| Author |
Message |
    
Nursie
| | Posted on Friday, January 19, 2001 - 10:09 am: |     |
jrf,
Excellent point. I know of three couples that were looking here in Maplewood and are now also checking other towns. They refuse to pay the taxes. Nothing here is going to sell.
Plus, they thought Maplewood was a very "together" town, but have since decided otherwise. Constant bickering and discord. |
Oxford
| | Posted on Friday, January 19, 2001 - 10:17 am: | |
Nursie, it makes sense -- however sad -- that this reval will kill this town. Who in their right mind would actually buy a house here and pay $15K in taxes for a 3-bedroom when they can buy just over the townline in Millburn and pay half that much for the same size house AND get the best schools in the state? Duh! Doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure that out. This will be Maplewood's death knell -- as an up and coming town at least -- and Millburn's boon! Look for prices to get even higher over there. See you on Essex St! |
Njjoseph
| | Posted on Friday, January 19, 2001 - 10:47 am: | |
What do comparable homes go for in Millburn? My impression is that they are higher.
Add to this the extra-congested parking for commuters, no jitney for those that don't live within walking distance, extra traffic for Paper Mill attendees, less of a small town feeling.
Forgetting about taxes, Maplewood is better for me. Are my taxes enough to change my mind about living in a small town where I enjoy my quality of life? No. |
Ffof
| | Posted on Friday, January 19, 2001 - 10:56 am: | |
Nursie- you think Millburn is a "together" town? No way. They have their same share of "bickering" and "discord" it's just that we don't live there so it's harder to hear. I'll stay in maplewood, thankyou very much, i like our problems better! |
Marie
| | Posted on Friday, January 19, 2001 - 11:11 am: | |
"The message is that if the west side wants their lower taxes back then they have to get involved and insure that the entire town is benefitting from this demand for our homes."
Sounds like blackmail to me. |
Jrf
| | Posted on Friday, January 19, 2001 - 11:13 am: | |
Marie,
If a buyer from Brooklyn or Hoboken is not aware of the tax issue, is it required that the agent inform the buyer of the new tax assessment? My wife and I have been looking for a new home, aware of the tax issue of course, and in none of the homes (including the one on Euclid) did anyone inform us of the new tax assessment until we asked.
Jrf |
Njjoseph
| | Posted on Friday, January 19, 2001 - 11:36 am: | |
I don't have an answer to this question, exactly, except to say that no one knows what their 2001 assessment is. They are estimates only, which will change accordingly when the mistakes are corrected, and the budget is determined. So I'm not sure an agent can give that number.
Since we are in limbo, what is an agent required to say? |
Marie
| | Posted on Friday, January 19, 2001 - 11:37 am: | |
Jrf,
Good question and one I don't have the answer to. I bet someone from the Fair Taxation Committee would. Does anyone out there know the answer to this scenario? |
Nursie
| | Posted on Friday, January 19, 2001 - 12:05 pm: | |
Ffof:
Please re-read my post. I never said that Millburn was a "together" town, never even mentioned Millburn.
My taxes are going up $4000 more a year. I am NOT rich but do live on the "westside". Hate to burst the bubble, but not everyone is rich on what is now referered to as "The Westide". I guess by my name you can tell what I do for a living. Nurses are usually not wealthy. I am a single income person and have lived here 26 years. I did not move here in for "economic gains" I moved here to raise my kids in what was and still is a great community. My house is a basic 3 BR with 1 1/2 bath. My taxes will be almost $10,000. Mortage payment still high for various reasons I won't go into I was planning to retire here in a few years. No way now! Outta here!!! |
Ffof
| | Posted on Friday, January 19, 2001 - 12:17 pm: | |
Nursie- I was just using Millburn as an example that no matter where you(or anyone) go the grass is not always greener. The taxes may be less(especially if you look beyond Essex county)but in many cases the other tradeoffs just don't warrant the move (proximity to NYC is one example important to many). Believe me, I'm on your side and I'm sorry that anyone feels that they cannot stay in town-this is a terrible situation. |
Nohero
| | Posted on Friday, January 19, 2001 - 12:24 pm: | |
Nursie - Please don't consider the following to be an attack or criticism of you (it's not). The facts you describe in your last message show one of the reasons why a revaluation needed to be done. If your taxes will be "almost $10,000", and are "going up $4000 more a year", that means that you are now paying just under $6000 a year for your 3 BR, 1 1/2 bath house in what many people consider to be the more "desirable" side of town. That is the same as people in the Hilton section are now paying for houses with 2-3 bedrooms and one bathroom, probably with less total square feet and a smaller lot.
