DG5111003

Hi everyone,

My husband and I are currently renting an apartment in Wallington, NJ (we stumbled upon this through a coworker of my husband's). We are hoping to buy a home late next year, and although we said we would be checking out lots of different NJ towns, that's easier said than done...no time!! I'd love some advice from locals regarding what might be some great towns to raise a family in. I feel like there are a LOT out there that maybe we have not even heard of.

Ideally:
- Close to NYC transportation, whether that is bus or train (totally open to bus - we've found this to be even easier, not to mention cheaper, than the train)
- Good public schools (I know "good" is subjective, but any help is appreciated)
- Safe (again, subjective- but want our kids to feel good walking around)
- A town with a community feel, maybe a downtown area (we love Ridgewood but may not be able to afford a home there), down-to-earth people...I grew up in PA and my husband in Queens, so NJ is a happy medium for us. Would love a town with a "warm" "home" feel if that makes sense.

That's all for now. As far as pricing, we are open at this point because we know it would depend on size of house, etc. Just trying to get a sense of other towns and what they offer.

Thank you SO much!!

nytraveler

"Open" for price really doesn't work.

How many kids do you have and how large a house do you need?

And there's a huge difference if you can spend only $400K or if $700/$800K is easy.

DG5111003

You are right - I'm sorry I did not clarify. I would say we can afford up to a 600K home. We do not have any kids yet but would like to have 2. We would be fine with a 3 bedroom home.

msteacher

Do you want to stay in Bergen county or are other counties in play too? There are a lot of great towns in Bergen County that fit your general description of good schools and nice town feeling, but each town is slightly different so it's hard to go into detail.

Some towns elsewhere that are similar to Ridgewood with excellent schools and a largish downtown and access to NYC (and similar prices for homes) are Westfield, Summit, Chatham, Glen Ridge, and several others. You will find that housing prices and quality vary greatly by individual town... For example in one town it may be hard to find anything under $750,000, but just a mile or two away across a town border there is lots of low income housing. So a general budget is helpful.

But more importantly you need to contact a realtor and start looking at specific real estate sites (Like Zillow) to get any real information. I know it's a lot of time and effort, but you really have to do your own homework on this. Good luck and welcome to the Garden State!

DG5111003

Thanks @msteacher - I agree - we have a lot of work to do on our own, and we will definitely do it. Zillow is great. Thanks so much for the town recommendations, and all of the info you provided. I just figured I would see if maybe someone on here grew up in X town and had a great experience, etc...somewhere people wouldn't normally think of. Thanks again for taking the time to respond!

Open to other counties - not just Bergen

SusieQQ

There are a number of great small towns on the northern coast. And you have the added pleasure of being near a beach. Anywhere from Bay Head north is along a NJ Transit train line.

BigRuss

You need to check Zillow or similar pricing tools for homes. With 600 large, you probably can't get much house at all. I know a friend who listed her home for upwards of 800K in Hoboken and it had <2,000 sf, no yard, no garage. Made me want to uproot the house, plop it down in the middle of a Jersey town and make myself an easy 1.5 mil and then buy a bigger homestead where I am.

Then again, living where I live, I laugh a how little you get for your money in the Northeast.

DG5111003

Thanks for your replies SusieQQ & BigRuss!

msteacher

Well, I grew up in Mahwah and had a great experience. Neighboring Ramsey, Allendale, and Wyckoff are all nice too. But there are loads of other great towns as well. You may want to start by looking at train and bus lines, determine what commute makes you comfortable, then zeroing in on a handful of towns for a closer look.

Also, since you seem younger and don't yet have kids, you may want take a look at Hoboken for a different kind of experience. Many young professionals live there to experience a more urban environment and the vibrant night life; then they move to the suburbs when kids come along. You may consider renting there for a year or two as you get to know NJ better.

