Anyone wanna move next door to me? My neighbor's house is for sale!

[lbus9168]

So damn cheap.

In my area, a house like that would be 460'000 usd!

[Night Wolf]

just noticed the price lol. it is cheaper than S.FL too. its around $400k here for a two story house.

[bobbycos]

too far for me as i work a nice paying job in NYC

[deevergote]

too far for me as i work a nice paying job in NYC

Yeah, that would be a hike for you! In high school, my friend's dad worked for UPS in NYC. He lived down this way. I always thought he was nuts to make that commute. Granted, they were living in a place that was half as expensive as anything they'd find further north... and I think he made bank.

[Blk EX Coupe]

A home with that much land, similar square footage and bedrooms would cost about 5-600k in my area. I'm not really sure how people are still buying homes, but they still sell quick over here.

I do wonder to what extent cost-of-living compensations make areas like LA more possible for people in their 20s, for example, without a career.

The cost of living adjustments don't really help them. There is no such thing as affordable housing in the larger cities. People just suck it up and get a bunch of room mates until they can afford to pay their rent.

I live in a suburb of LA (about 35 miles south of LA) where most of my neighbors are part of generation X and they inherited their homes from their parents. If they didn't inherit their homes a lot of people wouldn't be able to afford to live here.

On the cost of living note, I have never understood why people would want to live somewhere like L.A. where you pay 3X the amount for living that you would in a more rural area, and then on top of that everything is restricted.... can't mod your cars, shoot fire arms, have bonfires in your back yard, etc... To each their own I guess....

One of my favorite things about living in southern California is the cultural diversity. Every ethnicity has their own area that is uniquely theirs which allows me to experience different cultures all within an hour drive of my home.

It's true that things are restricted here, but when you consider how many people live in California the restrictions are there for a good reason. It becomes annoying at times, but its really not that bad. If I wanted to have a bonfire I could go to the beach which is only 10 minutes away. If I wanted to shoot guns there are multiple gun ranges around me for hand guns, and if I wanted to shoot an ar-15 or ak47 I would have to go about an hour inland. I still modify cars and I drive them almost every day. I just accept the fact that if I got pulled over I might get a ticket. The only place where having a modified car would really be a problem is Irvine, CA which is considered the safest city in america according to the FBI. They have nothing better to do besides issue tickets.

It comes down to familiarity. I've lived in southern california my entire life, and I will always consider it home. If I moved to your area right now I wouldn't even know what to do with 3 acres of land. The thought of having to maintain that much property already seems annoying to me.

[thumping_accord]

One of my favorite things about living in southern California is the cultural diversity. Every ethnicity has their own area that is uniquely theirs which allows me to experience different cultures all within an hour drive of my home.

It comes down to familiarity. I've lived in southern california my entire life, and I will always consider it home. If I moved to your area right now I wouldn't even know what to do with 3 acres of land. The thought of having to maintain that much property already seems annoying to me.

That does sound nice to be able to visit different cultural areas within a hour or two of driving. But like you said it comes down to familiarity. I know I personally wouldn't be able to live there, but I can completely understand why it is home for others. I guess I just like being secluded more lol. And as far as keeping up with 3 acres of land, you just buy a bigger mower! lol I get all my grass cut and weed ate in roughly an hour and a half.

[bobbycos]

Yeah, that would be a hike for you! In high school, my friend's dad worked for UPS in NYC. He lived down this way. I always thought he was nuts to make that commute. Granted, they were living in a place that was half as expensive as anything they'd find further north... and I think he made bank.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Ralphie]

Damn I am about to look at this house tomorrow LOL.

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/53...39241329_zpid/

My area is definitely known for its mcmansions and cookie cutter developments as well as over-development, but the location is amazing.

NJ has its share of problems and is corrupt as a motherfucker but it offers a lot at the same time.

90 mins to NYC, An hour and change into Philly w/o traffic.

It is rural enough that its peaceful but it is not out in the sticks so to speak.

We can have firepits and mod cars, and really no one bothers you at all around here. People who have 1.5 million dollar homes around the corner have HUGE parties at their houses during the summer till like 1am with live music and everything and no one bats an eye.

Sometimes id like it to be a little more rural but I really cant complain. The taxes mostly go to the schools but having a huge ass yard and a nice garage is unbeatable.

Were checking that house out tomorrow, and if we like it, well probably put an offer in.

[deevergote]

Damn Ralph, that place is beautiful! A much better location than your current place, too... though I can imagine that road still sees 50mph traffic (despite the 35mph limit.) It has enough of a back yard that the speed of the cars out front shouldn't matter much, though. Plenty of safe room for kids to play!
That price, though That's what you pay up there! Freehold especially... that's definitely not a cheap town (though values will hold or rise... that place sold for about $150,000 under the current asking price just 4 years ago!)


A friend of mine looked at my neighbor's house yesterday. He's only been to my house once, so he wasn't even sure where he was until he recognized my car and texted me! Sadly, he didn't like the size of the bedrooms. Old houses have small rooms.

