Questions About Moving - Woodbridge,NJ

go to the neighborhood you are looking to buy in morning (go to work time), noon, and evening - then on the weekend. See if this is the neighborhood you want to be in. Talk with the neighbors and get a feel for the neighborhood.

How far will you be from an airport?
How far will you be from your son that is disabled?
Believe it or not - just because you don't have any kids in schools doesn't mean you don't need to know what the district is like. You NEED to know if this is a sought after district so if and when you go to sell - you have another feature.

Check out the police station - ask about crime in the area and that neighborhood in particular

Churches - do you go? Is there a choice?

Check out the fire department - are they sufficient for the area? County run or volunteer only? What is their response time for emergencies?

Do they have stores you shop normally shop at?
How many directions do you need to give someone to get to the house? My rule is no more than FIVE directions from main road. I know it sounds silly - but it truly makes a difference.

Are you going to sell the home you have now? Or are you going to rent it out?
Are you allowed to fence in the yard because you have dogs?
Is it an HOA area or what?
What are the prices for HOA and what does it cover?
If no HOA - how much are trash disposal fees?
What about electricity and water?
Is the house on septic and if so - when was the last time it was leeched?
does it come with a warranty - if so - what does the warranty cover - what is the deductible and is there a co-pay?
When was the HVAC replaced? Is it big enough for the home?
When were the windows replaced?
When was the roof replaced?
Is there a warranty on the roof or the windows?
What about the siding? Is it vinyl or wood or hardi-plank?

Talk with your insurance company - ask THEM about the area - how many homes do they cover in that area - has there been any significant issues that they are aware of?

there is so much that goes into buying a home. I wish you luck!

When we moved from California to Georgia, so much went into the move.

Schools, whether you are going to use them or not are important.

Churches, do they have a church/congregation that you want to go to?

Neighborhood, going at different times and different days is REALLY important. You see the kids or you don't see the kids. Is it loud, quiet, etc.

Restaurants and shopping, do they have anything you like?
Grocery stores, seems like nothing but you end up in a place that doesn't have what you are used to buying and it's tough.

Airport/Transportation, is it close enough for people to come visit or will it be a long drive to and from?

Public Transportation, are you in need of that? Do they have buses or trains that are reliable? Are there sidewalks for you to walk on and are they in good repair or would you be walking in the street to work?

Road conditions, does it snow there? Emergency routes? What about flooding?

EMT/Police, how far is the hospital, fire and police departments?

Crime, what is crime like in the city AND neighborhood?

House in general:
Well water or city water?

Electricity, underground or poled? How often does it go out if above ground?

HVAC system, is it new or more than 5 years old? Do they have the upkeep records on it?

Cable or Satellite, do you currently have DISH or DirecTV? Can you use it in the new house? What are your choices for internet and TV?

How old are the appliances in the house? Are they covered under a warranty? Is the warranty transferable?

What is cell phone coverage like in the area? Lots of towers or minimal?

Is it an HOA? Is it a planned area?
Trash fees, snow removal fees, who pays and when does it happen?

Public pools? Do you use them?

We called USAA (our insurance company) and we asked about the house we bought, they asked about Flood Planes and flood regions. They asked if we had had an inspection done yet, and the results of the inspection. Termite damage was discovered and it had to be resolved prior to USAA insuring our home/dwelling. Get an appraisal and inspection and provide that to your insurance company. Make sure you have a current list of all of your possessions to make sure that you are properly covered.

This sounds great in terms of work opportunities and commute - I know you weren't very happy with your current work situation so hopefully this is the right move for you, a fresh new start! And better than the drive for your husband, especially with his health right now.

My concern would be - what about your family and friends you are leaving behind. Five hours away? How does this affect you?

I live away from my side of the family, and quite frankly, I find it very hard. We live closer to my husband's side, and that doesn't work out so well (he's not close). So not having family nearby that we are close to - very hard for me, as I grew up close with mine.

I also have a strong network of friends - very important to me as I don't have family here - I would find it hard to leave them. Are you social and would making a new network come easily to you and your husband? That would be something I would look into - what clubs, activities etc. they have available to get involved with - to meet new folks, and to pursue your interests.

When looking at areas/houses to live in, I would make sure the demographic really is a good fit. It's not all about the house. It's sometimes hard to gauge. If this is going to be a 10+ year home for you, think long term - what you'll be like in ten years, health wise, etc.

Good luck :) enjoy your trip

Find out about the community calendar, does every parade run down your street? How about municipal services, do they pick up trash and recycling, do you have to take it to the dump, do they run snow removal, are you one of the first to get plowed? How will you be situated in terms of having your kids come by to visit. Is it an easy destination for them? Are there nearby services in case some of the kids with needs boomerang or need more parental oversight intervention?

I’m not moving anytime soon but I know I’d kick myself if I chose a spot without takeout curry, a good library, and trees.

Best
F. B.

Sounds like you have it covered, and you are at a stage in your life where this kind of stuff is fairly easy. I moved several times before I had kids and my priorities were exactly the things you mentioned: commute, walkability of the neighborhood, nearby green space, and some decent restaurants with a reasonable driving distance.

In terms of your home, with your hubby not well, you might look for a house with minimal steps. Have fun and good luck with the move! It sounds like a good one.

