Please help! - Looking for input on a 2br/2ba apartment in Jersey City

Submitted by muchD t3_11x34qy in jerseycity

Hey folks, I’m in the middle of looking for a new apartment for a recent job opportunity in New Jersey and need to move in the next couple of weeks. I’m looking for a 2br/2ba in the $5,500-$6,500/month range.

I’ve looked at the following buildings and wanted to get some personal experiences from renting in these buildings (e.g. things to be aware of or any specific positive/negative remarks as a tenant in any of these buildings) or get any other recommendations that I haven’t looked into yet:

The BLVD collection - https://verisresidential.com/jersey-city-nj-apartments/the-blvd-collection/

The Vantage collection - https://www.vantagejc.com

Lenox (Paulus Hook) - https://lenoxnj.com/floorplans/index.php

65 Bay St (rebranded f/k/a Trump Bay St) - https://www.65bay.com/floorplans.aspx

Thanks!

0

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

Whole-Campaign89 t1_jd182vo wrote

Oh fam, clearly you've not visited this sub before, smh...

35

Direct_Ad18 t1_jd19xee wrote

You are spending an absurd amount of money for a luxury apartment building. I promise you none of them suck. Relying on someone's extremely personal experience with their own needs and priorities will not be useful to you unless you have the exact same needs and priorities.

You will get more useful advice if you say what your priorities are. Easy access to PATH? Will you use the amenities or the pool? Do you want a lively or quiet neighborhood? Do you have a car? Are you away a lot? Commute to the city at all? Commute elsewhere?

16

muchD OP t1_jd2ghtk wrote

I’m getting a car and commuting a bit, while my fiancée takes the path. I currently live in UWS in Manhattan and will be moving to Jersey City, so I’d like a fully amenities building. I’m currently paying $7,500 a month in rent in Manhattan, so this will also be cheaper.

I just want to make sure the glossy adverts online are true to form and I wanted to get subjective viewpoints I couldn’t get from the property marketing website or through the myriad of comments I’ve read online (which are usually very polarizing comments of either 5 stars or 1 star review - people only comment when things are amazing or truly shitty [i.e. avoid Dvora cause management sucks; avoid Modera cause it floods; Veris managed builds are great etc].

2

Direct_Ad18 t1_jd2jlp4 wrote

Vantage is the newest one so the amenities have all the bells and whistles and there is an awesome pool deck. Can also get sweeping views of the city.

The other buildings you mentioned (BLVD and 65 Bay) are older so I'm not really sure how they can possibly compare. Also depending on where you are commuting these two buildings may take you up the hell hole of marin boulevard and past the Holland tunnel traffic to get onto a highway and this is something I would want to avoid if I had to do it often. If that neighborhood is really speaking to you, I'd be more inclined to look at The One or Urby. Some of the layouts in urby are weird but they have so many different floor plans I'm sure you could find one you like. The amenities at Urby are also really nice.

Vantage gives you easy access to the turnpike if you're commuting that way. Only downside is it's probably the furthest from the PATH but the light rail is right there at least.

Lenox is a smaller building and while it's nice and more in line with what I prefer I'm not sure why it's on your list of your priorities are high rise with awesome amenities. It's not that. It is the only one that's really in a area with a neighborhood feel though, as opposed to a bunch of disjointed high rises.

Any reason you haven't looked at Haus 25? Easy access to PATH and right on a main road for commuting. Amenities are generally thought to be the best in Jersey City, also closest to Newark Ave if you care about restaurants. I'd lean towards this or Vantage though maybe Haus 25 is out of your range. Not sure if maybe they hav 1+den?

Sorry my response is all over the place but when you're paying that much for apartments none are going to really be that bad so it's really going to come down to your personal preference. How often have you been to Jersey City? If you live in the city now I'd recommend coming here a few times to get a feel for the areas where all the buildings are to help you decide.

3

bodhipooh t1_jd2u5v5 wrote

>Vantage is the newest one so the amenities have all the bells and whistles and there is an awesome pool deck. Can also get sweeping views of the city.
>
>The other buildings you mentioned (BLVD and 65 Bay) are older so I'm not really sure how they can possibly compare

Odd take considering that the original Vantage opened in 2017, while 65 Bay opened in 2016, almost exactly one year apart.

1

Direct_Ad18 t1_jd2v5rt wrote

I meant it was the newest one out of all of the ones that he listed, which it is. I did not even realize they opened so close together.... I guess Vantage just feels newer and nicer to me, I don't know. 65 Bay is not impressive to me.

