Top 5 Things to Know About Suburban Jungle—and about finding the right suburb for your family | The Milton Moms

Suburban Jungle launched from a real need—having a resource to get the real insider scoop on a community. The reality? Real estate agents sell towns so they can sell houses. And if you don’t have personal connections in a town, it can be hard to engage with “local”—even social media groups and boards don’t usually allow non-residents in.  All of this said, when families start searching for the right suburb to call “home,” the process can be a challenge, to say the least. A town that looks perfect on paper may have tons of intangibles that make the experience totally different—and totally not what you’re looking for. And don’t forget, New York City alone has 500-plus commutable suburbs—where do you even start?  “We always tell clients, ‘we have your back!’” says Alison Bernstein, Suburban Jungle Founder and President. “We want this process to be fun and stress-free—we always joke that we’re 98% therapy and 2% real estate. And it’s true!”  So what else should you know about this innovative national service?

#1. We take a town-first approach to every search  Too often, families focus on finding “The House.” But in reality, having the perfect house won’t matter if the community that surrounds it doesn’t sync with your family and your lifestyle.  We start by understanding you, your family, your values and your unique wants, needs and goals—everything from commutability to types of schools to intangibles like work-in-the-city moms versus work-from-home moms, nightlife, walkability, kids sports programs and summer plans.  With that in mind—plus your budget and other must-haves you’ve laid out—your dedicated Suburbs Strategist will recommend communities to explore and help you dive in, ask the right questions and find what fits you. Together, you’ll explore towns and narrow your list, until you have found the right place to call “home.” 

#2. We tap local expertise so you get the “real” deal  Part of the suburban exploration means getting the real scoop from people who live in these communities. Enter Suburban Jungle’s “Locals” network. These real moms live, work, hang and send their kids to schools in these suburbs—and they’re happy to share their experiences with you. Grab a cup of coffee, shoot a Local a quick text or hop on the phone and pick their brain about the ins and outs of their town.  It’s a great way to get a real sense of who’s who and what’s what. It’s also a great way to understand those “intangibles”—things like how families spend summers, what the childcare scene looks like and any popular clubs, groups or hotspots in town that you should know about. Whether you chat with a Local before you visit or pick their brain post-tour, you always have an authentic voice who isn’t trying to sell you a house—and, when you move, you will already have an amazing connection in the community!

#3. We ARE NOT real estate agents (but we have a network of agents… ) Speaking of selling houses, Suburban Jungle is made up of Suburbs Strategists and Locals—not real estate agents. We aren’t in the business of selling houses. We’re in the business of connecting families to the right suburb for their wants, needs and lifestyle. As a result, we’re happy to talk through and share towns anywhere—in Connecticut, Westchester, Long Island, New Jersey and, if you need it, beyond!  If we need to dig into 15 towns or 50 towns, we will—we are not tied to a particular area or community like real estate agents are. And, if you are new to suburbia or simply don’t yet have a sense of where you belong, this is a HUGE benefit—and a better way to ensure you’re in the right community for you, your family and your lifestyle.  That said, once you do narrow down your list, we will connect you with a local agent in the Suburban Jungle network. That agent is specific to their community—so, for example, if you’re looking at Scarsdale in Westchester and Port Washington on Long Island, you will have a local agent in each of those towns to help guide your actual home search.  We want your experience with Suburban Jungle to be totally local and totally in-the-know from day one through move-in, and beyond. That means working with agents who are experts in their community—agents we’ve vetted and work with closely to drive your search. 

#4. We can help with out-of-state suburban searches  And if your search takes you out of the greater New York City area? No problem! Suburban Jungle was launched in the NYC suburbs, but since has grown to include the suburbs of Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Washington DC, San Francisco and Los Angeles.  We also have an office in the Hamptons to help city families looking for a weekend getaway in the suburbs. Our Urban Jungle office is available to work with New York City families who plan to stay—it’s just as important to find the right neighborhood to call “home!”  Because of our broad-reaching network, we work with lots of families moving from one city to the suburbs of another city. For example, our Dallas office works mostly with transplants from New York, LA, Chicago and San Francisco. And, recently, we helped a young family of four move from Boston to the Chicago suburbs. So whether you’re moving from Manhattan or Brooklyn to the NYC suburbs or heading to another one of our markets, we can help!

#5. Our services are 100% FREE! It always surprises families to hear that Suburban Jungle is a 100% free service—but it’s true! There’s never a fee to families at any point in the process. We want you to relax, take a breath and start exploring suburbia without the stress. We’re here to streamline and simplify the process, and leverage our local, on-the-ground expertise to find the right suburb for YOU and YOUR FAMILY. Get in touch to learn more and to schedule your free suburbs strategy session! 

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