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Hi all! Great site! I don't think my kind of question has been asked before (would be tough, since it's so specific to our situation) but I could be wrong, so please point me in the right direction if that's the case . Sorry, this is super long!
My husband and I are young (30 and 27) professionals living in Manhattan (Upper East Side). We considered moving to Long Island but since we work downtown figured that NJ would make more sense. We don't know anything about New Jersey though! And honestly don't know where to move to or even what kinds of questions to ask. If anyone has thoughts for us or just general experiences to relate that would be amazing!!
By way of background:
- he is a manager at a media company and I'm a lawyer. We spend a lot of time at work!
- we have a new baby (one month old), a dog and a cat
- our income varies depending on bonuses and things, but we make roughly around 250K between the two of us
- we are looking for a smallish house that we can easily maintain, with a yard for the dog and baby, nice kitchen because I love to cook, and something within a reasonable commute to the city as I really don't want to spend my whole life on the train
- we are slightly flexible on price, but I'd prefer to spend no more than $500K on a house. We need three bedrooms and I think one and a half bathrooms would do just fine
- the areas that we've heard nice things about are Montclair/Glen Ridge, South Orange, Teaneck and Hoboken. With Hoboken, I know we can't afford a house, but the fab commute might make up for it (and maybe we could get a unit in a brownstone or something for the outdoor space). Personally I don't think we can afford Montclair/Glen Ridge either - the property taxes alone are staggering!
Does anyone have any advice for us? Anything we should know about moving to NJ in general? It honestly seems really expensive - we make a decent salary but with childcare costs, property taxes, etc, it seems like we won't have that much left over. Currently we pay almost $3500 for a one bedroom in Manhattan, and figure it's a good time to buy - agree??
My neighbors from NYC (upper weset side) decided to rent a house in Ramsey a couple of years old. They decided to rent because they wanted to feel the area better without a commitment. Long story short they fell in love with Ramsey and now live there and their 2 kids go to school in Ramsey. They kept there townhouse in NYC but are renting it out. Ramsey also has great schools.
Good Luck
Essex County taxes are really high, but your get more for your money in the purchase price of the house. That's Montclair, South Orange, Maplewood, West Orange, Verona, etc. They're nice old, inner ring suburbs with a mixed black/white/christian/jewish population. Charming older housing stock. Cute downtowns. Walkable. The towns for people who don't really want to leave the city but have to. There are trains that go to midtown and some have trains that go to Hoboken where you can get a path downtown. Check NY Transit schedules to see the "gold standard towns" that have a stop.
I don't know much about Ridgewood, but I do know a little about Haworth and Closter in Bergen county. They're very pricey, but again, nice housing stock, walkable. Super diverse with families from all over the world. Property taxes lower than Essex, but house prices higher. Close to the GW bridge. No train. There are some other towns in Bergen like Nutley and Rutherford that are very popular.
Another county is Morris, plus Summit in Union county (that also has Westfield) Morris county is very white and traditional. Very good schools. it gets more rural as you go out. A hotbed of Wall Street workers. If you wait until next year when bonuses shrink across the board you'll probably get a better deal.
Another popular area is Monmouth County: Middletown, Fair Haven, Holmdel, Colts Neck and Rumson. Good schools and a ferry to downtown. Close to beaches.
Hope this helps. It seems like NJ has a million towns.
A friend of mine who is also a lawyer and hubby is an architect in the city live in Summit. I know that it's a nice town and there is a train station there. They actually walk to the train because they are so close. There are also other towns nearby. Maplewood, Springfield, Berkeley Heights. Very good schools in these areas.
Update us when you find a place.
Westfield, Cranford and Roselle Park in Union county.
Monmouth County has some too: Middletown, Hazlet, Holmdel
Rutherford NJ. Train in NY and quick commute to NY, a decent downtown, pretty good schools, within your price range and has a suburban/urban feel to it.
Wow, thanks all. You are definitely right, NJ seems to have a million and a half towns. My eyes are crossing .
I've looked up your suggestions and it seems like I keep coming back to the Essex County towns. I don't drive (although I am going to have to learn, of course...) and so it's appealing to live somewhere we can walk places at least some of the time. Also it seems like the aesthetic of the houses in those areas appeal to us a little more - I guess they're a little older and that's why? But they can be a little pricey too! I'm thinking maybe South Orange or Nutley? They seem to have the odd townhouse in those areas, which I think might be ideal for us (as long as we can find one with three bedrooms).
