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Hi All!
I've read a number of the threads, but there is nothing like posting to try to get some personalized advice. A little about us. Lesbian couple, married, 30 years old, professionals. About to start a family, and we also take care of my mother-in-law. Looking for a "reasonable" commute (45-1hr) to Penn or Port Authority in an affordable town.
Where are you coming from?
Long Island City, Queens.
Why are you moving?
More space (my MIL now lives with us and we are in early family planning stages), save money, getting a little burnt out on the city lifestyle.
Where will you be working ? If NYC, what part of NYC?
NYC: I work in Union Square, SO is in Midtown (near Bryant Park)
Will you buy or rent?
Buy
What is your budget ?
350-520k (depending on if we decide to renovate)
What kind of place are you looking for ?
SF at least 3BR/2BA. Ideally close enough to NYC public transportation
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ? Spouse, MIL, Pets, no children yet
Do you need/want good public schools?
No, as long as town has a decent elementary school, we are fine. We figure most schools in the burbs will be better than NYC public.
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)
Would love a diverse, semi-walkable town that is LGBT friendly (lesbian couple). Would also like to keep the commute to about 45 minutes to Penn or Port Authority.
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) Commute Time
2) Home Prices
3) Walkability (we will have a car, but would love if we can walk/bike to some places)
We have been doing research on Bloomfield, West Orange, and Clifton (have friends/acquaintenances in all areas). Would LOVE Maplewood or South Orange, but I think acceptable homes are just outside of our max price point. The ideal would be to keep our monthly housing costs to less than 4k/mo.
Any advice on commute time, overall feel of the towns etc, is greatly appreciated. Also, are there any other towns we should be considering?
Do you need/want good public schools?
No, as long as town has a decent elementary school, we are fine. We figure most schools in the burbs will be better than NYC public.
This assumption is something you should revisit. In my opinion while its true in general there are many schools in burbs that's better than NYC public schools. There are also plenty who are on par and some that are worse. I do recommend you do your homework on the school system of towns you are looking at. Also consider changing this requirement into good public schools and defining good as better than most NYC public school system.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dblack87
What is your budget ?
350-520k (depending on if we decide to renovate)
Factoring in ideal 45m commute and 'good' public school. I dare say this may be near impossible for 3/2. You are looking at 1h commute and that's not door to door. South Orange for example is 1h to Penn station.
Lemme give you even more crisp idea. Towns with Path which have fastest and easiest access to WTC and 33rd have following commute time.
To WTC
- Downtown Jersey City 20m
- Journal Square (JSQ) 25m
- Hoboken 30m.
To Union Square
- Hoboken 20m
- Downtown JC 30m
- JSQ 35m
Even if plebs like you and I can afford 3/2 in JC or Hoboken. Neither towns have good public schools. Its on par with NYC public school system, not better in my opinion. If people start throwing out McNeir for JC, ignore them because that's like throwing out Sty, Tech, Sci for NYC.
All in all. You'll need to consider the following. Increase your budget, increase commute time by moving further out, and/or drop good public schools completely. Without that, I think you'll be hard pressed to find towns that fit your current criteria. Which is probably reflected by no one responding to your post so far. I know it sounds nuts but its just reality based on my knowledge. Good luck!
Secaucus comes to mind. You can take a train to Penn and yiur spouse can take a bus to Port Authority. Both commutes are well within 45 mins. Schools are pretty average from what I gather. Taxes in Secaucus are pretty low by NJ standards. Only criteria it doesn't really meet for you is that it's not really walkable. There's of couple of businesses in Paterson Plank Rd but that's about it. You need a car to get around.
Rutherford would be your absolute best bet and you wouldn't have to compromise at all on schools. You may not get as much house as you may anticipate on your budget (but since we have no idea how much house you're looking for, it's worth a look).
Clifton and Bloomfield both should work given your criteria, although I'm not 100% certain about the commute times. Bloomfield should be ok because they have a direct train to Penn.
I'd stay away from West Orange. Taxes are high and there's no way you're making it to NYC in under an hour from there.
