Lower Bucks - Yardley, Newtown, Richboro, Holland? (Washington, Morrisville: credit, townhome)

[Kimba235]

We live in Middlesex County, NJ, and are planning a move to Lower Bucks County. DH works in Ewing, NJ, so his commute would be great. We have young children (7-year-old twins and a 3 1/2-year-old), so good schools and a sense of community are key for us. We would ideally love a nice downtown within walking distance, which we have now...but that seems hard to find, so we are resigned to not really having that.

We're looking to spend about $400,000 on a 4-bedroom house, with taxes in the $5,000 range. (We currently pay $10,000 in taxes in NJ for a 3-bedroom home on a narrow lot where our neighbors are way too close for comfort!)

We have visited Yardley and Newtown, and really liked both. Yardley is utterly charming and quaint, with a real New England feel, and it would be a fantastic commute for DH. Things I worry about, though: flooding issues (how far West of Main Street would be safe?), taxes seem higher, and there's not much of a downtown, so I worry about having to drive everywhere, and feeling like there's not much to do?

Newtown has good schools and a (slightly!) bigger downtown, and I've seen some reasonably priced homes online there. Yet on this forum, I've also seen people refer to the area as somewhat snobbish and snooty...so I'm not sure what to think. Not as friendly? And too much traffic?

I'm also wondering...what about Richboro and Holland? When we visited, these areas did seem much more spread out, with no real town center to speak of. But just looking online, it seems you can get a lot more house for your money... yet I don't see those towns being recommended much here, and am just wondering why, and if we should not consider them at all?

They are both part of Council Rock school district, so it seems that the schools are good. Is traffic an issue? Dh will be commuting to Ewing, so perhaps these areas are just too far out and too congested during rush hour?

For the record, we originally considered making this move about 2 years ago, then chose to stay and put a small addition on our home. But really, we only delayed the inevitable. While we really do love our current town and community, we know we have to move--we are rapidly outgrowing our house, and there's no way we can afford a 4-bedroom home here, between housing prices and the exorbitant taxes. Also, DH's commute is about an hour each way.

We're not sure about moving this summer, since the market is still so uncertain, and thought we would use this year to really research specific neighborhoods and schools, and move next year. Any thoughts about whether it's wiser to move now, or wait things out? I know that so much can change in a year...like interest rates, etc.!

Thanks for any help or suggestions you may have!

[frankgn87]

Holland, newtown and Richboro and parts or Yardley are all council rock so your schools are covered. Id recommend Newtown or Yardley. They are par what your used to up North Jersey and are not any more snobbish than your used to.. I lived in Holland for years and went to CR.

[kimrocktherealtor]

Okay here we go..
Richboro/Holland are removing yourself further from 95 and increasing your husbands commute to Ewing. All the towns you mention have great schools (either council rock or pennsbury) so you don't have that to worry about.
Personally knowing your husbands needs to travel on 95 for work, I suggest sticking to Yardley or the Eastern part of Newtown (not towards Richboro/Holland). Traffic gets very bad on 413/532 which is what those towns are off of. Newtown is also off of this road, but a lot closer to 95. Taxes will be similar in both towns for the price range you are looking for - around 6k for a 400,000 house. I like downtown Newtown for the cute friendly older charm feel, and I like the older part of Yardley for the same feel.
Flooding - You only have to worry about flooding in Yardley from the Canal to River Rd mainly. You can go on the fema site for lists of flood zones. A realtor can also look it up for you. We have had some major floods in the past 10 years, and personally I've seen the damage they've caused and don't recommend looking at homes right off River Rd. Anything above the canal is safe though because it's a higher elevation, so it's a fairly small section that floods.
I am currently working with a few clients who are looking at your same exact home criteria and there are a few very nice houses in both Newtown and Yardley you could find. You could also do well with a nice 3 bedroom townhome as well if you were open to that (although you did specifically say house so maybe not).
As far as whens the best time to move - it's all relevant Have you lived in your current home 5+ years? If so, I suggest moving now because you'll get the tax credit! If not, take your time and do it when you feel comfortable. I think interest rates are going to hover in the low 5's for a while, because if they go up much, the economy will be adversely effected and no one wants that so the government is going to continue to do everything they can to keep things stable. Hope this helped!

