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Today, a new father shares how he and his family left New York City for a fixer-upper in Wayne, New Jersey, one of the hottest ZIP codes of 2025.
The basics
Age: 34
Marital status: Married with one kid
Pronouns: He/him
Occupation: Business development manager for a construction firm and an adjunct art professor
Household Income: ~$250,000
What was your home experience like when you were growing up?
My parents were always homeowners, though I didn’t think about homeownership until I became a father.
What about parenthood led you to start thinking about buying?
It was more about the location for us; we knew we wanted to be in the suburbs. We assessed the rental market first but found that, unlike in the city, a mortgage in the suburbs would have been about the same as rent, so we decided to buy.
How did you know when the time was right to start the buying process?
When we were still expecting our baby, we moved to a rental on Long Island. That situation just didn’t feel right for us. If something went wrong with the house—say, the heat went out—we had to call our landlord, and the wait was often too long for our liking or needs. That doesn’t work when you have a newborn. We realized we wanted more control over things like that.
Long Island also didn’t work because of the commute. I travel a lot around the tri-state area and even down to Washington, D.C., and I kept getting stuck in Manhattan traffic. I was wasting seven hours a week that way.
The home
Where were you looking to buy?
New Jersey’s suburbs and big yards checked boxes for us. We explored Woodbridge and Hackensack first until we found Wayne. The Packanack Lake area was the most interesting to us, as we like to stay fit with walking and running, and this area has the sidewalks to do so. School districts also factored into the decision.
How long did you look before finding your home?
Seven or eight months from the start but about five months once we decided on Wayne. We only wanted to buy within a 2-square-mile area so the options weren’t endless. Plus, it was a very active bidding market.
Did you have any non-negotiables?
Yes, our room count: three bedrooms and two baths.
How many homes did you see in person?
Easily 20. One weekend, I looked at six houses.
Did you make any other offers?
We made three offers in this same area, but kept getting outbid.
How did you know this was the one?
We had so many deadlines we were up against. I had to remind myself that it didn’t need to be the best house, and it wouldn’t be our last house. This is a four-bed and two-and-a-half-bath, which was even better than what we wanted. We liked that with this house, the room sizes were good, and the home is on a cul-de-sac, meaning it’s not an active street. The lot was big, which brings a lot of potential for landscaping too. There’s a lot we could do—it’s a blank canvas.
What offer did you make?
Our first offer of $655,000 wasn’t accepted right away. The sellers had received a higher offer of $710,000 from investors. When that deal fell through, the sellers came back to us and asked if we were interested in moving forward with a price negotiation. Our lease was expiring, and it made sense to make this happen if we could. We met them at $685,000.
What kind of loan did you get?
We didn’t do the conventional route because we didn’t want to put 20% down. We put down 5%, which meant we had to pay private mortgage insurance.
Where did the down payment come from?
We started saving 18 months ahead. I knew we would buy a house with a lower purchase price that needed a lot of reno.
What renovations did you do?
The bathrooms were gut renovations. We also changed all the lighting and replaced 1,400 square feet of flooring. We kept some of the original wood floors but had to resand. Some of the kitchen was remodeled, including installing new countertops, a new island, and new appliances. All in, we invested $90,000 in remodeling and upgrades.
Did you get a loan for the renovations?
No. We needed to do them quickly. I’m familiar with construction, so I knew how this process would work. I financed the renovations out of pocket.
How did the renovations impact your PMI?
After we completed renovations, we had forced appreciation in the home, and the overall value went up. We paid to have an appraisal confirm this. Our $34,000 down payment, added to the $90,000 we spent on renovations, now meant that we had paid 20% or more of the home value, and they removed the PMI.
What do you like most about living in Wayne?
It’s very accessible. It’s the suburbs, but everything feels nearby. We are blocks from the lake, and having an open space like that adds a lot of value to the quality of life. Plus, I like the safety of the community.
What’s your favorite thing about living in this house?
The memories we are making. It’s a lot of fun for my son to have a big driveway and front yard. We have a few houses on the street, and several have kids his age, so it became an instant community. Also, this town offers a sense of peace. I sleep better here than I ever did in the city.
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