<p>Looks as if we’re really doing this. Probably going to either Somerset or Morris counties. We’ve looked at the stats and it feels as if house prices are still declining. We could rent for awhile and get to know the market better but have to buy within the year to take advantage of the relocation package.</p>
<p>Morris appeals more to us for proximity to NYC and the quaint historic feel. Somerset is closer to DH’s work and to a high school that looks like a good place for DD. Also considering a school in Summit.</p>
<p>Mostly, we are nervous about buying into this market and watching our home value decline. We are moving from an area with far cheaper homes but somewhat more stability in prices.</p>
<p>Are you looking at Kent Place. If so I would consider Chatham which is right next door to Summit. To get from Somerset County to Summit during peak traffic time is not easy. Madison is also a town to consider. What do you want in a town? It seems you will be considering private schools so the public school system may not play a role in your decision.
Mendham is also one to look into.- Actually two.</p>
<p>If you are considering a school in Summit, you should also look at Maplewood and Millburn Short Hills in addition to Chatham and Madison. I am assuming you are looking at a private school?<br>
For strong home values you will want a town on a direct train line with good schools –
for instance midtown direct covers Maplewood, Millburn/ Short Hills, Summit, Chatham and Madison. And the closer to the city the higher the prices. The first 4 towns very conveniently located to major traffic routes so also convenient in that sense.<br>
Another nice town is Westfield but I don’t think they are on a direct train line.</p>
<p>All of the following are great towns… Summit, Chatham, Madison. There are also smaller towns Berkeley Heights and New Providence which are right next to Summit. Livingston, Milburn and Short Hills are also beautiful towns. It is a great time to buy a house in one of these areas which are usually pretty pricey. Sad to see what the homes in Summit are going for now…four years ago was the time to sell, and now people are just sitting and waiting.</p>
<p>If you are looking at private schools I would recommend Pingry and Newark academy. They are great schools!</p>
<p>Would you prefer easy access to NYC or easy access to H’s job in Somerset county? If you want to get to NYC easily (via midtown direct as others have mentioned), look in Summit, Chatham, or Madison. If you’d prefer to be closer to Somerset county, take a look at Basking Ridge, a wonderful family town (and close to Pingry, a very well-regarded school).</p>
<p>Essex County (home of Livingston, Millburn, and Maplewood) taxes are very high, though mitigated somewhat in some towns by the presence of large malls and corporate parks. I would strongly discourage a move to Essex County, particularly if you are sending a child to private school and thus not using the public schools supported by the burdensome property taxes. (Summit is in Union County incidentally but as you probably know, highly accessible to the Route 78 corridor and with great train service. And there are parts of Somerset County that are not appreciably farther from the city than parts of Morris County, so I’d base a home choice on waht town feels right and works well for the work and school commutes.)</p>
<p>Since your husband will nor be commuting to NYC anyway I see no reason to move any farther east than Morris. For weekend trips to the city you can get to (and park at) a train station on the Morris and Essex line quite easily (though off peak fares have been eliminated, making a trip far more expensive on weekends than it used to be and making it more tempting to drive in to the city for recreational weekend trips!). </p>
<p>I can’t speak specifically to whether the market will continue to go down but I would think you might find a good rental home in Somerset or Morris given the state of the economy. If you are using one of the previously discussed private schools you will find they pull from a fairly wide geographical area so you (or your daughter) will be doing quite a bit of driving and in the course of the school year you will find out a lot more about various towns.</p>
<p>If you want public school then Milburn, Short Hills, Summit and Chatham are the towns to consier. If you are considering private schools then New Vernon, Harding, Bernardsville are towns you should consider due to lower taxes. Basking Ridge is right next to Bernardsvile, but tax is a lot higher. Getting from Bernardsville/New Vernon/Harding to Summit is very easy if you take the back roads and avoid 287 or 24. In my opinion there is no need to live in Essex or Morris county if your husband is working in Somerset.</p>
<p>I am not sure if private school is an option right now because better schools are finished with their admission process for 2010-2011.</p>
<p>Midtown Direct goes all the way from Dover but so do lots of buses which makes Morris County very accessible to the city for fun. If your DD will attend a public h.s. you can consider Mendham (easy drive to Somerset County)…I just saw that Tom44 also suggested Mendham. You’d take the train from Morris Plains or Morristown. Both the township (very pricey) and the borough (a bit less so) send their kids to the same h.s.–West Morris-Mendham which has a strong IB program.</p>
<p>Mendham has no major highway anywhere close by. New Vernon, Harding, Bernardsville, Basking Ridge, Warren, Watchung are all close by major highway(s). Personally I would consider Basking Ridge before Mendham for public school, and it’s a lot more accessible.</p>
<p>Oldfort is correct regarding the possibility of getting into any of the privates at this time. You may want to look at the towns public school systems before you decide on an area. Ridge Highschool in Basking Ridge is very good as is Summit and Milburn/Livingston.</p>
