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I currently live in Brooklyn NY and looking to relocate outside nyc for better schools and lower crime.
I m looking for a town with good schools, 1hr commute to manhattan and a good mix of Asian (Chinese/ Korean/ Japanese) businesses and also walkable town.
I feel like there isn’t a lot that fits the bill except fort lee or great neck.
I m looking for a 1 family house with budget less $1mm with 3-4 bedroom with 2 bath
I see that most are around that range but there are also some in like 600k range and I couldn’t tell if it’s the neighborhood. Can someone tell if there are shady areas in fort lee that I should avoid. Are there neighborhoods within fort lee similar to Brooklyn.
I m completely new to this so appreciate any feedback. Thanks!
Shady in Fort Lee? I’d say not. Like all other towns, they have to fulfill certain affordable housing requirements and have some apartments scattered around to do so. Crime is not an issue though. I prefer the part of town south of the bridge, which is where I live. That is where you find the downtown and the heaviest concentration of the Asian businesses clustered together...also near the Palisades Park downtown as well (and Cliffside Park, although that is not as Asian as the other two...more of a Russian/Turkish vibe with a little bit of Italian as well and a modest amount of Asian businesses).
Luckily, you have a good budget. Below $700K is slim pickings these days. Those that you find in that range are not because of the neighborhood. They are just going to be smaller and/or older homes. It’s actually a testament to the neighborhood that those houses sell for as much as they do.
No bad areas in fort lee, but the further south and west you go, the less nice the area is (cliff side and palisades park). They are still safe, but just grimier, houses arent as well kept, etc.
The $600k houses are going to be 1950s and older houses and fixer uppers.
Also look into englewood cliffs (no school district or downtown but close enough to fort lee and englewood downtowns) and Leonia (small downtown, also close to fort lee and pal park downtowns).
I currently live in Brooklyn NY and looking to relocate outside nyc for better schools and lower crime.
I m looking for a town with good schools, 1hr commute to manhattan and a good mix of Asian (Chinese/ Korean/ Japanese) businesses and also walkable town.
I feel like there isn’t a lot that fits the bill except fort lee or great neck.
I m looking for a 1 family house with budget less $1mm with 3-4 bedroom with 2 bath
I see that most are around that range but there are also some in like 600k range and I couldn’t tell if it’s the neighborhood. Can someone tell if there are shady areas in fort lee that I should avoid. Are there neighborhoods within fort lee similar to Brooklyn.
I m completely new to this so appreciate any feedback. Thanks!
i live in edgewater which is little bit south of fort lee, so know the area very well. For fort lee, the area i like the most is near main street, so you are walkable to all the restaurants and short drive to h mart, also lots buses to nyc within few mins walk.
There are plenty new construction townhomes in that area for around 800-900k. Fort lee is unique in that most "houses" are split townhomes - you occupy 1 side, and your neighbor occupies the other side, making up the full house, backyard is split into 2 as well. I really dont see an issue with this. But if you must have a stand alone single family, it gets a bit tougher to find a nice renovated house under 1m. Most nice houses are in the "bluff" section and start at 1.3m. If you ask a realtor they tell you "bluff" section is the best area in fort lee, but i disagree. Sure the area is nice with neat streets and houses, but there is nothing there....you have to drive everywhere, i much prefer main street area.
Also you may also want to look into edgewater, north of river road has some good houses, waterfront also has plenty nice townhomes under 1m. The school isn't as good as fort lee but still decent (lots japanese / chinese / korean). But you gain wholefood, mitsuwa, trader joes, target, etc.. all the shopping and supermarket you want. And a walkable waterfront with nice manhattan view to walk to those places. Heck mitsuwa is like a popular tourist spot, people come just to visit the place and eat the food.
i live in edgewater which is little bit south of fort lee, so know the area very well. For fort lee, the area i like the most is near main street, so you are walkable to all the restaurants and short drive to h mart, also lots buses to nyc within few mins walk.
There are plenty new construction townhomes in that area for around 800-900k. Fort lee is unique in that most "houses" are split townhomes - you occupy 1 side, and your neighbor occupies the other side, making up the full house, backyard is split into 2 as well. I really dont see an issue with this. But if you must have a stand alone single family, it gets a bit tougher to find a nice renovated house under 1m. Most nice houses are in the "bluff" section and start at 1.3m. If you ask a realtor they tell you "bluff" section is the best area in fort lee, but i disagree. Sure the area is nice with neat streets and houses, but there is nothing there....you have to drive everywhere, i much prefer main street area.
