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I am bewildered as to where the best locations would be to settle with a child age 9 and age 14. The cost of housing is a big concern as are taxes. We are most comfortable with a newer home and would like to spend less than 700,00. I see there is some new construction in hunterdon county but that is all I can find. We do not mind a commute and school is of the most concern. Does this place exist? Come on New jersey give me some feed back!
chatham and berkeley heights might have some newer townhomes in your price range. They are both very close to Berkeley heights and are very good school districts.
I am bewildered as to where the best locations would be to settle with a child age 9 and age 14. The cost of housing is a big concern as are taxes. We are most comfortable with a newer home and would like to spend less than 700,00. I see there is some new construction in hunterdon county but that is all I can find. We do not mind a commute and school is of the most concern. Does this place exist? Come on New jersey give me some feed back!
Large concentrations of new construction are going to be far from NYC. Hunterdon County is such an area. The commute will be awfully long. Close to 90 minutes on the train to Penn Station (depending on where you catch the train) PLUS 20 minutes walking crosstown to the east side, NOT TO MENTION however long it would take you to get from your house to the train station, park, walk to the platform, etc. And that's assuming you'd be able to procure a parking spot. Many train stations have waiting lists for parking that are many years long.
There are areas that are closer that offer nice housing, good schools, and are in your price range. Chatham Borough and Madison are such areas. They're approx. 55 minutes on the train. The housing stock is very nice but older. Maplewood and Millburn are nice areas, a bit closer on the train, but they're in Essex County where taxes tend to be higher.
On the Northeast Corridor Line is Metuchen, a nice little borough in Middlesex County. Lower taxes, nice homes (again, older), and though I don't know for sure, I'd wager the schools are pretty decent too.
Areas such as Hoboken, Edgewater, etc. are very close to NYC, new housing being developed (townhouses and condos) in your price range, but you'd almost certainly have to send your children to private schools.
If you hunt really really hard you could probably find the gem that meets all criteria. A new home developed in an older neighborhood close to the train with great schools, affordable, etc, but generally speaking, New homes + good schools + low taxes + short commute to NYC = good luck. You may have to make a compromise, be it settling for an older home, a longer commute, etc.
Large concentrations of new construction are going to be far from NYC. Hunterdon County is such an area. The commute will be awfully long. Close to 90 minutes on the train to Penn Station (depending on where you catch the train) PLUS 20 minutes walking crosstown to the east side, NOT TO MENTION however long it would take you to get from your house to the train station, park, walk to the platform, etc. And that's assuming you'd be able to procure a parking spot. Many train stations have waiting lists for parking that are many years long.
There are areas that are closer that offer nice housing, good schools, and are in your price range. Chatham Borough and Madison are such areas. They're approx. 55 minutes on the train. The housing stock is very nice but older. Maplewood and Millburn are nice areas, a bit closer on the train, but they're in Essex County where taxes tend to be higher.
On the Northeast Corridor Line is Metuchen, a nice little borough in Middlesex County. Lower taxes, nice homes (again, older), and though I don't know for sure, I'd wager the schools are pretty decent too.
Areas such as Hoboken, Edgewater, etc. are very close to NYC, new housing being developed (townhouses and condos) in your price range, but you'd almost certainly have to send your children to private schools.
If you hunt really really hard you could probably find the gem that meets all criteria. A new home developed in an older neighborhood close to the train with great schools, affordable, etc, but generally speaking, New homes + good schools + low taxes + short commute to NYC = good luck. You may have to make a compromise, be it settling for an older home, a longer commute, etc.
i think OP is talking about Murray Hill, NJ, not NYC? need clarification.
Ooops! I didn't know there was such a place. I work in Murray Hill in NYC, so I assumed. Sorry!!!
I looked it up (it's part of New Providence?). In that case you can look farther west and south for newer houses in your price range without having a ridiculous commute.
So are you saying that if I were to go north of the murray hill area it justs gets more expensive? Also could you give me some names of the towns with newer housing under the 700,000 price point? Thanks so much, I really appreciate it.
You can find a nice house under $700,000 in any town near Murray Hill. The difficulty lies in finding a nice house that's also fairly new. I'd recommend that you pick a few nice towns, with good schools, and let a broker hunt down a new house. If that fails, you can always cast a wider net to the south and west, where there may be more new construction. But I suspect you'll ultimately choose good schools and a reasonable commute over newness!
You may want to check out Scotch Plains...good schools and very close to Murray Hill.
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