New Jersey question for the Lounge...

[NewJeffCT]

My wife was contacted not long ago by a headhunter working with a large corporation in NJ. When talking about moving down to some place near the area, the guy mentioned Far Hills, NJ and one or two other towns she couldn't quite make out. I looked up Far Hills and it has a population of 859, but Morristown is nearby. What kind of big companies would be in that area - and, I would think it would be more to the PA side of Far Hills & Morristown than the NY side from what I understand.

Thanks

[brendan120678]

1. There's lots of R&D Companies there...

I think Pfizer used to have a pretty big facility in that area.

[brendan120678]

2. Also, looking through my binder of business cards...

of customers & suppliers that I've collected over the years, I see also in Morristown or vicinity:
Honeywell
Bayer
Met Life
BASF Corp
Fisher Scientific

[NewJeffCT]

3. Thanks

that was very helpful.

[LiberalEsto]

4. Far Hills is $$$$ nt

[name not needed]

6. Not to mention right wing as all hell.

[Midlodemocrat]

5. Run. Run like the devil is on your ass.

Seriously. Overcrowded, overpriced. I know of what I speak.

[Jersey Devil]

8. overcrowded?

Sheesh, some of that area is cow tipping country. I guess everything is relative after all.

[LynneSin]

10. Don't know if it's overcrowded but it is overpriced as hell

My best friend is doing an hour commute to work there just so she could afford a house in a safe neighborhood. Even then what she paid for it she got a really tiny thing in a townhome community.

[Jersey Devil]

15. That is the case almost everywhere in NJ

Outside of the big cities there really are no unsafe areas in NJ so don't let your friend fool you. She is commuting an hour because her home was a lot cheaper than it would be if she bought in the northeastern (or east central) part of the state. My wife works in Jersey City (commutes by train) but has co-workers who come there every day from eastern Pennsylvania because it is the closest area they could afford to get a home.

Property taxes are also astronomical. I have a home of about 2,500 square feet on a 75x100 foot lot and pay over $13k in annual property taxes. But, as they say, it is "location, location, location" when it comes to real estate. Since I can be in Times Square in less than a half hour (except for busy commute times of the day) my home is naturally worth a lot more than those out west.

[NewJeffCT]

16. It's not *in* far hills

The headhunter mentioned Far Hills and a few other places as places to live nearby. I think it might be closer to PA, though.

[Jersey Devil]

7. Morristown is close to the junction of 2 major interstates, I-80 and I-287

There is a lot of industry in the area of those highways. Outside (and west) of Morristown is largely rural. I've lived in northern NJ my whole life (in Bergen County to the east) and though it is only about 40 miles away I never heard of Far Hills until you mentioned it. There are lots of newer and upscale small towns out in that area which is also near some resort areas like eastern PA (the Poconos), and in NJ Lake Hopatcong and Great Gorge (skiiing). A very nice area if you don't mind being surrounded by right wingers.

[LynneSin]

9. Before you move there you better make sure she's getting a hefty hefty hefty salary

That place is expensive as hell. $300k home would put you in the slums of New Jersey somewhere. Your property taxes would go thru the roof and then some and they pay 5% tax on like everything. Northern New Jersey suffers from the same real estate problems as does California.

It's bad there! But it's a nice neighborhood.

[Jersey Devil]

12. Umm, that's 7% sales tax, but not on everything

NJ has no sales tax on food (except prepared food at restaurants, etc) or clothes or most toiletries, etc.

Property taxes are through the roof though as you said and the price of homes, even out in the boonies west of Morristown, is very, very high. I live in Bergen County in the NE near the GW Bridge and you couldn't even buy a small bungalo "handyman special" for 300K in these parts, even with the housing recession. In fact, you'd be damned lucky to find a 75x100 building lot for around that price

[LynneSin]

13. My best friend and her husband moved about 15 years ago from that area

As much as she loves NJ she would never go back there. In Delaware that $300k bought her a nice house in the suburbs, excellent school district, low property taxes and no sales tax.

Yes it's Delaware but at least we have our shit together!

[Jersey Devil]

14. Yep, once you leave you can never come back

It is a question of economics. My daughter, whose hubby is in the Air Force, owns homes in Alaska and Idaho, currently renting a home in North Carolina where my son in law is now stationed. Even if they sold both their homes, which are lovely homes, they could not afford to move back to this area into any kind of decent home, though I know they would very much like to on his retirement.

The one they are renting in NC is only 4 years old in a new development, has 4BR, 2.5 baths, almost an acre of property and they could buy it for under 200K. The same house and lot up here in NJ would probably cost them about $600k in the northeast part of the state.

[NewJeffCT]

17. We looked a few years back in northern NJ

and for the same price and comparable school quality as our fairly spacious new home in CT with excellent schools(and CT is not a cheap state by any means) - we would see homes about 60% to 2/3 the size, 50-75 years old and in need of major work (original windows, in need of a new furnace/boiler, kitchen last updated in the 60s, no garage or a 1 car garage, etc)and at least double the property taxes. Even if we went up in price 20-25%, there was not much improvement in terms of overall quality, just maybe a bit newer and/or more recently updated.

[mnhtnbb]

11. I grew up in Chatham--not far from Morristown--and I was back in the area

last October for a 40th high school reunion. There are some beautiful small towns in the area and
it's an hour's drive to NYC. Train access to NYC is excellent. Pricey now, but what on the east coast isn't?