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New year, likely a new job. Looking for some updated thoughts on good areas to explore living within 20-30min drive of Florham Park. Have done some forum searches already. Also looking for any opinions on one area that seems initially interesting- Shongum lake area.
First- About me:
Mid career, potentially relocating from Philly with wife and 6YO and dog.
Likely budget 500-700K to buy. (Roughly 3500-4000mo payment)
Would like home with: Good schools, 4bd/2+ba, 2000-3000 sq' interior, 2 car garage, reasonably sized yard that can be fenced for dog that likes to run, ability to go for walk for exercise with dog without being on main/busy road, friendly neighbors to meet an chat with on said walks.
Looking around the area using realestate websites, this website, and a website that gives school ratings here are my initial thoughts- appreciate input to what I may have wrong:
-Florham Park itself is nice but expensive for what I am looking for.
-Hanover/East Hanover are slightly cheaper than Florham park due to low taxes, schools only ok
-Madison/Chatham probably out of price range for what we would want for home size and amenities
-Going down 287 to Basking Ridge doesn't seem to get much cheaper
-Morristown township somewhat more reasonable but schools ratings not so good
-Mendham boro has good schools, slightly cheaper than Florham park, but may be >30 minute drive
Shongum lake area seems to stand out as having solid schools, homes with the features we are looking for, being within commuting radius, and the mid-density suburban feel we like. Are there any drawbacks to the Shongum area that I might be overlooking, and aren't obvious from an internet search? Things like flooding, some kind of township rezoning that will change the school district, or an EPA superfund site somewhere nearby?
Other areas I've left out that meet what we are looking for and are not near a flood hazard?
New year, likely a new job. Looking for some updated thoughts on good areas to explore living within 20-30min drive of Florham Park. Have done some forum searches already. Also looking for any opinions on one area that seems initially interesting- Shongum lake area.
First- About me:
Mid career, potentially relocating from Philly with wife and 6YO and dog.
Likely budget 500-700K to buy. (Roughly 3500-4000mo payment)
Would like home with: Good schools, 4bd/2+ba, 2000-3000 sq' interior, 2 car garage, reasonably sized yard that can be fenced for dog that likes to run, ability to go for walk for exercise with dog without being on main/busy road, friendly neighbors to meet an chat with on said walks.
Looking around the area using realestate websites, this website, and a website that gives school ratings here are my initial thoughts- appreciate input to what I may have wrong:
-Florham Park itself is nice but expensive for what I am looking for.
-Hanover/East Hanover are slightly cheaper than Florham park due to low taxes, schools only ok
-Madison/Chatham probably out of price range for what we would want for home size and amenities
-Going down 287 to Basking Ridge doesn't seem to get much cheaper
-Morristown township somewhat more reasonable but schools ratings not so good
-Mendham boro has good schools, slightly cheaper than Florham park, but may be >30 minute drive
Shongum lake area seems to stand out as having solid schools, homes with the features we are looking for, being within commuting radius, and the mid-density suburban feel we like. Are there any drawbacks to the Shongum area that I might be overlooking, and aren't obvious from an internet search? Things like flooding, some kind of township rezoning that will change the school district, or an EPA superfund site somewhere nearby?
Other areas I've left out that meet what we are looking for and are not near a flood hazard?
TIA.
I lived in East Hanover my whole life and I go to Florham Park a lot. I was going to recommend you East Hanover, because I thought it would fit your budget. In the 90s, my parents' house was $300K, but probably is in your budget for this day and time. We have low taxes here due to Novartis and Mondelez (I hope they don't replace Mondelez with that townhouse development.) East Hanover has good schools and it shares the high school with Florham Park. Also, traffic has not changed much (compared to places westward) since these towns lost their population. Shongum (Randolph) traffic got bad over the years and driving on Route 10 during rush hour and holiday season are awful. The westward traffic in NJ is always bad in the afternoon, so be careful how far west of the town you move to.
You can check out Long Valley.. 36 min commute to Florham Park in ideal condition.. good school district and park like location.. but still accessible to major highways.. E.g sample house in Toll Brotgers community.. 67 Kim Lane, Long Valley.. weekend drive to Chelsea Market Manhattan would be 55 min If you are closer to 46. You can look at Mt Olive too. Chester and Mendham are good too.. but you would have to depend on 78 more.
I had to look up Shongum Lake, lol. Yes, Randolph is nice.
You could look at New Providence as well. Plenty of homes in your price range, great schools, and close proximity to Watchung Reservation and the Great Swamp for walks, along with Passaic River Park. If you take the smaller roads to Florham Park the drive can be anywhere from 15-30 minutes, depending on where you are in each town.
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