r/MovingtoNewJersey

Hi,

I am in a bit of a dilemma. I actually grew up in NJ but currently don't own. I am looking to own in Somerset, Morris, Passiac, Essex, Middlesex or Bergen county. My top towns are a few in North Bergen, Livingston, Montclair, and a few towns in somerset. I am skipping the whole "starter" home phase and looking for something more multigenerational. Specifically a lot larger than 0.25acre and 4k sqft, surprisingly that is very expensive but I am open to all options including building, and willing to spend $1M - 2.5M.

The reason why this is a dilemma is that I dont live in NJ and dont plan on it, but the appreciation in the market is signaling that the sooner you buy the better, regardless. Appreciation is an exponential growth. Waiting "till prices come down" is a losing strategy beyond 1-2 years, specifically for NJ. Even in 2008, the average decline was only 15%, and recovered quickly. So I feel like buying now is better than when I will live in NJ which could be 5 years away. I would hate to however pay a mortgage on a house I am not living in. I could rent it but I own a rental and the way tenants tear up homes is insane.

This is why building is of interest to me in that there are a few empty lots floating around or like most I can demolish a home and rebuild. This is actually not as expensive as I thought because most of the value in most NJ homes is the land. For example at $300/sqft a 4k build is $1.2M, you cant find that in North NJ, all the margin is in trying to get the land cheap. I feel like it would make more sense in paying off a lot over 2-5 years, than carrying a full mortgage, or carrying a rental and not care about tenant damage as its going to be torn down. When I am ready a home can be put up in a year.

Essentially, if I want to buy now, but I am not in a rush to have a functional home, what is the best bang for my buck option?

I’m looking into millstone to potentially move there since we can no longer afford north Jersey.

Does anyone know what it’s like living there? It looks pretty far out in the middle of no where. How are the schools? Is there things for kids to do? What’s the food like?

Not seeing too many options for my search hoping this may help. The tenants would be my partner and I + 3 house trained dogs.
This is my filtered search :
\\- 1Bd+, 1Ba+
\\- entire home (can be detached in laws rental, just not shared space)
\\- some yard space (dogs)
\\- 30 Mile radius from Cherry Hill (NJ only)
\\- Price & lease term flexible/ negotiable

If you have a family member or know someone that might be interested please pass the word on!

Despite the woes with NJ Transit the Northern NJ market remains on tear.

Hi, due to budget concerns, I am considering to stay around journal square and commute to work in Williamsburg. The commute will be 5 stops on the PATH and then another 4 stops on the L train. I will be able to avoid all the commuting peak hours and Google Maps estimate the journey to be about 50 minutes which doesn't seem too bad. I was told that the commute would be brutal. Any advice/feedback would be appreciated.

My boyfriend and I are moving to Central Jersey (Wall) for his job, however I don't drive and have a job in the city. I would prefer the town to be walkable and more of a city- like vibe, but I'm open to all suggestions. I'm working on getting a job in Jersey, but for right now, I have to commute. Are there any towns that meet my criteria?

Does anyone have area recommendations for older parents wanting to move to New Jersey for a better Indian social life/community?

my (Gujurati) parents are looking for a change and they miss the social life in India. They’re looking for an area/neighborhood that is welcoming and does lots of Indian events.

Hello, I'm considering applying to WPU in the next few years as a transfer from Indiana...I have compiled a list of towns, added Wayne and Paterson just as a last resort as I haven't heard many good things about them via other subs (main NJ sub.)...Doesn't have to be a forever home, if that helps with your advice/information..

Feel free to add any towns you know of and give info on any town(s) in this list, from personal, your friends, family, etc...If it helps I'm a guy moving alone and I don't mind public transport if it's more convenient for certain towns.

https://preview.redd.it/klv07zojkwah1.png?width=428&format=png&auto=webp&s=da430da8a0afbaa9d45a93ffd026a3480cde7bb1

Hey everyone, just wanted to share a cautionary tale and warn anyone looking at houses in the Harrington Park area.

We recently went under contract on a flipped house listed at $1.3M (a 4-bedroom Colonial with a first-floor master bedroom). It looked beautiful in the staged photos, but after getting the home inspection done, we backed out immediately. It was the literal definition of "putting lipstick on a pig."

Our inspector found over 30 issues. The flippers cut every single corner imaginable and used the cheapest materials possible. Here are just a few highlights of the disaster:

Electrical Issues: Running appliances in multiple rooms simultaneously caused the circuit breakers to trip immediately.

Plumbing Issues: All the bathrooms had severe drainage issues. The water drained incredibly slowly everywhere.

HVAC Disaster: It was advertised as a 2-zone system, but it didn't actually separate the 1st and 2nd floors properly. To make it worse, several vents weren't even connected to anything.

Termites: Active termite issues were found during the inspection.

Terrible Craftsmanship: If you look closely at the listing photos, even the range hood vent over the stove isn't properly aligned. It's totally crooked.
I'm incredibly frustrated about the time and money we wasted on this inspection, but I'm glad we walked away from what would have been a lifetime of financial headaches.
If you are looking in this area and see a flipped 4-bed Colonial around this price point, please do your due diligence or just run. Don't waste your time and money like I did!

