Ivyzmama

I am not a realtor. I'm a home buyer and parent like you. The place to check out schools on line is the NJ Department of Education website: http://education.state.nj.us/rc/rc07/index.html

For the ease of a statewide ranking that I think is also pretty good, see:
http://njmonthly.com/articles/towns_and_schools/highschoolra…

And for comparative rankings, the Star Ledger's rankings: http://www.nj.com/news/bythenumbers/

IMHO, the schools in Montgomery, West Windsor-Plainsboro and Bridgewater are best. - Tue Jul 8 2008, 14:09

Before you look at houses - look at the NJ Dept of Education school stats (link below) (unless you plan to place your child in private school). Of the towns you mentioned, E. Brunswick has the best schools (and I'm not saying that because I live here: I live here because I checked the stats before I shopped for houses). Don't go by what people say (even me)- everyone says theirs is best.

http://education.state.nj.us/rc/rc07/menu/01.html

I just looked up where Basking Ridge is. You should be looking in Bridgewater, Warren, Madison or Chatham. - Wed Jul 2 2008, 21:35

I had my aluminum-sided house painted 4 yrs ago for about $6K. I didn't even check out how much siding would cost. Within a couple of years I wished I had not only put siding on, but installed new insulation underneath. With heating and cooling costs what they are, new insulation is where it's at. Now my paint is peeling (that's what paint does!) But I think vinyl siding can look tacky and I wouldn't use any building material that grows mold. (That's one thing I really like about my aluminum siding - no mold ever.) So if I were you, I'd use something like the hardiplank/fiber cement stuff, and put new insulation under it. Nothing sells a house nowadays like "making it green" and ecologically cheaper. Just don't use the cheapest vinyl and check out your contractor's Old siding jobs- from at least a few years ago - to see how they're holding up. Don't just check out the ones he did last month. - Wed Jul 2 2008, 21:08

I'd stick with Powelton Village first, then branch out into the UPenn area if you have to. There are rowhomes in Powelton Village that won't be too large. If you get into any other neighborhoods - like 48h & Hazel you won't have any students wanting to rent there, or south of Baltimore Ave you'll mostly be renting to Pharmacy students at yet another University City college. Bear in mind that Powelton Village, being close to the projects and ungentrified areas, has a higher crime rate than some other parts of UCity just south of it.

Also, bear in mind that students (not your kids, but the renters) will trash the property. Just completely trash it. I bought my first house ever, in University City, for a song because it had been trashed by student renters (even though the owner's son lived there too, as he was also going to UPenn). (I paid more to renovate it than it cost to buy it - even with doing the work ourselves.) Don't plan on renting to students unless you like doing total rehabs every couple of years. That's the real reason why student rentals are crappy and expensive - students drink and trash their apartments. They trash them when they're happy; they trash them when they're sad. Then they leave town. Most grad students aren't any more responsible (or cleaner) than undergrads.

Probably you should rent something for your kids until they figure out where they want to live anyway. - Wed Jul 2 2008, 20:51

Nicole, I lived on 48th St in 1991, and owned a home on 46th St from 1994 - 2004. 49th - 50th around Chestnut is not safe at night. It's too close to some really horrible projects a couple blocks north. My sister lived on 49th St. a couple blocks north of Baltimore Ave. and didn't feel safe there either. I wouldn't live west of 48th St (although its okay to go there during the day - but really, there's nothing there to go for - no shopping or recreation there), and then the parts from Walnut south to Baltimore Ave are the safest. And I have a more liberal-larger idea of what's safe than a lot of other people I know. But the areas east are very nice. If you get something in the "catchment area" for the Sadie Alexander school, you'll pay more but you'll be in the nicest nice area. - Wed Jul 2 2008, 20:36