2

bodhipooh t1_jd32gi6 wrote

I was mostly thrown off by the line "I'm not really sure how they can possibly compare" considering they are actually quite close together in age, and not all that different overall. But, agreed that the Vantage is definitely a different aesthetic/vibe. Both are good buildings, in my opinion. But the location of Vantage was a dealbreaker for us. We ended up choosing 65 Bay and happy here at the moment. My only quibble/complaint are minor things that others wouldn't care about: the cabinets could/should be nicer, the floors are 100% crap (wood laminate?) and the main bathroom has a single sink. We used to have dual sinks and I miss that. Great kitchen and unbeatable view, plus the location is convenient to both PATH lines.

2

[deleted] t1_jd52i3j wrote

[deleted]

1

bodhipooh t1_jd81sia wrote

Totally! We lived at DVORA ArtHose for a long time, and loved it. Never had an issue with management, but they get slammed all the time, so definitely experiences vary widely, and I think housing can be particularly personal and unique based on combination of factors and priorities.

1

xellosmod01 t1_jd19h0o wrote

Depends on which part of the city you’d want to stay at & the one closest to your job. jC is boomig with alot of newly constructed luxury aoartments but if I had that budget I’d go for the ones with the views of the city skyline by the river.

8

muchD OP t1_jd2hg4y wrote

Thanks! Any recommendations for buildings with great views?

−1

suztomo t1_jd1e0so wrote

They are all a little bit far from PATH stations. Just a little. With your budget, I believe you can choose The Hendrix, Haus 25, or Grove Pointe.

5

muchD OP t1_jd2hhdw wrote

Thanks! I’ve heard of the first two but will look into Grove Pointe.

0

DirectorBeneficial48 t1_jd1781q wrote

They're all terrible and you're stupid for spending $72,000 a year to rent an apartment anywhere, much less Jersey City

4

muchD OP t1_jd17vtx wrote

Why comment if you’re not going to help? This job opportunity requires me to be in the office and it’s close to Jersey City. I need to move but the company is covering the rent to relocate me. I have a max allowance of $6,500 a month on housing, and it can’t be used for anything else. Might as well max it out if I get it, and this location is the most convenient for me. Do you have any recommendations?

21

Technical-Monk-2146 t1_jd1dh3c wrote

Are you commuting to Manhattan? If your job is downtown— Wall Street, etc , you’ll want to be near Exchange Place because you’ll have two train lines going in. All the buildings will be nice. You’ll want to look at available units before you decide as some apartments have weird layouts. Will you have a car? You won’t be able to get a street parking permit if your building has parking, so unless you’ll be driving to work you need to consider that cost.

7

muchD OP t1_jd2hbpj wrote

We’re also picking JC cause of it’s proximity to Manhattan so that we can easily access NYC as we have friends and family still there. Outside of personal use, neither of us will be working in NYC, but we’ll have a car to commute within Jersey. We plan on paying for parking within whichever building we choose, so structured parking will be a necessity.

3

mooseLimbsCatLicks t1_jd1o0x6 wrote

That is a great benefit ! What industry?

3

muchD OP t1_jd2grr6 wrote

Commercial real estate development! I’m debating just leveraging my network and hiring a residential broker, but wanted to do some due diligence myself. Appreciate the help!

−2

STMIHA t1_jd1qfxk wrote

Does stipend count towards utilities as well? You also have amenity fees in these buildings and parking if that’s needed.

2

muchD OP t1_jd2gudi wrote

It does, so I was thinking aiming for $5,500/month to leave me with $1,000 for amenities/utilities/parking

1

STMIHA t1_jd2ha75 wrote

I’ve got a 2/2 in soho lofts, And that’s a solid amount for those line items, especially when I was looking at more downtown centric spots. Newer buildings are def much friendlier when it comes to the power bill. Would be mindful of some of the buildings around the ShopRite as there will be a ton of work going on for the foreseeable future.

Know a bunch of ppl who live around the vantage and like that area. But also some projects in the pipeline there. Condo renting varies depending on building. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

2

Calm_Entrepreneur_28 t1_jd1cg8e wrote

For real pointless comment. Why comment if that’s your response

9

ruu2020 t1_jd1eaws wrote

People are so unwilling to help in this Jersey City subreddit. Just because it’s been posted before it’s been forbidden to be rehashed. And this poster has some unique circumstances but everyone just hate comments.

5

UncleCahn t1_jde2rmo wrote

Lots of broke and bitter people who is living in the wrong cities to be broke. Ohio or Oklahoma is more their vibe.

1

padureanca t1_jd2o2ma wrote

If I were you I’d see if any of the condo luxury buildings (all individual owners) are renting. They are more reasonable than the full rental only luxury buildings and since they are mostly owners they take great care of the building.

4

EasilyDistracted101 t1_jd1k2ss wrote

We visited almost every building in JC back in December and random thoughts below.

