| Author | Message | ||
     Shaws |
My husband and I are seriously considering moving to Maplewood. We are transplanted Manhattanites living in Kinnelon, NJ of all places. We have an 18 month old son and plan to get pregnant again soon. Since I will be staying at home with our children I want to be in an area that has more to offer. I am not happy in Kinnelon! When I discovered Maplewood, while I was pregnant..I thought I'd found the promised land! It seemed to have it all..quaint village, older homes (I'm anti ranch!) and a seemingly hip, open minded, diverse community..as close to Manhattan as I have seen anywhere in NJ. I began to log onto Maplewood on line to get a feel for the culture and loved what I read. Multiracial and gay families...something we don't have many of in Kinnelon. We went around with a realtor last summer to get an idea of what we could afford. Then came the reval!!! My promised land..suddenly didn't seem so promising. My hopes were dashed. Are the taxes prohibitively expensive now? We are looking for a house in the $275,000 to $300,000 range. What can we expect to pay in taxes? Do any houses exist in this price range anymore? Also..is it really a town divided? I have been starved for interesting conversation and open minded people for the last few years. I have high hopes for Maplewood. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! | ||
| Jem |
Pick your hopes up off the floor and take another look. This place is still home to the same interesting and open-minded people that initially appealed to you, most of whom are not jumping ship. Yeah, the taxes are high, but you can more than likely still find a place that you can afford. | ||
| Nohero |
Don't worry about the back-and-forths you read on this board. It's not a "town divided". Look on the bright side, it's always interesting here! You can find a nice house, in a nice neighborhood, where you can walk to the stores, schools, and parks. The taxes will apparently be about $8300 for a $300,000 house. | ||
| Njjoseph |
I don't think the town is so divided, and I enjoy the community spirit here. However, there are not generally a lot of houses on the market at any given point, and most seem to be in the $400K+ range, so you'll need to be patient and creative. | ||
| Alidah |
You'll find a house--try South Orange, too. Good luck! I don't know how representative the posters to this board are of the entire town, either. Most of my friends don't even know it exists! | ||
| Lseltzer |
If you want to see what taxes (projected, soon to change, but probably not that much) and year 2000 sales prices were, go to http://www.bpna.org/reval/ | ||
| Ashear |
Don't be discouraged by Njjoseph. We bought a year ago and saw several houses in the 200-250,000 range before finding one we liked. And our taxes are going down. | ||
| Njjoseph |
I bought in May, 2000 and there were only 2 houses at the $250K - $300K range on the market at the time. That was what I was looking for. Unfortunately, all the houses that suited my needs were $350K and above, but bidding wars put them firmly into the $400K range. Needless to say, I was extremely frustrated by the situation. However, I upped my limit, and got lucky to find an exclusive, so it wasn't listed, and the bidding wars were non-existent for this house. A mistake for the buyer, IMHO, but I was glad to get the house. Remember, Ashear, that the market increased significantly from last year. The reval has not really slowed the trend, especially for the middle-range houses. | ||
| Jrf |
Shaws, I think you're making a wise choice is coming to Maplewood or South Orange. Prior to making an offer on anything in Maplewood, I would take lseltzer's advice and look up the new tax numbers. While this is not a town "divided" from a citizen standpoint - it certainly is on what the taxes are in the various neighborhoods. Good luck with your search... Jrf | ||
| Joancrystal |
People around here tend to look at all sides of an issue. If the resulting posts on this message board make it seem to you that we are a town divided, then the impression is misleading. Sure we disagree on a lot of things but that is what makes this town so vibrant and interesting. | ||
| Bobk |
Shaws: Check out the Realtor advertisement on this board. Both George Kraus and Robert Newfield have links to the Garden State Multiple Listing Service on their pages. Check the ads out. There are houses in the Midland Park and Tuscan areas in your price range. This should not be interpreted as an endorsement of any individual Realtor or firm. Just George and Robert provide a service. Good Luck, this is a great community, but one that likes to bicker.  | ||
| Shaws |
Thank you all for the great feedback! I'm glad to hear the town isn't divided. Some of the postings I've read made it seem like there was an adversarial relationship between the East side of town and the West. I'm sorry I got the wrong impression. It's wonderful that people are so passionate about the issues. My husband and I were wondering about the schools. Are there good elementary schools in all the neighborhoods? Also are there any co-op nursery schools? Is crime an issue? I read about a car theft on Sunday in another thread. Many people here don't lock their doors. We do... after 14 years in NYC I felt conditioned to be on my guard. (Our big "security" problem here are the bears. They destroy bird feeders and rip through garbage cans throughout the summer and fall..it makes taking out the garbage an adventure!). Does the proximity to Newark and some higher crime towns effect Maplewood? We drove to South Orange and Maplewood by way of Orange and it was a lot like areas of NYC. I never know how to gauge how dangerous suburban areas are. I also hate to assume that lower income areas are crime ridden. It's just an unknown area for us and we wanted the real perspective. Thanks again for all of your replies. | ||
