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OT: Moving - need town suggestions

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whatanerd

Redshirt
Jul 7, 2016
13
16
0
Hi All,

Long time member, very infrequent poster. I’m reaching out for help on a topic I think you guys could really help with. My fiancé and I are starting the process of looking for our first home and have some idea of towns we’re interested in but want to make sure we’re doing our due diligence.

We currently rent in Montclair and love it. We’ve been looking at starter homes in Montclair but we’re realizing that we’re going to get priced out due to the property tax (our top choice was a 3 BR with $17k in property tax).

My question to you is what towns are there in NJ that offer a similar vibe to Montclair?

Our main preferences/requirements:

1. </=.75mi to a Montclair-esque downtown

2. Good school district (We realize “good” is relative. We’re of the mind that a good education is about 70/30 the parents and the children vs. the schools themselves. We don’t want private school.)

3. </= $1,000/mo in property tax

4. Some type of yard/outdoor space for grilling, entertaining, enjoying the weather, etc.

5. House > townhouse > condo, ideally with at least 3 BR, 1.5 BA

6. Ideally <45 minute commute (I work in Flanders and my fiancé will either be in Short Hills, Florham Park, or Newark depending on which client he’s at)

Yesterday we took a drive around Cranford, Summit, Chatham, Madison, Morristown, and Somerville.

We really liked some of the places for sale in Cranford, have heard good things about the schools, and property taxes are what we’d like. It sounds like parts of Cranford are flood zones. Any other things to be aware of in Cranford?

We really liked Somerville as well but the taxes on some places were crazy and it sounds like the schools aren’t great?

How are Caldwell and Verona schools? Obviously familiar with the area due to proximity.

We’ll likely be priced out of Summit, Chatham, Madison, and likely Morristown based on our requirements. We also used to go to Morristown a lot in our right-our-of-college days so we’re kind of meh on MoTown.

I know this a bit long so congrats if you’ve made it this far. Thank you in advance for your help. I hope you’re all staying healthy and safe!
 
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C

ClassOf02v.2

Heisman
Sep 30, 2010
13,879
15,369
103
Pretty tough with the towns you think you’ll be priced out of, <$12k annual property taxes, and the commute you want. Millburn maybe, but I think those taxes will be high as well. It’s very small, but Clinton has a picturesque downtown drag.
 
P

Plum Street

Heisman
Jun 21, 2009
27,306
23,010
0
Cranford is great . I live in a less desirable part of the county . But many friends and family there and they all love it. Don’t like driving there after a couple beers though . But if you can afford it, it’s a great place to raise kids. It’s kinda a cult .

Clark? Linden Sunnyside section if you are ok with private schools . Same with rahway , nice sections there . Colonia a a step up from Linden and rahway. Might be too far south for you .
 
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RUskoolie

RUskoolie

Hall of Famer
Aug 1, 2007
221,770
113,279
63
You are kind of all over the place with what you want. Figure out what is most important to you and realize you will have to give something. No house has everything.

I live in Basking Ridge and it’s simply an amazing town. The schools cannot be beat, the taxes are low relative to the property values and there is still a neighborhood feel it’s not like you are living in the sticks.

I know you were not considering the town but I wanted to plug it anyway.
 
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T

T2Kplus10

Heisman
Feb 24, 2010
28,180
17,566
0
RUskoolie said:
You are kind of all over the place with what you want. Figure out what is most important to you and realize you will have to give something. No house has everything.

I live in Basking Ridge and it’s simply an amazing town. The schools cannot be beat, the taxes are low relative to the property values and there is still a neighborhood feel it’s not like you are living in the sticks.

I know you were not considering the town but I wanted to plug it anyway.
Click to expand...
+1
Need to prioritize the wish list and pick 1 or 2 deal-breakers.
 
H

HeavenUniv.

