Good evening Howard,

You can stay on top of what's happening in West Orange via our site and we are more than happy to give you a tour of gated communities in town when you arrive.

Bev Meaux

Howard,

If you are still looking for a place, I can also suggest to you the Princeton area. I recently relocated myself to New Jersey and ended up in the Princeton area because of relatives that lived there. And I'm loving my commute. I also work in Downtown (Broadway Av & Wall St. area) and prepare for this...my commute is approx. 58 minutes from taking the train at Princeton Junction to arriving at World Trade Center via PATH. The Princeton train runs express directly from Princeton Junction to Newark Penn Station in about 34 minutes and the PATH takes about 22 minutes from there to WTC. The Princeton area is beautiful and basically no crime. Let me know if you would like more info on the area.

Hello again Howard,

It's great that you have researched the commute. The NJ Transit website is a terrific resource and will help you narrow the search area.

You have mentioned a few specific towns to be of interest. You may want to check out the websites of those towns along with the local park systems, the school systems (if applicable) and maybe even the police departments for more detailed information about what these towns have to offer you besides an easy commute. You may even consider taking the time to try the commute to see if it works for you.

So, now it is time to research specific properties in the towns you have targeted. There are a number of websites you can start with, including http://www.ColdwellBankerMoves.com , http://www.RandyHurley.com and http://www.Trulia.com. All have great information and links to most everything you will need to know.

Once you have looked over the inventory you may pick one or more properties to see in person. If you want to keep the number of tours to a minimum, use one agent to set all the appointments. Again, I'll be happy to arrange those for you.

I am certain that with all this research you will find the perfect home!

Please let me know if this was helpful and if I can be of any other assistance with your search!

My direct e-mail is Randy.Hurley@CBMoves.com

Dear Howard,

I believe you started looking in West Orange as your first choice. I think you were right starting there. This is a great town offering an easy commute to NYC. It does not have a train but has many other commute options. In my opinion, the Eagle Ridge community would be your perfect fit. Located off of Prospect Ave. and very close to Rt. 280, this complex is a commuters delight. The bus to Midtown direct picks up the residents at the gate and as of April 2009 a FREE Jitney service (shuttle) to South Orange train or Orange train is available those towns will allow transfer to the path into downtown.

more information and schedules at http://www.westorange.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={C8…

The units are fairly new depands on the section built between 1986-1996. I happen to have a listing there in the "new section" you can check it out at http://371digaetano.com
Wonderful club house offering indoor and outdoor pools, gym with seperate areas for cardio, free weights and aerobics, racquet ball court, tennis courts, sauna in the new changing rooms, walking paths and great gathering room. All have been renovated recently and still in the progress of completion. The maintenance fee is about $440/month and taxes are between 9,000-14,000/yearly depending on the size of the unit.

I am wondering when you are planing to make the move. Also, are you moving on your own or do you have a family moving with you?

You can check more information about West Orange at http://www.westorange.org

If you need any further assistance or information on other communities/towns you may contact me to my direct email sharonandkaren@prudentialnewjersey.com

Have a great day,
Karen Abramon

Hi, all

I am hoping to keep the commute around an hour, but I can live with 1 hour 20 min. I don't mind taking bus/train to Path first before taking Path to downtown. Actually I somehow prefer towns outside the Path towns as I heard Path towns could have a higher crime rate. Westfield, Summit, Cranford, New Providence or towns at similar distance are all considered

Hello Howard,

First off, best of luck with the relocation. Hopefully your time abroad has been a great experience for you.

I see that you have received your new office location, that's teriffic. Have you decided what your maximum commute should be? Obviousily, the father out from NYC you go the longer it will take you. The trade off is one of space. Do you want to live in the "burbs" and have a train ride or find a place that is just minutes to the Path?

If you would like to consider the Westfield area or come a little farther out to Summit or New Providence I can send you some options.

Please let me know if this was helpful. I wish you the best in your move!

