Help me find a MTB friendly town to move to with my ridiculous critiria
- Thread starter gtluke
- Start date
Fogerson
Former Resident Nerd
I don't even know who my mayor is...and looking at the distribution of my taxes, the superintendent of schools should be wiping mine...
UnionRider475
Well-Known Member
gtluke
The Moped
Yeah I've been eyeing Wanaque also, this looks nice.
http://www.trulia.com/property/3053789223-10-Wuester-Ln-Haskell-NJ-07420
http://www.trulia.com/property/3053789223-10-Wuester-Ln-Haskell-NJ-07420
JerseyPete
Well-Known Member
There is at least one big male black bear in Haskell that heads into town from Ramapo. Have you seen that guy? I've heard he is not aggressive but not exactly timid either towards people.
UnionRider475
Well-Known Member
I know the property
Very quiet on that street - nice house too
You cross Ringwood Ave , ride 100 yards and you're into the woods
UnionRider475
Well-Known Member
Yeah I think I know the one - I see one by Back Beach all the time . He usually runs away when I see him if that's the same one . I've been carrying a camera lately trying to get a shot of him .
So any more updates here? I am looking for a lot of similar things to gtluke and this thread has given me some ideas but it seems to have died off and a number of the links are no longer active listings.
Also does anyone want to comment on Oil Heat and septic? I've always had natural gas and public sewer but as I look for places with more property it naturally is typically in older towns, where this isn't always provided.
Also does anyone want to comment on Oil Heat and septic? I've always had natural gas and public sewer but as I look for places with more property it naturally is typically in older towns, where this isn't always provided.
towns are all relative. where do you work? does a long commute frighten you? do you have kids (or want to)?
re. oil/septic, both are fine with the following caveat: get the septic checked out by someone VERY reputable and if the oil tank is underground make the home owner remove it. DO NOT fall for the "oh, but it's insured" thing. you don't want to take that gamble. trust me.
Quick reply is greatly appreciated. So you think Oil out of the ground isn't a big deal but don't fall for the insured deal in the ground. Noted and noted as those are big unknowns to me. I'd prefer to avoid oil entirely but as we have all noted some compromises need to be made.
I work in Warren and am looking to keep it within 25 miles by car and 19-22 miles by bike as that's what I currently have. (I ride to work 2-3 times a week and plan on continuing). Do not have nor do I plan on having kids but school system is a concern for possible resale. I fully anticipate being in my next place for 5-10 years but you never know.
Commute is less of a concern than gtluke and the same with being able to ride a park out my back door. But the other factors, decent place 3-4 bedrooms with either ideally a detatched 2+ car garage or at a minimum the space/option of being able to put up a building all apply. I'd like .5+ acre but it's not an absolute requirement, more a desire to have a little more privacy than I do in Edison now.
Price range is similar to luke's. Looking at everything from 200k fixers on up. 350k is probably my upper limit at this time largely because I don't think I should have to spend more. I am not looking for a mcMansion, something in the 12-1500sq ft area would be fine.
Right now I'm concentrating heavily on Hillsborough followed up with Franklin and then perhaps Warren itself with some thought to Chester. Avoiding Manville, Bound Brook etc and you it would have to be an ideal place to have me in Middlesex county again.
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In that area, you are most likely stuck with septic. Which isnt bad, but as a former civil engineer who did alot of septic design, I would avoid one if possible. If the system is modern and built to modern standards, and the owners arent dumping anti freeze in the sink, it should be fine. I have seen many cases though were a family moved into a house that was formally occupied by one person. The septic which worked for 30 years was then overwhelmed by the massive increase in use. So if you buy a house with a septic, find out everything you can about the system, have it inspected/tested/etc..When I left in 2007, the contractors we worked with were usually charging between $30,000 - $40,000 for a system, plus the engineering costs. Plus the size of a house (number of bedrooms) is tied directly to the size of the septic systems, so any expansion of the house must be based on the size of the septic systems. You can have as many bathrooms in your house as you want, but you can only have as many bedrooms as your septic system will support.
gtluke
The Moped
I should really start another training blog thingy...
But we got a wrench in the wheels which has distracted us from a more proper house hunt.
My wife's father is suffering from Congestive Heart Failure, and about 6 weeks ago it got REALLY bad and they took him to the ER. Awful awful service at Overlook hospital. Awful. They basically looked at his chart, saw that he was 83 and wrote him off. After the first night he started getting completely delusional, had no idea where he was, started getting very angry. I think at this point he had not slept in almost 4 days.
