Hi Gina,

I have been working with many buyers this year all within the same price range as you. Most of which are First Time Home Buyers who are looking to purchase while the $8,000 First Time Homebuyers Tax Credit is still available to them.

The areas I have found to be most successful in finding a nice home within a reasonable price range have been, Jackson, Brick, Toms River, Berkeley, Forked River and Bayville. All of which are in Ocean County and have much more reasonable property taxes to go along with the less expensive price tag.

You may find some good deals in Monmouth County as well. Most likely, they will have smaller square footage and may need some work , but there are towns definitely worth exploring!

I have also to put together a few deals in the Middlesex County in areas such as Hopelawn (a section Woodbridge Township) and East Brunswick within your price range. Both of which have very high rated school systems.

There are many towns you could add to your search to help in finding the perfect home for you and your family. I cover all of Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Mercer Counties and have been actively showing and successfully closing homes within your price range in all of these areas.

Please feel free to contact me anytime if you have not already purchased and are still interested. I would love to discuss with you in more detail just how many options you actually do have!

Regards,
Lisa Cline,Sales Associate
732-577-0440 ext.115
732-763-5211 Cell
Weichert Realtors-Freehold
NJAR, Circle of Excellence Sales Award *2008
Weichert Million Dollar Sales Club
Certified Internet Sales Specialist
Weichert-Office Top Producer and Salesperson *2008
Weichert -Office Lead Network Specialist Award *2008

Hi Gina -
I have successfully worked with plenty of buyers in that price range who found great homes in Monmouth or Northern Ocean County.
If you are not already working with someone, give me a call or e-mail.
Debra La Plante
RE/MAX Realty 9
Howell, Jackson, (coming Jan.'10 - Freehold)
732-905-8700 x-118
email: debra@debralaplante.com

I know many areas as we call South Jersey that $250,000 will buy you a very new home.............Pennsauken lovely old town with cute homes, West Depford, Monroe Township and Williamstown to name a few if Gina is interested I will send her listings in those areas. I live in Monmouth County but am very familiar with all areas, did much Relocation for big Company up until market took it's dive.................kathy S

I think you might like to check out Keyport in Monmouth County. They are definitely an up and coming community with many activities such as concerts and open air markets. Plus it is right on the Raritan Bay with beautiful views of New York City. Keyport is also very close to the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Coast Train. There are also busses close by which go to New York City.

Hi, Gina. I was sorting through some old questions and was wondering how your search is coming? In answer to your question, YES, you can buy a single family home in New Jersey for $250K or less! What I would suggest is that you make a list of your priorities. These may include such things as commute time to a job, area school system (if that is important to you now), setting, proximity to shopping, entertainment, transportation, etc. Of course, a very important list to make is the minimum requirements of your new home (style, room sizes, number of bedrooms, baths, etc.). If you would like some help in sorting through some of these answers, feel free to give me a call or drop me a line. I have a few properties in mind that might be just what you are looking for.

Sincerely,
Phil DeFusco
Weichert Realtors

Gina, you can buy in many communities now for 250k I basically handle Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean Counties, we have homes in your price range. It is according to where you work and your family life, as Jefferson from pa told you the word is that we are not the place to live, not true lets look at the crime rate and the laws in pa in comparison to NJ we are close to NY and in a perfect place with Delaware River on one side and the Shore on the other, easy access to both and those mountains. I am a Brooklyn girl been living in New Jersey for 40 years and am not leaving, email me if you would like me to show you what NJ has to offer. Taxes are considered high but you also still can deduct a portion of your Real Estate Tax .................by owning a home. Come on lets stick it out we won't be sorry.

Hi Gina,

Unless it is completely impractical for your commutes - move to PA. Your money goes a LOT further.

For example - if you can afford $250K in NJ - you can very likely afford $300K in PA - and get a very nice house in Yardley (Lower Makefield - Bucks County) with a great school district.

How's that you may ask? Well - it all comes down to TAXES. Here's a quick run-down.

STATE INCOME TAX. In NJ you are likely in the 6.37% bracket. In PA - everyone is at 3.07. So right there you may well have an extra 2-3K of "income".

PROPERTY TAX. A comparable home in NJ is likely to have taxes that are AT LEAST 30% higher than that in PA. Often NJ property taxes are 50% higher or more than a comparable PA home. So you'll probably save another 1-2K in property taxes in PA - perhaps even more.

Mine went up from 9k to 12.5K in 8 years in Hunterdon county. Ridiculous! Heck with NJ! Fortunately I sold that in 2007 and am shortly moving to Bucks County.


