I need help! We have lived in Manhattan for 12 years. We have almost 3 year old and a 8 month old. We have been looking at houses in New Jersey. It's come down to 4 towns. Aside from the obvious reasons of good schools, how do we decide on a town??? We decided that we don't want a house that needs work. I grew up in an urban town in NJ , my husband is from a suburb of albany. Do we live in a town closeer to NYC , high taxes and not so much space OR a town with a bigger house, more property, low taxes but further from the city and more "country like". I can not decide! any advice would be much appreicated and does anyone have any info on : Cedar Grove, NJ, West Caldwell, NJ, Glen Ridge, NJ or Ridgewood, NJ. Thank you!
I know this sounds a little crazy and stupid, but Whole Foods does extensive research on the real estate market and local demographics to determine where they should locate their stores. So pretty much where there is a Whole Foods, there is good living. I see that there is one in Ridgewood :-)
I like country better. But I wouldn't trade 30 minute longer commute each way for country living. I also take into account economics. I'd go for the less expensive taxes, and insurance and other things.
I like the friendlyness of country folks.
Good luck on your move.
I don't know anything about these towns. I have been any further East than Cleveland OH. But if you don't do a lot of activities in NYC so you wouldn't be traveling into the city too often. I would go for the larger house with less taxes. I have found that even when the kids grow up and move out you still need the room a larger house has. When grandkids come along you need more room at the dining room table. You family cam triple seemly overnight. Your child marries your family doubles starts to have a family and you need more space.
I don't know any of those cities, but I do know that if you can swing it....always live somewhere with lower taxes. Also, consider how much driving would be your maximum commute time. Finding a new home is all about location, location, location. It will make you adore or hate where you live. Good luck!
What a wonderful problem to have! I'd do some research on tripadvisor.com. You'll know the best the towns have to offer, then I'd contact their chamber of commerce's to get every scrap of info I could, THEN I'd research them online, recent articles, crime stats, school systems etc. What a blessing you have a choice!!
when we moved from the big city to our small town, I sat down with a map & listed all of the small towns around my DH's job. We checked out every single town & really researched the school districts. In the end, it was the school which made our final decision.
Then we began driving thru the towns still on our lists. We looked at the amount of traffic....both passenger & truck. We looked for kids playing independently in yards, streets, & parks. We looked for homes well-kept, cars kept clean, & nice window hangings. In other words, we were judging by appearance. :)
We began picking up the local papers & really looking at the police reports/school news/etc. We also compared real estate prices, & our insurance agent really took us by surprise with one revelation: small town does not equal small town when it comes to premiums. For both auto & home, the rates vary from town to town! In the end, this really helped narrow our search!
As for the locations you're interested in, no help here! Good Luck!
Everyone is different. Nobody on here can help you decide! I personally, have always felt that super long commutes destroy quality of life. I have seen examples of this with others and never wanted to put that on my husband. We live in Long Island, he works in Long Island as well, about 1/2 hour away. If your hubby works in Manhattan, I would personally not want to have him commute any more than an hour (DOOR TO DOOR) each way. I say door to door, because you cannot calculate exactly how long the train is as the commute. Count in how far from the train, how far from the train to the office. How is the train schedule, etc.
If it were me, I would take a smaller house, with a smaller property in order to have a shorter commute. Since working is most of what we do, if you have an hour and a half each way door to door commute let's say, then an 8 hour day plus an hour for lunch, your hubby will be gone from the family 11 hours a day. In other words, barely ever seeing the little ones except on weekends. Not my cup of tea for my family.
Make a "pros" and "cons" list of each area.
Also think of other things like proximity to family? Proximity to beaches? Children's activities in the areas like children's museums or zoos or gymnastics or swimming lessons, what kind of libraries they have? What about pediatricians? Any special services your kids need? Your insurance plan and what doctors are available in the area? What about friends in the area?
ALOT to think about!!!
your list of pros and cons are all pro suburbs. You didnt even list a con. I assume the con is commute time to and from work?
Sounds like it comes down to how far the breadwinner is willing to commute.
Kate:
No one can answer this question for you. What do you want?
Do you want a yard for your kids to play in?
Do you want access to the big city but not be "in it" any more?
If I'm staying home with the kids - I want a yard for my kids to play in. But that's ME!! If you have the big house with the property - can you care for it? Will you be mowing the grass or hiring someone to do it for you? What about cleaning the inside?
What about your husband's commute? Is there easy access to the train for him to go to work - I am assuming he will still be in NYC for work? How long would his commute be?
I think I've only muddied the waters!! I would need more information - as you can see by my questions - in order to help you out!! :)
Personally - if there is easy access to the trains for my husband, I would choose the bigger house and the land. That's ME. I don't know you though....tough call!!
Now that I am older and son is away in college--I have time to play now. Yes, I am divorced. However, it is not family-friendly to raise children in the city. Your hubby's communte should be only about 40 minutes max. Find the countriest homes that are a 40 minute's commute.
Find a good realtor in the area. A knowledgeable one can assess your preferences and identify the best match to your needs. You should also find out about resale on homes, because that can be a key deciding factor. You may love an area, but if you're going to have a hard time selling your home when it's time to move next time, it may not be ideal.
Kate, I see you have quite a few responses so I will keep mine brief.
A friend of mine once told me, "Live where you play, not where you work". Currently, my husband and I are just shy of an hour commute. I hate it, but I would never live near my job....nota huge fan of that either!
The other thing I think about is the crime in areas. Maybe an annual report from the local or state police divisions or even check a sex offender registry although, that may better serve you once you determine the city but it is something to consider.
Best of luck. You could always do like Cher did in the movie mermaids and just close your eyes make circles with your finger and then stop! Haha....I wish my life were that easy ;o)
