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My wife and I have two kids and we are trying to find the best towns for us to look into buying a home. We do have friends and family throughout the area, so we know some places, but not all. From the boards I get the sense that there are at least two dozen towns that could fit our bill (I have a list, see below), but I need some expert knowledge to help narrow that down.
Here's the facts:
We are interested in North Jersey, Essex, Union, Bergen or Eastern Morris, which is a large area to focus on. Our savings have accumulated to the point that we could responsibly afford a home in the 350k to 400k range. Our ideal house is not too big, and has 3br and at least has space to add a 2nd bath if there is not one already. We are looking for a town that has walkable downtown areas, parks, and an active playground. Of course good schools are a requirement. My wife works in midtown, so a commute of less than an hour to Penn Station is important (This seems to be the biggest factor affecting price). I love what I see in North Bergen, but I'm pretty sure anything there would be way out of our league. Ideally we would be buying a place to stay in for a long time.
Please let me know if I place like this exists that we could afford, or if we need to lower our expectations. Straight talk is appreciated.
Right now we are in a temporary very low rent situation, so there is no pressure to buy immediately. My first step is to get into the car to visit some towns, but my list is too long. Towns I have learned about on this board:
Summit, Springfield, Clark, Cranford, Clifton, Totowa, Kearney, North Arlington, Lyndhurst, Maplewood, SOrange, Rahway, Woodbridge, Edison, Roselle Park, Metuchen, Verona, Madison, Montclair etc etc etc
I know these are all over the place, thats why I need help.
(Disclaimer: Yes. I have searched and read many posts, and I know many of you are tired of this type of question. If you can stand it, please share your knowledge. Thanks in advance)
I think you can take Summit, Madison and Montclair off the list. Realistically I don't see getting a 3 bed house there in your budget, but I could be wrong. I'm not sure how the schools are in Kearney or Rahway either, not great I don't think.
Also, I lived in Nutley which is the next town over from Lyndhurst. The train in Lyndhurst goes into Hoboken so if you want to go to Penn Station you need to switch in Secaucus. In my opinion, it's a pain in the butt because sometimes you miss your connections on the way back home. If you can, look at towns that have a direct train to Penn, it makes for a nicer commute. Lyndhurst as a town has some nice parts, nothing dangerous or really rundown, but it's a true blue color town. Plus is that is is a fast commute to NYC though.
Summit - will be out of budget
Springfield - town has good & bad parts, schools are not the best
Clark- Don't know too much about it.
Cranford - Nice town, good schools, commute will be a little longer.
Clifton - Can get more for your $ and it's right on the Bergen Border, but for the most part schools in the town are not good and there are bad ares.
Totowa - Not too familiar with the town.
Kearney, North Arlington, Lyndhurst - All of these are very blue colar and have a large immigrant population now. The schools are not so great in any of them.
Maplewood - again, good & bad sections.
SOrange- Many people like - I think it is good and bad sections. Not too sure about schools.
Rahway - Not a great town, not great schools.
Woodbridge- Varies greatly by neighborhood. You would prob be best taknig Metropark from Edison to work - commute may be longer.
Edison - see Woodbridge.
Roselle Park- Not the greatest town or schools.
Metuchen - I have heard that it is better, but not very familiar.
Verona- Nice town, nice downtown, good schools - no train in town, but trains near by.
Madison, Montclair Both may be out of budget, and Montclair has it's good and bad sections.
I would reccommment resarching the schools on greatschools.net if you have not already.
I know these are all over the place, thats why I need help.
There is a trainstation in Nutley, I lived there and took the train all the time, you have to switch though in Secaucus. If you take River Road down passing Clifton commons on your left and keep going the train station is at the end of that road.
Metuchen & Cranford have great schools, but you probably will not find a 3BR house for that price. I just bought a 3BR/ 2 bath house in great condition in Rahway for less than your range, but I have heard the schools are not great (no kids yet, so this wasn't a huge issue for me). However, I work in the city, and Rahway is a very reasonable commute.
Since I am currently looking in similar area with similar budget I'll share what I've learned. I don't know about all the towns you listed but here's what I do know. Unfortunately, 300-400K doesn't get much anywhere.
South Orange/Maplewood: Nice homes, good neighborhoods and excellent commute but the taxes are extremely high for the quality of schools. I grew up there so I am speaking from experience.
Cranford: Good schools and it may be possible to get a small 3 bedroom cape in your budget that will probably need work. Commutable to NYC. This is currently my 1st choice.
Roselle Park: High taxes. Not the best schools.
Rahway: No for the schools.
Metuchen: I've heard good things. Not sure what you will find in your budget.
Colonia which is part of woodbridge. Decent schools. Good area. Possibly high percentage of blue collar but I am personally ok with that.
Another area you might want to consider: Livingston. Excellent schools and believe it or not you might be able to get a small cape cod in your price range. No train to NYC but buses. This happens to be my second choice.
Bloomfield is nice, has houses in your range and an easy commute.
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