I started reading this and about halfway through I decided to just go on living my life.

Just Wow! The entitlement is strong with this one.

Actually just sounds like a person looking for advice? They were overly specific because so many on here aren't and those people get bad/no advice.

https://www.zillow.com/b/windsor-at-liberty-house-jersey-city-nj-5Xk3my/?utm_campaign=iosappmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare

Check this one out. I think this might check most of your boxes. I think it’s about a 10 minute walk to grove. You can also walk to the ferry and light rails

Buy a house 6k mortgage gives you a nice one

Have you looked into any buildings already and if so, what did you find?

Sounds like a favorable option given your specifics is to work with a realtor……. Good luck

I’d recommend you look into Silverman buildings. They’re the best landlords and have some properties in your budget range. We’ve lived in a Silverman apartment near Hamilton Park for several years and can’t recommend them enough.

I’ve lived in the Columbus Towers for about 4 years now and have really enjoyed it. The amenities are top notch and I think it’s soundproofed well.

I have no idea why you wouldn’t just hire a realtor instead of going through this much effort to even type out this post, much less maintain a 50 row spreadsheet of buildings. At $5-6k a month surely you can afford one.

Second the Silverman buildings. They build their places like fortresses. I lived in a building with 98 other tenants and never heard a PEEP from neighbors. There is no such thing as soundproofing, but the Silvermans get as close as possible (and the buildings are soooo clean and well cared for, too).

Also they have no breed restrictions, but they did meet our gigantic dog to make sure she was friendly. They also just opened a fantastic vet!

Out of principal for one thing.

NY area is the only place in the country that runs this scam of renters paying realtor fees and I'd rather spend 10 minutes typing this up and getting a handful of answers to validate my research. I value my time but I can't imagine I'd put in enough hours doing this myself to make a realtor worth it.

Can afford != should pay.

I put enough caveat's at the top that if you still feel compelled to read and respond this way, shrug.

Almost as if the intro caveat worked as specified and was intended...

Yea we've looked into a good amount (honestly too many to list here or I would've) but I'm at the point where I'm looking to understand and avoid the things you can't find online or a tour.

e.g., elevators down more than up, noise between units, general vibe of common spaces (e.g., actually kid-friendly or not).

I've read plenty of reviews but complaints surface in reviews way more than volunteered positive info. So I figured I'd see if anyone here would volunteer a positive review that they might not have thought or cared to do on google, etc.

yup, exactly...because I read SO many posts and comments before posting, I tried to do what most commenters complained was missing. But there's no pleasing the internet.

I know its Reddit...but sheesh people just have to comment, don't they? I tried to make it abundantly clear I was just looking for building names that come to mind quickly and nothing else and no extra effort on anyone's part. I also tried to make it very easy to ignore and move on with my intro...oh well.

Thanks!

Thank you!

awesome, appreciate it!

thanks!

k

Just avoid 50 columbus. Every few weeks, one of more of their elevators are down. The two other buildings don’t have that problem

Interesting, appreciate it!

Which part?

You put it on the internet so you have to expect comments from literally anyone. That's the point of reddit.

You seriously have a 50 row spreadsheet of buildings? I really think you're overthinking this. Just pick one. You're moving into a luxury building in a premium neighborhood and spending over $5k per month, how bad do you think it will be? Plus that's the beauty of renting. If you don't like it, you can move in a year.

Also, someone may love a building, and you pick it and then might just have bad luck. I've dealt with really loud neighbors, a gym upgrade closing the gym in my building for 4 months, and multiple fire alarms in one month due to a "system malfunction" in otherwise what I'd call a great apartment.

I've dealt with all of these all things in all different apartment buildings downtown, some of which are mentioned here. That is sort of par for the course with apartment living.... I wouldn't rely on someone's individual experience because shit can happen anytime. I would just pick the one you like the most and stop overthinking.

If you want a pool, you are looking at a high rise. Your dog breed will be an issue at basically all of them unless you don’t disclose the breed.