[meromalley]

I have family in Newtown and it's by far my favorite place around...the people I know and have met are just wonderful and so friendly and down to earth. We're in North Jersey, but I'd just love to have the option of raising my family in this town...happened to see the post and wanted to just mention that -best of luck to you!

[sparklegirl_19]

hi have you found a place yet? i too would consider yardley, pa as it's a quick drive to nj and access to 95 is easy. newtown is further away expensive and traffic is bad in the mornings and the evening commute home is stop and go. also the housing in yardley is a little more affordable. yardley or lower makefield township has great great schools in the pennsbury district. i see you have children. you might want to join the Yardley MOMS Club for playgroups for you kids and for referrals, especially since you're going to be new to the area. it's always nice to meet other moms and have playmates for your children. You can email them at yardleymomsclubnorth at yahoo dot com or yardleymomsclub at yahoo dot com Hope that helps

[sparklegirl_19]

Also, I'm so sick of people talking about the flooding in Yardley. Also, there's flooding issues in Washington Crossing and Upper Makefield, New Hope, bascially anywhere where you are near the River or Canal. Flooding is an issue in only a very very small part of Yardley (from the Delaware River to the Canal). It's real simple - don't buy near the Delaware River (on River Road). Don't look at houses near the Canal and otherwise flooding is NOT a problem whatsoever. In fact, Yardley Borough itself is a very small town. Look in Lower Makefield Township which is the area surrounding Yardley Borough. There are some reasonably priced great 3-4bedroom homes in LMT and the commute is so incredibly smooth & easy. If your husband works in Ewing, NJ the commute is like 5-10mins off of i-95. Yardley or LMT has a great sense of community, good schools, very family kid-oriented, utterly quaint and absolutely safe.

[kimrocktherealtor]

Hey Sparkle,
Not to take this off topic, but are you a member of the yardley moms group? My friend just moved to Morrisville and has 2 little girls and desperately could use something like this for babysitting referals, etc.. I'll have to let her know.

[kimrocktherealtor]

Oh and I agree, the flooding is way overrated. First of all, it was an insane coincidence that we had 2 100 year floods back to back. Do you know how random that is? and if people want to avoid the flooding, there are only about 2 streets they need to avoid in general - from river road to the canal in the low elevation area.

[sparklegirl_19]

Hi Ooodsie,

To answer your question about the MOMS Club of Yardley 's, their email is above. The MOMS Club is great if you're new in town, just moved here and need other moms to socialize with and referrals for things, mom-approved. Also wonderful is the fact that there's a lot of kids activities the club organizes to get you and your child out of the house and to explore the area.

Here's a summary of what the Moms Club does - The MOMS Club is a support group for the mom of today. We provide a variety of activities for you and your children to get out and enjoy. Most importantly we provide friendship and support for your decision to be a mom. As well as meeting people for yourself, your children will also make new friends and have playmates. We offer a great deal of interesting activites such as Monthly B-day socials, playgroup playdates, Zoo visits, various tours, park days, Holiday parties - Halloween party, Easter Egg Hunt, Valentine's arts & craft, Dec Holiday party, Library/Bookstore story times, Police & Fire Station tours, Dance & Gym trial classes, Fall Apple Picking, Mother's Day Tea, Ice Cream social, & the summertime Family Picnic. We also have monthly Moms Night Out, whether that be a spa night, pedi & mani night, movie, drink & dinner or just a themed get together at a moms house, we know moms need a break too! We also do community service projects and donate to local charities that assist women and children. Our dues are only $20/yr and that's used for supplies and kids activities. So, if you're new in the Yardley area join us. Please email us if you want more information or want to join our fun and exciting group YardleyMomsClubNorth at yahoo dot com We are the boredom busters!

Please do tell your Mom friend or any family with small children who has recently bought a house and moved here from elsewhere, about us.

[sparklegirl_19]

Kimba,

I think, as I'm not sure, Council Rock SD which includes Holland, Newtown, & Richboro (???not too sure about the latter), has a school tax that's not included in your property tax. Someone can correct if I'm wrong as I don't live in that area. I think I also heard that there's a small wage tax as well if you happen to also work in that area.