Moving from greater Philly area suburb to Northern NJ (Hackensack: condo, townhouses)
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In today's market and the $800k-1million price range, you are only going to find an updated house. There is very little for sale in the towns I mentioned. Covid and high interest rates have reduced knockdowns to just about zero. You need to understand that new homes will be very hard to find.
Without knowing the details of your commute to Tarrytown (work hours, everyday or couple days/week), I was looking at the NE section of Bergen Cty. These are the most convenient towns for your commute. Certainly Ramsey/Allendale/Hohokus/Ridgewood/GlenRock fit your needs with high quality schools and downtowns. You can also include Upper Saddle River and Mahwah, although they are more suburban while still having easy access to commercial. Once again you will be looking at older updated homes in your price range. These towns will have a longer commute to Tarrytown.
As for order for the NE Bergen County towns-
1. Closter
2. Old Tappan (no downtown)
3. Norwood
However, you would be just as happy in most of the other towns I mentioned.
If you do want new, there are new townhomes being built in River Vale (The Fairways), in Montvale (Village Springs) and in Upper Saddle River (The Grove) all at the top of your range. These are all fine towns.
Commute will be 3 days a week, hours will be 8/9-5 PM, new construction is a MUST for wife and thus, I can sacrifice being more on the road than going for an updated / old construction.
Commute will be 3 days a week, hours will be 8/9-5 PM, new construction is a MUST for wife and thus, I can sacrifice being more on the road than going for an updated / old construction.
There is only so much land to build on up there. There are only so many places they can build new now. Finding something newer will cost you.
I grew up in North Jersey, am in South Jersey (Philly area) for the last 30 years. Too bad you're moving from the Philly area, there is a lot of new construction down here in Gloucester county. A million dollar house in North Jersey may cost $400k down here.
North Jersey has been popular for people working in NYC. Commuting can take a long time depending on what time of the year it is. An hour commute can turn into two or more hours if there is something like snow, the ball dropping on new years eve, various holidays with parades and if there are accidents or train issues. You would want a backup plan if you got stuck in NY.
During the summer, there is shore traffic you will deal with on a regular basis, especially on Friday and Sunday.
Dealing with traffic in North Jersey is how it is at various times of the day. My son used to go to daycare in Morristown. My friend was a teacher there, she used to drive him there unless she wasn't working. One snowy day in winter of 1987 it took us over two hours to go from Morristown to the Union area (exit 139A on the parkway) which was normally a 20 minute drive.
If you aren't used to traffic, I suggest you consider renting while contemplating where to settle.
Maybe Paramus? I see houses being built all over the place in Paramus, but I don’t know what they go for. Property tax rates in Paramus are some of the lowest in Bergen County.
EDIT: just did a quick Zillow search, and all the houses they have marked as new construction in Paramus are listed at $2MM+. I think you should maybe get your wife to compromise on the new construction requirement or you may be looking for a very long time.
There is only so much land to build on up there. There are only so many places they can build new now. Finding something newer will cost you.
I grew up in North Jersey, am in South Jersey (Philly area) for the last 30 years. Too bad you're moving from the Philly area, there is a lot of new construction down here in Gloucester county. A million dollar house in North Jersey may cost $400k down here.
North Jersey has been popular for people working in NYC. Commuting can take a long time depending on what time of the year it is. An hour commute can turn into two or more hours if there is something like snow, the ball dropping on new years eve, various holidays with parades and if there are accidents or train issues. You would want a backup plan if you got stuck in NY.
During the summer, there is shore traffic you will deal with on a regular basis, especially on Friday and Sunday.
Dealing with traffic in North Jersey is how it is at various times of the day. My son used to go to daycare in Morristown. My friend was a teacher there, she used to drive him there unless she wasn't working. One snowy day in winter of 1987 it took us over two hours to go from Morristown to the Union area (exit 139A on the parkway) which was normally a 20 minute drive.
If you aren't used to traffic, I suggest you consider renting while contemplating where to settle.
Bergen County native here. Now live in Mercer. Really wish I lived in Bucks. Co. That being said, visited Bergen County a few months ago. I was sick of the traffic and congestion within a few hours. They were out of room 25 years ago. I couldn't believe all the crevices they managed to sneak new homes into. The place is just not built for more population.