Get a broker. Or just pick a place. You're RENTING not buying.

Avalon Cove is the right answer

I'd say any of the Paulus Hook or Liberty Harbor places fit your bill perfectly. Lenox, Quinn, Madox, Windsor, Portside Towers all come to mind specifically. Extremely quiet neighborhoods. Footsteps to the ferry, 5 minute walk to Grove Street, or if you're closer to the Liberty Harbor side, you can hop on the lightrail to Exchange Place too. Haus25 is very nice too off Columbus. Its very, very close to Grove Street station, but a bit on the pricey side. Basically you'd be good pretty much anywhere in downtown Jersey City east of Jersey Avenue. I would describe that part of JC as almost sleepy despite the density. One night I walked back from Hoboken to Liberty Harbor and could probably count the number of people I ran into on the street and this was a Saturday night. Everything closes early, its not a raging town like Hoboken is. The bars in Paulus Hook close at like 10:30.

At your budget you might even see if there's something available at 99 Hudson, which is basically across the street from Exchange Place.

I don't really think noise will be much of an issue unless you live in the building that has the Beerhaus on the ground floor. The light rail bell chimes occasionally but that's about it. Just be prepared that parking in the area is around $250 for people who live there, but I actually found a deal at the Montgomery Street surface lot for $180 if you're okay with not being in a garage.

The other area you might look at are some of the newer buildings in Newport especially closer to Hoboken. 75 Park Lane, 2 Shore Lane, The Beach at Newport. It is very, very quiet up there, you're a quick five-ish minute walk to the Hoboken PATH station and you get stunning views of Manhattan. Again the light rail runs through that area too and the mall and super markets are very close. You also don't have the traffic problems that you get in Paulus Hook where things get very congested especially on weekends and especially on Grand Street.

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LUXURY TL;DR

Boston has realtor fees too

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Welcome back to JC, everyone here is an asshole

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The outpouring of thoughtful advice and ideas is very touching. It’s why I miss Jersey City and often think of moving back. Incredibly decent warm people.

My wife and I lived at Modera Lofts before kids but with a dog and loved it. The only thing it doesn’t have on your list is a pool. I have lived in a building with a pool in JC, and it’s not all it’s made out to be.

I think the Modera Lofts demographic will be what you’re looking for. Mostly people in their 30s and 40s, some with kids and some without. If we didn’t want to make the effort to buy a place we’d still be there.

Bozzuto is good management and all the buildings are great.

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The part where I said I’m only asking if someone has something jump to mind quickly and only for a building name. I wrote a summary to start so you can read it fast and move on without getting into the detail. Or you could even just ignore it from the title if you don’t have interest in engaging in a thread asking for advice about apartments.

Thank you!!’

Ha. It doesn’t say that at all. You asked for advice based on parameters that requires one to read the entire post in order to know what you’re looking for.

That’s fine, others can do that. But you should know most people found this obnoxious. I’m sure you’re otherwise a fine person despite your propensity for paralysis by analysis and long winded posts.

Obnoxious posts get obnoxious responses.

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The dog breed is going to be an issue, every large building people listed and I’m sure you’ve found, will tell you a German Shepard is a restricted breed. You’ll need an exception some will give it to you but it’s a thing. Unless the dog looks enough like a mutt or other breed you can lie on the app.

Apartment size might be an issue. Some of those buildings don’t have 3BRs and some do, but often that’ll put you at $6-7k+. What do you consider a large 2BR? 1200sqft? If so you’ll find some of them, but if you want 1400-1500 that’s hard to find.

You should also check some of the condo buildings because plenty of them have people renting their condos. 88 Morgan, 2 2nd St, etc… you might find a 3BR rental there but likely have to pay a broker fee.

Good luck with your move!

How are they with rent increases for lease renewals? I’ve noticed that their advertised prices are usually quite a bit higher than the competition.

Whatever you do, avoid liberty towers

Did you have any noise issues there?

