$500k doesn’t get you paradise

From NJ1015:

The price of paradise: New Jersey’s staggering housing market

If you’ve been house-hunting lately in New Jersey, you probably didn’t need a national ranking to tell you it’s expensive. But just in case you were wondering, yep, we officially made the top 10.

In an article on the subject on, New Jersey comes in at No. 6 on the list of most expensive states to buy a home, with an average home value of $508,430. And honestly? I’m not shocked. Disappointed, yes. Surprised? Not at all.

Listen, New Jersey deserves to be praised. Between our proximity to New York City and Philly, gorgeous (and in-demand) coastal towns, and the kind of public schools and job opportunities people move for, it kind of makes sense.

Add in our infamous property taxes, and you’ve got the perfect storm for sky-high prices.

The problem is, it’s become nearly impossible for anybody who is not wealthy to buy a home here.

Here’s the full top 10 list:

🏚 1. Hawaii – $856,327

🏚 2. California – $782,695

🏚 3. Massachusetts – $609,415

🏚 4. Utah – $518,241

🏚 5. Washington – $588,986

🏚 6. New Jersey – $508,430

🏚 7. Colorado – $548,602

🏚 8. Oregon – $497,249

🏚 9. New Hampshire – $463,091

🏚 10. New York – $458,072

Even though we’ve got some of the highest median wages in the country, it still feels like owning a home here is getting further out of reach. And with the U.S. median home price now sitting at $420,800, that extra $80K in Jersey hits hard.

This entry was posted in Demographics, Economics, Housing Bubble, New Jersey Real Estate, Where's the Beef?. Bookmark the permalink.

80 Responses to $500k doesn’t get you paradise

  1. Chad Powers says:

    1

  2. Chicago says:

    What?

  3. Very Stable Genius says:

    How many of these places are Progressive and Liberal and how many are MAGA?

    Here’s the full top 10 list:

    🏚 1. Hawaii – $856,327

    🏚 2. California – $782,695

    🏚 3. Massachusetts – $609,415

    🏚 4. Utah – $518,241

    🏚 5. Washington – $588,986

    🏚 6. New Jersey – $508,430

    🏚 7. Colorado – $548,602

    🏚 8. Oregon – $497,249

    🏚 9. New Hampshire – $463,091

    🏚 10. New York – $458,072

  4. Very Stable Genius says:

    Real Estate is a NJ thing because there’s very high demand in progressive states.
    There’s no demand in Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, etc, etc

  5. grim says:

    I don’t understand Utah.

    On so many levels.

  6. grim says:

    Good chart over at Apollo – lowest share of first time buyers since 1980.

    Housing Becoming Unaffordable for First-Time Homebuyers

  7. Fast Eddie says:

    Only 24% of homes purchased at the moment are bought by first-time homebuyers.

    “Homebuyers” should be two words or hyphenated. I digress. Any house hunter today is on the verge of murder, I’m sure. I’d love to see how the house market reacts if we drop 150 basis points on the 3o-year mortgage. A flood of houses on the market? Drastic drop in prices?

  8. Very Stable Genius says:

    Maga won’t send kids to religious southern college and won’t let them move to Oklahoma.
    Maga wants kids in elite progressive liberal college and to get a high paying job in woke Manhattan.

    Lol, lol

  9. Juice Box says:

    Just need to be patient, just over 20% of the US population are Baby Boomers, they own around 37% of homes nationwide. In the next few years a considerable amount of boomers will have to sell and move into assisted living as they reach 80 years old.

  10. 3b says:

    Fast: Who and why are buying houses, if the birth rate continued to rapidly decline, and marriage is becoming a thing of the past?

  11. 3b says:

    Grim: Is it the Mormon thing in Utah, that perhaps you don’t understand.

  12. Fast Eddie says:

    Maga wants kids in elite progressive liberal college…

    Elite and progressive… absolutely the face of the current form of what was previously known as the democrat party. That party is in name only. How do you court the under 30 crowd, blue collar crowd, union guys and garbage people now that they’ve left? They don’t want to drink Chardonnay and discuss the effects of climate change on an egalitarian, classless society.

  13. Comrade Nom Deplume, the voice of raisin says:

    VSG

    I don’t think it’s that simple. Pockets drive those numbers as do taxes and overall economic factors. And not just business conditions—anyone notice that several of those states have really high end recreational regions? A $20MM slopeside ski haus will skew those numbers.

