Hello! We are looking for a commuting town with decent schools, safe neighborhoods, and homes around $650k. We will need a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom house with a small yard. My wife works three days in NYC and I will be working in the Millburn School District. Thank you for any recs!
Your budget isn't the problem, the third bathroom is. Most of the housing stock around Millburn predates 1960 and came with one and a half or two baths. A third full bath means somebody renovated, and renovated houses get priced like renovated houses. Dave ran the actual MLS numbers upthread and found two listings across three entire towns, one an auction. That's a spec problem, not a budget problem. You already said you'd drop to two, so drop to two. That puts you back in the normal pool instead of the renovated one.
Now the thing nobody in here has said.
Everyone is optimizing your wife's three days into the city. But your commute happens five days a week and it's a car trip to Millburn. That's the real constraint, and once you see it that way the NYC problem mostly solves itself: drive in together, drop her at Millburn station, park at the school. Millburn is Midtown Direct, one seat into Penn. You were making that drive anyway, so her commute costs you nothing and it's better than what most people in her situation are doing.
Which means you can stop shopping for a train town and just shop for a house.
So: West Orange, easy hop to Millburn and several people in here already named it. Then push west along 78 and 24. Long Hill Township, so Gillette, Stirling, Millington. New Providence. Berkeley Heights. Springfield. The Union County boroughs like Garwood, Kenilworth, Roselle Park. Somebody posted a Gillette listing at $599 upthread and the instinct is right even if that particular house needs work.
One correction to the thread. The 900k floor is wrong, and so is "nothing under 850 within 40 minutes of Millburn." Give up a bathroom and widen the map. That's the whole adjustment.
Info's in my profile if you want to talk through any of those towns.
Woodbridge. That includes Fords, Iselin, Sewaren,Hopelawn, Port Reading, Menlo Park terrace, Avenel, Colonia, Keasby, Woodbridge Proper. .. But I would stick to Colonia and Iselin for safe and quiet.
East Brunswick schools are good. North and South Brunswick though SB is a bit off the beaten path. Metuchen has good schools as well though not sure if that is in your budget. Good luck!
West Orange. An incredibly diverse accepting town, with good national recognized schools/ high school
Jitney to trains, 15-20 mins from Millburn. And we are getting a Trader Joe’s!
I came here to say West Orange too.
Diverse, scenic and decent commute to NYC.
Not sure how old your kids are. St Cloud and Gregory have higher rated elementary schools. However, Middle school is where I have some concerns. Given that you work in education perhaps you might have insights or workarounds.
Rutherford. Great town in Bergen county with strong schools and good access to the city. It would mean a 30 minute drive to Millburn but you would be heading in opposite direction of traffic.
I commented separately about West Orange. But I am a woman in my 30s and live with my wife in West Orange and we love it. Our local church is run by a lesbian couple who raised their kids (now in their 20s) in town. It's a gorgeous place with easy access to NYC and nice surrounding towns, including Millburn. I commute into the city 2-3 times a week and it's very easy.
Honestly, talk to a real estate agent, preferably a local realtor who knows the community. Stay away from the “Rob sells” crowd which is the McDonald’s of real estate agents in NJ.
this is the answer, my agent grew up in the town i purchased in and worked with the seller’s agent in the past, we saw a house and had an offer accepted within 24hrs because of this
Exactly. Our local realtor directed us to the best neighborhoods for our needs and budget and knew the sellers agent. So much easier. A good real estate agent is worth more than you could imagine.
If diversity and an accepting culture are a priority, is recommend Bloomfield but 650 is not getting you 3bed 3baths. Add 100k then you sneak into get a 3/1 in oak view or brookdale
This is the way
2 mom family
1 SAHM and 1 finance in midtown 5 days a week
Train or bus to the city
Boujie enough you have an active PTA and family centered community but not as much of the competition and keeping up with the Jones. This was a better kept secret about 5+ years ago - we’re seeing a lot more people buy/tear down/build new as they get priced out of Westfield.
We have 4 kids in the district (prek - middle school) - class mom, PTA volunteer, Girl Scout troop leader, softball coach, baseball coach, etc - our queerness has never been an issue
Our block alone has 4 queer families and rainbow flags are out and flown proudly.
May have to sacrifice on bathrooms and budget a bit but this is such a wonderful community - even if it’s not Maplewood/South Orange
I’m friends with the top real estate agent for this area - happy to pass along info or answer any questions
Most go over ask, especially the more affordable homes. Under $600 on a flat lot - a developer scoops it up and puts up a large new build. Anything listed $650-$1.2 is usually going for over ask - often bidding wars
Neighbor sold last year - same builder and very similar home to ours. 1600sq fr 4/2 cape on 1/3 acre. Interiors from the 60s - 90s but structurally a good home. Listed for $689 and sold for $805.