Just from looking at the NJ Transit map, it appears that SO has a train station but Nutley does not? Also it appears that the line that SO is on goes into Hoboken? I have a stupid question...does that then mean that I would have to pay a NJ Transit fare, then a PATH fare, and then an MTA fare if I wanted to take the subway. I am so, so green about this!
It's funny, every time I drive through NJ I really feel like we could move there and be happy, but it's just kind of a mental block since we've lived in cities so long, and we've never owned our own house before! I'm nervous about costs; even though we make a decent salary, we also save a lot and we want to have a few more children. I worry about being the poorest people in the neighborhood! I also worry about being isolated and not meeting other young families. I'm glad this place exists so I can get this stuff off my chest! Haha.
Wow, thanks all. You are definitely right, NJ seems to have a million and a half towns. My eyes are crossing .
I've looked up your suggestions and it seems like I keep coming back to the Essex County towns. I don't drive (although I am going to have to learn, of course...) and so it's appealing to live somewhere we can walk places at least some of the time. Also it seems like the aesthetic of the houses in those areas appeal to us a little more - I guess they're a little older and that's why? But they can be a little pricey too! I'm thinking maybe South Orange or Nutley? They seem to have the odd townhouse in those areas, which I think might be ideal for us (as long as we can find one with three bedrooms).
Just from looking at the NJ Transit map, it appears that SO has a train station but Nutley does not? Also it appears that the line that SO is on goes into Hoboken? I have a stupid question...does that then mean that I would have to pay a NJ Transit fare, then a PATH fare, and then an MTA fare if I wanted to take the subway. I am so, so green about this!
It's funny, every time I drive through NJ I really feel like we could move there and be happy, but it's just kind of a mental block since we've lived in cities so long, and we've never owned our own house before! I'm nervous about costs; even though we make a decent salary, we also save a lot and we want to have a few more children. I worry about being the poorest people in the neighborhood! I also worry about being isolated and not meeting other young families. I'm glad this place exists so I can get this stuff off my chest! Haha.
We made the jump to NJ from NYC in 2000 (we have then been relocated twice so I am down South now). We moved to a house in Maplewood. The upside was the town was fantastic. Nice, diverse, cosmopolitan thinking people. Excellent neighbors. Cool tudor and colonial homes. At the time we had a six month old child and the town was (and still is) chuck full of young families in our same boat (ex New Yorkers). The downtown was so nice, we could stroll to the diner, grocery store, coffee shop and some eclectic restaurants. It was and still is a wonderful forward thinking community.
The downside was my spouse, who is an attorney and had horrible hours ended up adding two hours on his day. Even though the commute is a mere 25-30 minutes by train, the whole kit and kaboodle took about an hour or so each way. We found this to be pretty stressful. Although the experience in Maplewood was very positive, I often wonder whether we would have been better off staying in the city until our kid(s) were school aged. The reality for us was that when our child was three she wanted to know why Daddy did not live with us anymore. She saw him so infrequently she thought he was only visiting. This was pretty sobering. As a result he ended up going in house and we moved away.
Just my thoughts. I wanted to give you both sides of the story.
Don't rule out Eastern Monmouth County. If you live in Rumson or Fair Haven (great towns w/excellent schools) you can take the Ferry into Manhattan. It's an awesome way to commute, 45 stress free minutes.
Since you will be coming from the city, you may seriously want to consider towns like Red Bank or Atlantic Highlands.
Red Bank is an awesome river front town with a bustling downtown. The downside there is when your little one is older, you'd probably have to consider private school. Otherwise, a great walking town where you can easily find a charming 3 bedroom with a yard in your price range. Red Bank has a train into NYC.
Atlantic Highlands has a ferry service and is a very nice waterfront community also with a charming downtown. Some nice restaurants and shops, decent school system, another great walking town.
Both towns are very close to the beach so you might enjoy that with your baby. I read kaday's post with interest because we used to be in the same situation with my husband's commute. The commute on Sea Streak has really changed things for us, though.
I would not consider Western Monmouth County, just my opinion. The commute is horrible, don't let anyone fool you! I've done it, and my husband has done it and we can both tell you, it stinks!
Good luck!
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. Sorry, this is super long!
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