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Hi all. We are moving back to the US from an overseas expat stint. We are looking at Chatham, Madison, Summit, New Providence, but I'm sure there are others that I am missing, and it's hard to tell what the communities are actually like without having visited yet.
Where are you coming from? - Brazil
Why are you moving? - job related move
Where will you be working ? Summit, NJ
Will you buy or rent? Buy
What is your budget ? Around $1.5 mil
What kind of place are you looking for ? single family home
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ? - spouse, two children, one starting high school and one in elementary school. My oldest will be off at college when we move.
Briefly describe the kind of neighborhood you'd like to live in
- walkable - I'd like the kids to walk to school, be able to walk or bike to restaurants / coffee shops
- a feeling of community and welcoming to new residents
- diverse neighborhood
List three things that are important to you in order of importance:
- excellent school district,
- down to earth community - don't want the high schooler to have to feel she has to "keep up" economically
- short commute time - we've spent too many years on long commutes for work, and don't want to do it anymore
I think these towns are all great town, and the ones encircling them too with excellent schools. There is a lot of old money plus transient people in these towns but you should be able to fit in. The only comment you mentioned is "- down to earth community - don't want the high schooler to have to feel she has to "keep up" economically", I do not have personal experience in these high schools, however these are all wealthy areas and I'd assume that is part of the culture there.
Basically checks all of your criteria, and is the most walkable and diverse of all of the towns listed. Budget won't go as far there, but you should be able to get something decent (updated 3/2 or a 4/3 that may need some updates) for $1.5M.
Hi all. We are moving back to the US from an overseas expat stint. We are looking at Chatham, Madison, Summit, New Providence, but I'm sure there are others that I am missing, and it's hard to tell what the communities are actually like without having visited yet.
Where are you coming from? - Brazil
Why are you moving? - job related move
Where will you be working ? Summit, NJ
Will you buy or rent? Buy
What is your budget ? Around $1.5 mil
What kind of place are you looking for ? single family home
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ? - spouse, two children, one starting high school and one in elementary school. My oldest will be off at college when we move.
Briefly describe the kind of neighborhood you'd like to live in
- walkable - I'd like the kids to walk to school, be able to walk or bike to restaurants / coffee shops
- a feeling of community and welcoming to new residents
- diverse neighborhood
List three things that are important to you in order of importance:
- excellent school district,
- down to earth community - don't want the high schooler to have to feel she has to "keep up" economically
- short commute time - we've spent too many years on long commutes for work, and don't want to do it anymore
Any thoughts?
All are good towns, but if you want down to Earth, I'd veer towards New Providence and Berkeley Heights. Summit, Chatham, etc. are great but flashy towns.
Sigh!! It used to be that people used to look for homes within 500k range or stretch to 600k/700k range about 5/6 years back.. now it seems everybody has a budget of 1.1 mn plus.
Thanks to everyone for your input. There are some towns here that I haven't looked into yet. We are hoping to visit over the summer so that we can finally narrow this down. Thanks!
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