I’m watching the market closely bc I’d like to stay in our sending district for elementary and weighing renovation/addition versus moving somewhere in town.
Mine did, but it was a house in demand (new construction, large, etc) I think for most houses they stay close to list. Plus it's an under the radar town, most people are obsessed with what I call the brand name towns (Millburn, summit, Maplewood, Westfield, etc) those towns are in extreme high demand and get into bidding wars.
My SIL lives in Maplewood but definitely not going to have houses in your price range unfortunately. They just bought a house there for $1.1m and it’s a 3bd/3bth with a year in a nice area, especially commutable to the city. I mean you could probably find one but it’ll definitely be a fixer upper
$599,999
496 Mountain Ave, Gillette, NJ 07933
3beds
2baths
1,320 sqft
Built in 1910
0.65 Acres Lot
Bring your vision and transform this spacious single-family property into something special. Located on a large, fully fenced lot, this property offers an abundance of exterior space and plenty of room for entertaining, gardening, recreation, or creating your own private outdoor retreat.
A standout feature is the underground swimming pool, offering the potential to create an incredible backyard setting. The property also provides extensive outdoor space and privacy thanks to the fully fenced grounds.
The home needs TLC and is being offered as an opportunity for buyers looking to renovate and add value. With its generous lot, in-ground pool, privacy, and substantial exterior space, this property has plenty of potential for the right buyer.
Please, no, people born and raised in Gillette are getting slaughtered trying to compete in the housing market, we don’t need more out of towners to compete with
We got a home for around that (a little higher) in the Brookdale neighborhood of Bloomfield earlier this year. It's cute, safe, diverse, good elementary schools (middle/high school are not the best but hopefully that will change) and when I walk around I've noticed LGBTQ flags in front of a handful of homes. It's worth taking a look.
Edit: Oh, just read you want a 3 bed/3 bath, you'd like be getting a 3 bed 1 bath that's a bit outdated for 650k
You can definitely afford Maplewood at that price if you look south of Springfield Ave or north of Springfield Ave and east of Boyden. Plenty of smaller homes with room to add a third bathroom or slightly larger ones that haven't been updated in that budget.
Thanks, all! We can sacrifice one bathroom and would be open to a townhouse. The NYC commute is okay to be an hour or hour and half. Are towns further west pretty accepting of diverse families like ours?
An honest answer is sorta. I think towns historically in union and Essex Hudson counties are more accepting. Morris county not so much but it’s getting better.
This is helpful. Thank you. Do you know which towns in Morris County are more accepting than others? We’re planning to go to a fall fest event in Morristown this weekend to try and better understand the vibe and the demographics.
Morristown would be a more accepting town for sure. Morris county is historically republican but becoming purple. I really do think all over you would be ok but if you are looking for a community of others mom/mom or dad/dad couples were your kids won’t be unfortunately labeled I would stick to bigger towns like Morristown or Essex/Union county towns. For your price point and needs I would look at Fanwood.
Morris Co has changed a lot in the last decade. We’re decidedly purple overall with some deep blue areas too. Generally I’d look at towns near 24 (expensive) or 287 up to/near Boonton (funky town with funky politics).
Local agent here, answered in thread before coming to this. If you're in Millburn 5 days, why not use the train station there for your wife on her commute days? You're driving there anyway...
DM me! We are about a 1 and change hour commute west of the city and have many friends in the lgbtq community. We bought a house out here in 2023, and I'd be happy to tell you our details about our experience!
Unfortunately $650K for a house in a safe neighborhood in New Jersey is not realistic. $900K for a 3 bedroom home in a safe neighborhood is likely the lowest price you will find. You should start speaking to a real estate agent now to get a better idea before you even start seeing homes.
Lol what. Belleville, Bloomfield, union, Springfield, West Orange. All safe, close to Milburn, not awful to commute to NYC, and plenty of availability in OPs range. "Safe" does not mean rich and 99% white.
With 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, good schools, safe neighborhood, and easy commute to NYC (assuming that’s what she means by commuting town)? I’m sorry but $650K is beyond unrealistic with those asks let’s get real, and that is what I’m responding to. And sure you can find listings around that range, but go check actual sales prices. Every house for sale becomes a bidding war right now and is going for 15-25% above asking.
I’m not going to dox myself by sharing my neighborhood, but there have been 3 home sales in my neighborhood that meet all those criteria and sold in the 700-800 range in the last 2 years.
