"It was time for us to move further afield to this suburban setting," said Abbatiello.
On his first day looking for luxury apartments outside of West New York City, he found a listing he loved to check out in person: a 1,308-square-foot two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with a private balcony and parking space for two cars and a storage unit on location for $ 2,915 per month in a new development called Central and Oak in East Rutherford, Bergen County, where MetLife Stadium is located.
"I was so intrigued by the listing of the photos that I said to Allison, 'I'll take a look," said Abbatiello. "I only knew the stadium and the industrial areas. I wanted to make sure it was in a residential area with Shops and bus stops are nearby. "
He found an "extremely homely" neighborhood a mile from Rutherford Railway Station and found that not only were there plenty of public buses, but the development also offered a shuttle to the station. "There were two townhouse condos nearby and lots of blocks of single-family homes," he said. "Grocery stores were close by and there was a park within walking distance."
The couple moved in on July 1, a month after the Sterling Properties development opened, paying $ 2,990 per month (including a monthly pet fee of $ 25 and an annual fee of $ 600 for amenities).
The setup was ideal for working from home: Ms. O'Reilly works in one bedroom and Mr. Abbatiello in the other. The cabinets are plentiful and the kitchen doesn't feel cramped with both of them in at the same time, unlike the one in her last apartment.
"It was a lot easier to cook and use all of our appliances with the extra counter," said Ms. O'Reilly. "I was very tied to our last apartment, but I'm grateful that we took the step we took. We have the space to be at home around the clock."
When they eventually return to a daily shuttle, the trip to Manhattan will be comparable to that of West New York, as the train is faster than traffic in the Lincoln Tunnel. The train tracks that roll past their windows – one of the things they especially like about their new home – also make for more pleasant background noise than the Lincoln Tunnel.