Heisman
Sep 21, 2004
135,536
16,404
0
The large majority of the town of Union in Union County is nice. Very community oriented and sports oriented town. Has two main streets with lots of places to shop and restaurants, plus Route 22 which has a zillion stores. Schools are good. Train station right next to Kean University. Various parks. Lots of neighborhoods with old tree lined roads. The end near Irvington is to be avoided. Not far from Rutgers, The Shore, NJPAC, Newark Museum, Montclair, South Mountain Reservation, golf courses and ice skating rinks, The Meadowlands, Prudential Center, Garden State Arts Center, and Right by the Paper Mill Playhouse.
 
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RUfromSoCal?

RUfromSoCal?

Heisman
Nov 26, 2006
35,066
43,269
113
yeah - that's why we ended up in Randolph years ago....
Randolph, Morris PLAINS Mendham, Berkeley Heights
 
B

Beancounter88

All-Conference
Dec 22, 2010
3,490
2,340
0
I’ll throw Livingston in the mix. Location seems perfect for you. Schools are amazing. Housing prices are not as bad as other nearby towns because there’s no train in town (but you don’t need anyhow). Not a great downtown area, but we’re 5 mins to Millburn and real close to Summit and Montclair. And it’s Christie’s hometown, so you know the food is good.
 
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N

needmorecowbell

Heisman
Oct 28, 2007
9,673
10,820
78
whatanerd said:
Hi All,

Long time member, very infrequent poster. I’m reaching out for help on a topic I think you guys could really help with. My fiancé and I are starting the process of looking for our first home and have some idea of towns we’re interested in but want to make sure we’re doing our due diligence.

We currently rent in Montclair and love it. We’ve been looking at starter homes in Montclair but we’re realizing that we’re going to get priced out due to the property tax (our top choice was a 3 BR with $17k in property tax).

My question to you is what towns are there in NJ that offer a similar vibe to Montclair?

Our main preferences/requirements:

1. </=.75mi to a Montclair-esque downtown

2. Good school district (We realize “good” is relative. We’re of the mind that a good education is about 70/30 the parents and the children vs. the schools themselves. We don’t want private school.)

3. </= $1,000/mo in property tax

4. Some type of yard/outdoor space for grilling, entertaining, enjoying the weather, etc.

5. House > townhouse > condo, ideally with at least 3 BR, 1.5 BA

6. Ideally <45 minute commute (I work in Flanders and my fiancé will either be in Short Hills, Florham Park, or Newark depending on which client he’s at)

Yesterday we took a drive around Cranford, Summit, Chatham, Madison, Morristown, and Somerville.

We really liked some of the places for sale in Cranford, have heard good things about the schools, and property taxes are what we’d like. It sounds like parts of Cranford are flood zones. Any other things to be aware of in Cranford?

We really liked Somerville as well but the taxes on some places were crazy and it sounds like the schools aren’t great?

How are Caldwell and Verona schools? Obviously familiar with the area due to proximity.

We’ll likely be priced out of Summit, Chatham, Madison, and likely Morristown based on our requirements. We also used to go to Morristown a lot in our right-our-of-college days so we’re kind of meh on MoTown.

I know this a bit long so congrats if you’ve made it this far. Thank you in advance for your help. I hope you’re all staying healthy and safe!
Click to expand...
If you like Somerville, look at Bridgewater and Hillsborough. Taxes are in your ballpark and very good schools. Also a lot of lots have .5-1 acre. We looked at both and ended up in Hillsborough for a lot of the reasons you listed.
 
O

OTBOTOR

All-Conference
Aug 28, 2014
2,339
2,158
0
Had Cranford on my list 3-4 years ago. Really liked what you could get there for the money, compared to a lot of other towns. Also looked at Bloomfield, Rahway, Bayonne (schools didn’t matter) before deciding just to stay in JC.

if you want to be closer to those Morris Co work locations though, Denville is worth a look. Buddy got a house there a few years ago for a decent price (needed work). Downtown Denville isn’t Montclair Center, but some good-enough places to eat there.
 