Dear Howard,

Now that you have all your requirements lined up it will be easier to find you a great place. My partner and I have had the pleasure of doing something similar last year with a buyer who was abroad and who came for one weekend to purchase a condo in Montclair. We are extermely computer and internet savvy as well as have the right tools and atitude as far as working with someone mainly trhough emails. Doing all the leg work for you is not a problem. We make sure that when you come to take a look it's only picking the right one of very few that have all the requirements you are looking for.

In case you have an interest and would like our assistance we are more than happy to be your guids. Many towns are available for the commute you mentioned. Train towns will be preferred but you are not limited to them.

You may reach us via our email Sharonandkaren@prudentialnewjersey.com with any questions. Please take a moment to check our testimonials through our trulia profile and find the nice note we got from our client in Montclair.

We wish you luck in your serach and hope to have a chance to be considered.
Sincerely,
Sharon Avram and Karen Abramson

Hi Howard - Great to see that you are doing your due diligence. After doing a quick search in Maplewood and South Orange there are around 30 homes that fit your revised criteria (not clear if you are still only interested in Townhomes/Condos or would like to see Single Family Homes as well). I would be happy to discuss you needs in further detail. If you are interested in working together to find your new home please feel free to call or email me at your convenience.

-Tracy

Tracy Freeman
Sales Associate
Keller Williams Premier Properties of Essex, Union and Morris Counties
(Email): TracyFreemanRealtor@gmail.com
(Mobile): 1.917.604.5735
(Office): 973.376.0033 x305

My working location has been decided. It is 195 Broadway, downtown, so I need to take path train. I am thinking areas where I can take mass transport to either Newark Penn Station or Hoboken and then change to Path. It seems the Summit-Mapplewood-New Providence line is an option, the Ganwood-Cranford line is another. My budget is not big - around 450K and I need at least 3 bedrooms and 1.5 bath in low crime neighbourhood. Any thoughts?

Hi Howard!
You posted your question back in March, and I responded then. So....I was wondering how your search was coming along? If you need any additional help, please feel free to reach out to me. If you have already bought a home - good luck with your move, and welcome to New Jersey!

Best Wishes,
Debbie
PS Maria V - I agree - Supreme Bakery has the most delicious baked goods!! (and, no, I am not related to the owners!! hah)!

Hi Howard -

Just to be clear, "Maria V." both agree that West Orange does NOT have a train station. Driving to another town and taking their train is your choice, of course. But it will depending upon how close you live to that neighboring town and what (if any) permit requirements that town has for their station's parking lot. In addition towns with Train Stations often offer more extensive Jitney Bus Service for their residents who would rather not drive to a train station at all. West Orange does offer limited Jitney Service to South Orange Train Station, but it is limited.

Also Howard, there was a very interesting article in The New York Times this week about Condos in several NJ towns. If you have not yet seen the article let me know.

Howard,
The advice of the real estate agents above covers a lot of ground. And, it would also depend on if you have kids or not, what kind of community you like, your hobbies, etc.
One thing about West Orange: The advice from Ms. Freeman (previous answer) is incorrect regarding having to take a bus to NYC from this town. There is a VERY convenient train station right in Orange (the next town) and you can park near it OR go to another train link such as Harrison and do the same. West Orange also has some special "jitneys" to take you closer to public transit. So - I suggest that Ms. Freeman become MUCH MORE INFORMED RE: PUBLIC TRANSIT in Essex County before making these kinds of statements.(Yes, there's a direct stop probably in her town but that doesn't mean she should assume that there's no train access from other towns!!). A few more things about West Orange: it has an incredible bakery (Supreme) in the downtown area, a nice library with good computer access, a convenient small mall with Whole Foods, Staples, and KMart in it (and a 2nd mall Essex Green with other choices of stores and a movie theater). There's also a huge Jewish community center with state of the art athletic facility that anyone can join (plus an art gallery, theater, etc). There is also a renowned St. Patrick's Day parade with participants from Ireland and all over NJ. It's also right next to Montclair, which is an incredible town with a lot of arts
offerrings (some just moved to West Orange, though), estates, and many bistros and similar venues.
All this being said, if you are single you could end up feeling somewhat lonely here. (from my experience...). It depends on what your job is, and how much time you spend here. Most people that I've met seem to be in families living in conventional houses...but then again I didn't live in a gated community in a condo or townhouse so take that with a grain of salt if you want...It's just that after spending years in the Boston area I'm used to having many more single people around and more of a sense of innovation in some areas of life. (If you are married, and/or more conservative, though, none of this may apply to you... ).
So, I want to move closer to Manhattan, either to Hudson County, or to one of the NYC boroughs and will do so in a few months.
Anyhow, there are tons of choices for you, as the realtors have pointed out. Good luck in your search for the right home!
Maria V.