The hospital staff seriously wouldn't pay him any attention, thinking he was a crazy old man. ONE day prior he was working every day as a Lawyer. He's old, but he's completely functional and has 100% of his mind.
Eventually got him transferred out of there, arrived at a nursing home for rehab with bleeding legs and arms from the awful transport.
He's doing okay now, but being in the ER and admitted for weeks not being allowed to get up at all, he lost his ability to move around by himself, so they are working on that now. My wife is spending all her time over there, and was basically in a complete panic for like a month.
I think an even more pressing problem right now is my wife and I figuring out wtf do do with here completely incompetent parents. If we leave, I have no idea WTF is going to happen. They need to move into a 55+ place NOW. I can't buy my own place and take care of their place at the same time, not to mention the huge financial catastrophe with them...
But I think my wife is at the point now where she's ready to move anyway, and that helping them is really in the end just hurting both of them.
-rant
But we got a wrench in the wheels which has distracted us from a more proper house hunt.
My wife's father is suffering from Congestive Heart Failure, and about 6 weeks ago it got REALLY bad and they took him to the ER. Awful awful service at Overlook hospital. Awful. They basically looked at his chart, saw that he was 83 and wrote him off. After the first night he started getting completely delusional, had no idea where he was, started getting very angry. I think at this point he had not slept in almost 4 days.
The hospital staff seriously wouldn't pay him any attention, thinking he was a crazy old man. ONE day prior he was working every day as a Lawyer. He's old, but he's completely functional and has 100% of his mind.
Eventually got him transferred out of there, arrived at a nursing home for rehab with bleeding legs and arms from the awful transport.
He's doing okay now, but being in the ER and admitted for weeks not being allowed to get up at all, he lost his ability to move around by himself, so they are working on that now. My wife is spending all her time over there, and was basically in a complete panic for like a month.
I think an even more pressing problem right now is my wife and I figuring out wtf do do with here completely incompetent parents. If we leave, I have no idea WTF is going to happen. They need to move into a 55+ place NOW. I can't buy my own place and take care of their place at the same time, not to mention the huge financial catastrophe with them...
But I think my wife is at the point now where she's ready to move anyway, and that helping them is really in the end just hurting both of them.
-rant
SO sorry about your father in law.
With proper treatment patients with congestive heart failure can live long and well. The hospital's lack of concern or even compassion is inexcusable. This was a very much justified rant(unlike your apple ones😀).
I hope you all feel better soon.
edit:
It's maybe better that her parents need you now rather than in the midst of moving into and maintaining a new home 20 miles away. If you have to put your lives on hold for a year to let things settle down, it will be okay. She adores her dad and someday you'll both be really glad you were there for him. My Father in law was just diagnosed with Parkinsons and it has inconvenienced everyone in multiple ways but 'this too shall pass' and I won't ever have to look in the mirror and say "I should have..."
With proper treatment patients with congestive heart failure can live long and well. The hospital's lack of concern or even compassion is inexcusable. This was a very much justified rant(unlike your apple ones😀).
I hope you all feel better soon.
edit:
It's maybe better that her parents need you now rather than in the midst of moving into and maintaining a new home 20 miles away. If you have to put your lives on hold for a year to let things settle down, it will be okay. She adores her dad and someday you'll both be really glad you were there for him. My Father in law was just diagnosed with Parkinsons and it has inconvenienced everyone in multiple ways but 'this too shall pass' and I won't ever have to look in the mirror and say "I should have..."
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i'm not in chester but a stone's throw from it in succasunna. lots of houses in that range here. chester may be a bit more difficult to find and that is based on where they feed into highschool: mendham. but it is a great town.
what utah said. my septic failed inspection and the people we were trying to buy the house from were like "gee, that's too bad. f u. you fix it." needless to say that didn't fly and they eventually did fix it so my septic is brandy new. i mention the oil tank thing as a scam b/c it is. i was told we had transferable insurance and it wasn't. i pulled it myself and got wayyyyyyy lucky it wasn't a mess. remediation is the stuff of nightmares.
holy hell luke, so sorry man.
Really sorry to hear about your family's health problems Luke. Hopefully your Wife's father continues on his road to recovery. Family is certainly the most important thing we have.
I appreciate the advice that you guys have been giving. I am looking around at a few different places and wanted to know if anyone has any experience with an FHA 203(K) loan? Few places that I am looking at would require some repairs/updating and might require this type of loan but I have no idea how to go about it.
Thanks for any info.
I appreciate the advice that you guys have been giving. I am looking around at a few different places and wanted to know if anyone has any experience with an FHA 203(K) loan? Few places that I am looking at would require some repairs/updating and might require this type of loan but I have no idea how to go about it.
