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Our max budget is 850k (though we were pre-approved for way more - we don’t want to spend outside our means) but would prefer to stay under 800k. Our top priorities are that the schools are top rated and that the commute is manageable. I also like it when towns have some sort of downtown/Main Street area. I’m ok to commute up to 90 mins but I don’t want to commute much longer than that. We are also looking in CT but figured we should explore all areas. I have lots of coworkers that live in NJ and love it so I also plan to ask them for recommendations but figured I would check here first!
I am fine with a cosmetic fixer upper and we are looking at 3 bedrooms.
Most of northeastern NJ, and parts farther west and south are "Commuter towns", so your question is way too broad. About 300K people commute to the city every day from NJ, or did before COVID.
You gave a budget, which is good, but there's a Sticky at the top of the page that will help people help you if you answer the questions:
First thing you need to do is look at a map. I'm not being sarcastic here. A lot of people don't really have the layout in their heads as to where NJ towns lie in relation to Manhattan. WHERE in Manhattan you work is important, too, because, for example, a popular commuter town like Ridgewood, in the more northern part of NJ, is great for commuting to the WTC area because its train goes to Hoboken, while if you worked in the 50s or 60s, closer to Ridgewood as the crow flies, it will take you longer to get to work because you have to make a couple of transfers.
So the next thing is to look at the train lines (and buses, if that work best) and see if they go to Penn or to Hoboken. Things like that.
You are realistic about the commute, which is good. We get people on here who want a 45-minute commute door to door, and that is simply not realistic for a good suburban town with good schools. A good commute is likely an hour to an hour and a half, and you should be able to find what you're looking for in that range.
So, start with answering the questions in the sticky, and people will be happy to help!
If you are commuting to Midtown, look at Madison and Summit.
We ended up in Westfield, which you might like, but is better for commuting to Lower Manhattan than Midtown (but does have a nice downtown and good schools).
When house hunting, we also looked at parts of Bergen County (Ridgewood, Glen Rock, Fairlawn, River Edge, and Oradell).
Pick the town for a general commute not your current one (unless you know you will always be doing the same one forever). 800k for 3 bed should get you in any town you want and 90 will let you live in any of the popular ones.
Remember to look at bus+train options. There are trade offs for any town. Westfield doesn’t have a direct midtown train, but has a good bus option. Summit bus option is not as good (separate ticket where Westfield is same NJT), but direct train (but half go to Hoboken which is good if you want to go there, and if not)
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