RoamsAround

Check out Westwood, Washington Township, Hillsdale, River Dale, Park Ridge - all are nice towns to raise a family, have good schools and are close to NYC transportation (both buses and train) and have that "small town feel" yet are close to "everything" and there should be plenty of homes in your price range. We raised our family in that area and have no regrets.

I know you said you have had "no time" to check out towns but you REALY HAVE TO MAKE THE TIME. Buying a home is probably the biggest purchase you'll make in your lifetime and where you live is a very important decision. Asking for suggestions on a travel forum for guidance is OK for starters but all you are going to get are observations from "strangers" who have no clue as to what YOU and your spouse really want and what type of life you maintain. You need to do first hand research. Sorry, didn't mean to sound like I'm preaching. Good luck with your search.

HappyTrvlr

Trust me, you should buy a home with access to a train over a bus. You're able to work on the train, don't have to deal traffic, fumes in the Port Authority Terminal and more. The train may cost more but you may end up moving again if you chose a home with only a bus route away from train service. Of course, it depends where in the city the commuter works. The Wall Street area or mid town? If mid-town, a train from CT or Westchester County works better, right into Grand Central. Ridgewood is beautiful and has excellent schools but has always been pricey for those reasons. Look in short driving distance to Ridgewood such as Wyckoff or Ramsey.

DG5111003

Thank you for your comments @msteacher and @RoamsAround! They are much appreciated. I like hearing what everyone has to say. I totally agree, @RoamsAround -- I didn't mean to say that we would not make the time- I just meant that we haven't started yet actually *SERIOUSLY* visiting different towns and looking at houses. We are at the very beginning of our search. I wholeheartedly agree that this is a serious, major decision that will affect us personally and financially..and will affect our future family.

DG5111003

Thanks @HappyTrvlr - My husband and I both work in Midtown.
Thanks again

aprillilacs

On the Northeast Corridor line of New Jersey Transit, check out Princeton (probably too pricey for you) and the great little towns of Pennington and Hopewell, situated in Hopewell Township. Train to NY is approx 60 minutes; there are also buses from Princeton. This is a lovely part of central New Jersey, with real community feeling. Lots of houses in your price range.

330east

Lawrenceville, NJ. Use the Hamilton RR station.

DG5111003

Thanks @aprillilacs and @330east!!

330east

Have you considered theYardley, PA area? Just over the Jersey line. Very nice little town. Could still use the Hamilton RR station. How about Lambertville-New Hope area?

RoamsAround

Let me add one more comment (from someone who lived in NJ and commuted into NY for 21+ years: The commute into the city can be a real drain. Even from close in towns you are looking at anywhere from from 60 to 90 minutes "door to door" each way on a good day. The further out you go, the longer and more arduous the commute and the ubiquitous traffic accident or overturned tractor trailer truck on one of the major arteries into/out of the city can add even more time.

So, look not only at the town and schools but also check out the commuting time very carefully. The train works well if you work in the downtown Financial District. If you work closer to midtown you'll probably find buses or commuting by car to be the better option. Regardless, commuting into the city is never easy from NJ. Best to try the commute yourself rather than rely on the information you get from home sellers, real estate agents, and housing developers - they will always give you "best case scenario" time estimates (as in how long it takes to get to midtown early on a Sunday morning vs. during rush hour).

DG5111003

I totally agree- we are commuting from Wallington (not far from E. Rutherford) right now, and I can't complain too much- although it is still draining. You never know what time you will get home at night so it's hard to plan anything during the week, even something as basic as cooking a nice dinner. Sometimes it's less than an hour and sometimes it can be 1 hour and a half. Off peak hours are so quick of course-- but unfortunately we both have jobs that are the traditional business hours, M-F. So I agree and I think we will want to stay as close to NYC as possible, even though we will pay for it in property taxes, etc.

HappyTrvlr

With a mid town commute you should buy a home in Connecticut with a train ride into Grand Central. NJ is best for a Wall Street commute. Your lives will be so much better if you buy in CT. I have experienced both scenarios.