboken, and taking the Path to 34th. In an ideal world where trains came in and out of the tunnel to Penn seamlessly, the Hoboken/Path option would take longer, but not these days.

[REAG]

Hey Antaz - You should def. look into wood-ridge and Hasbrouck heights, i moved into wood-ridge community about 2 years ago (John - looks like we are neighbors ).

So far, i have no complaints - My husband travels to the city and it takes him just under an hour - he works in mid-town. (I used to work in downtown, before i decided to change and pursue my passion, so it does not affect me that much anymore).

There are def. options within your price point, I would also urge you to look around WR as there are some really nice homes (In case you are looking for something other than a town home).

+

a) Reasonable commute to the city (Becoming a commuter town)
b) Fast growing community
c) Transportation options - Bus and Train (Both takes about an hour, Prefer the bus as the frequency is more Vs. the train)
d) Close proximity to Paramus Mall (Westfield)
e) Walmart/BJ/Shoprite are all close (2 mile radius approx.)
f) New construction - Tax abatement
g) Safe town - Rated top 20 in the safest cities in NJ

-

a) Schools - Middle school is good (9 rating in great schools.org), but elementary is NR (but you could consider Private schools in the area. With the influx of new homes, the additional tax money will be spent on WR schools, so i would expect an improvement in school ratings.
b) High taxes (after abatement period) - but that's the case anywhere in NJ

Apart from that, it is a pretty cool place and i have enjoyed living in WR. After having lived here for 2 years, i do consider myself to be a local expert, so let me know if you have any questions around the area.

Good luck with the house hunt!!

Thanks and regards
REAG

[Ellwood]

Try Whippany/Hanover/Parsippany area. There are buses (Lakewood?) with park and ride.

[newToGreenwich]

Whippany has a lot of daycares. The Learning Experience is a walking distance from The Grande at Hanover condominiums.