[Ralphie]

Damn Ralph, that place is beautiful! A much better location than your current place, too... though I can imagine that road still sees 50mph traffic (despite the 35mph limit.) It has enough of a back yard that the speed of the cars out front shouldn't matter much, though. Plenty of safe room for kids to play!
That price, though That's what you pay up there! Freehold especially... that's definitely not a cheap town (though values will hold or rise... that place sold for about $150,000 under the current asking price just 4 years ago!)


A friend of mine looked at my neighbor's house yesterday. He's only been to my house once, so he wasn't even sure where he was until he recognized my car and texted me! Sadly, he didn't like the size of the bedrooms. Old houses have small rooms.

Yea, we are excited to see it. My current house is a 3bdrm 2 bath ranch and while it is cozy and a really solid house, we have outgrown it with two kids and my hobbies and so we need a 4th bedroom and a basement at a minimum.

My wife was really set on getting a pool too, but that house linked above is listed a little high for the comp houses in the area but at the same time, they re did the roof, new appliances, new kitchen, new windows, hardwood floors throughout so the price is a really good deal for what it is.

The road is what has kept it from selling. It is 35 I believe but at some points along that road it is 25mph. People still drive really fast but we don't utilize the front yard. We spend most of our time inside and in the backyard which is just as big, if not bigger.

If we can get it for 415-420k, it will be a great price. That site has it at 449 but they dropped it 10k. Our agent said they have dropped it 10k every few weeks so we're hoping to low ball them and settle 10k less at least from 439k at the high end. With the sale of our current house, we should have money left over to put down around 100k, pay off our CC, put up a fence and a nice payment down on a pool!

Yea my area is a little pricey, but it goes towards the schools and it really is a great place to live. Only real problem we have in this area, besides some snotty people which every area can have, is a heroin problem but its become an issue in many areas as of late.

Suburban problems

We figure though, this will be our last move until we retire, so if we spend 20 years in this house, we should easily make back our money and then some possibly. This house, in 2006, was worth 550k. So id be surprised if house prices ever hit that pre-2008 height again, but who knows!

[deevergote]

I bet they will at some point. I mean, it's one of the best areas to be in. Close enough to work in NYC, but not so close that you're in its shadow. Most of the other areas in NJ that are similar are in the mountainous areas (also pricey, but the flatter area in Freehold makes for much more usable yard space!) One thing I always liked about that area is that it's not really stuck in horrible traffic zones. There are plenty of roads that get backed up, but there are alternatives. Many other areas in similar proximity to NYC are an absolute traffic nightmare at rush hour, with no options available for reasonable alternate routes! I know... I've tried.

The crazy thing is that my wife and I are looking to spend about $180,000 MAXIMUM on our next house. It'll be smaller than that, for sure... we're thinking 1600 sq-ft. 3 bed, 2 bath, 2 car attached garage (with room in back for a detached 2 car), in a fairly quiet area that is likely to appreciate. Proximity to my wife's job is important at the moment... unless I land something that brings in ridiculous dough in the next year or two. I have a few towns scouted out that suit our needs in terms of price, space, and value.
My house now is pretty close to being paid off. I'll probably list it at $120,000, and see what I can get. It's TINY, but a very nice starter home. It served me well for the last 13 years!
We talked about just moving next door. It's ALMOST what we want! A little smaller, no attached garage, and only a 1 car detached... but still a beautiful place for that price!

[Ralphie]

I bet they will at some point. I mean, it's one of the best areas to be in. Close enough to work in NYC, but not so close that you're in its shadow. Most of the other areas in NJ that are similar are in the mountainous areas (also pricey, but the flatter area in Freehold makes for much more usable yard space!) One thing I always liked about that area is that it's not really stuck in horrible traffic zones. There are plenty of roads that get backed up, but there are alternatives. Many other areas in similar proximity to NYC are an absolute traffic nightmare at rush hour, with no options available for reasonable alternate routes! I know... I've tried.

The crazy thing is that my wife and I are looking to spend about $180,000 MAXIMUM on our next house. It'll be smaller than that, for sure... we're thinking 1600 sq-ft. 3 bed, 2 bath, 2 car attached garage (with room in back for a detached 2 car), in a fairly quiet area that is likely to appreciate. Proximity to my wife's job is important at the moment... unless I land something that brings in ridiculous dough in the next year or two. I have a few towns scouted out that suit our needs in terms of price, space, and value.
My house now is pretty close to being paid off. I'll probably list it at $120,000, and see what I can get. It's TINY, but a very nice starter home. It served me well for the last 13 years!
We talked about just moving next door. It's ALMOST what we want! A little smaller, no attached garage, and only a 1 car detached... but still a beautiful place for that price!

Exactly!

You know your areas well! There are many shortcuts in this area to avoid using traffic plagued areas such as Route 9. It is nice being wedged in between the GSP and the Turnpike as well and 18 allows us to get most places quickly. I use 537 to get to and from work every day for the last 4 years and it is a pleasure drive. Straight passed 6 flags and never any traffic. Since it goes through the pine barrens, it is quite beautiful and very rural at times which is nice!

