Moving to NJ - Where do young couples/families buy homes? (Newark: appointed, salons)

[NCtoNJ]

Hello,
We are moving to NJ in may from NC. My husband will be working in NYC. I am looking for a job but very likely will end up working in NYC as well. We are married - no kids yet.

We are looking for a townhome/single family home which is:
1. about 60 mins of commute to NYC
2. in good lively town where there is enough stuff to do on weekends
3. easy to make new friends of our age/etc. we are indians (late 20s) and open to meeting ppl of any culture, but love food/entertainment/night life/etc.
4. relatively new construction (less than 5 yrs) around 450-500K
5. good school district and day care for future

We were recently in NJ for a house hunting trip. We liked some neighbourhoods in north brunswick. We also checked out Rahway/South Amboy. LIked the properties but didnt get much time to check out the towns.
Any suggestions/concerns/information on the above will be very helpful and very much appreciated. We were very disappointed with our trip specially comparing NC and NJ houses, and hope to find a decent house in NJ. But we are really looking forward to all the great things NY/NJ has to offer!

Please send in your experiences and responses. THank you so much!

-kavita

[netsirk]

Hi, there, and an early welcome to New Jersey.

I'm 37 now--not sure how that happened--not married, no kids. I think some of where you might want to look depends on when you're hoping to have kids. Being in your late 20s now, I'd say, look at Hoboken--but you probably wouldn't want that for a family (although I have several friends who just had babies in the last six months who live there). The commute to NYC is easy and the options on food, entertainment, housing, are great. Your price range shouldn't be a huge problem, depending on what you're looking for. Hoboken is pricey, but I have friends who have bought there in the 500Ks in the last couple years. It's easy to go into the 700Ks or more there (I have an ex-boyfriend who did two years ago), but you can find options in a lower price bracket. You may have to take it down a bedroom or forego an elevator, but it can be done.

If you're looking for something in the longer-term--meaning, you don't want to move in the next 5-7 years--there are a number of places to go. You can go 30 miles west to Morristown, you can go 30 miles south to Red Bank, the list goes on and on.

You mention you're Indian, so if it's important to you that there is an Indian community, you shouldn't have too much trouble anywhere you go in northern NJ. I can't really speak to central or southern; from northern NJ.

Whatever way you go, if it's outside Hoboken, I suggest looking at the commuter routes on NJ Transit, because that's the best way to commute into the city. Alternatively, the high-speed ferry will take you into Manhattan from northern shore points pretty quickly, and you get the added bonus of living near the ocean. Wherever you choose, make sure you take a careful look at the property taxes and their recent history. There are a lot of places in Essex County, especially, with insane taxes--because, honestly, you're subsidizing Newark, Irvington, some of the Oranges. And because of corruption, no doubt. My point is that you need to look at it carefully.

Good luck...New Jersey is a fantastic place to live, and I hope you enjoy it here.

[mike0421]

If you go a little further from Edison down rt 1 South, try Kendall Park. That's about on the tip of the 60 mile radius you specified. If you are commuting to NYC, then you can just go up to Edison and hop on the massive NJ Transit station there, and commute into Penn Station.

[jstar41]

you will not find a townhouse or a 1family house for 450-500k in Hoboken.. unless it's an apartment.. Rahway does not have much of a nightlife.. I hear that montclair has a nice nightlife for singles.. not sure for married..

[happyfamily]

we are looking to move our family from fair haven nj to cary n.c. the property taxes are driving us away

[TomWaits]

Consider Metuchen... it's in the middle of Edison near Piscataway so you will have lots of Indian stores, restaurants, and beauty salons nearby. It also has a direct train line into NYC.

[NCtoNJ]

Thanks netsirk! I think checking out along the railway line is a good idea. I wasn't aware of the ferry service to Manhattan. Looking on the web, I am sure we would love living in an urban place like Hoboken, but as I mentioned we are planning to have kids in next few years and want to buy a place that we would stay in atleast 5 years. So, we are looking for something like a townhome or a small single family home in a nice lively location.

Will definitely check out Kendall park and Montclair as suggested.

We drove thru Metuchen and observed that houses are old but pretty. Somebody warn us that the property tax will kill us. Is it true?

Anybody knows about town and shopping/entertainment/activities options in North Brunswick? What is the commute NYC Penn Station ?

happyfamily: Cary in NC is the best and the most beautiful place to live - thats where we live now. YOu will not regret your decision.

I would appreciate more suggestions/replies. Thanks in advance!

-kavita.

[newjerseybt]

If anyone is moving to the Edison area and you like Indian cuisine, try Akbars. Highly recommended.

[cool-breeze]

We are in a similar situation as you...young Indian couple moving to central Jersey also looking between Princeton and New Bruswick. From our research we have chosen West-Windsor / Plainsboro for our eventual home to buy a single family home but currently planning to rent a townhome for 1 year. For that we are also including South Brunswick, Somerset, and Hillsborogh. We have not heard as good things about North Brunswick but will be looking with a broker in about 3-4 weeks. Will let you know if I hear anything else.