Retiring to South Jersey (Jersey City, Forked River: sale, rentals, condo)

[Mightyqueen801]

I agree that this sub-forum should be for South Jersey overall. That seems to be the topic of the day, so I want to voice my opinion about that. So there.

But--are there any people on this forum who originally came from North Jersey and retired to South Jersey? And I'm talking about REALLY from North (or even Central) Jersey--not like that guy I was talking to in a bar in Margate once who said he had been to North Jersey and when I asked where he responded "Forked River". Never forgot that one.

Anyway. I'm a few years from retirement, but thinking about where I would go. I'm a lifelong NJ resident, fifth generation actually in the town where I grew up, about 20 minutes from the NYS border. It's not quite the same sleepy blue-collar town I grew up in, having been overbuilt, all the woods and ponds and streams obliterated to make way for extra-big houses, and now very expensive to live in. I moved to Monmouth County two years ago, and while I like it here very much, and it's still within commuting range of my Jersey City job, it's kind of crowded around here, too, though it has a ways to go to catch up to Bergen.

I cannot EVER see myself moving to places like Florida or North Carolina. I am single, long divorced, with one child who will be out of college next year, and would have to move alone wherever I go. I have siblings in different parts of Central and North Jersey and one in PA, and my mother still lives in my hometown with two of my brothers. I wouldn't want to live so completely far away from any family that I couldn't get to them within a few hours drive.

So, as I muse about my possible future retirement, I wonder how many people have resettled from North to South Jersey. Proximity to the ocean is always good--it's one of the reasons I live in eastern Monmouth County--but I will never have the wealth to live in an actual South Jersey shore town.

I'm not so much looking for an actual place to think about moving right now as I am general information.

Are the taxes in South Jersey as bad as they are in Central Jersey, which are better than North Jersey but still not great?

If people do retire down there, do they tend to live in those 55+ communities or in amongst non-retired people in regular towns?

And--this might seem weird--but it seems to me by looking at maps that the bottom of NJ--west of the Cape May Peninsula and on up toward the Delaware River--the area can be very swampy. Are there towns near those swamplands? I like the wetlands.

[frankgn87]

The taxes down here are way cheaper then North Jersey, as far as I can tell. About on par with Ocean county Id say. The swampy areas of the Pine Barrens are not really that swampy. A lot of large homes with lots of ground reside on those areas.. Here are some google images links to these areas, to give you a better feel of what it looks like down here.

https://www.google.com/search?q=sham...w=1272&bih=592

https://www.google.com/search?q=medf...w=1272&bih=592

https://www.google.com/search?q=denis,+nj&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=t7e&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=rZ6 cT_7bL4mg6QH3sOXrDg&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2 &ved=0CAsQ_AUoAQ&biw=1272&bih=592#hl=en&safe=off&c lient=firefox-a&hs=dSK&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=dennis%2C+nj&oq=denn is%2C+nj&aq=f&aqi=g-S2g-mS2g-msS1&aql=&gs_nf=1&gs_l=img.3..0i24l2j0i5i24l2j0i5i 10i24.8819.8819.0.9234.1.1.0.0.0.0.89.89.1.1.0.LO-DVxjd40o&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb& fp=e615d5f825fb2188&biw=1272&bih=592

https://www.google.com/search?q=engl...w=1272&bih=592

[ocnjgirl]

Why do you have to buy to retire here? There are many reasonable rentals in the shore towns. Pocket the money from the sale of your house and live where you dream of, if it's on the ocean don't rule it out from the get-go. I live on the beach for less than $800 a month.

[frankgn87]

Originally Posted by ocnjgirl

Why do you have to buy to retire here? There are many reasonable rentals in the shore towns. Pocket the money from the sale of your house and live where you dream of, if it's on the ocean don't rule it out from the get-go. I live on the beach for less than $800 a month.

sounds like a fine idea!!

[petebinalabam]

have you ever heard that old urban legend that the poeple that live in the (609) area code are "Different" lol

[ElijahAstin]

Somewhere else to consider is Leisuretowne in Southampton Township if 55+ communities are your sort of thing. You're about halfway between Philadelphia and the Shore Points, plus relatively close to 295/NJ Turnpike access.

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by HeavenWood

Somewhere else to consider is Leisuretowne in Southampton Township if 55+ communities are your sort of thing. You're about halfway between Philadelphia and the Shore Points, plus relatively close to 295/NJ Turnpike access.

No, they're not.

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by petebinalabam

have you ever heard that old urban legend that the poeple that live in the (609) area code are "Different" lol

Yes, and I know it's true because I had a friend who lived in Ventnor and I spent a lot of time down there.

Different doesn't necessarily mean "bad", and I can put up with the funny accent.

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by ocnjgirl

Why do you have to buy to retire here? There are many reasonable rentals in the shore towns. Pocket the money from the sale of your house and live where you dream of, if it's on the ocean don't rule it out from the get-go. I live on the beach for less than $800 a month.

ROFL, there wouldn't be a hell of a lot to "pocket". I've owned my condo for um, almost two whole years now.

But it is a good suggestion. I've rented almost all of my life--my biggest problem with rentals is that I have cats, and most landlords don't allow pets. Owning a condo that the bank really owns most of doesn't mean I have any equity, but it does mean I can have pets and not have to live with terminally off-white walls.

I would not have a problem renting again providing the landlord was flexible about certain things.

At any rate, I was thinking that now that South Jersey is so much closer to me than it used to be, I might take a drive here and there and check out some of the places I haven't been to before, which would primarily be those inland from the shore towns.

[NJGOAT]

When you're free of things like caring about schools, you get a lot that opens up. I'd be checking out communities along the Route 30 and Route 47 corridors. Most of them are going to be more rural while still providing easy access to the shore when you want it and enough amenities to give you access to the essentials. These areas tend to be cheap as the land is more swampy or "wetlandy" then what others go for and the school districts aren't that great. It's also not real convenient to any employment centers. All of that adds up to cheap when it comes to housing. You can literally find a ton of houses 20 minutes or so from the beach for not a lot of money.