They have so many negative reviews mentioning thin walls.

German Shepard might be an issue as it’s a bigger dog + likely a restricted breed in many buildings. Other than that, you shouldn’t have that difficult of a time finding a place. Just remember that you won’t find a “perfect” place. There will be at least one or two things that won’t meet your requirements and it’s okay! Good luck!

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Only a neighbor who would BLAST music, but I think that would be a problem anywhere. Nothing after they moved out. I heard living on the top floor would get noisy since it’s right below the rooftop where people hang out, but we never had an issue.

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Wdym OP dropped a number and it's reasonably in line with expectations.

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You know that there are people whose job is to help people who are moving find a place that meets their criteria and budget

I’ve lived at Windsor at Liberty House for five years and we love it. Fabulous management (not something you’d think you’d ever say about apartment building management, but they’re great), gorgeous street in Paulus Hook by some great restaurants, and I think it meets all your criteria. Only thing I’m not sure about is the dog breed restrictions since I don’t have a pet, but there are some pretty large pups on my floor so I think you’d be okay.

Wow, you've done a ton of homework here! One other thing you may or may not know, is that the rents on units change, nearly every day. When you find a couple of properties you like, monitor their rent prices for a while. I moved from one unit to another in the same building, and watching the rent prices really paid off for getting a bigger place. Still paying more, but would have paid a lot more if the homework hadn't been done.

Good point. OP, for context, there’s three towers and each was built one after the other. 50 is the oldest, then came 70, and 90 is the newest (which is the one I’m in). They all share the same amenities though.

How is it a scam to pay someone for their specific and learned knowledge about all the things you are asking about? You want intimate and specific info from a reliable source and you aren’t willing to pay for this info. So you’ll do it yourself. But then you want others to give you the info that the one person who’s profession is to know what you want to know, would know. But yet you don’t want to pay them?

And many of the high rises actually pay the realtor a finders fee anyway so in many cases you would still get this info for free. Additional since it’s a high rise you would only have to pay 1/2 the fee since your realtor doesn’t have to share the fee with a co-broker (other side of the transaction).

Find a reputable realtor from DTJC and they’ll know all the answers from the perspective of multiple people they have housed at the variety of buildings you are asking about. Rather then get one off antidotes for a single perspective experience or passing conversation with a friend.

I live at Vantage which is managed by Bozzuto and really like it! Lots of people here with young kids and apartments are sound-proofed extremely well from my experience. It's dog friendly but not sure about the breed restrictions. The building does have elevator issues from time to time, but I live on a lower floor so it doesn't impact me as much. Amenities are great! PM me if you have any questions!

Because everywhere else, except a handful of places, the seller or landlord bears the cost as part of their business given it’s there property.

Their*

Had a terrible experience with Bozzuto, but in Chicago.

Ahh good call. Did you ever find that talking to leasing agent in person was different from what they communicated online?

Nice thank you! That place has come up a good amount, seems pretty great

I can tell you NOT TO DO NEWPORT. ANY NEWPORT complex. Idk how many times management reached out to me to “change my review” after 5-6 different surveys. You can get all you can from other buildings for the same price. These buildings come with nothing but headaches and roaches.

We live here too and are very happy with it. There aren’t a lot of big buildings downtown with 3-bed units. This is a good option.

No, they charged us the published rate.

My coworker lives here (I think) and really likes it

Greenville (Greenvilla Heights) would be perfect for you and your family.

I live at Windsor too. Moving out soon after a year. They have serious security issues. My apartment was broken into last summer. Management did nothing. Didn’t even warn the other tenants. Someone broke in and stole a car out of the garage a few months ago. I heard someone followed a woman into the building and tried to rob her in the halls way too (this I don’t have proof of, just heard from neighbors). The apartments finishes are extremely cheap (plastic floors, blinds constantly braking). Very happy to see the back of this place next month.

Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear that! We’ve had a good experience here for 5 years but maybe we’ve just been lucky. Best of luck wherever you’re headed next.