I cannot recommend the BLVD. Their apartments were awful and the amenities were is desperate need for an upgrade.

The Vantage is lovely but pricey. If you have the budget then go for it but I would suggest being very careful what direction your apartment will be facing if not you will be paying a high price for nada.

65 Bay St is an odd one. Their amenities weren't great but their apartments feel very homely compared the standard modern luxury apartment package the others will give. They also are spacious if maybe a little dark on some. Your own personal preferences will come into play for this one.

351 Marin, Hendrix and 235 Grand were other options we considered to be really good. Urby is also a nice option but the flats are a little odd and not sure they provide 2 bathrooms.

DVORA was an immediate no for us as well as the pier, and 70 greene.

Hope that helps!

3

muchD OP t1_jd2h32c wrote

This is super helpful! Thank you for giving me your insights and starting point for me to schedule appointments to check out the apartments myself. My fiancée and I are slated to check out BLVD (though now my expectations are tempered), the Vantage collection, 65 Bay, 351 Marin, and Haus25.

We’ll add the Hendrix and 235 Grand on to the list!

1

bodhipooh t1_jd2zm4e wrote

If proximity to PATH is important, definitely avoid Vantage. BLVD is old/dated. We lived in a DVORA building (ArtHouse) for 8 years and were happy there, but we are an outlier given all the other negative feedback. We are currently at 65 Bay, in a corner unit facing Manhattan, and we enjoy an insane view that never gets old. The kind of view for which people would pay millions. We visited a ton of places and decided on 65 Bay for a number of reasons: it is SUPER quiet over here, the amenities were great, and the apartment size/layout was better than anything else in the same price range. The management has been a pleasure throughout the entire process of leasing and moving in, and we haven't had any issues or complaints in the almost four months we have been here.

Lots of people recommending Hendrix, Haus25, or 351 Marin Blvd are not taking into consideration how loud it is in those areas. We lived at ArtHouse for 8 years and it was incredibly loud and it gets annoying at night. Now, our place is basically dead silent AT ALL TIMES.

Before choosing 65 Bay, we toured a bunch of places. VYV had some neat features, but it's the Shoprite parking lot and there is a ton of construction starting again soon. Lively had some great amenities we loved, but we didn't like the unit layouts or sizes. We toured Hamilton House and 372 Ninth (joined DVORA buildings by Hamilton Park) and loved the amenities and the 3bd/3ba unit we toured was just perfect, but we didn't like the location, and how far it felt from everything. Heck, anything North of Hamilton Park would be a hard no from us based on location alone. The Hendrix (and Haus25) felt too expensive considering the drawbacks. Modera Lofts is a joke (floating walls and fake bedrooms without windows and you can hear everything) and Urby was also ridiculous because of the small size of units and the prevailing demographic. We are in our mid 40s and didn't want to consider a building catering to a much younger crowd. One thing we have really appreciated about 65 Bay is that it is (seemingly) mostly well established people in their upper 30s (and, older) with a sprinkling of younger people.

3

muchD OP t1_jd7vc3t wrote

Thank you very much for your detailed experiences! This is exactly what I was hoping to see and factors we didn’t consider. We’ve got a tour set up at 65 Bay this weekend to see their available units, and hopefully we can find something with a view as well. Appreciate your feedback and help!

1

bodhipooh t1_jd8316r wrote

If you are touring 65 Bay, make sure to ask to see an -06 unit. Those are the units in the southeast corner. The mostly uninterrupted views are incredible, and it is also ridiculously quiet. They are 2bd/2ba, so exactly what you are looking for. The -04 units (across the hallway from the -06) are also nice, but the view not quite as expansive (you would be looking at the construction site for the powerhouse down below, and lots of other buildings blocking much of your view) and your Sun exposure will be limited. Good luck in your house hunting adventure.

1

Adventurous_Tea_4547 t1_jd3c6o7 wrote

I live in 225 Grand and it's been fantastic so far but you're probably looking for something newer.

Agree with the other comment that Modera Lofts is not it. I almost moved there and I'm so glad I didn't.

2

luxuryparking_ t1_jd7mc49 wrote

Look up properties under Silverman. Out of my price range, but they’re one of the better rated management cos in the area

2

UncleCahn t1_jde2bdb wrote

Instead of 65 Bay go with 88 Morgan, it is better built. You will likely have to pay 1 month broker since it is a condo. 88 Morgan would be the most spacious.

I would live reasonably close the PATH so you can walk. You do not want to rely on the light rail, frequency is awful off peak and it is slow. You do not want to wait for the PATH AND wait for the light rail.

Other reco would be 10 Provost or 77 Hudson. 99 Hudson while nicer and newer would be out of your budget.

1