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R

RutgersRaRa

Heisman
Mar 21, 2011
19,087
31,437
113
RUskoolie said:
You are kind of all over the place with what you want. Figure out what is most important to you and realize you will have to give something. No house has everything.

I live in Basking Ridge and it’s simply an amazing town. The schools cannot be beat, the taxes are low relative to the property values and there is still a neighborhood feel it’s not like you are living in the sticks.

I know you were not considering the town but I wanted to plug it anyway.
Click to expand...
I came here to post Basking Ridge. Millington and Stirling could be options as well.
 
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R

rutgersal_rivals139582

Heisman
Jun 7, 2001
36,583
43,991
113
Since you love Montclair, stay in Montclair, suck it up, and pay the taxes. The reason the taxes are so high is because it has a superior school system. Your house will appreciate faster than other areas.

other places you might consider, but not as good as Montclair are Maplewood, Scotch Plains, Berkeley Heights, Livingston, and Parsippany.
 
J

Jm0513

All-American
Aug 16, 2018
5,952
7,396
46
whatanerd said:
Hi All,

Long time member, very infrequent poster. I’m reaching out for help on a topic I think you guys could really help with. My fiancé and I are starting the process of looking for our first home and have some idea of towns we’re interested in but want to make sure we’re doing our due diligence.

We currently rent in Montclair and love it. We’ve been looking at starter homes in Montclair but we’re realizing that we’re going to get priced out due to the property tax (our top choice was a 3 BR with $17k in property tax).

My question to you is what towns are there in NJ that offer a similar vibe to Montclair?

Our main preferences/requirements:

1. </=.75mi to a Montclair-esque downtown

2. Good school district (We realize “good” is relative. We’re of the mind that a good education is about 70/30 the parents and the children vs. the schools themselves. We don’t want private school.)

3. </= $1,000/mo in property tax

4. Some type of yard/outdoor space for grilling, entertaining, enjoying the weather, etc.

5. House > townhouse > condo, ideally with at least 3 BR, 1.5 BA

6. Ideally <45 minute commute (I work in Flanders and my fiancé will either be in Short Hills, Florham Park, or Newark depending on which client he’s at)

Yesterday we took a drive around Cranford, Summit, Chatham, Madison, Morristown, and Somerville.

We really liked some of the places for sale in Cranford, have heard good things about the schools, and property taxes are what we’d like. It sounds like parts of Cranford are flood zones. Any other things to be aware of in Cranford?

We really liked Somerville as well but the taxes on some places were crazy and it sounds like the schools aren’t great?

How are Caldwell and Verona schools? Obviously familiar with the area due to proximity.

We’ll likely be priced out of Summit, Chatham, Madison, and likely Morristown based on our requirements. We also used to go to Morristown a lot in our right-our-of-college days so we’re kind of meh on MoTown.

I know this a bit long so congrats if you’ve made it this far. Thank you in advance for your help. I hope you’re all staying healthy and safe!
Click to expand...
Cranford is a nice town..about 10 min to Westfield which has a cute downtown. Friendly people, cute shops, places to eat and a really good bakery(Bovellas) Millburn/Short Hills also nice..good school district. I believe @RUDiddy777 is in Cranford(?) Perhaps he can chime in.:WideSmile: Three of my friends are West Caldwell/Caldwell. All are very happy there. Again cute downtown resteraunts and coffee shops. Schools are alright. Another girlfriend lives in Verona and likes the schools there. She also teaches in district. Only thing I know of in Verona is the VI a bar we frequented in our 20s lol
 
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P

Plum Street

Heisman
Jun 21, 2009
27,306
23,010
0
whatanerd said:
Thanks for this start, everyone! I definitely know we are all over the place but getting outside opinions is exactly what we want to help us narrow down our needs.
Click to expand...