Thanks for any info.
gtluke
The Moped
Thanks everyone for the wishes.
I've had my eye on this place since the summer, and they recently dropped the price like $75k
http://www.weichert.com/37635401/?ldview=ldphotos
I'll try and do a drive by, I'm almost positive it's WELL out of reach of the flood zone, but the eternal flooding swamp of Lincoln Park is seriously within a stone's throw. Looks like it's up a 50ft hill from the swamp though.
I've had my eye on this place since the summer, and they recently dropped the price like $75k
http://www.weichert.com/37635401/?ldview=ldphotos
I'll try and do a drive by, I'm almost positive it's WELL out of reach of the flood zone, but the eternal flooding swamp of Lincoln Park is seriously within a stone's throw. Looks like it's up a 50ft hill from the swamp though.
That area is flood safe for sure. Flooding may keep you from a quick route to Rts 23 or 46 but 287 will always be accessible. As a bonus, the roads around there are much lower traffic than what you're used to in case you decide to don tights and go play with the roadies.😀
afaik that area stays dry, but as stated getting to 23 or 46 will be near impossible when it floods, we end up using 287 whenever it floods (i live less than 10 min from there)
Mildly Wild
Active Member
Check the FEMA website for this. When there, go to "Floodmaps". You can view, but unfortunately you cannot print them out from the site without buying. You will be able to locate the home by steet intersections. The flood zones are clearly delineated on theses maps. The zone designations can be confusing becuase they sometimes use different letters to describe the same elevations, but there is a key available there. Essentially Zone A is 100 yr flood plain, Zone B is 500 yr, and Zones C and X are "...outside of 100 and 500 yr flood plains." These are the official documents used by banks, ins co's, town's, etc to determine flood areas.
gtluke
The Moped
oookay update:
Maria and I looked at 2 houses today. I have access to the MLS listings through my father's account. It's VERY hard to find what I want:
DISCRETE GARAGE PARKING
Privacy
land (.5 acres and up)
moderate NJ taxes
location
value
I waited till now to make any moves, but there are 2 houses currently that fit my criteria.
#1 is a nice tiny house:
http://www.trulia.com/property/3051689591-551-Powerville-Rd-Boonton-Township-NJ-07005
Pros:
Move in condition
2 car parking under house with small workshop area off the side of the basement garage.
property is beautiful and pretty level. Great location
Cons:
Small, no dining room
2 car under house garage.
What I would have to do to make it perfect:
Build another 2 car garage, add a dining room and master bedroom. Maybe all at once off the side of the house, or a separate 2 car garage and raise the house and put the master bedroom and another small bedroom upstairs, blow out the bottom into a dining room.
#2
A dream house, neglected for 30 years.
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/67-Two-Bridges-Rd-Towaco-NJ-07082/39448368_zpid/
Pros:
Brick house, poured concrete foundation. 5 year old roof. Large house, acre of land.
4 car garage off the side of the house, which is a pair of slightly oversized 2 cars, room to work on any car in any spot. Basement has a couple shop rooms.
House comes with 3 sheds, 2 are okay and decently sized. One is really big but hanging precariously off the side of a cliff. I can't understand why someone put it there, it would have to be torn down, it's very dangerous and old looking, must have been really nice 30 years ago, maybe they used it as summer sun room or something.
The layout of the house could be made really damn nice. It's a split level, but not a typical jersey split.
What I like is that the main living level has the kitchen / dining / living room. But you can really easy blow out the wall dividing the kitchen from the other 2 rooms and have a really nice open layout. I fell in love with the open layouts after visiting friends in AZ, I would love to be able to be in the kitchen and see everyone in the dining room and the living room when I have people over.
There was honestly at least 15 closets in this house. There was one in every room, and in every hallway. It was nuts. Really nice for keeping the house tidy looking. There is room to put everything away. The top floor is one large hangout room, can be converted into a nice master bedroom or left as a big play / tv room thing.
acre of property
Cons:
Nobody has done a thing to this house in 30 years.
all the carpets are trash, the old man who owned the house died, his wife is 91 and out of the house now. 1/4 of their shit is still in the house, the kids haven't done SHIT to try and clean it out and look presentable. It's really hard to envision this house all fixed up because it's so gross inside from neglect.
TONS AND TONS of TLC will be needed. Some actual work work will be needed, like at least 1 new bathroom and a whole new kitchen.