Hi Howard,

All good answers below. There are so many options available to you here in New Jersey. It's important to ask what are your priorities other than the commute to NYC. Do you have children? What kind of activities do you participate in? How about what you are willing to do as far as taxes & HOA fees what are you willing to pay? What kind of amenities would you like from your gated community? Are you willing to do some work to the condo in lieu of location? How long do you plan on living in your home? How much of a concern is re-sale value to you?

My picks for you would be South Orange, Maplewood, Summit, Berkeley Heights, New Providence, Springfield, and maybe West Orange. If you would like to discuss your needs further, please give me a call at 973-570-0388 and I'd be happy to help you.

I wish you all the best!

Howard, Mahwah has gated communities and a bus going to NYC. If you are interested, I can send you what's available. Also, do you prefer condo or townhouse? There are a lot of nice condos in Fort Lee with various amenities. Fort Lee is by George Washington Bridge, so it would be fastest commute.

Hi Howard
Well - the good news is - you have a lot of options available to you. I am sure you will be hearing from agents all over the state telling you their area is the best one for you! In response to what you have asked - West Orange has a number of complexes that are in your price range, and are commuting distance to Manhattan. How long of a comute do you want?? Just so you know, parts of W. Orange have a jitney bus that will take you to the train, too. Some of the complexes in W. Orange in your price range are: Eagle Ridge (gated), The Highlands (not gated), Crown View (gated), Crystal Woods (not gated). I have a listing in a small complex in W. Orange called Normandie Estates ($395,000) that is a short walk to the NY bus. As you can see, there are a number of communities that are in your price range, offering 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths.

Other towns to consider are Livingston and Roseland. These towns are in Essex County, and taxes vary town to town. There are also communities close to trains in Morris county. I could go on and on, but I won't, as it can get confusing. What I suggest you do is, get in touch with an agent who covers these towns (like ME ! ha), and begin doing your homework by gathering information to see what would be the best fit for your needs. I don't handle Ft Lee, so I suggest you find someone who specializes in that area. I certainly could help you with a referral, there, if you're interested. I am currently working with a buyer who is also looking to commute to the city and purchase a townhome in NJ. I feel like the queen of condos, as our search has taken me to numerous complexes in and out of my usual area.
If you're interested, please reach out to me. It would be my pleasure to help you!
Welcome to New Jersey!!!!
Debbie http://www.DebbieRoseSells.com
debbie.rose@Prudentialnewjersey.com

Hi Howard, I'd suggest you add Edison to the list - may be able to find a gated community there that would fit the bill (I know of one on the top of my head we can explore). I'd like to discuss Berkeley Heights/New Providence, Gillette, Basking Ridge, Bedminster and possibly Green Brook with you as well.

Drop me a quick email and I can explore these communities with you. No question, Summit and Westfield are great communities but they both much pricier than any of the ones I've mentioned.

Best,
Jeannie Feenick
Search and connect at http://www.feenick.com

Hi Howard. West Orange is a great town, but commutting to the city will be via bus. Train commuting tends to be more desireable. May I suggest that you check out Maplewood, South Orange and Summit. All are great towns/cities to live in, have available properties that fit your criteria and are on the Mid-Town Direct Train line. If I may be of any additional help please feel free to email me at: TracyFreeman@KW.com or check out my website: http://www.TracyFreemanRealtor.com for community and train websites. Safe travels home! - Tracy