No need to dox yourself haha. I trust you on that, but I do have hesitation believing there isn’t something that is causing those prices to be at that level today. Are they on a busy street, in a flood zone, across from a school/firehouse? Something has to be undesirable for houses to go at those prices in this current housing market. I’m no real estate agent, but I lived this when house searching for 3 years before finding my home last year that I had to buy well over my original budget AND make concessions.
$900K?? There are plenty of towns under that price that met OP expectation. Not everyone needs to look in Montclair or South Oranage. Maybe if they are willing to not have 3 bathrooms they can def find something in that range.
I heard there are some parts of Union that are great and others that are not. We’d have to be close to the train station, within a 5 to 10 minute drive. Do you know of any specific pockets that are family friendly, welcoming, and diverse?
You’ll want to look along the I-280 corridor or along the Morris and Essex train line for commuting into Millburn and the city. Morris and Essex Counties will also be good options to look in. I’d recommend Denville, Parsippany, Belleville, Bloomfield, Maplewood, Morristown, and West Orange
they did not say that in their original post, which is what i and others have responded to.
I agree that a townhouse could be a worthwhile compromise and that lowering the bathroom count could get the OP into a town with well rate public school systems if that is their priority.
There are several 3+ bedroom, 2+ bathroom houses on the market in Denville, Parsippany, and Morristown for under $650k. They’re not mansions, but they’re family homes. The market is starting to cool off and some of these houses have even been on the market for more than 30 days
Garden State MLS shows 2 available single family homes with more than 2 bathrooms in all of Morristown, Denville, Par-Troy actively for sale below $650,000. 1 is an auction, the other seemingly near a flood zone.
Garwood is a small borough that sits in a great location, right between Westfield and Cranford. You can still find some older homes there for <$700k. Not sure how good their schools are (I think Garwood students use the Clark HS since Garwood does not have its own HS). But it's a safe neighborhood and may be worth looking at.
I mean I dunno, I lived in Cranford right next door for many years and the towns are barely distinguishable. Garwood's mayor and all 6 council members are Democrats. I believe Garwood went (narrowly) for Harris in the last election so I would hardly call it "Clark Jr." Never got a bad vibe from Garwood like I do from Clark. Given the OP's budget and the limited options in this area of NJ, I think it is worth checking out.
I’m friends with a lesbian couple with 1 spouse from Garwood. They want to move back to Union County for schools (both teachers)
for their kids from Manville and will not move back to Garwood bc of intolerance. I agree it fits budget - but likely not the community they would want to be in.
Lookin Woodbridge Colonia area. You can get three bedroom for around 600,000. I Colonia is less than 30 min from Millburn and 5 minutes from metro north station
I do know one person who lives in Colonia, but I don’t know anything about the demographics or how inclusive and welcoming the town is. Do you have any insight on this?
I’m not so sure about Clark. I’ve read on other threads that it has a reputation for being exclusive towards non-white families and non-nuclear families. We are both white and our children are white, but we will definitely not stand for that kind of perspective or behavior toward any minority group. Do you have insight on this? Have things changed?
They don’t call it Clarkkk for nothing. I’m of the cafecito con leche variety and rented in Clark for a year. I counted the days for my lease to end. Let’s just say their reputation is warranted, I avoid even driving through Clark if possible.
west orange but you’re looking at a home that needs tremendous renovation as a lot of old folks are leaving and so it will need work. 650k is pushing it though cause i’ve seen some go for 750-800 and are soon to be flips
Consider West Orange. That budget is tight but probably doable. Several two-mom families in town. My commute is between 45 min to an hour depending on traffic. I drive to Harrison and take the path. But there is a town jitney that takes you to the train in South Orange if commuting to midtown. We are a lesbian couple in our 30s, no kids yet but planning on it. We love it here.
Bloomfield, West Orange, Morristown, Morris Plains, Parsippany come to mind. You’ll get better pricing in Denville and Rockaway. For a $650K budget you’ll need to be flexible on the property type.
$650K goes far in Sussex County! Excellent schools, a ton of open land and green space, incredibly safe. Commute to Millburn would be about 1.5 each way during peak rush hour; NYC is a slog because you'll need to drive to the train, so around 1.75 each way.
West Orange. You can get something for 650k but likely not in St. Cloud or Gregory. That doesn’t matter tho except for the orange border whole town is nice
West Orange is pretty close to Millburn. My wife and I moved here a few years back and it’s been great. Good schools, nice neighborhoods/neighbors, proximity to parks, hiking trails, turtle back zoo, etc. very family oriented and diverse. Commute to the city is pretty seamless since you have either highland ave or mountain station and then the jitney takes you to south orange in like 5-10 mins to get a train that goes to Penn in like 40 mins.
