<p>1 BR’s at Gateway are $3200 and thats before you start negotiating.</p>
<p>I would be quite happy to pay under $10,000 in property taxes. </p>
<p>I pay 8000 in Essex Co. My D pays 7000. (to stay off topic.) </p>
<p>Staying off topic… we pay $16,000/yr in property taxes in Summit for a 4 bedroom 2700 sq ft house. I don’t begrudge the taxes that go to the school district - the schools are very good and our S2 got a good education. But I really wonder where the money to Union county goes.</p>
<p>In Bergen county, Edgewater, Ft Lee, Ridgewood, Englewood, Westwood, Rutherford all have nice downtowns.</p>
<p>If you’re fine with high-rise/townhouse/condo living, consider Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken, West New York, Guttenberg, North Bergen, Edgewater, Cliffside Park, and Fort Lee. All of these towns(some in Hudson County) have newer luxury units that have postcard-quality views. </p>
<p>You all pay a lot of real estate taxes in metro NYC area. In my area near Tampa figure annual real estate taxes of approx. $1.00/S.F for your house. 15,000 square foot mansion…pay $15,000 annually in real estate taxes. 2500 S.F. house…pay $2500 in annual taxes. Your mileage may vary!</p>
<p>Lizard, how much does a 2500 sq ft house go for in Tampa?
Most areas use value of land and home when determining property taxes. </p>
<p>When I took a cab from Chelsea to the Newark Airport, The part of NJ I saw, which was very limited, did not look that pretty to me. </p>
<p>I am reading about beautiful views of Manhattan from NJ so I have a couple of questions? Where the hell was I in NJ? 
And how far was I to the nice areas of NJ?</p>
<p>I’m just talking taxes really broadbrushed and know land and improvemnent values are used in determing taxes. I’m using $1/sf for typical tract type housing on lots .25/.5 acres. Too, I’m not right in Tampa, but within commute range. 2500 sf houses can be had by me as low as $150,000 to $250,000 range readily…again depends on bells and whistles attached to property. As an example an owner near us has a 15,000 sf 20 year old brick home with the works including 5 baths and 2 elevators on about an acre…his taxes are about $13,000 for 2013. Personally , I think the local county appraiser has his market value assessment too low.</p>
<p>You likely took the Holland tunnel to NJ, which would put you outside of Newark when you came out of the tunnel. The ‘nice’ parts are further north (Hoboken, Ft Lee).</p>
<p>Or west–Montclair, Maplewood, etc.
Or south, Red bank, etc.</p>
<p>Honestly, there’s a small, industrial portion of NJ that everyone sees near the airport, or along the Turnpike in that area, but most of the state is quite pretty.</p>
<p>Really! :)</p>
<p>Lizard, thanks.</p>
<p>Garland, Novadad99, I thought the state was pretty. It is called the garden state. Then again, Greenland is called Greenland. I didn’t see any gardens. The drive to the airport is through the tush of the state. :)</p>
<p>Maybe in a year or two, I will visit a nicer area of New Jersey.</p>
<p>Have you considered a coop or condo in Northern Manhattan or Riverdale?
Rentals are also lower there. However, rents increase. Coop Maintenance can increase, but at least you have some “savings” via property taxes that are part of maintenance. Also, when compared to Westchester, property taxes for houses are much lower.</p>
<p>The areas I’m thinking of are <em>relatively</em> suburban (e.g. Fieldston area in Riverdale) or bucolic from the large parks in Washington Heights & Inwood along the Hudson, when compared to the typical image of Manhattan neighborhoods. </p>
<p>Search the NYTimes website for a description of areas. The Sunday real estate section has had full page pieces.</p>
<p>dstark, as a born and bred Jersey Girl, I apologize for your brief grungy tour of our state. There are some very nice parts of the state. In addition to the suburbs mentioned above, places like Far Hills and Mendham are beautiful. Although I no longer live in NJ, I fondly defend and promote the Garden State.</p>
<p>Mansfield, I am sure New Jersey is nice. Too many posters live in NJ or are from there. As I said, I hope to visit the nicer areas. The route from Chelsea to the Newark airport is not pretty but it is convenient. Beats going to JFK.</p>
<p>Until I moved to NJ 30 years ago, my impressions were based on childhood travels on the Turnpike. </p>
<p>The state is so much better than turnpike exit 11-18. There are parts of the appalachian trail in the northwest corner and the beaches are fabulous. Even high-tax Essex County has a 2000 acre park that has fabulous views of nyc. (We watched WTC7 collapse from one on 9/11) and a cool waterfall. </p>
<p>The agriculture is also fabulous - jersey tomatoes and corn can’t be beat. </p>
<p>Oh, corn. I grew up in NJ, but now I live in California. In general, California has fantastic fresh vegetables, but when I go back to visit family in the summer, we can still buy fresh corn, just picked that day and sold at the farmstands, just like we did when I was growing up. And it’s still so, so good. California corn is nowhere near as good or as available.</p>
<p>Also, pizza and Italian food in general is far superior in New Jersey, with all those Italians. (But, Californians, if you go to New Jersey stay away from any Chinese food of any kind. Trust me, just don’t go there.)</p>
<p>Have you considered Hastings-on-Hudson, NY? I have family there, it is a charming village, trains run about ever 1/2 hr. to nyc. Reasonable 1 and 2 bedroom condos overlooking the Hudson. </p>