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Homes near NJ & NY universities: buy for a student, we manage it.

Yes, parents overseas can buy a home near Rutgers or Princeton for a child who is studying there. We find it, handle the purchase remotely, then manage it, and you decide after graduation whether to keep it as an investment.

Rutgers · Princeton area

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What we do

We handle the home from search to management.

We are a bilingual Mandarin-English brokerage with a property management arm, so one team can buy the home and run it for you. We serve parents buying for a child at Rutgers University (New Brunswick and Piscataway) or Princeton University and Princeton-area graduate programs, and students buying for themselves.

Find the home near campus

We shortlist homes by commute, property type and budget, and send video tours and notes on each one.

Buy it remotely

Offers and contracts are e-signed. Your own attorney reviews the contract during New Jersey attorney review, and we coordinate the inspection, appraisal and closing.

Set it up

We help arrange utilities and internet and coordinate any move-in basics, so the home is ready when the student arrives.

We manage it

Maintenance coordination, inspections, and rent collection if rooms are rented to roommates. Reports to parents in Mandarin or English.

Decide what next

After graduation: keep it as a long-term rental we manage, sell, or look at a 1031 exchange into another property.

Where

Towns people commonly consider near each campus.

Near Rutgers: New Brunswick, Highland Park, Piscataway, Edison, North Brunswick and Somerset (Franklin Township). Near Princeton: Princeton, West Windsor, Plainsboro and Lawrence. We compare towns only by commute, transit, property type, taxes and price.

Near Rutgers (New Brunswick / Piscataway)

New BrunswickClosest to the College Avenue campus. Rutgers campus buses run between College Avenue, Busch, Livingston and Cook/Douglass, and the NJ Transit Northeast Corridor station is in the city. Condos, townhomes and one- to few-family houses.

Highland ParkA borough across the Raritan River from New Brunswick. Single- and two-family houses are common.

PiscatawayHome to the Busch and Livingston campuses. Townhome and condo communities as well as single-family houses; a car or campus bus is the usual way to get around.

EdisonHas its own Northeast Corridor station. Wide range of single-family homes, townhomes and condos; a short drive to New Brunswick.

North BrunswickBorders New Brunswick. Townhome, condo and single-family options; most students would drive or take a bus.

Somerset (Franklin Township)Franklin Township borders New Brunswick. Townhome, condo and single-family options.

Sources: Rutgers campus bus routes · NJ Transit

Near Princeton University

PrincetonThe "Dinky" train connects the University station with Princeton Junction in about five minutes. Single-family houses, townhomes and condos in and around town.

West WindsorPrinceton Junction is on the NJ Transit Northeast Corridor, and the University TigerTransit shuttle serves Princeton Junction station. Single-family homes and townhome communities.

PlainsboroNext to West Windsor, a short drive from Princeton Junction. Condo, townhome and single-family communities.

LawrenceLawrence Township (including Lawrenceville) lies between Princeton and Trenton. Mostly a drive or bus commute to campus.

Sources: NJ Transit: Princeton Dinky · Princeton Transportation: trains

Schedules and routes change; check current NJ Transit and campus transportation sites before you decide. More on Princeton, West Windsor and Middlesex County.

Other campuses we serve

More universities in New Jersey and New York.

New Jersey

Stevens Institute of TechnologyHoboken, Jersey City

NJIT & Rutgers–NewarkNewark, East Orange, Belleville

Seton Hall UniversitySouth Orange, Maplewood, West Orange

Montclair State UniversityMontclair, Clifton, Little Falls

TCNJ & Rider UniversityEwing, Lawrenceville, Hopewell Township

Drew UniversityMadison, Chatham, Morristown

Monmouth UniversityWest Long Branch, Long Branch, Eatontown

Rowan UniversityGlassboro, Pitman, Mantua

Rutgers–CamdenCamden, Collingswood, Cherry Hill

New York

Columbia UniversityMorningside Heights, Upper West Side, Harlem

New York UniversityGreenwich Village, East Village, Lower Manhattan

Fordham UniversityThe Bronx (Rose Hill), Lincoln Center

Cornell TechRoosevelt Island, Long Island City, Upper East Side

Baruch College / CUNYGramercy, Kips Bay, Murray Hill

Stony Brook UniversityStony Brook, Setauket, Port Jefferson

Buying and renting

Questions to settle with your attorney and CPA before you buy.