  14. Juice Box says:

    Utah is actually a desert on mountains, it’s the second driest state in the nation…I could not live there or Colorado….Visit yes but live no…it’s cold and too damm dry due to elevation.

    Don’t get me wrong as I am a skier but I would choose Washington state or even British Columbia as you get great skiing at a much lower elevation only 7,000 ft vs 11,000 ft at Snowbird in Utah or 11,500 at Vail Colorado. The older you get the harder it gets to ski at elevation. Then there is having the ocean nearby too.

    Coworker of mine just sold in Denver and is moving to Washington state. 20 years living in the mountains his family is now headed to the coast.

    I know a pretty hardcore Mormon convert, has six kids and lives in Provo. Could not afford that today without the remote job and salary. Has a moderate size but expensive house, only saving is property taxes pays about $4k a year. Then again it’s a different lifestyle, don’t drink and don’t watch the news etc…no time anyway with raising six kids.

  15. Lorax says:

    Google: “soaking” Mormon ….thank me later

  16. 3b says:

    Juice: GS back in the day, has lots of Mormons, they are/ were the wealthiest religious denomination in the U. S. Some of them I knew were church bishops and elders, way up there in the church hierarchy. Nice people, but definitely out there, and some unusual beliefs for a Christian denomination.

  17. Lorax says:

    I find Idaho strange. Lots of SoCal people end up “there”. For some reason.

  18. Lorax says:

    House is cleared out and belongings are “podded” and ready for storage. Staging is next.

    We’ll miss this amazing property. Lots of great memories.

    But I never thought it’d be the last stop. 8 years! Lots of sweet equity from the run up. I three weeks it’ll go on the market. Boooyaah

  19. Dark Phoenix says:

    I like to fact check. Google’s AI said this. Ok it’s cheating fact check but I am very busy today.

    While pinpointing the “wealthiest” denomination is complex, studies consistently show that Jews and Hindus tend to have higher median household incomes than other religious groups in the United States. However, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is known for its significant net worth, estimated to be around $265 billion.

  20. 3b says:

    Lorax: Good luck with everything.

  21. White Trash Eddie says:

    VSG,

    The DOW is up over 800 points. WTF? It’s supposed to be dropping more! Can you turn it around?

  22. Dark Phoenix says:

    Most, if not all religions have unusual beliefs, starting with there is a “man in the sky.”

    Most are arrogant and believe they are the “real” religion, and others are subpar.
    Wars start over that shit.

    Others hide behind it like a shield, to let society think they are good because they walk out of a building with a cross on it.

    Most of the a holes you are going to meet today belong to some religion, possibly even your own.

    They are cults. Stick to common sense, math and physics. And body cameras to see what people actually do.

    3b says:
    April 22, 2025 at 10:21 am
    Nice people, but definitely out there, and some unusual beliefs for a Christian denomination.

  23. Juice Box says:

    3B – Hense the GS office in Salt Lake and Dallas Project Voyage..

    Nobody from NY wants to go…

    Goldman Sachs has launched a comprehensive initiative codenamed “Project Voyage” aimed at reducing costs and restructuring its workforce. The plan, which began in Q4 2024 and will unfold over several years, involves identifying executives whose positions could be eliminated or relocated to achieve cost savings.
    Key Components of Project Voyage
    Firmwide Implementation: The initiative will affect multiple divisions including global banking and markets, asset and wealth management, engineering, operations, communications, marketing, and back-office functions.
    VP-Level Focus: The bank’s vice president ranks have been identified as particularly bloated and costly, with some VPs reporting to other VPs rather than managing directors. Client-facing VPs can earn up to $1 million in total compensation.
    Strategic Relocations: The plan includes moving employees from expensive locations like New York City to more cost-effective offices in Dallas, Texas and Salt Lake City, Utah.
    Replacement Strategy: Positions lost through the annual Strategic Resource Assessment (SRA) will be backfilled in lower-cost locations rather than in New York.
    Goldman’s Expansion in Dallas
    Goldman’s Dallas office is projected to grow from approximately 4,600 to 5,000 employees by 2028, coinciding with the opening of a $500 million campus. The city has authorized $18 million in tax incentives if Goldman meets this target by the end of 2028.
    Implementation Process
    Divisional heads are working with their chief operating teams to compile lists of potential cuts and relocations. CEO David Solomon has characterized this as “a three-year program” to better manage the bank’s expenses.
    A Goldman spokeswoman stated: “We’re focused on operating the firm effectively and prudently over the long term, managing our business to meet the needs of our clients and re-investing for growth.”