Again, errors in the revaluation need to be corrected. But that does not mean that there should not have been a reval. |
Nursie
| | Posted on Friday, January 19, 2001 - 12:44 pm: | |
Nohero,
You are wrong...but can't blaime you for my notoriously bad math! Thanks for responding so kindly though. I did not take it personally. Actually my taxes now are almost $7000. The increase will take me to $11,000. |
Nakaille
| | Posted on Friday, January 19, 2001 - 12:55 pm: | |
Nursie, there are plenty of 3 bedrooms in the Hilton area you could afford to move to if you really wanted to stay in Maplewood. Your choice.
Bacata |
Nursie
| | Posted on Friday, January 19, 2001 - 1:17 pm: | |
Bacata,
Might just do that!! |
Nakaille
| | Posted on Friday, January 19, 2001 - 2:15 pm: | |
Welcome to the neighborhood, kiddo! Sincerely. BTW there are a bunch of us in the medical field around here, too. Are you hospital based? Are your kids mostly grown? Still in the various schools? How do you feel about the schools? I'm sorry for the rapid-fire questions. Just interested and curious. You've been here a long time and clearly have a perspective to offer.
Bacata |
Nursie
| | Posted on Friday, January 19, 2001 - 2:45 pm: | |
Bacata,
My kids are grown, ages 26 and 30, both on their own now. They faired well in the school system in the early 90s.
I practice pediatric nursing. |
Nakaille
| | Posted on Friday, January 19, 2001 - 3:09 pm: | |
I'm in pediatrics, too. (HIV). Glad to hear your kids did well, and that they're successfully launched. Mine is a four year old so we've got a long way to go. So far, so good, though. She gets phonics in her preschool and actually sometimes chooses a phonics video I bought for her. Unfortunately her teachers have little flair for dramatic reading of stories but we make up for it at home. We also do "whole language" sort of exercises at home with making shopping lists, writing a letter to Santa (she just needed help with spelling, it was so cool), etc. Learning Mandarin at the same time is an interesting challenge for all of us, though. Her language areas would probably be red hot on a PET scan! But she's certainly picking it up better than I am (both spoken and written.)
May you continue to be able to live in Maplewood for as long as you wish. Actually, I wish that for all of us. East and West and Central siders alike. It may take some difficult effort and some painful changes or choices but I do believe that anyone who wants to really can.
Bacata |
Kayceecee
| | Posted on Friday, January 19, 2001 - 7:46 pm: | |
Just where in Millburn can you get the same type of house as in Maplewood for much less? Not what I hear, quite the opposite in fact. Millburn also has the Short Hills Mall within their borders to offset taxes. Personally, I'd rather pay more taxes than have a monstrosity like that mall/traffic move into Maplewood! There was an article in the Sunday Times a few weeks back lamenting Millburn's struggling dowtown with many empty stores, and mentioned neighboring Maplewood's thriving downtown. I don't think the tax rise will be the death knell for this town. Look around the area and see how much better a deal you can get by moving somewhere else! No town is perfect, and there will always be people who whine about something. |
Harold
| | Posted on Friday, January 19, 2001 - 9:43 pm: | |
Kayceecee, have you been to Millburn's downtown recently? Have you seen it thriving with people?
Does it look desolate to you? Seems like Millburn Bashing never goes out of style on this board.
What's that sound you hear? Sounds like laughter.....coming from lower taxed/little crime/better schools MILLBURN! |
Ffof
| | Posted on Friday, January 19, 2001 - 9:51 pm: | |
i would NEVER go to millburn schools! No matter how much we seem to bicker here, millburn would be a BAD move! i don't care what nj magazine says! i don't care how stylish "millburn bashing" is! |
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