Acre of land (taxes), while almost half the acres is unusable because it's basically a massive cliff. But because it's on such a hill, the neighbors are like totally out of sight. They are up or down a huge hill.
The driveway is a bit strange. Pulling a truck/trailer in would be a chore, but I think this could be fixed eventually.
Almost double the taxes of house #1, possible to have them lowered since the value of this house has gone down so much.
Oil tank in ground is still there, new one already installed out of the ground, but old one still there. Seller may be removing this on their dime.
Septic is likely original from 1960, ugh
Community well is being abandoned, city water being installed next year, $10,000 hookup fee. ugh
House #2 is a massive headache, but since we are in no rush to actually move in, and we have enough cash to move than cover a nice down payment and drop $50-$80k into updating the house right away, this may be the way to go. In perfect shape I think this house is worth closer to $450k
If I can get it for $275 or $300k, I think it's a solid investment.
House #1 (all tan house)
http://binged.it/vWMgFO
House #2 (grey roof)
http://binged.it/rAI4VC
Maria and I looked at 2 houses today. I have access to the MLS listings through my father's account. It's VERY hard to find what I want:
DISCRETE GARAGE PARKING
Privacy
land (.5 acres and up)
moderate NJ taxes
location
value
I waited till now to make any moves, but there are 2 houses currently that fit my criteria.
#1 is a nice tiny house:
http://www.trulia.com/property/3051689591-551-Powerville-Rd-Boonton-Township-NJ-07005
Pros:
Move in condition
2 car parking under house with small workshop area off the side of the basement garage.
property is beautiful and pretty level. Great location
Cons:
Small, no dining room
2 car under house garage.
What I would have to do to make it perfect:
Build another 2 car garage, add a dining room and master bedroom. Maybe all at once off the side of the house, or a separate 2 car garage and raise the house and put the master bedroom and another small bedroom upstairs, blow out the bottom into a dining room.
#2
A dream house, neglected for 30 years.
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/67-Two-Bridges-Rd-Towaco-NJ-07082/39448368_zpid/
Pros:
Brick house, poured concrete foundation. 5 year old roof. Large house, acre of land.
4 car garage off the side of the house, which is a pair of slightly oversized 2 cars, room to work on any car in any spot. Basement has a couple shop rooms.
House comes with 3 sheds, 2 are okay and decently sized. One is really big but hanging precariously off the side of a cliff. I can't understand why someone put it there, it would have to be torn down, it's very dangerous and old looking, must have been really nice 30 years ago, maybe they used it as summer sun room or something.
The layout of the house could be made really damn nice. It's a split level, but not a typical jersey split.
What I like is that the main living level has the kitchen / dining / living room. But you can really easy blow out the wall dividing the kitchen from the other 2 rooms and have a really nice open layout. I fell in love with the open layouts after visiting friends in AZ, I would love to be able to be in the kitchen and see everyone in the dining room and the living room when I have people over.
There was honestly at least 15 closets in this house. There was one in every room, and in every hallway. It was nuts. Really nice for keeping the house tidy looking. There is room to put everything away. The top floor is one large hangout room, can be converted into a nice master bedroom or left as a big play / tv room thing.
acre of property
Cons:
Nobody has done a thing to this house in 30 years.
all the carpets are trash, the old man who owned the house died, his wife is 91 and out of the house now. 1/4 of their shit is still in the house, the kids haven't done SHIT to try and clean it out and look presentable. It's really hard to envision this house all fixed up because it's so gross inside from neglect.
TONS AND TONS of TLC will be needed. Some actual work work will be needed, like at least 1 new bathroom and a whole new kitchen.
Acre of land (taxes), while almost half the acres is unusable because it's basically a massive cliff. But because it's on such a hill, the neighbors are like totally out of sight. They are up or down a huge hill.
The driveway is a bit strange. Pulling a truck/trailer in would be a chore, but I think this could be fixed eventually.
Almost double the taxes of house #1, possible to have them lowered since the value of this house has gone down so much.
Oil tank in ground is still there, new one already installed out of the ground, but old one still there. Seller may be removing this on their dime.
Septic is likely original from 1960, ugh
Community well is being abandoned, city water being installed next year, $10,000 hookup fee. ugh
House #2 is a massive headache, but since we are in no rush to actually move in, and we have enough cash to move than cover a nice down payment and drop $50-$80k into updating the house right away, this may be the way to go. In perfect shape I think this house is worth closer to $450k
If I can get it for $275 or $300k, I think it's a solid investment.
House #1 (all tan house)
http://binged.it/vWMgFO
House #2 (grey roof)
http://binged.it/rAI4VC
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