34 hours and a 7-car driveway in Union County is waiting with Richard Marx

What do you make of the Thomases so far?

Emily, a Jersey-born , career-focused , and baby-juggling New Yorker is seeing greener pastures on the other side of the Hudson River.

She’s working, parenting, and living, but the output is taking a toll. Would her family’s life be easier with a grandparent nearby?

We’re embarking on the Real Garden Estate Adventure—that’s a 7-out-of-10 reference to this 2004 film— stopping every 15 minutes along NJT’s Northeast Corridor Line.

Here’s what the Thomases have seen so far:

• New York Penn Station >>> 340 West 55th Street #7B

• Newark Penn >>> 632 Belgrove Dr, Kearny Town, NJ 07032

Today, we’re traveling to the North Elizabeth train station, where we’ll see the next property.

Property #3: 216 W 6th Ave, Roselle Boro, NJ 07203, a single family residence in Union County.

Property Details

• 8 bedrooms

• 4 baths

Commute Breakdown

• Location: Elizabeth (Union)

• Train Stop: North Elizabeth (NJ Transit)

• / To Station: ~11 min (2.7 miles)

• Actual (NJT) Train Ride Time: 31 min

• Total Monthly Commute Time: 34.47 hours

• Monthly Commuter Cost: $539.92

Please note: The commute factors in an 11-minute drive to the train station, a 31-minute train, followed by a 5-minute walk to the office. This comes out to 34.47 hours/month. Also, we are assuming that parking is free (which it isn’t), or that the vehicle magically disappears until the return trip.

Financial Summary

• List Price: $999,000

• Monthly Mortgage (P&I): $4,728.00

• Monthly Property Taxes: $1,887.50

• Utilities, HOA & Other Overhead (Component of Carrying Cost): $680.00

• Total Monthly Cost (All-in): $7,835.42

Pros and Cons Analysis

Pros: Nearly half an acre with 8 bedrooms, and a driveway that can fit 7+ cars! (What that tells me, unless the Thomases are car people, is that there’s space for other projects, like gardens, pools, and fire pits!)

Cons: This is an example of a property that does not show well because it appears to have been poorly staged in the photos. (This is a con for the sellers, but it’s also why I’ve included it as an option.) If the Thomases have a similar aesthetic as me, they’ll have to put in money to update and refresh this home.

Coming up!

• Rahway >>> 150 Carolyn Ave, Colonia, NJ 07067

• Edison >>> 12 Edgewood Rd, Edison, NJ 08820

• Jersey Avenue >>> 10 Julie Ct, Somerset, NJ 08873

• Hamilton >>> 36 Birdie Way, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648

• Reference Point: 530 Grand Street #E8C

Methodology
I identified properties priced around or below $1,000,000 near NJ Transit’s Northeast Corridor Line stops, one Midtown West option, and one LES reference point to compare commute time, costs, and ownership overhead. Assumptions span rates, pricing, and a range of factors covered in the full methodology, all intended to normalize monthly costs across property types.

Full methodology here.