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I just received an offer a job in NYC (Manhattan) and trying to decide if I should take it. One of the key factors is the cost of housing and commute times. We currently live in North West suburbs of Chicago about 1-hour commute to the city each way and own a 4 BR, 3000 Sqft, a recently built house in great school district.
Not being familiar with NJ, it would be great to get some advise if the criteria list below is even feasible for us to get?
1) Top Schools (We have two kids, one about to start school next year)
2) Commute to Manhattan approx an hour or under - one way
3) Quiet(er) neighbourhood
4) Similar house to our's under 900K
You're probably not going to get recently built for $900K in a towns with the "best" schools and a 1 hour commute. That said you should check out the usual suspects from the NJ Monthly schools list
We are in a very similar situation moving from the Midwest to NJ. Based on knowing a lot about the NW suburbs of Chicago, I suspect our current home and suburban environment are very similar. That said, during our search, we have found multiple communities that meet our requirements for commute, schools and neighborhood feel. What has been hard to find is a home that has similar size and features to our current home under 1m. We will have to make some compromises, but feel good about the options.
Not knowing exactly where you are working (midtown, downtown?), I would recommend you take a look at the njtransit train paths and schedules from various towns (maybe start with new providence/Chatham/Westfield or Bergen county towns like glen rock/ridgewood),and then if the commute is satisfactory, look at real estate online. You will quickly get a sense of what you can get for your budget.
I would say to check out Summit, Chatham. Just keep in mind with the work being done at Penn Station, it may add to your commute time until they are finished.
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