Also you may also want to look into edgewater, north of river road has some good houses, waterfront also has plenty nice townhomes under 1m. The school isn't as good as fort lee but still decent (lots japanese / chinese / korean). But you gain wholefood, mitsuwa, trader joes, target, etc.. all the shopping and supermarket you want. And a walkable waterfront with nice manhattan view to walk to those places. Heck mitsuwa is like a popular tourist spot, people come just to visit the place and eat the food.
as far as I know, edgewater doesn't really have a downtown but it's close enough to fort lee.
It has a few strip malls like you mentioned (mitsuwa, target, trader joes, whole foods, city place).
the problem with town homes besides the shared wall (noise), is repairs to common areas must be agreed by both sides. I know someone that wanted to replace the roof, but the other side didn't so it became a frustrating ordeal. the interiors are very modern though. completely open layouts, kitchens with large island, deck by the kitchen, impressive master suite.
but they are priced and taxed like SFH, without the benefit of being a SFH.
between a new TH and this, I would go with this all day everyday.
Last edited by blahblahyoutoo; 10-04-2020 at 08:34 PM..
Look for something off of Abbott Blvd. Its the Park Ave of Ft Lee with a center island and many walkers and families going for an evening stroll. There are some nice parks pocket parks and restaurants one block over on Anderson.
In my opinion Ft. Lee is an excellent town. It all comes down to what you are looking for -- location, accessibility to NYC, mass transportation, convenience, etc. If you are looking for land, suburbs, quiet, country living, etc., obviously you won't find it in Ft. Lee.
The same applies to high-rises, townhomes, SFH's, etc. -- what you want, like, are looking for, etc. Some people like townhomes, others do not. Some people love high-rises, others hate it. Neither is right or wrong. Some people like chocolate, some like vanilla, and some do not like ice cream, LOL.
There are a few nice "enclaves" and streets, areas, in Ft. Lee. I don't think there are any "sketchy" or "shady" areas. It's a nice town. There are "older" sections of town, second generation families, older people, etc. -- but there's nothing at all wrong with that.
Personally, I like the neighborhood of "the old cliffs" section or some people call it "the bluffs" or "the south bluffs" -- Bluff Road, Bridle Way, etc. -- however, I don't know that you are getting in there under 1mm. This is south of the GW Bridge. There is a "condo" building on Palisade and Columbia Ave. that might be an option. I also like a few of the streets in the Abbott Blvd. section -- north from Columbia Ave. You can drive up and down those streets on each side of Abbott Blvd., starting from Columbia Ave., heading north. This too is south of the GW Bridge, and west of the cliffs, Palisade Ave., etc. In addition, if you are traveling north on Anderson Ave., let's say coming from Cliffside Park, heading into Ft. Lee, as you head north, past Columbia Ave., there are numerous streets, on the westside, on your left, north of Columbia, that are also nice. This is a nice neighborhood/area. This is south of the GW and even further west than Palisade, and now Anderson. There are several areas of the "west side" of Ft. Lee, south of the GW, that are nice, quiet, have young families, with kids, people who work in NYC, or NNJ, and provide a nice lifestyle for people who live there. I have a dozen friends there -- from singles, to divorcees, to families with no children, young children, etc. They live in each of the areas I described.
There are numerous townhome complexes, small, some non-designated, some well-known, etc. They were built by top, well-respected builders, geared toward higher-end buyers, etc. Some have unique construction -- branch, cloverleaf, etc. -- where there are no common walls, common living walls, etc. I've seen million-dollar townhomes and high-rises, as well as million dollar SFH's.
If you’re open to other towns with some Asian businesses/population with good schools I’d recommend the northern valley area - tenafly, cresskill, and closter. Commute to midtown from tenafly is a little over an hour. From cresskill and closter a little more.
the best neighborhood in fort lee is the area east of palisades avenue, between Columbia ave and horizon house. mature growth trees & shrubs. that area may be a bit over your budget at $1 million though. if you should find an older home in that neighborhood in need of a reno, don't think twice. just buy it.
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