It sounds like a wonderful move for you!
Start down sizing stuff now.
Anything you want the kids to have - either send it to them or have them come get it right away.
Any furniture you don't want to keep - sell or donate it now so you don't have to move it and buy what will fit for your new location when you get there.
Consider what it will take to maintain house and yard.
Look at crime statistics for the neighborhoods you are considering.
Are any of the properties you are considering in areas that flood easily?
Do they have a Home Owners Association?
Some HOAs are great while others are crazy controlling.
When you decide on a house have it thoroughly inspected and brought up to code - and be sure to have the lot surveyed (this wasn't a requirement in the state my sister bought a house and when they later had it surveyed and found their actual property lines it started World War 3 in the neighborhood).
When we were younger a house with multiple stories didn't bother us but as we got older we bought a home that's all on one level - we don't want to deal with a lot of stairs in our old age.

It sounds like you are planning rather well. So since you have no children I guess the other questions would be are there grocery stores and shopping near by? Banks? Restaurants? Libraries? Do you like a busy little downtown that features cute little stores, coffee shops, etc. (we don't really have that here). House wise...how many bathrooms have you thought about? Yard? do you like to garden? Is there a basement in the house? Check for molds on the walls or lines of flooding. Or recent paintjobs that might be covering something. See if there are sidewalks or not if you want to walk places with your dogs...How close or convenient are community colleges if you would like to take classes yourself...And if you are churchgoers where would you go? This is so exciting! Enjoy!

How about grocery stores, gas stations, hospitals, clinics, libraries, banks, and any other activities you like? For me, finding a place near an independent movie theater would be a must, as would be needing to be somewhat "central" -- close to cultural events, the airport, being able to travel to different parts of my city and being at about an equivalent distance from each point. For example, I can go to my mom's in about a half hour, or to the next county over in half an hour, but if I lived where my mom lives, it'd take a lot longer. Also, if you have hobbies like hiking, maybe you want to be near nature, or if you like kayaking, you may want to know where there are nearby lakes.

Auto repair shops may be another one, pharmacies too, if your husband has cancer and may need certain medications, a therapist (again, due to his cancer and the stress this puts on both of you, you may need a support group or therapist to help you through this), and clothing stores/malls since we all need to buy new clothes or replace new shoes every now and then. If there are ethnic cuisines you absolutely love, that is something else to explore. I hope this move brings about some positive changes for your work environment. It sounds like it's going to be less stressful for you both with shorter commutes and new opportunities. See it as a new adventure, new things to see and do.

Do you like museums? That may be something else to investigate. I guess I would treat it like I would treat traveling somewhere for the first time. I'd like to find all the ethnic restaurants, local hot spots, historic homes or buildings, museums, botanical gardens, etc. and have fun exploring and checking them off my list. You can also check out the local calendar of events for things like outdoor music festivals or theater performances. One more thing...is there a train, or other form of public transportation nearby that will take you statewide? Do you know where the station is? You may want to have friends visit sometime over the weekend, or you may want to go visit them, so that may be something to consider as well, if you're very close to them and want to maintain that friendship going through the years.

This is exciting!

Look for anything related to visits from your children+grandchildren, if you think they might visit. Nearby hotels (unless your house will have plenty of guest bedrooms), nearby parks/playgrounds, maybe even make note of things like "local famous bars" in case that could be an enticement for some of your children to visit.

Also investigate local alternatives to driving, in case age or health or having visitors ever makes that necessary - look at any available public transportation (local bus routes, train routes, taxi companies). If there is a nearby "big city", find out the best way to get there (for example, I know you said that you are not actually in NJ but if you were you could look for the closest train station to take the train to NYC). And find out the distance to the closest airport.

Walk through the local stores (grocery store, pet store, etc) and make sure you see everything you would expect to see (for example, does the grocery store carry your favorite cereal, does the pet store have decent pricing on your usual items, etc).

Pull up a website like Yelp and read reviews about various local services (restaurants, dry cleaners, etc).

For me, one of the key things would be how easy it will be to re-establish a support network. And that means that you're going to find ways to connect with others, either through church, hobbies, etc. Are those activities easily available in the new comminity.

I also would spend time looking into healthcare. Yes, its dictated by insurance. But is there a good urgent care center? A level 1 trauma center? In-network doctors that are accepting new patients?

Check into parking. You'll be walking to work, but on the days you drive is there designated parking? Are sidewalks kept cleared if it snows.

One of the tbings I always find helpful is to walk through the neighborhood at various times of the day. Are people outside? Are they friendly? Do they clean up after their dogs?

Updated

For me, one of the key things would be how easy it will be to re-establish a support network. And that means that you're going to find ways to connect with others, either through church, hobbies, etc. Are those activities easily available in the new comminity.

I also would spend time looking into healthcare. Yes, its dictated by insurance. But is there a good urgent care center? A level 1 trauma center? In-network doctors that are accepting new patients?

Check into parking. You'll be walking to work, but on the days you drive is there designated parking? Are sidewalks kept cleared if it snows.

One of the tbings I always find helpful is to walk through the neighborhood at various times of the day. Are people outside? Are they friendly? Do they clean up after their dogs?

You said you have a dog you might check in with local vets.

If it's going to be just the two of you I think the decision will be so much easier without looking at schools, etc. If you go to church, I would definitely look into that. When we moved a year ago that was a big factor for us. After that I would say just look into the neighborhood...like do you see people out and about, are they people that you would associate with, what's the condition of houses in the neighborhood, etc. My biggest concern would be that since you don't necessarily need a neighborhood near a good school with lots of kids, just make sure the neighborhood is what you want in terms of people, socio economics, etc.

Also, and I know this sounds lame, but you should consider how far away your favorite stores are. Is there a grocery store within 5 minutes, a Target close by, good looking restaurants, etc. We live about 15 minutes from a Target and although it didn't sound like a lot at the time, I hate it. We don't have a ton of stuff (although more is being built all the time) very close to us and it has been frustrating.

Sounds like a good plan. Just wondering, are you sure you want to live close to an airport? I could be noisy.