| Ros |
Shaws- I had to laugh when I saw your post. I grew up in Kinnelon, my parents still live there going on 40 years. It is beautiful in many ways, but I am vey happy to being raising my kids here in Maplewood. The sense of community here is unique, certainly unlike what I experienced growing up. From what my folks tell me, the taxes you'd pay in Kinnelon on a $300,000 house are not much different than what you would pay here. My wife(who grew up in a similar town to Kinnelon, ie no "there" there)and I decided on Maplewood and looked at 25 houses and waited a year before we bought. Hang in there, the advice posted here is great. Call the Communiy Coaltion at 761-6116 for a packet about South Orange and Maplewood that will give you a lot of info about these 2 towns. We have new friends who found it very helpful about making their minds up to move here. BTW I have run into 2 Kinnelon High School Alumni who have moved here and had the same feelings as I did(and as you apparently have)about Kinnelon v Maplewood. Good luck! | ||
| Deborahg |
Re the schools, we moved here last year and have been thrilled with the elementary school--our kids go to Marshall school. Fantastic!!! And South Orange shares the school system, so you may want to look there as well. Good luck, and just to add another endorsement, I am NYC born and bred and I LOVE it in Maplewood! | ||
| Mammabear |
Shaw- we have two great co-op nursery schools here. We also have lots of mommy groups, parks, etc. And the best things is that half of the moms stay home and half work. I have friends on both sides. There are also tons of activites/camps/programs for kids of all ages. If you end up here and want to get involved and make some friends, try attending a Newcomers Group meeting. They are held at Morrow Memorial Church every first Wednesday of the month at 7:45PM. Also- call George Kraus at Burdorff/ERA. He's a wonderful, honest realtor who will help you find exactly what you want! Good Luck! | ||
| Greenetree |
I think you can find something for $300 with taxes around 8-9k. There isn't alot, but it is out there. Just don't expect a perfect house- most of them are quite charming, but need work done. I'm not talking 'The Money Pit' but maybe a new roof, minor electrical or plumbing in the next few years. And probably A LOT of painting inside & out. I may be wrong- but sometimes I think that the supposed 'east vs. west' thing may be fostered by older residents who have been here awhile. I say that because some of the letters in the local paper, etc. seem to refer to selling houses & finding nice condos. My assumption is that retired folks may be more inclined to get condos. I have friends on all sides of town- I live east & have good friends west or in more 'upscale' sections of S.O. No one feels like there is any tension- I don't think that residents blame each other. In terms of crime, I think that yes- perhaps our proximity to some of the other communities puts us a bit more at risk. We have had bicycles stolen from our garage - but we also were cavalier & did not lock or black out the windows. Cars do get stolen on occassion. We have an alarm system & have now closed off our garage windows. That is the extent of our worrying. The overwhelming upsides ? We are a gay, interracial couple who have never experienced a drop of negativity on our block or in this community. Neighbors watch out for each other & call the (very responsive) cops at any sign of something out of the ordinary. We shovel/snow blow each others' sidewalks & driveways. We give house keys to contractors. Mail carriers call the cops if the mail of an elderly person sits for a few days. The UPS guy knows to leave packages at the back door, not the front. A complete stranger gave me a ride home from the village when I had a cast on my leg & couldn't get a taxi. This is the community I love. I've lived in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Jersey City and Bayonne. I grew up in a bucolic midwest town. I have not felt more safe or comfortable than I have in this town. | ||
| Shaws |
What great advice and information! I really hope we can find a house and look forward to starting a new life in your community! We will definitely attend a Newcomers meeting..it's so nice that there is such an organization. Thank you so much for all your help. | ||
| Deborahg |
I feel really dumb for asking this, but which is "east" and which is "west"? And what is the supposed problem? We moved here last summer and haven't heard of this alleged split. We have met lots of nice people from all over town, though, so maybe it is a myth? | ||
| Joancrystal |
Deborahq: I have lived in Maplewood for over 20 years and I never heard the terms "East" and "West" until the battle lines started forming over reval. Us old timers never used these terms. Near as I can make out "West" refers to the area west of the tracks and "East" refers to Hilton (and maybe some adjoining areas on the other side of Springfield - I'm not too clear on this). Everything else seems to be grouped into some amorphous area now referred to as the "Middle". As far as I am concerned, all of these distinctions are very artificial. We are the Town of Maplewood and that is what is important! |