I’m curious on people’s thoughts in Edgewater NJ more specoficaly, the future of the town. A family member is thinking of buying here and I actually live here and I love it but she got me thinking of what the future might be like. On the one hand, I see a ton of construction which signals growth. But, I see several large empty lots that had businesses (golf, movie theatre) or empty store fronts. Also, while It does have some great coffee shops, cafes, and restaurant, I feel like there’s no real “heart” because it’s not too walkable and also feels like a lot of the people are only here for a couple of years and it’s more of a transitional place.

The good (or great), the bad ,the ugly? First time home buyer from Parsippany currently living in Bayonne. I’ve lived in JC & Morristown as well. Thoughts on the area , schools , community , etc.

There's a possibility that I will be moving to New Jersey (work out of Jersey City). I'm from the midwest so no experience on the East coast.

What are the pros/cons to New Jersey? Also, what are the best, affordable cities/towns to live in?

Hey all, first ever post! Currently live on LI with my Fiancée and 2 young kids. We are looking to move in the near future, and considering NJ for a fresh start and hopefully cheaper cost of living! Wondering what the best towns for a young family are with affordable homes and good schools.

I work in the financial district in Manhattan, only have to commute in 2x a week. Would like to keep my total commute time to under 2 hours. Keep in mind it currently takes me about 2.5 from door to door. Appreciate any tips or info, our housing budget is around 650k or less.

As someone who is moving to NJ from out of state, my partner and I planned to have her parents help us move furniture with their truck (thankfully we don’t have much). After planning out the day to have them drive to us from 4 hours away and then for all of us to drive four hours back to Jersey, how screwed are we?

I know that the roads will be much busier because of the surge of people. Our apartment is in the North Bergen area and we are planning on staying our first night in the apartment that day being that traffic will, without a doubt, be horrible after the game. I just as just looking to hear what others think on the matter that are from the area. Or is there a certain time that I may be better off bringing my things down that day? Like I was thinking things might be not nearly as congested while the game is going on. Any advice is much appreciated.

I wanted to share my experience with Addison at Princeton Meadows in case it helps anyone else who is considering renting there, especially Building 11.

When I first started the leasing process, they really pushed me to sign quickly. it was honestly a mistake on my part to commit before even seeing the unit, but I had friends who live in the community and told me it was nice, so I trusted that.

Daria, specifically pressured me by saying they had a “95% fill rate” and that if I didn’t sign by the end of the week, they would give the unit to someone else. This was back in May...

She tried to push me into signing for different move-in dates in June, but I ultimately chose the end of the month because it worked best for my schedule. Once i signed, daria would not respond to emails or calls, even when I was trying to get basic updates. I had already purchased renters insurance and was actively trying to coordinate picking up my keys, but no response.

I called plainsboro township and they had not even submitted an application for a Certificate of Occupancy yet. they finally admitted they had no unit five days before my lease date.

I’m sharing this so others can be aware of what the leasing experience has been like, especially if you’re considering Building 11 or a new construction unit there. Just make sure you get everything in writing and don’t rely too heavily on projected move-in dates.

My husband and I are moving to Norther NJ (Bloomfield to be specific). We'll need to fix a sewage problem in the basement and would like to add a bathroom in the basement right after we fix the sewage problem. Does anyone have a contractor they've worked with that they recommend? Also, in general, what are some red flags that we should look out for in contractors. It's our first home and I don't know what to look out for.

We'll also need to do some more general tasks, painting, updating cabinet hardware, switching out sink faucets, if anyone knows of a general handyman that can take on these tasks, or should we just check thumbtack?

Hi everyone, glad I found this community really hoping to get some honest insights.

We’re a family of three (mid 30s with a 1 year-old) currently based in Germany. I work in tech for a stable company with HQ in Germany, but we also have a presence in the US. Earlier this month, I was approached about relocating to Jersey City where we have a office.

The offer is $180k base with $220k OTE.

The plan would be for all of us to move, with me working initially as the sole earner while my wife takes time to settle in, improve her English, and explore job opportunities. We’re also considering holding off on childcare for the first 6–12 months until we better understand the actual cost of living.

Right now, we have a comfortable lifestyle in Germany and manage to save around $30k per year. Ideally, we’d want to maintain a similar (or better) level of comfort covering rent, daily life, being able to go out occasionally (dinners, drinks), stay socially active, have room for some travel while still being able to save a meaningful amount.

For housing, we’re looking at a 2 bedroom in Jersey City or possibly Hoboken, but I keep seeing that rents there are very high.

On paper, the offer looks strong, but after reading a lot about the cost of living in NYC/NJ, I’m starting to question how far it actually goes for a family of three on a single income.

For those familiar with the area:

• Does this compensation realistically support a comfortable lifestyle and savings in Jersey City/Hoboken?
• What kind of monthly budget should we expect (rent, childcare, general expenses)?

Appreciate any advice or real life experiences. Thanks in advance!

hiii

I’m from CT but just found my dream home in Southhampton NJ. Obv visited the house in person and wow it seems rural! any recommendations for things to do in nearby towns?

I usually hang out in NYC so love that it’s not too far from there for my once a week meetings or a dinner/drinks with friends here and there. I hear the train from Hamilton to Penn is not bad.

30‘s couple moving with a toddler.

Is it true that houses in desirable neighborhoods are going for bidding wars?

I find that surprising. Most cities in the country aren’t seeing this, and many are seeing price cuts.

The Bay Area is an exception because of the AI boom.

What’s causing this to happen in NJ?