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We sold our home in Woodbridge in August, right before real estate boomed. Looking back I wish we had waited, we could have made so much more on it. We lived there 13 years and while I loved the location being close to everything, the schools weren’t good. We have one child who graduated from Woodbridge hs and three younger ones. We planned a move to a Minneapolis suburb where schools are great and quality of life is tops. Unfortunately prices there have gone so high that we are now paying as much as we would in NJ. The real issue is we get outbid on every offer. 55 offers on our last property. Thinking of moving back to Nj now but my husband says that’s nuts. He just retired, but will still be working. He thinks NJ is overpriced for what you get and is all about who you know and corrupt. Although I agree in some ways, I’m homesick I guess. I know the market there is hot, but it can’t be as bad as MN right now. We can only spend 650k where in Nj could we go? I need good schools and not crazy taxes. We also have four kids so I need 4-5 bedrooms and a big yard. I was thinking Matawan, or Marlboro?? Or maybe I look in another state? Help!
Move to Pennsylvania. You'll still be close to your family and 650k will get you a very nice house in the Lehigh Valley vs Marlboro or Matawan (even now). Taxes are significantly less than NJ, though not as cheap as southern locales. Better weather than MN too.
Bababua,
I think a lot of people are mentally unstable right now, and sure I might be one for the first time in my life. Selling your home and not being able to buy one in a market where there’s 20-50 offers in each home can drive anyone a little crazy. But, thanks for the nice advice. I’ve already talked to my husband.
Minnesota is a great state in the summer! Even Minneapolis is a fun downtown.
Unless youre handcuffed with a job there is absolutely no reason to be in NJ with the cost of living and democrat swamp corruption. Like others said Florida or Carolinas have better quality of life. South Jersey (Burlington/Camden counties) and Pa are good variants to living in nj.
Dannyhobkins
Agreed. We have family in Staten Island but also family in the Minneapolis area. I grew up there and moved to Nj 20 plus years ago. The quality of life in the mpls metro is one of the best in the country. I’m trying to get us there, it’s just unreal what’s happening in the real estate market. We’ve been outbid 9 times. Hopefully this spring/summer we’ll get lucky. I was tempted to give up and turn back around, but it isn’t the answer.
"Looking for a little life advice on the internet from a bunch of wacky strangers is always the sign of a stable mind." Great advice. Covers a lot of postings.
Dannyhobkins
Agreed. We have family in Staten Island but also family in the Minneapolis area. I grew up there and moved to Nj 20 plus years ago. The quality of life in the mpls metro is one of the best in the country. I’m trying to get us there, it’s just unreal what’s happening in the real estate market. We’ve been outbid 9 times. Hopefully this spring/summer we’ll get lucky. I was tempted to give up and turn back around, but it isn’t the answer.
I hope you guys do! I house hunted every week for 1.5 years before I bought a place and had multiple deals fall through. May and June will be red hot months for new houses coming on the market.
"Looking for a little life advice on the internet from a bunch of wacky strangers is always the sign of a stable mind." Great advice. Covers a lot of postings.
At least it's free nearly free. We all pay an internet provider.
He thinks NJ is overpriced for what you get and is all about who you know and corrupt.
I think he's been watching too much of The Sopranos. Maybe he's thinking that Janice got her house at half price because Tony knew Johnny Sack. But that's fictional. I don't know anyone, and I don't know anyone corrupt that would help me purchase a home below market value because I was taught the secret handshakes or whatever your husband imagines.
You have to live where you are going to be happy, but you should keep in mind, you get what you pay for. NJ is expensive for a reason, because it is better to live than most other places. If you didn't like the public school where you were in NJ, you needed to move to a better area in NJ which has better schools.
Rummage,
His comment wasn’t related to house buying. We were in NJ 20 years and I can promise you who you know matters a lot, but that doesn’t apply just to Nj. I personally know about a lot of corruption so he’s not making this up. Again, this happens in other states too and isn’t what made us move. Obviously some Nj schools are better than others, but for the taxes I would expect newer schools and nicer town amenities. For instance, where we are looking to buy in Mn the town is clean, schcools are new state of the art facilities, the city has its own water park with lazy river and several water slides and it’s around 8 bucks for residents 10 for non. Schools are also rated higher nationally than towns like Westfield. Taxes aren’t cheap, MN is a high tax state but you truly get what you pay for. Taxes close to half of what NJ is. Jobs also pay very well, very close to Nj wages. The quality of life is what prompted our move. The issue is we can’t buy right now. The real estate market is insane.
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