This is good . Home buying can be a very humbling experience . Especially if your fiancé is an HGTV freak. This is an expensive place to live
 
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M

Mr_Twister

All-American
Apr 1, 2004
15,684
5,819
0
rutgersal said:
Since you love Montclair, stay in Montclair, suck it up, and pay the taxes. The reason the taxes are so high is because it has a superior school system. Your house will appreciate faster than other areas.

other places you might consider, but not as good as Montclair are Maplewood, Scotch Plains, Berkeley Heights, Livingston, and Parsippany.
Click to expand...
I never thought I would ever say this. Al ... stick to football commentary.
 
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R

R U Crazy

All-Conference
Feb 11, 2015
3,468
2,229
0
I agree with the HIllsborough Recommendation.
You will learn the back roads (to stay off of rt 206).
You are close to Princeton/Somerville for the downtown area.
If you work normal hours, you will be going against most of the traffic.

There are TONS of townhomes...I live in one with a finished basement and it has 4 BR/2.5 Bath and about 1800 sq ft (600 of which is the basement)
Property taxes (5600 per year) and Town-home (200 month) Fee comes out to about 8000 a year.

If you buy a house, you will see the taxes jump.
 
R

RUDiddy777

Heisman
Feb 26, 2015
33,810
38,265
113
whatanerd said:
Hi All,

Long time member, very infrequent poster. I’m reaching out for help on a topic I think you guys could really help with. My fiancé and I are starting the process of looking for our first home and have some idea of towns we’re interested in but want to make sure we’re doing our due diligence.

We currently rent in Montclair and love it. We’ve been looking at starter homes in Montclair but we’re realizing that we’re going to get priced out due to the property tax (our top choice was a 3 BR with $17k in property tax).

My question to you is what towns are there in NJ that offer a similar vibe to Montclair?

Our main preferences/requirements:

1. </=.75mi to a Montclair-esque downtown

2. Good school district (We realize “good” is relative. We’re of the mind that a good education is about 70/30 the parents and the children vs. the schools themselves. We don’t want private school.)

3. </= $1,000/mo in property tax

4. Some type of yard/outdoor space for grilling, entertaining, enjoying the weather, etc.

5. House > townhouse > condo, ideally with at least 3 BR, 1.5 BA

6. Ideally <45 minute commute (I work in Flanders and my fiancé will either be in Short Hills, Florham Park, or Newark depending on which client he’s at)

Yesterday we took a drive around Cranford, Summit, Chatham, Madison, Morristown, and Somerville.

We really liked some of the places for sale in Cranford, have heard good things about the schools, and property taxes are what we’d like. It sounds like parts of Cranford are flood zones. Any other things to be aware of in Cranford?

We really liked Somerville as well but the taxes on some places were crazy and it sounds like the schools aren’t great?

How are Caldwell and Verona schools? Obviously familiar with the area due to proximity.

We’ll likely be priced out of Summit, Chatham, Madison, and likely Morristown based on our requirements. We also used to go to Morristown a lot in our right-our-of-college days so we’re kind of meh on MoTown.

I know this a bit long so congrats if you’ve made it this far. Thank you in advance for your help. I hope you’re all staying healthy and safe!
Click to expand...

I actually moved from Montclair to Cranford in 18 after my son was born. I don’t think you’ll find another downtown like Montclair, but Cranford’s is decent (I still miss Montclair a lot). Westfields is only about 2 miles from where we live and we’re about 3/4 mile away from Cranford’s downtown. Kenilworth also has a really underrated food scene and Two Ton brewery makes some great beer. Cranford is a very friendly town and it’s easy to make conversation downtown. Lots of parks and kids actually play outside here.

Be mindful that much of Union County is being reassessed, so you might end up higher than whatever the current homeowner is paying.