<p>If you look at Summit or any Union County town than by all means you should look at Union County Magnet Highschool. It is a great school, but again, it is not likely that they would accept a rising jr.</p>
<p>On real estate, my perception is that prices are not going noticeably up or down right now. Prices in my area are down 15 - 20% from the peak according to Zillow.</p>
<p>What does seem to be happening is that only really sharp homes are selling. There are a lot of homes on the market, and homes that are not priced well or are not super appealing in some way hang around unsold. It might be a good time to be buying, and mortgage rates (if you qualify) are at record or near record lows.</p>
<p>The closer in to NYC on Midtown Direct you go, the more the influence of the fortunes of finance on local real estate. While the layoffs and downsizing of the finance industry have been very large, the industry is recovering better than many (including me) might have expected.</p>
<p>For your purposes, I don’t think you need to go in as close to NYC as Millburn/Short Hills (very expensive) or Maplewood. Berkeley Heights, New Providence would be closer to job in Somerset County, with good public schools, convenient access to I-78, and on the Midtown Direct line.</p>
<p>Pay attention to property taxes, they range from outrageously high to obscenely high. It is possible to appeal home valuation, but even if you are successful taxes will be very high.</p>
<p>As I’ve written before, we ended up moving to Summit 2 1/2 years ago. We bought a home and do not regret it at all. I figure it is probably worth about what we paid for it. If Wall Street ever really recovers it will go up in value.</p>
<p>You’ve gotten a lot of good advice about schools. As others have said, I wouldn’t recommend depending on being able to get your D into private school without talking to the private school in question and getting specific information from them. On the other hand, we have been very pleased with the public schools here, and many towns have good schools.</p>
<p>Sewhappy didn’t say she was looking for a private school. Since housing is still very pricey in NJ, I would recommend looking at communities near Somerset Cty with highly ranked school systems. NJ Monthly ranks the following HS in Somerset County:
16: Montgomery
24: Ridge (Bernards Twp)
36: Bernards (Bernardsville)
49: Watchung Hills Regional
NJ is also famous for having the highest property taxes in the nation, so you will need to figure this into the monthly cost of ownership. Driving in the NYC tristate area can be painful, so I would recommend searching near where your husband works. If you only want to go to NYC on the weekends, this should not be a major factor. Cost, length of commute and education quality should be major factors.</p>
<p>NJMonthly changes their standards for ranking schools, so this is just a suggested starting point.</p>
<p>mary-Somerset is closer to DH’s work and to a high school that looks like a good place for DD. Also considering a school in Summit. </p>
<p>If sewhappy was not looking at private schools why would she say she was looking at a school in Summit but ask about towns in Somerset and Morris counties.</p>
<p>sewhappy- my sister and bil were going to make a similar move and they made an offer on a home in Princeton. Have you considered Princeton. Great town, great school. has the train and the drive to Somerset county is possible although 206 can be a nightmare.</p>
<p>In one way, there are a lot of good buys out there. Many houses are listed for a good sized discount from the peak. There are many good public schools in Somerset and even in Hunterdon county (which you have not mentioned). I would never move to Essex as said above because the taxes are the absolute highest in the area, and you can find really good schools elsewhere. It is not as if everyone from Millburn High goes to HYP. I personally never wanted to live there and avoided it when I moved a few years back. Although Summit and Chatham are top towns and schools with somewhat lower taxes because they are in Union County, it is more crowded in terms of traffic than Somerset which is further west.</p>
<p>I think it is important for home value and ease of sale at any point down the road to pick a town with good school/reasonable tax rate balance. You can pick some towns with lower taxes if you use a private school, BUT, your home value will always be lower even in times when home prices are rising. I think this is something really important to remember when you are looking at those tax bills.</p>
<p>Just want to express my appreciation to the great advice on this thread. I’ve printed it all out and shared with the gang. It’s a little thorny but in general this area of NJ has us all very excited. Some really delightful communities and great schools. </p>
<p>I also really appreciate the PMs. Thank you, all. This has helped.</p>
<p>Coming into this discussion late, but we have lots of family from NJ. </p>
<p>I’m most familiar with Bernardsville, Madison and Chatham as well as Essex County. My sister lives in B’ville and sent her kids to Pingry for HS
I also have a brother who lives in Long Valley. The area seemed so remote when he and his wife moved there 10+ years ago. Now it seems more convenient and upscale. His wife raves about their kids schools.</p>
<p>Several years ago, we were at a party in the Bay Area hosted by a Pingry alumnus (DH is one, when it was all boys) where I was talking to the headmaster. During our conversation, I expressed shock at the tuition for kindergarten, he responded seriously,“Well, kindergarten is a very important year”, then broke into a big smile.</p>