A lot of buyers worry that the right house will never come.  But the right house always appears eventually.  And, buyers should be able to take as much time as they need find it.  But, one of the obstacles to finding it without spending two years looking and fretting is to begin eliminating as many communities as possible – as early on as possible – so that they can target the town that is perfect.  In a region like Essex County, New Jersey where there are so many towns to choose from in very close proximity, it’s easy to conduct a search in 5 or 6 of them at once.  However, one of the interesting characteristics about our area is that the towns are each very unique and different from one another.  They vary in their transit systems, their housing inventory, tax ratios, politics, goods and services, lot sizes, school systems, household income levels, parks and recreation programs, and so much more.

Steps 1 and 2
After getting pre-approved for a mortgage – which is the first thing a buyer should do – eliminating towns is the next step.  You might need a few weeks to target the top choice but the best way to get there is by ‘process of elimination’.  Finding the house is not that hard.  In fact, it’s actually the easy part, believe it or not.  Even if the community you choose is a little pricey for your wallet, you can always buy a smaller home and expand, or a fixer-upper and improve down the road. But you’ll never be able to change the address – or create services, beauty or amenities that just don’t exist in the municipality.  It’s better to buy a home that may need a little work in a town that you’re over the moon about then to buy a better house in a town that is just okay in your mind.  Once you’re in, you’re in. Like a marriage, you want to be 100% sure that you know what you’re getting into. 

How to Choose the Right Town
How do you judge a town?  Certainly, don’t judge it by looking at a bunch of attractive affordable listings on the internet.  I don’t care how great they are; those are just buildings.  They tell you nothing about the fabric of the community.  You can easily be compelled to go see one of those homes, get seduced by its charm and temporarily forget that the location makes your commute more difficult.  You’ll realize this, of course, the next day when you think it about it but, by then you’ve already wasted a Saturday or Sunday afternoon with your family by having gone to see this home.  I know that it didn’t cost you anything but your time.  But these hours of searching in the wrong towns can add up and wear you down – making your search a chore rather than the fun and exciting experience it should be.

Things to Consider
Just the way you have priorities for the house itself (location, size or condition), prioritize the towns by deciding what your top three criteria are.  Is the school system your highest priority?  Are lower taxes next?  Do you absolutely require proximity to major highways or business centers?  Once you establish these priorities, the decisions almost make themselves.  Some of the criteria to consider are:

• School rankings and/or teaching philosophy (Rankings don’t always tell the whole story.  Some highly ranked school systems have difficulty managing children with slight learning disabilities and you will pay extra for services.)
• Property taxes  (In many cases, you get what you pay for so when you see a town with ultra-low taxes, find out why they are so low.  There is always a reason.)
• Sports and Recreation  (How many parks are there?  What sports programs do they offer?  Is there a Community Center?  A YMCA?)
• Do they have their own Police and Fire Dept?  (Some small communities share with neighboring towns and they may be volunteer departments – as opposed to being paid by the municipality.)
• Where is the top of the market?  (How much do the most expensive homes in the town sell for?  Are you buying one of the best homes in town?  Or are most of the homes around you more expensive?)
• Who lives there?  (What’s the profile of the residents?  Are they mostly professionals?  Tradesmen?  Artists?  How does the town skew politically?  What’s the vibe?)
• Medical Services (Where is the nearest hospital, medical center or walk-in clinic?  How highly is it ranked?)
• Town Center  (Walk through it; talk to the shopkeepers to help get a vibe on the community)