How should the home be owned?

Common options are the parent buying in their own name, buying through an LLC, or co-owning with the student. Each has different tax, estate and lending effects, and it is hard to change after closing. This is a question for a U.S. real estate attorney and CPA; we are brokers and do not give legal or tax advice.

Cash purchase, or a foreign national mortgage from lenders that offer one. Down payments are usually higher and paperwork heavier; terms vary by lender.
Foreign owners can be subject to U.S. estate tax rules; ask a CPA.

Selling later: when a foreign person sells U.S. real estate, the buyer generally must withhold 15% of the gross sale price under FIRPTA and send it to the IRS. It is a prepayment of tax, exemptions and reduced rates exist, and a withholding certificate can be requested. Plan with a CPA before listing.

Sources: IRS: FIRPTA withholding · IRS: exceptions · Our overseas buyer guide

Can the student rent rooms to roommates?

Often, but local rules apply and you should check them before you buy. Towns set rental registration, inspection and occupancy (overcrowding) rules in their codes.

New Brunswick requires annual rental registration with its Rent Control Office, and rented units are part of a periodic inspection program. Owner-occupied properties that rent space to tenants can also need to register.
New Jersey landlord registration: owners of tenant-occupied one- and two-family homes register under N.J.S.A. 46:8-28 (municipal clerk) and 46:8-28.5 (state Bureau of Housing Inspection).
Other towns have their own rules. We check the specific town for you before you make an offer.

Rental income is taxable in the U.S., including for non-residents; ask a CPA.

Sources: City of New Brunswick: rent control and registration · N.J.S.A. 46:8-28 and 46:8-28.5

What happens after graduation?

You have three choices: keep the home as a long-term rental that we manage, sell it, or use a 1031 exchange to move the proceeds into another investment property. Which is right depends on your goals and taxes, and nothing is guaranteed about future rent or value.

Read our 1031 exchange guide and our property management page.

Why Tang Group

Tang Group Real Estate has served New Jersey clients since 2003. Holly Tang (Founder, Broker/Owner, CCIM) is fully bilingual in Mandarin and English, and Steven Hou (Broker Associate, NJ and NY licensed) works with her. We also help clients in New York.

Mandarin or English at every step, by WeChat, phone or video.
Property management built for owners who live overseas.
Buying and managing under one roof, so the home is run with the plan in mind.

WeChat: holly1697908-874-5798 Book a call

Student Homes FAQ

Yes. U.S. law generally does not require a buyer to be a citizen or resident. We handle the search by video, offers and contracts are e-signed, and your attorney reviews the contract. Buying a home does not give anyone a visa or the right to stay in the U.S.; ask an immigration attorney about status questions.

Near Rutgers: New Brunswick, Highland Park, Piscataway, Edison, North Brunswick and the Somerset section of Franklin Township. Near Princeton: Princeton, West Windsor, Plainsboro and Lawrence. We compare them by commute, transit, property type, taxes and price, and we will tell you honestly which fits your plan.

Yes. Our property management arm coordinates maintenance and repairs, runs inspections, and reports to the owner in Mandarin or English. If rooms are rented to roommates, we can also handle rent collection under the rules of the town.

Often possible, but local rules apply. Towns can require rental registration, inspections and occupancy limits, and New Jersey requires landlord registration for tenant-occupied one- and two-family homes. Check the specific town and your attorney before you buy, and we will help you do that.

You choose. Keep the home as a long-term rental that we manage, sell it, or consider a 1031 exchange into another investment property. Talk to a CPA first about taxes, including FIRPTA withholding if a foreign person sells.

That depends on taxes, estate planning, lending and the family's home country, so it is a question for a U.S. attorney and CPA, not for us. We can introduce professionals who work with overseas owners.

Get Started

Tell us about the student and the plan.

Student Home Inquiry

Tell us the campus, timing and budget range. We reply in English or Mandarin.

In Business Since 2003 · Circle of Excellence · 20+ Years (NJ Realtors® Top Producer Award) · Bilingual 中英双语

Call (908) 874-5798 Book a Call Email Steven Directly

No obligation · Available evenings & weekends · 7 days a week

Tang Group Real Estate is not affiliated with Rutgers University, Princeton University or any other university named on this page. This page is general information, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Rules change; confirm with an attorney, CPA and the town.

Related Resources

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