North Jersey definitely struggles with alternate routes so I know how that goes, that is a major plus to our area. The only time we really feel pressure from traffic is either the shore traffic in the summer, if there is an event at Englishtown raceway, or the fall rush for apple/pumpkin picking. All three are easy to avoid if you know how though!


If you don't mind sharing, what areas are you looking at?

A bunch of my co-workers live not far from you(one lives in woolwich twnsp)

Some in Delran, Marlton, Sweedsboro etc

A lot of South Jersey people work here! We argue constantly because their definition of "the city" and my definition of "the city" obv varies lol.

[deevergote]

That's the truth about "the city"!
My wife is from Virginia, and had relatives that once lived in Queens. Her family goes up to NYC every Christmas (and we've joined them the last two years... might not be able to swing it this year, sadly.) To her, NYC is "the city", and Philly is just... nothing. To me, Philly is all. I'm not a fan of NYC for the most part. I know it's a grid, but it makes no sense to me... and it moves far too quickly!

Anyway, we're looking mainly in Pitman, Sewell, and Mantua. Pitman and Sewell border Glassboro, which is home to Rowan University. Rowan is absolutely EXPLODING... in a very good way. The university president said years ago that his plan was to put the school on par with Princeton in a very short time. I laughed when I heard it, but holy crap... it's coming along! The campus is getting to be beautiful, they just acquired a medical school, and they nearly absorbed Rutgers Camden (where I went, so that made me sad! it didn't happen.) The area surrounding Rowan is likely to increase very sharply in value as the university expands and its reputation improves. Right now, houses in those areas are quite reasonably priced. Not cheap, but they're already good areas. They're just poised to get even better! I figure in another 2-3 years we'll begin our search. Hopefully the market won't begin its inevitable upswing before then.

We've discussed moving out of the area, possibly even out of the state. However, she has a great job. She likes what she does, she's good at it, and they pay her well. She doesn't have to dress up (as she would in most places in the city), and NO place around here is going to pay as well for the same work. Therefore, unless I'm going to make absolute bank elsewhere, we're trying to stay within a reasonable commute from her work. If I have to drive a bit further for work, I don't mind. I like driving more than she does!

[Ralphie]

Oh I have heard good things about Mantua but haven't heard about Pittman or Sewell!

I do know that Rowan University has been very popular as of late. See that name everywhere so they must be doing something right!

Even In 2-3 years, if the market does go up, it won't be so drastic that you shouldn't be able to find something in your price range!

We have also discussed moving out of state as well. I actually just had a long convo with Yaw about NC as he loves his area. I would have to transfer since I work for the Feds and it would have to be worthwhile(although down south you can take around a 22% paycut and still maintain your current quality of life)

My wifes parents are here in NYC and I don't really associate with my own family, so its just them basically. Her parents might retire out of the NE, but her sister makes over 80k a year as an X-ray tech in Manhattan, so I doubt she will ever leave this area and they are close so my wife isn't going anywhere.

I, too, would not mind commuting. Shit, I do it now. I am hoping to move into investigative work with either the Department of Labor or the U.S. Attorney's office. I might end up in NYC, which is commutable, but they do have openings in NJ(Newark, Marlton, Mountainside etc) so I might luck out and land a job that is not too far.

Plus if I get in with the U.S. Attorney's office, I get a take home car so that would rock really hard.

[AccordWarrior]

That's the truth about "the city"!
My wife is from Virginia, and had relatives that once lived in Queens. Her family goes up to NYC every Christmas (and we've joined them the last two years... might not be able to swing it this year, sadly.) To her, NYC is "the city", and Philly is just... nothing. To me, Philly is all. I'm not a fan of NYC for the most part. I know it's a grid, but it makes no sense to me... and it moves far too quickly!

Anyway, we're looking mainly in Pitman, Sewell, and Mantua. Pitman and Sewell border Glassboro, which is home to Rowan University. Rowan is absolutely EXPLODING... in a very good way. The university president said years ago that his plan was to put the school on par with Princeton in a very short time. I laughed when I heard it, but holy crap... it's coming along! The campus is getting to be beautiful, they just acquired a medical school, and they nearly absorbed Rutgers Camden (where I went, so that made me sad! it didn't happen.) The area surrounding Rowan is likely to increase very sharply in value as the university expands and its reputation improves. Right now, houses in those areas are quite reasonably priced. Not cheap, but they're already good areas. They're just poised to get even better! I figure in another 2-3 years we'll begin our search. Hopefully the market won't begin its inevitable upswing before then.

We've discussed moving out of the area, possibly even out of the state. However, she has a great job. She likes what she does, she's good at it, and they pay her well. She doesn't have to dress up (as she would in most places in the city), and NO place around here is going to pay as well for the same work. Therefore, unless I'm going to make absolute bank elsewhere, we're trying to stay within a reasonable commute from her work. If I have to drive a bit further for work, I don't mind. I like driving more than she does!

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