  24. 3b says:

    Juice: Salt Lake/ Utah has an educated work force, and Mormons like to work, and they don’t party! As per your article looks like GS is serious trying to reduce costs by charging geographic locations, and it’s not just moving operations people, but revenue producers as well. That’s telling. Of course they could save a lot of money be going back to WFH , but that’s another story. I wonder how many other big Wall Street firms will do this kind of geographic restructuring to cheaper areas.

  25. 3b says:

    Dark: My point was Mormons have unusual beliefs for a denomination that says it is Christian. As for religions in general and beliefs, that is where faith comes in,either people believe or they don’t. Some say secularism is also a religion in its own way.

  26. OC1 says:

    Say what you will about mormonism, but at least there is zero doubt that the founder of the Mormon religion actually existed.

    How many other religions can say that?

  27. 3b says:

    OC1: True, be also know Martin Luther the founder of Lutheranism existed, as well as Henry VIII, the founder of Anglican Church, as well as Knox the Presbyterian church and Wesley the founder of the Methodist Church.

  28. RentL0rd says:

    Isn’t MAGA a religion? You may not get tax exemption, but you get prison exemption if you follow.

    The only more rich group – than Hindus and Jews, is the hybrid Hinjews.

  29. Lorax says:

    11:28 so far so good! Thx

  30. White Trash Eddie says:

    VSG,

    DOW up over 1,000!! WTF is going on? C’mon man, make it drop!

  31. RentL0rd says:

    Clearly market is siding with Powell and not Trump.

  32. BRT says:

    The market is above where it was August of last year? Was your retirement looking grim then too?

  33. RentL0rd says:

    1:14: I am not sure what happened in April 2024.. but it was a momentary dip, before it went right back up.

    You picking that one outlier and making that to seem that Trump’s policies are succeeding is as MAGA as it gets.

  34. SmallGovConservative says:

    Glad to see Unstable has moved on from egg prices to house prices.

    And if the Dems win with the all-commie AOC/Bernie ticket in ’28, be prepared to pay a wealth tax on that preposterously valued NJ home.

  35. White Trash Eddie says:

    BRT,

    Don’t attempt to post anything here that requires thought or logic. When you post, lash out recklessly and make sure you’re angry when you do.

  36. Juice Box says:

    3B – NYC used to have 30% of US securities industry jobs, now it’s down to less than 20% of the jobs and falling. If the industry continues to follow suit in another few years there won’t be a Wall St in NYC anymore.

  37. RentL0rd says:

    1:30, If the Dems don’t win, you won’t own anything to pay taxes on.

    10% drop in greenback,
    Markets down more than 10%
    Massive corruption and insider trading to the tune of billions of dollars.
    Big labor shortage.

    And this is not even counting what is about to happen with jobs and inflation.

  38. Juice Box says:

    Bend the knee and kiss the ring… markets rising today…

    “The White House is closing in on general agreements with Japan and India to stave off massive U.S. tariffs“

    “White House described as “memorandums of understanding” or a broad “architecture” for future deals“

  39. Juice Box says:

    559 days until midterms.

    1296 Days Until next presidential election.

    What have the democrats done to pivot policy and also find better candidates for congress and the president? I mean seriously Bernie could be taking a dirt nap by then.

  40. BRT says:

    1:14: I am not sure what happened in April 2024.. but it was a momentary dip, before it went right back up.

    That’s the point. You didn’t even care to notice it. You also probably didn’t notice the fed cut rates a full point over the next 5 months despite the inflation target never being hit.

  41. 3b says:

    Juice: I have been saying that for a while re the Wall St jobs, there will always be a presence on Wall St, but no need to keep the majority of the employment there. At some point the cost of living, and the poor government, and quality of life issues takes a toll.

  42. 3b says:

    According to Newsweek Bernie and AOC have spent over 220k on their fight the oligarchs tour. Did not the Democrats not too long ago like Musk, and Zuckerberg, and Bezos, now they are fighting them?