The issue with these types of discussions, and they are multi-faceted, is that everything for the most part is relative, subjective, and nothing more than opinion. Sure, real estate taxes are a concrete, quantifiable number and you can either afford it or you can't. It is for you to say it is "high" or "low" or anything else. People talk about schools and say no, they are bad, and they point to a magazine article. They point to another article and it's better. The media? They are not the end all, cure all, be all. Just my opinion.
That said, there are plenty of towns in NJ where you can look. Some may appeal to you, others not. Some may check many/most of the boxes, some won't. I hear people say you can't live anywhere nice for $500,000 in NJ (no, I do not mean in this thread), and my response is...OK...for you. If someone feels that, that is based upon and for them. Other people may be able to. For them?
Did you consider a townhouse? Or a high-rise? Just curious. I would also have a lot of discussions with your friends. Talk to them about quality of life, enjoyment of life, and so forth. Start looking off the beatin' path a bit -- at a few smaller, lesser known towns. Spend the weekend driving around and looking -- a lot. I just had a few friends move to River Edge, New Milford, and Wood Ridge. Do all three of them check all the boxes for you? Perhaps not. Probably not. But you see, feel, like, and so on when it becomes real.
Regardless, you mentioned some nice towns. Do your homework, a lot. And then do it again. If you ask and answer some additional questions then you can look at many towns, even in Northern NJ.
Hi All!
I've read a number of the threads, but there is nothing like posting to try to get some personalized advice. A little about us. Lesbian couple, married, 30 years old, professionals. About to start a family, and we also take care of my mother-in-law. Looking for a "reasonable" commute (45-1hr) to Penn or Port Authority in an affordable town.
Where are you coming from?
Long Island City, Queens.
Why are you moving?
More space (my MIL now lives with us and we are in early family planning stages), save money, getting a little burnt out on the city lifestyle.
Where will you be working ? If NYC, what part of NYC?
NYC: I work in Union Square, SO is in Midtown (near Bryant Park)
Will you buy or rent?
Buy
What is your budget ?
350-520k (depending on if we decide to renovate)
What kind of place are you looking for ?
SF at least 3BR/2BA. Ideally close enough to NYC public transportation
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ? Spouse, MIL, Pets, no children yet
Do you need/want good public schools?
No, as long as town has a decent elementary school, we are fine. We figure most schools in the burbs will be better than NYC public.
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)
Would love a diverse, semi-walkable town that is LGBT friendly (lesbian couple). Would also like to keep the commute to about 45 minutes to Penn or Port Authority.
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) Commute Time
2) Home Prices
3) Walkability (we will have a car, but would love if we can walk/bike to some places)
We have been doing research on Bloomfield, West Orange, and Clifton (have friends/acquaintenances in all areas). Would LOVE Maplewood or South Orange, but I think acceptable homes are just outside of our max price point. The ideal would be to keep our monthly housing costs to less than 4k/mo.
Any advice on commute time, overall feel of the towns etc, is greatly appreciated. Also, are there any other towns we should be considering?
Westfield,New providence,Berkeley Heights,maybe the Caldwell's,Edison.
I just had a few friends move to River Edge, New Milford.......
These are both good choices. Others are Dumont, Bergenfield, Westwood and Ridgewood. All of the above should get you to your work place by express NJ Transit bus within 1 hour door-to-door.
Best thing to do is take some free time, drive through some of the town centers and their side streets, find out what you like.
There was a thread here a few weeks ago on Haworth and Harrington Park, those could be options.
Those two towns would be at the high end of the OP's budget. Worth a look though as they are nice towns and both on express NJ Transit bus routes into NYC.
Those two towns would be at the high end of the OP's budget. Worth a look though as they are nice towns and both on express NJ Transit bus routes into NYC.
Yes, my thought. New Milford and River Edge mentioned above are also good and a little closer and schools are good I think. Bergenfield and Dumont are definitely in budget and good commutes too but I don't know about the schools.
Bus vs train also depends when you go. If you commute early bus is super easy, after 7:15 it can get trafficky.
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