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I'm trying to decide on a job in Cranford NJ but thinking of housing in a different state?? PA or DE possibly Any Ideas??
I have a stay at home wife and two kids ages 2 and 3 and all of family is Florida born. Housing can only be $250k or less (which is why I'm looking outside of NJ). Looking for no more than a hour or so commute and not so much inside a major city???
Any ideas of cities in any surrounding state is greatly appreciated.
There's no way you're getting to Cranford from out of state in less than an hour. PA along Route 79 (Easton, Bethlehem) is at least 1 1/2 hours, PA aong Route 80 (Scranton, Wilkes Barre) is over 2 hours, and DE would be over 2 1/2 hours. Affordable areas of NY state would also be over 2 hours.
If you really need to be within 1 hour of Cranford and spend less than 250k, you're going to have a tough time finding a home that would be safe for your family IMO.
Thanks for the posting. well an hour is about the most I think I can stand. What about NJ - any suggestions as far as housing in the state? And are there great advantages (ie. taxes etc) to staying outside of NJ?
I agree with Bob, it will be tough but not impossible. Are you looking yourself or with a realtor? If you need a realtor I have a couple friends and they are honest, hard working people that can maybe point you in the right direction. In the meantime do some searches on the internet and try Hazlet. It's right off the parkway (major hwy), nice area and close to stores, beach, NYC and anything else you might need. I know someone that just bought a house there for close to your price.
If you could get your price range up a little to say $300k (or better yet, $350) you'd be able to get a home very close to Cranford. You could get into Woodbridge or Edison and be 8 miles south on the Parkway from Cranford. Or, as Rapture said, go a little further down the Parkway (10 more miles) into Hazlet, Middletown or Old Bridge.
Under $250k and under an hour from Cranford in a safe neighbourhood with decent schools for kids is impossible.
Taxes here are really high too (think $7000 a year) and some kind of nursery school for the kids part time will set you back several hundreds a month.
If you want to keep the commute low look for townhouses in decent school districts. If you want room to grow, you will probably need to accept a longer commute.
The house bubble was really bad in New Jersey (prices doubled in last 5 years). Some people think prices will drop. They may or may not, but at the very least, they won't rise much. I would recommend renting a townhouse for a year or so (renting right now is cheaper anyway) to get a feel for the area and get to know which areas you would really like to live in. You can rent a 3 bedroom townhouse for around $1800 a month, to buy the same would cost you around $300=350k (don't forget $200 association fees and $600 in taxes on to that) so to rent for a year or so might be a good idea.
Regarding finding rentals in the Cranford area, do you have a source you recommend. I am from out of state and don't know whether the best option for renting is to go with a realtor??? I did check out some of the bigger websites and most apt rentals are the large apt complexes which I and I don't think the poster are really interested in. Thank you for any help you can provide.
Living in NJ is expensive....anything under 300,000, you'd be lucky to find. I would not want to live in the Woodbridge or Edison area....too congested. If you could find something suitable in Hazlet area.....that would be nice, but I'm not that familiar with the school system there. I believe that is Monmouth or Ocean County. I'm originally from NJ - relocated to GA 2 years ago.....culture shock......wish I could afford to move back there. I don't care what anyone says about NJ ...... it's all about family, friends and familiarity. Can't beat the Jersey shore. Best to you.
I don't know how many rentals you will find in the Cranford area. Cranford is a pretty nice town, as are the surrounding ones of Westfield/Clark/Garfield.
Lots of rentals (including private townhouses and single family homes) in near areas such as Piscataway, Somerset, Edison or even Bridgewater. Some are pricier than others. The Cranford area is more urban (sidewalks and the like) the other areas are more rural and a car is a must. Schools vary, nothing horrible, but if the goal is only to rent for a year or so, it is not a critical issue. Crime is low in all of these areas. Commute to Cranford would be around half an hour to hour depending on traffic (used to work there).
Take a look at realtor.com for lists of private rentals. Move.com has a lot but is pretty congested. I would suggest starting with realtor and getting the names of real estate agents that deal with rentals.
Following link is the online listings of New Jerseys big newspaper the Star Ledger, and some sample listings from decent towns. Forgot to mention, Metuchen is also nice and has a pleasant downtown and a train station nearby.
realestate.nj.com/
Type: Town Home
Beds: 3
Baths: 2.5
County: Somerset
*
Status: For Rent
City: Franklin Park
Ad Text: Franklin Park- 3BR 2.5 Bath, Twnhse, gar, W/D, deck, bsmnt. $1650. 917-604-6381*Full Ad
Type: Town Home
County: Middlesex
*
Status: For Rent
City: Sayreville
Ad Text: SAYREVILLE - 2 level townhouse, all applcs, F/P, avail immed. $1750. 732-586-0938*Full Ad
Type: Town Home
Beds: 3
Baths: 2.5
County: Mercer
*
Status: For Rent
City: Lawrenceville
Ad Text: LAWRENCEVILLE - Townhouse for rent, 3BR/2.5BA, garage, basement, pool, tennis. Walk to park. 53 Cliv...*Full Ad
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ok then NJ??
