Hi, I'm thinking to buy my first house in NJ and need your help and advise! I live with my wife and a new born baby and plan to have another baby in mid-2016. I work in downtown NYC and looking to buy 3br house (colonial or split level). I have 2 different budget situations for 2 different school conditions.
1. If a high school (I know it's too early to consider high school, but I believe good high school system could mean a good elementary and middle school as well as kinder) has SAT average of around 1,700, I can go up to $530K. In this criteria, I've found Ridgewood, Westfield, and Summit. I believe my budget only can get me a low-end house in these areas. Commute to my work place from a train station (I prefer train over bus since I don't need to worry about traffic) in each area is around
1hr 20min for Ridgewood
1hr 5min for Westfield
1hr 10min for Summit
2. If a high school has SAT average of around 1,600, I'm willing to pay ~$430K. In this budget, I've found Cranford, Scotch Plains, and River Edge. I believe my budget can get a decent house in these areas. Commute to my work place from a train station in each area is around
1hr 10min for River Edge and Scotch Plains
1hr for Cranford
In terms of SAT scrore (according to
Mathacle's Blog: 2013 Ranking of New Jersey High Schools by SAT Scores)
Ridgewood - 1789
Westfield - 1742
Summit - 1692
Cranford - 1625
River Edge - 1608
Scotch Plains - 1602
If I buy a home in the low-range (in terms of price and SAT score) areas in my list, I think I will need to move again after around 10 years to the high-range areas. Given that, can you please give me any advise on choosing my place?
My question is
1. Would you buy a low-end house in a better town than a decent house in Cranford or River Edge and move later to a better area after 10 years? If I buy one, let's say, in Westfield, I have to pay higher tax and not sure if school district is good in after 10+ years (my realtor said school quality in good district is generally stable though)
2. Can anyone compare Ridgewood (Bergen) vs Westfield (Union)?
3. Can anyone compare Cranford (Union) vs River Edge (Bergen)?
There might be other factors that I need to concerns or something I don't know since I'm a first-time home buyer, so you advise on any subject would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you in advance!
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