PA or NJ to live? (Philadelphia, York: rentals, house, job transfer)

[bella14]

Possible job transfer to Philiadelphia from TX. Husband will work there, stay home mom, 1 fourth grader. Hoping for an awesome christian school, home with an acre for goats & 2 big dogs, not crazy property taxes.
Don't know anything about either S NJ or PA........PLEASE give opinions. Thanks for your time

[pman]

christian includes catholic is that what you meant ?
where in philly specifically will yiur husband be working ?

[bella14]

Thanks.
Not catholic...christian that allows all christian religions and follows the bible curriculum.
FDA office

[bella14]

Possible transfer to job in downtown Philly, maybe a 30/40 minute commute, house with maybe an acre for goats & 2 large dogs, christian school for kids.
Have no idea if better in PA or NJ.......need help in getting a good idea.
Thanks for input!

[maf763]

You can ignore the previous post.

The acre of land with livestock is going to be really hard to reconcile with a 30-40 minute commute to Center City. There are some parts of south Jersey, maybe in the Swedesboro area, that might get you what you are looking for. On the PA side, you might be able to find areas like Perkasie in Bucks County or Salford in Montgomery County. Those areas will stretch the commute time though.

But without a sense of budget or what your tolerance for property taxes may be, it's kind of hard to know what to recommend. There are certainly Christian Schools in the area, so I think you would be able to find one within striking distance of wherever you land. Property taxes tend to be higher in Jersey, but there are many municipalities in both places so there is a lot of variety.

Something on your wish list might have to give.

[bella14]

Thanks for your response.

I've been looking at property taxes and they seem very outrageous to us, since we pay so much less now
I've seen homes with the same characteristics......one will have $9,000 taxe and the other one will have $15,000!!! Looking at individual counties to see their rates....very confusing!

Did see that NJ income tax is 6.37% in our income bracket & PA is a flat 3.07%........wow! This alone makes want to look in PA only :/

We thought of a $350/450 house.

Have seen some christian schools as well, like you said, doable.

I'm overwhelmed with the taxes :P

[MikeNigh]

I've found when considering all costs involved it is a good start to look for rentals first and see where you get what you want for the cheapest.

[bella14]

Just read an article about the radical changes from one county to the next in property taxes throughout PA. One couple raised their children in one county, after the kids moved out, they downsized and moved to a less desired county....assuming their taxes would be less....taxes jumped 26%. Their researched showed their old county public school had 80% of graduates went onto college as opposed to their new outrageous taxed county only had 38%.
I don't understand!

You might be right!

[RomaniGypsy]

Originally Posted by bella14

Thanks for your response.

I've been looking at property taxes and they seem very outrageous to us, since we pay so much less now
I've seen homes with the same characteristics......one will have $9,000 taxe and the other one will have $15,000!!! Looking at individual counties to see their rates....very confusing!

Did see that NJ income tax is 6.37% in our income bracket & PA is a flat 3.07%........wow! This alone makes want to look in PA only :/

We thought of a $350/450 house.

Have seen some christian schools as well, like you said, doable.

I'm overwhelmed with the taxes :P

Most PA municipalities have a flat wage tax which is usually 1% - 1.5%... with that of some larger cities being higher. So that 3.07% might very easily be 4.57%. Plus, if your tax bracket is 6.37% in Jersey, that doesn't mean you'll pay 6.37% on all of your taxable income. The first chunk of it will be taxed at the first bracket rate, then the next chunk at the next bracket rate, etc. You may find that the income taxes equal out. Plus, PA taxes every last dollar you make in wages or gross profit. Jersey, like most states, has deductions that you can take. PA does not.

Also, consider gas taxes and commuting costs. NJ's gas taxes are very low compared to those in PA, but you might have to deal with bridge tolls going from NJ to PA. You may find that comparing NJ to PA is like comparing apples to apples when you're in the area you're targeting.

[zitsky]

I am from Western PA and can't give very good advice. I'm guessing you want a place in the suburbs?

I will say that either PA or NJ could be a very nice place to live. You'd be close enough to New York City that you could visit every few months. You could head to the beach in the summer. If you have more time you could check out the Poconos. There are many things to do in PA, many things to do in Philadelphia. You can have the typical suburban lifestyle or live in the city.