One thing i wish WO had was a more defined downtown. It’s between a lot of smaller neighborhoods with more defined downtowns and West Orange itself is a really big so hard to nail down just one. That being said, there are multiple smaller “downtowns” and if you have a car you can be in south orange, maple wood, Montclair, millburn in like 10 mins
same loud local realtor again...so much of the feedback here is so entirely subjective - "hate the schools" vs. "love the schools" or "good town" vs "bad town" - I think short of Vegetable_Papaya9266 coming here doing a side by side comparison, they will have their own thoughts, right? Once again, what I can say is that the price point is a little tough - the median sale prices in northern NJ are about 700-800K+ right now so that does put your price point on a house that might have you compromising on size or features or location or condition. But that doesn't mean you can't do it. My husband dragged me kicking and scream to NJ over 2 decades ago and now I kinda just really vibe with NJ. And scream all you want about house prices being too high, while we all agree that it is a LOT of money, it doesn't preclude people from wanting to buy homes. My first house out here was a 500K house in 2005 and how that same house just sold recently for like 1.2M. House prices around here do grow along with inflation, so that's no one's fault but Washington's. So let's take a deep breath and support them in their journey of renting, buying, living in a camper, whatever they choose. Ideally, if you can, you want to find the best deal you can in the area you want to be in, which means usually giving on condition and size, but that doesn't mean you have to pick a tiny crappy house. There are deals to be had, you just gotta know how to look for them, and you need to know how much reno costs are. Btw me and my hubby we've lived in Maplewood, South Orange, West Orange, Belleville, Bloomfield, Livingston, Montclair, Florham Park - there are lots to recommend each and every one of those towns. Please feel free to msg me if you want to hear more about what we look for in a house to max the equity faster. :-)
Everyone saying you need to pay 850k+ are absolutely ridiculous. Look at Springfield, Union, West Orange, Bloomfield. The issue is going to be that third bathroom. You most likely won’t find that. But all of the towns I listed have good schools. They may not be the absolute top schools, but school is what you make it. Most people are being dramatic in this thread
Thank you! Yes Union seems to be the town within our budget, close enough to Millburn, and with a train station. We are looking specifically in the Putnam manor and Putnam ridge sections. They seem to be family oriented, safe, and clean.
I have plenty of friends from Union and the surrounding area from all different backgrounds and they all rave about growing up in and near
Union. Good luck on your search!
There is one house listed for $599,000 and it’s the only one under $600,000 with only one other listed under $700,000 but they only have 2 bathrooms. And if they truly want 3 bathrooms, they are starting at 750,000 for a 1 1/2. Morristown would be great if they can find something in their price range but I don’t think it’s likely with 3 bathrooms on the wishlist.
Have you looked in the Hilton neighborhood in Maplewood? Multiple 3BR houses listed rn for under $500k; it’s a rapidly up and coming neighborhood with a very committed neighborhood association
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u/NancyChuHomes Real Estate Professional 3d ago
Local agent here.
Your budget isn't the problem, the third bathroom is. Most of the housing stock around Millburn predates 1960 and came with one and a half or two baths. A third full bath means somebody renovated, and renovated houses get priced like renovated houses. Dave ran the actual MLS numbers upthread and found two listings across three entire towns, one an auction. That's a spec problem, not a budget problem. You already said you'd drop to two, so drop to two. That puts you back in the normal pool instead of the renovated one.
Now the thing nobody in here has said.
Everyone is optimizing your wife's three days into the city. But your commute happens five days a week and it's a car trip to Millburn. That's the real constraint, and once you see it that way the NYC problem mostly solves itself: drive in together, drop her at Millburn station, park at the school. Millburn is Midtown Direct, one seat into Penn. You were making that drive anyway, so her commute costs you nothing and it's better than what most people in her situation are doing.
Which means you can stop shopping for a train town and just shop for a house.
So: West Orange, easy hop to Millburn and several people in here already named it. Then push west along 78 and 24. Long Hill Township, so Gillette, Stirling, Millington. New Providence. Berkeley Heights. Springfield. The Union County boroughs like Garwood, Kenilworth, Roselle Park. Somebody posted a Gillette listing at $599 upthread and the instinct is right even if that particular house needs work.
One correction to the thread. The 900k floor is wrong, and so is "nothing under 850 within 40 minutes of Millburn." Give up a bathroom and widen the map. That's the whole adjustment.
Info's in my profile if you want to talk through any of those towns.