Not true, I've looked at all kinds of places out east that are in that range
Where? If true I'll sell my co-op and buy a house.
I think you should get a feel for it. If you've got questions feel free to ask, as I live not too far away from Glendale (a couple of miles).
A few things to keep in mind...
- Transportation via car can be a huge PITA. This depends on where you're commuting from and commuting to, but say you get a place in Joisey and plan on getting to Queens in 45mins on a weekday morning... that ain't gon' happen. Same goes for parts of Long Island.
- Take the train if possible.
- Check out the area. In Brooklyn, you can have a hipster-douchie area and then 2 blocks away you're in the middle of the projects. Location^3
- Schooling for your cherr'ren. Some public schools are great, especially elementary and middle schools. Some schools are also crap. Keep in mind the kids might have to travel an hour+ to get to school depending on which school they go to.
- Tranquil and private exists inside the city. My area is pretty quiet yet I have a subway station 5mins walking distance and I'm also very close to anything and everything I need as far as shopping goes. The co-op is a 2 bedroom and costs roughly ~300-400k. Finding a house for that money inside the city and an equal area is nigh impossible. The houses a block from me go for 750k.