Don’t worry too much about the flooding. It was bad during Irene but it hasn’t really hit that point since and there have been dredging projects and other flood control projects. The worst flooding is in the riverside area near Nomahegan on the north side. Even when it did flood, it wasn’t the kind of scenario like the passaic River where it goes up and stays there for days or weeks. When the Rahway floods, it usually recedes pretty quickly.

The only downside for you would be the commute to Flanders. The 10-24-287 interchange is brutal and I’m not sure how long the 280/parkway work will take, but that’s always a pain to sit through when I head back to Montclair. Agree with the recommendation to check out Denville and even Boonton.
 
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Beancounter88

All-Conference
Dec 22, 2010
3,490
2,340
0
rutgersal said:
Since you love Montclair, stay in Montclair, suck it up, and pay the taxes. The reason the taxes are so high is because it has a superior school system. Your house will appreciate faster than other areas.

other places you might consider, but not as good as Montclair are Maplewood, Scotch Plains, Berkeley Heights, Livingston, and Parsippany.
Click to expand...
Montclair HS is ranked #111 in NJ and #2479 in US. There are better options. Never let facts get in the way of a good Al argument.
 
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JMORC2003

All-Conference
Dec 22, 2008
4,609
2,535
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I’ve lived in Cranford for 10 years now, owned for 7 and have kids in the schools. It seems to be on a lot people’s short lists for the last few years. Happy to answer any questions you have about the town.
 
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S

Salvi's Headband

All-American
Oct 30, 2006
5,569
9,436
0
whatanerd said:
Hi All,

Long time member, very infrequent poster. I’m reaching out for help on a topic I think you guys could really help with. My fiancé and I are starting the process of looking for our first home and have some idea of towns we’re interested in but want to make sure we’re doing our due diligence.

We currently rent in Montclair and love it. We’ve been looking at starter homes in Montclair but we’re realizing that we’re going to get priced out due to the property tax (our top choice was a 3 BR with $17k in property tax).

My question to you is what towns are there in NJ that offer a similar vibe to Montclair?

Our main preferences/requirements:

1. </=.75mi to a Montclair-esque downtown

2. Good school district (We realize “good” is relative. We’re of the mind that a good education is about 70/30 the parents and the children vs. the schools themselves. We don’t want private school.)

3. </= $1,000/mo in property tax

4. Some type of yard/outdoor space for grilling, entertaining, enjoying the weather, etc.

5. House > townhouse > condo, ideally with at least 3 BR, 1.5 BA

6. Ideally <45 minute commute (I work in Flanders and my fiancé will either be in Short Hills, Florham Park, or Newark depending on which client he’s at)

Yesterday we took a drive around Cranford, Summit, Chatham, Madison, Morristown, and Somerville.

We really liked some of the places for sale in Cranford, have heard good things about the schools, and property taxes are what we’d like. It sounds like parts of Cranford are flood zones. Any other things to be aware of in Cranford?

We really liked Somerville as well but the taxes on some places were crazy and it sounds like the schools aren’t great?

How are Caldwell and Verona schools? Obviously familiar with the area due to proximity.

We’ll likely be priced out of Summit, Chatham, Madison, and likely Morristown based on our requirements. We also used to go to Morristown a lot in our right-our-of-college days so we’re kind of meh on MoTown.

I know this a bit long so congrats if you’ve made it this far. Thank you in advance for your help. I hope you’re all staying healthy and safe!
Click to expand...

Caldwell is probably the best you're gonna do here.
 
C

chrisru99

All-American
Feb 5, 2003
11,110
5,410
62
New Providence is awesome I love it here and so does my 10 year old. My brother lives in Clark which is also very nice. Can’t go wrong with either town.
 
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tom1944

All-American
Feb 22, 2008
6,601
6,974
113
I have an aversion to Clark but my opinion is based on the town from 30 years ago so it is very possible things have improved
I used to work in Caldwell and always thought it and Verona were very nice
 
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rutgersal_rivals139582

Heisman
Jun 7, 2001
36,583
43,991
113
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