HERE IS THE KICKER!!! Every $600 saved in yearly taxes is worth an extra $10,000 on your mortgage. How is that? $10K extra on a 30 year mortgage is about $50 per month.

So ... it's not hard to see that you can move to PA and get a much nicer house for MORE money - and this actually costs you LESS than a lesser house in NJ - it all comes down to what the monthly expenses really are.

Gina,

My first respone would be that in today's market $250K in New Jersey is possible although limited, but knowing add'l info as to your need would better serve you.

I would ask, how many bedrooms do u require? Are school districts of major concern? Is commute time a concern (i.e., proximity to your current place fo business).? What other specifics are high on your priority list for choosing the most appropriate home.

Sincerely,
Francesca Parizio, Realtor, ePro
NJAR Circle of Excellence '06-'07 . . . '08 is another story
DIRECT: 732.606.2931

P.S. Due to the volume of emails via Trulia, I can only reply to direct responses to Francesca@PatrizioRE.com. You can always use my website http://www.PatrizioRE.com to search the official Monmouth County MLS at your convience and free of charge or obligation.

Gina,
Two things you should keep in mind are the taxes and possible maintanience costs if you decide to look at townhomes and condos . Property taxes can vary greatly from town to town as well as on what you may think are similar type homes . Also if considering purchasing a townhome or condo check and see what your maintanience costs are covering as a higher fee may work out better if including things like heat.
Home that helps, Jamie Stimpson
JStimpson@kw.com

Hi Gina,
Some towns that I recommend in or close to Monmouth County are:
1. Howell
2. Jackson
3. Brick
4. Toms River

Feel free to contact me so we can discuss this further. I specialize in first time homebuyers and am very familiar with the towns mentioned. I live in Howell myself.

Thanks,
Heather Daccurso
Weichert Realtors-Howell
626 Route 9 South
Freehold, NJ 07728
Office: 732-577-0440
Cell: 732-580-5309
Email: heather@heatherdaccurso.com

Hi Gina. I answered this same question for you in a different zip, however now I see you are possibly interested in Freehold. There's a home in Freehold Borough that is not listed yet, will be selling for under 250k, and the homeowner has given me permission to show you. If you're interested in looking in this area, give me a call and I'll show it to you.

Jillian Mason-Sales Associate
Direct: 732-586-5488
E-Mail: jillian@jillianmason.com

It is not, probably, the area of your interst, but have you ever thought of Sussex Co or Warren Co.?

Gina, I grew up in Linden on the Clark border and I am intimately familiar with the area that you currently live in. I see that you entered the zip code for Freehold into your question. FreeholdTownship is similar to Clark where Freehold Boro is more diverse. It is a very quaint and eclectic town and very popular with first time homeowners. I currently have a listing in Hamilton that is definitely in your price range. Give me a call and we can discuss where is the best place for you.Gail Szeluga 732-580-7893

Hi Gina:

Now is an EXCELLENT time for first-time homebuyers to purchase!

In fact, you may very well qualify for the $8000 tax credit incentive if you purchase by December 1, 2009. Here's the link to a blog story I wrote about how the credit works http://www.trulia.com/blog/amber_noble-garland_realtormarlb/…

Also, I noticed that you have the "Freehold" zip code of 07728 marked in your post. Are you interested in that area?

To find a single family home in the $250K price range, that is in or near Monmouth County I recommend towns such a Howell, Freehold Borough and Jackson Township. Each of these areas are close to Route 9 and 1-95, plus they offer schools that are progressive.

Additional Monmouth County towns that may offer single family homes in your price range would include Cliffwood Beach, Laurence Harbor, Keyport and possibly Hazlet.

Just as an alternative, you might want to consider a townhouse or condo as your first purchase as well.

If you'd like to see specific homes I'd be happy to send them to you. Please let me know if I can be of assistance to you in any way.

All the best,
Amber

AMBER NOBLE-GARLAND
Weichert, Realtors (Marlboro~ Manalapan office)
455 Route 9 South
Manalapan, NJ 07726
917-723-5645 - cell
732-536-4400, ext 199 - office

http://www.AmberLovesRealEstate.com

"Your Reliable Resource For NJ Real Estate, Local Info & More"

Hi Gina,
Yes you can find some pockets in Middlesex County NJ such as Fords, Iselin, etc... To give you an idea, the average sold price in February in Iselin was $214,250.

Cathy C-