That being said, visited Bergen County a few months ago. I was sick of the traffic and congestion within a few hours. They were out of room 25 years ago. I couldn't believe all the crevices they managed to sneak new homes into. The place is just not built for more population.
+1
Every time that I venture into Bergen County, I quickly wish that I was back in much-less-congested Somerset & Hunterdon Counties. If the OP wants quicker access to NYC, Bergen County definitely provides it, but it comes at the cost of having to deal with incredible congestion on the highways in that county.
If new construction is an absolute must, you're probably looking at $1.5M MINIMUM for a single family house right now, and in the more blue-ribbon towns certainly higher than that. And while this would need more vetting, I believe you will also pay more in taxes for new construction, at least that has been the anecdotes I have noticed over the years. You can probably find a condo or townhouse in your price range, though.
I'm curious if you have been looking online in these towns and if you are finding anything to your liking?
If you’re going to be working in NY, I strongly recommend that you live there also. It’s always best to avoid bridge crossings because they are expensive and a pain.
Check out Westchester towns like Dobbs Ferry, Ardsley, Irvington, Tarrytown, Pleasantville, New Rochelle, Armonk, and Larchmont.
There is only so much land to build on up there. There are only so many places they can build new now. Finding something newer will cost you.
I grew up in North Jersey, am in South Jersey (Philly area) for the last 30 years. Too bad you're moving from the Philly area, there is a lot of new construction down here in Gloucester county. A million dollar house in North Jersey may cost $400k down here.
North Jersey has been popular for people working in NYC. Commuting can take a long time depending on what time of the year it is. An hour commute can turn into two or more hours if there is something like snow, the ball dropping on new years eve, various holidays with parades and if there are accidents or train issues. You would want a backup plan if you got stuck in NY.
During the summer, there is shore traffic you will deal with on a regular basis, especially on Friday and Sunday.
Dealing with traffic in North Jersey is how it is at various times of the day. My son used to go to daycare in Morristown. My friend was a teacher there, she used to drive him there unless she wasn't working. One snowy day in winter of 1987 it took us over two hours to go from Morristown to the Union area (exit 139A on the parkway) which was normally a 20 minute drive.
If you aren't used to traffic, I suggest you consider renting while contemplating where to settle.
Hi!!!
Yes, I have tried driving in NYC or en route to NYC and before and realize how 10 miles can be sometimes like an hour; however, with the post pandemic era, if there is inclement weather, I can work remote or if there is emergency etc… that being said, I always felt that northern NJ is modern, diverse and resembles NYC in terms of its restaurant options, or at least being close to it not old and with very atrocious food options and comprised of people sometimes who never lived out of PA after they were born and thus won’t accept people from different backgrounds not to mention schools in NJ are better than PA
There is only so much land to build on up there. There are only so many places they can build new now. Finding something newer will cost you.
I grew up in North Jersey, am in South Jersey (Philly area) for the last 30 years. Too bad you're moving from the Philly area, there is a lot of new construction down here in Gloucester county. A million dollar house in North Jersey may cost $400k down here.
North Jersey has been popular for people working in NYC. Commuting can take a long time depending on what time of the year it is. An hour commute can turn into two or more hours if there is something like snow, the ball dropping on new years eve, various holidays with parades and if there are accidents or train issues. You would want a backup plan if you got stuck in NY.
During the summer, there is shore traffic you will deal with on a regular basis, especially on Friday and Sunday.
Dealing with traffic in North Jersey is how it is at various times of the day. My son used to go to daycare in Morristown. My friend was a teacher there, she used to drive him there unless she wasn't working. One snowy day in winter of 1987 it took us over two hours to go from Morristown to the Union area (exit 139A on the parkway) which was normally a 20 minute drive.
If you aren't used to traffic, I suggest you consider renting while contemplating where to settle.
He isn't going to NYC, though, so those points are moot. City parades and New Year's won't affect Tarrytown, and the TZ bridge was purposely built upriver to keep it out of the Port Authority District.
Bergen County native here. Now live in Mercer. Really wish I lived in Bucks. Co. That being said, visited Bergen County a few months ago. I was sick of the traffic and congestion within a few hours. They were out of room 25 years ago. I couldn't believe all the crevices they managed to sneak new homes into. The place is just not built for more population.
Good description. I grew up in NW Bergen County. Cannot believe they put townhouses in small areas that used to be people's backyards. The local traffic is terrible now.
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