  43. RentL0rd says:

    I posted yesterday how $239Million – an all time record, more than double of the previous record, of oligarchs paying kickbacks in the form of inaugural donation. Not a squeak from you MAGA boys then.

    But here’s the pay to play scheme:

    Donors Who Got Public Positions (this is just for the inaugural mind you):

    • Warren Stephens – $4,000,000
    (Appointed Ambassador to the United Kingdom)
    • Jared Isaacman – $2,000,000
    (Trump’s nominee to lead NASA)
    • Melissa Argyros – $2,000,000
    (Nominated as Ambassador to Latvia)
    • Tilman Fertitta – $1,000,000
    (Nominated as Ambassador to Italy)
    • Linda McMahon – $1,000,000
    (Appointed Education Secretary)
    • Howard Lutnick’s former employer, Cantor Fitzgerald – $1,047,000
    (Lutnick served as Commerce Secretary)
    • Jeffrey Sprecher – $1,000,000
    (Chair of NYSE; husband of SBA head Kelly Loeffler)
    • Scott Bessent – $250,000
    (Appointed Treasury Secretary)

  44. SmallGovConservative says:

    RentL0rd says:
    April 22, 2025 at 2:55 pm
    “Donors Who Got Public Positions (this is just for the inaugural mind you):
    • Warren Stephens – $4,000,000
    (Appointed Ambassador to the United Kingdom)”

    Rant is a dingbat!

    Biden Taps Billionaire Campaign Donors for Ambassador Posts – https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/12/20/biden-ambassador-posts-billionaires-campaign-donors/

  45. 3b says:

    There were at least nine of the ambassadors appointed by Biden who had no understanding of the principal language of the country they were appointed to. And many had no diplomatic experience or background, or had any sort of connection to the diplomatic post they were appointed to. This has been going for years, and the qualifications are continuing to decline.

  46. RentL0rd says:

    Should we compare the dollars?

  47. Fast Eddie says:

    Mets tied for best record in baseball!

  48. 3b says:

    Nor: Glad its coming together. It is a beautiful part of California.

  49. 3b says:

    Less dollars less bad, more dollars more bad.

  50. SmallGovConservative says:

    Fast Eddie says:
    April 22, 2025 at 3:30 pm
    “Mets tied for best record in baseball!”

    I was never a Mets fan until I downloaded the McDonalds app — free fries whenever they score 5 or more runs. Use it frequently for a quick lunch on a Sat or Sun. Lets Go Mets!

  51. Very Stable Genius says:

    Bill Owens: “Over the past months, it has become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it, to make independent decisions based on what was right for ‘60 Minutes,’ right for the audience.”

  52. Libturd says:

    Wow, so many handpicked data points today. You would think one side thinks the other side is stupid.

  53. Very Stable Genius says:

    Government will only allow Fox News

  54. 3b says:

    Lib: Even you have been guilty of that in the past. Just saying. That’s where the blog is now for better or worse.

  55. Very Stable Genius says:

    BREAKING!

    Tesla reports 20% drop in auto revenue as first-quarter results miss Wall Street estimates

  56. Dark Phoenix says:

    I’ll buy a Tesla the day it comes down to the same price as a BYD. never gonna happen cause the Chinese actually try to help Americans more than actual Americans do.

  57. Juice Box says:

    only 20% you tree huggers are still buying those Nazi made Teslas….I am taking away your party membership cards!!

  58. Libturd says:

    https://substack.com/redirect/ba7fa3d8-ca44-4e41-a17c-9c1153676e20?j=eyJ1IjoiNnNoOW0ifQ.zPzGxhk-HzZqB1D_wP9r1JOHXWB1du5O20VSLM-Zq4U

    BRT says:
    April 22, 2025 at 1:14 pm
    The market is above where it was August of last year? Was your retirement looking grim then too?

  59. Libturd says:

    3B: I intentionally avoid handpicking data to fit a narrative. If it happened, it was done accidentally. I expect more from BRT, a science expert, who certainly knows better than choosing an outlier to make a point. Hence, my comment.

  60. Libturd says:

    I unknowingly rented a Toyota Camry EV when I was in Vegas this past week. The pros: 50 MPG through mixed driving. Car was roomy and had a huge trunk. The cons: Holy loud regenerative deceleration and braking. In EV mode, the AC was weak, and it was only in the 8os. I imagine it would be useless all Summer long. The EV mode did nothing when driving above 70mph. With highways out there rated 65 and 75 mostly, you won’t be saving any gas if you do a lot of highway driving. For now, I think I’d still stick with ICE powered vehicles.

