Philadelphia or somewhere else?? (Montgomery, Penn: buyer, income, property tax)

[2e1m5a]

Originally Posted by 1ondoner

What's silly about NOVA?

He is saying NOVA is similar to where OP lives now-where they are "thankfully moving away from". So to suggest somewhere similar is pretty silly and not very helpful. You seem to think sunbelt/suburbia is the best option for everyone, even when preferences explicitly state otherwise.

[1ondoner]

So, if the OP settles for NOVA that would make them silly too?

Originally Posted by 2e1m5a

He is saying NOVA is similar to where OP lives now-where they are "thankfully moving away from". So to suggest somewhere similar is pretty silly and not very helpful. You seem to think sunbelt/suburbia is the best option for everyone, even when preferences explicitly state otherwise.

[2e1m5a]

Originally Posted by 1ondoner

So, if the OP settles for NOVA that would make them silly too?

Of course not-if they find somewhere that fits.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by pampam123

Hi There!

My young family will be leaving Dallas within 6 months with 3 relocation options: Philadelphia, Washington D.C. or Atlanta. We are not familiar with any option, we are both from Switzerland. We lived in Highland Park for 8 years and are thankfully ready to leave. We are planning visits to each area over the next few months, but I want to see opinions from area residents as to what might work best for us.

We are a very active couple, fitness is very important to us. We love an exciting, open minded, culturally diverse area. Highland Park is aesthetically beautiful, but Dallas lacked an energy that we are seeking. I feel that we want a big city with food, shopping, history, the arts, recreation, and people from all walks of life at at our fingertips. Coming from Zurich and another 3 years in London, Dallas was a major culture shock. We have always resided in the suburbs during our time in the states and are still open to that, but also open to downtown living, pending we can find a nice home with good schools and a recreation space in our budget. By the looks of it Philadelphia and DC look to be significantly more expensive for what we are used to.

Job location would be in Center City Philadelphia, McLean Virginia, or Midtown Atlanta. We are willing to commute an hour outside of that target location.

I can provide more information if I was too vague, but we don't quite know what we want, just something different then Dallas. Do people typically post in every city they are looking at? Philadelphia popped up first, so I posted here. Thank again!

When are you moving? -- Spring 2018
Where are you coming from? -- Dallas, TX
Why are you moving? -- Work
Where will you be working? -- Open.. potentially Philadelphia, DC, Atlanta
Have you been here yet? -- No

Will you buy or rent? -- Prefer to buy
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend? -- House or condo, and can go up to $2M, but prefer $1.5M.
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend?
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up?

Do you have a preference of living in a NJ or PA suburb? -- PA or Philadelphia

Are you married or single? Do you have children? -- Couple with 1 young daughter
Do you prefer public or private schools? -- Either or, as long as they are top notch
Do you have pets? -- 3 cats
Do you want or need a yard? -- Either a yard or some sort of recreation space.
Are you keeping a car? -- We have 3 cars, will gladly get rid of some.
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? -- We are open at this point.

What do you want to be closest to?

I want everything close by, either walk or short drive.

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood?

Diverse

Favorite Beverage - Craft Beer, wine, water?

Wine

I'd suggest that you look at the suggested city neighborhoods & the Main Line. If you don't find quite what you want, take a look a Haddonfield in South Jersey. It's a small borough, dating back to the early 1700s. It was a result of a land grant to John Haddon. Mr Haddon had no sons, so his daughter, Elizabeth, was sent over to establish the settlement. It's very walkable & has a stop for the PATCO train. It's about a 15 or 16 minute ride to Center City, during rush hour, on the PATCO train. The schools are very good & the downtown is good. Whatever shopping is not available in Haddonfield is available in the next town, Cherry Hill, &/or in Center City Philadelphia. It's also a dry town, but there are liquor stores within walking distance & within a short drive. Most restaurants are BYOB.

[1ondoner]

It's silly if I suggest it but not silly if it fits the OP.

Originally Posted by 2e1m5a

So to suggest somewhere similar is pretty silly and not very helpful.

Originally Posted by 2e1m5a

Of course not-if they find somewhere that fits.

[AJNEOA]

Originally Posted by 1ondoner

It's silly if I suggest it but not silly if it fits the OP.

No, it's silly that you suggested it because it is opposite to what the OP asked for. I'm not sure I understand where the confusion here is other than that you are continuously baffled at anybody who doesn't want a half acre lot and a car commute to work.

[OyCrumbler]

Originally Posted by 1ondoner

It's silly if I suggest it but not silly if it fits the OP.

How are you so silly? Is it for the chuckles?

[pampam123]

Thank you again! We have our visit to Philadelphia planned the weekend after Thanksgiving! We will be staying in Center City and plan a drive to the Main Line, Chestnut Hill, Media, and West Chester areas. Washington will be immediately after!

[rowhomecity]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

I'd suggest that you look at the suggested city neighborhoods & the Main Line. If you don't find quite what you want, take a look a Haddonfield in South Jersey. It's a small borough, dating back to the early 1700s. It was a result of a land grant to John Haddon. Mr Haddon had no sons, so his daughter, Elizabeth, was sent over to establish the settlement. It's very walkable & has a stop for the PATCO train. It's about a 15 or 16 minute ride to Center City, during rush hour, on the PATCO train. The schools are very good & the downtown is good. Whatever shopping is not available in Haddonfield is available in the next town, Cherry Hill, &/or in Center City Philadelphia. It's also a dry town, but there are liquor stores within walking distance & within a short drive. Most restaurants are BYOB.

Do not move to S. Jersey. The taxes are insane. $300,000 home has taxes over 10,000 a year. Haddonfield is cute not doubt, but it is very contained, Southeast PA has a more historic feel with far more character. I have a family friend who just moved out of Haddonfield and to PA. Because the taxes are way too high. He said the best decision he's ever made. His property taxes in Haddonfield were $32,000 a year. Over 10 years he told me, by moving to PA, he will save over $200,000. And he moved to a top rated neighborhood with excellent schools here in PA.

Just to give some insight. The top 25 zipcodes of Metro Philadelphia (in terms of wealth/school performance/income). Only 1 is in NJ. 1 is in DE. And the rest are in Southeast PA.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by rowhomecity

Do not move to S. Jersey. The taxes are insane. $300,000 home has taxes over 10,000 a year. Haddonfield is cute not doubt, but it is very contained, Southeast PA has a more historic feel with far more character. I have a family friend who just moved out of Haddonfield and to PA. Because the taxes are way too high. He said the best decision he's ever made. His property taxes in Haddonfield were $32,000 a year. Over 10 years he told me, by moving to PA, he will save over $200,000. And he moved to a top rated neighborhood with excellent schools here in PA.

Just to give some insight. The top 25 zipcodes of Metro Philadelphia (in terms of wealth/school performance/income). Only 1 is in NJ. 1 is in DE. And the rest are in Southeast PA.

Not all houses in Haddonfield would have that high of a property tax. Most would be much lower. The property tax can be offset or partially offset by writing off the city wage tax, as a NJ resident, on income tax. I would know because I could never make a move to Pennsylvania work in my favor, financially. It varies from person to person, but there's a reason that some people stay on the other side of the river. I knew someone who moved from Cherry Hill to the Main Line, because of his job & he stated that he would be better off, financially to stay, but he had to cut down the commute, to the Main Line. Haddonfield is a perfectly good option & a quicker commute to Center City. I suggested it as an option IF the OP didn't find what they want on the other side of the river.