Moving back to Philly with a family... (Springfield, Glenside: real estate, rental)

[Fivepeeps]

My wife and I both went to study for advanced degrees in the Philly area. We lived in the Chinatown area which was not ideal, but was close to the my school, and my wife attended Arcadia University in Glenside (it was called something else at the time), and we left the area in 1999 after we both graduated.

Now we have a potential opportunity for me that may return us to the Philly area. We now live in coastal Virginia, and life here is very quiet. Almost too quiet for us, so the idea of living in near a big city with a lot to offer is very attractive to us.

If this job pans out, I will be working in the NE Philly area and travelling between Glenside and the NE Philly area proper for work. My wife is an elementary school teacher and prefers to work in the private school setting. We have three small children who are seven, three and a half and our youngest is about to be one. We are hoping to eventually be able to afford to send them to private school, but at first it is likely that they will go to daycare and public school. We are hoping my wife will find a job easily as she has been teaching for over ten years here, and has a Master's degree.

I would like to live somewhat close to Center City but far enough away that the "City" can be left behind.

I've recently been looking in the Mount Airy area for homes as it looks like there are some really nice "fixer uppers" for a very reasonable price. Other than that some people I know have talked about Chestnut Hill, but it looks like the home prices are out of our range. We would like to find a 4 bedroom home to buy in the 300K-400K range and given the state of real estate, I think this shouldn't be too difficult to find. Any thoughts?

Since we haven't been in the area in about 10 years, any advice as to reasonably nice areas to live and bring up a young family with the above considerations would be very helpful.

Thanks for any help.

[Butterfly4u]

My advice to you would be to rent a home for 6 months until you decide where you would like to live.
If you still haven't made your decision, you could stay in a rental for another 6 months.
Buying a home is expensive and a major decision, so take your time.
That way you won't regret the purchase.
Consider parts of NJ also, adjacent to where you will work, thousands of people
commute from NJ everyday to Phila. for work.
I used to work in Center City at the Federal building and many of my coworkers lived
in New Jersey. (Collingswood, Woodbury).
The public transportation is excellent from NJ to Philly and the public schools are excellent
in NJ. The real estate taxes are pricey, but you have 3 little ones to benefit from
the schools in the near future.
Your wife might even get a job teaching in NJ.
Good Luck to you in any case, I hope you find the home that is right for you.

[frankgn87]

I would recommend NJ too. It no city wage tax, cheaper car insurance & better quality of living (peace and quiet and safety) but close to the Philly action if you so desire to partake in it.

[Fivepeeps]

Thanks for the input.

What kind of commute, time wise, am I looking at if I live across the bridge?

[frankgn87]

Originally Posted by Fivepeeps

Thanks for the input.

What kind of commute, time wise, am I looking at if I live across the bridge?

depends on where in Jersey and where in the NE. We live in Jersey and can get to the NE in no more then 5 minutes..

so... Id say between 5 minutes and 35 minutes..

[breastaugmentationdoctor]

Originally Posted by Butterfly4u

Consider parts of NJ also, adjacent to where you will work, thousands of people
commute from NJ everyday to Phila. for work.
I used to work in Center City at the Federal building and many of my coworkers lived
in New Jersey. (Collingswood, Woodbury).

Cherry hill also comes to mind.

[GraysFerryB4]

Collingswood, Westmont or Haddonfield. Each comes with a higher tax price for the schools. Haddonfield has top schools but is very expensive to live in. Collingswood's schools are top notch until you hit the HS, then it, supposodly dips off according to STATS; if you ask graduates of Collingswood, they will speak highly of the HS.

[BPP1999]

You may want to check out Glenside, PA and Abington, PA (Glenside is actually a section of Abington Township). These are both "inner" suburbs but they are definately suburban. Abington's zip code is 19001 and Glenside's is 19038. I think you can find homes in your price range, the school district is very good (though a bit large) and they are commutable areas to Northeast Philly (and to Center City. In fact, 3 different train lines stop at the Glenside station).

[JasmineFlower]

Originally Posted by BPP1999

You may want to check out Glenside, PA and Abington, PA (Glenside is actually a section of Abington Township). These are both "inner" suburbs but they are definately suburban. Abington's zip code is 19001 and Glenside's is 19038. I think you can find homes in your price range, the school district is very good (though a bit large) and they are commutable areas to Northeast Philly (and to Center City. In fact, 3 different train lines stop at the Glenside station).

I agree. Those recommending NJ might be thinking of your working in NE, but you said you would be working between Glenside and NJ. Do you know the time split? I'd prefer to be in Glenside or Abington or nearby so that I'm a decent commute to both, not just to one. You can also look into Springfield Township and Lower Moreland as possibilities. NJ to Glenside doesn't have to be a killer commute, but if you are 35 minutes from NE living in NJ, then you'll have over an hour commute to Glenside, so not the best idea if you aren't interested in that kind of commute.

Definitely keep looking in Mount Airy for a place, you can afford West or East Mount Airy with your budget depending on the size of house you are looking for. Also, there are some things in Chestnut Hill for your price range, but they don't have a ton of inventory all the time.

The school used to be called Beaver College.

Also, don't assume your wife will find a job easily. There are many teachers in the area who hold Master's Degrees, so that's not an atypical education. She should start applying now and not assume she'd get to town and find something within a few weeks of getting here. She can at least start to make sure her PA certification won't be problematic (it can be depending on the state you are moving from).

I think Mount Airy, Glenside, Abington, and Springfield Twp might be a bit better of a location as well in terms of potential private schools where your wife might work and where your kids might attend. Puts you within good commuting times (under 20 minutes) of some of the best private schools in the area - Abington Friends, Germantown Academy, Germantown Friends, Penn Charter, Chestnut Hill Academy, Springside, Mount St. Joseph. So, something else to consider.

[frankgn87]

I commute from NJ to abington everyday. 25 minutes. 14 miles.. no traffic. With traffic 40 minutes