  61. Fabius Maximus says:

    • Warren Stephens – $4,000,000
    (Appointed Ambassador to the United Kingdom)”

    Donnie didn’t reannoint Woody for the gig. Jets Fans just can’t catch a break!

  62. BRT says:

    Lib spare me the bs. I’m trying to point out bias. That’s why I posed the question. Did you use that brilliant analysis to conclude Biden was cogent right before the debates? Because that’s exactly what you did despite 4 years of video lowlights showing you the opposite .

  63. BRT says:

    You can dig up every post from 2021 to 2022s decline and the collective hissy fit was there. Was that an outlier as well?

  64. Fabius Maximus says:

    I thought GS shipped all those jobs to Utah in the 2000’s. I had a few friends that were relocated. They ended up with nice setups. One was in a slope side condo living the single life and the married were all in huge houses.
    The only real downside was having to drive to the next state to buy booze.

  65. Libturd says:

    Well, senile or not, the country ran a hell of a lot better when he was in the White House.

  66. Juice Box says:

    Fab someone pulled your leg, alcohol is and has been legal in Utah since the end of prohibition, nobody was driving seven hours to buy a case of beer.

  67. grim says:

    Did think it was funny that restaurants in Utah hid their bars from public view or had a separate seating area that did not have direct visibility to the bar.

  68. BRT says:

    The voters didn’t think so

  69. grim says:

    THE ZION CURTAIN! That’s what it was called.

  70. Lorax says:

    Questioning Biden’s fitness for the job when an absolute imbecile is in the office right now. Hilarious.

  71. RentL0rd says:

    Utah has the highest number of polygamists. When I think of Utah all I can think of is HBO’s Big Love.

    And I love it (not!) that cross-walks in Salt Lake City have coin collection boxes. When I asked why someone told me it is to cut down on panhandling.

  72. RentL0rd says:

    The cherry picking of data is pretty hilarious I have to admit.

    I mean, I provided raw data – compiled from real sources of one of the most, biggest, bootiful (?) corruption ever.. and the cult jumps up and down with lame data.

    Have you red hat boys even looked at the breath taking contributions?

    So, what is the return on investment these oligarchs seek? 10x? 50x? That puts the steal at Billions!

    You cannot just say ‘cuz of “biden” at every thing. It’s getting old.

  73. White Trash Eddie says:

    Nobody wants to pay joe to speak.

    Why are they treating one of the best presidents in U.S. history that way?

  74. RentL0rd says:

    Nobody wants to commit career suicide by siding with the previous leader. Just ask anyone in Turkey or Pakistan.

  75. BRT says:

    Measuring from a trough: CHERRY PICKING!!!111111111
    Measuring from the top: Just good data analysis
    Measuring from Aug: Oh that’s crap…even though if I did the 12 month graph, it’s even lower than the August low.

  76. Libturd says:

    Markets have been on fire since Bush Jr. fucked up. The only times it’s gone down was first, when Trump’s post tax-cut recession was eminent and Trump brow beat Powell into returning to ZIRP. I will not blame the temporary Covid drop on Trump. And again, due to Trump’s frequent flip flopping and economic uncertainty, plus all of his other asinine policy decisions such as DOGE and tariffs, he has again crashed the markets. As a matter of fact, The worst market performance in over a century to start a presidency.

    But Maga can do no wrong. You should’ve been in defensive stocks.

  77. Hold my beer says:

    Who needs the stock market if your long ape nfts and hunter Biden original art?

  78. Fabius Maximus says:

    How about 20+ years of measuring.

    File this under Hell Yea, Hell Yea, Hell Yea!

    https://x.com/piyushmittal/status/1914825449965867192

  79. Fabius Maximus says:

    Juice,

    I am currently sipping a Leffe, cant get that in Utah. Yes not totally dry in the state but heavily regulated. In 2019 they upped the Max APV on been from 3.2 to 5%.

    Here is a fun primer. https://www.reddit.com/r/Utah/comments/1bkqbdc/utah_liquor_laws_are_insane/?rdt=50892

  80. 3b says:

    Fab: GS did start moving positions there in the early 200s , they are expanding their presence there, starting to move revenue producing areas out to SL and Dallas.

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