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Nohero
Supporter
Username: Nohero
Post Number: 5220
Registered: 10-1999
| | Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 10:15 pm: | 
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You may have read or heard this news story today. It seems that a couple purchased a beautiful home in Montville, NJ, but are now suing the realtor.
Quote:A real estate agent who misrepresents the section of town where a house is located can be sued for consumer fraud, a state appeals court ruled yesterday.
The unanimous ruling by the three-judge court reinstates a lawsuit against Weichert Realtors by a couple who thought they were buying a house in the "more prestigious" Montville section of Montville Township, Morris County.
In fact, the house is in the township's Towaco section.
Now, I think the decision itself is proper. All the court said was that you can sue a realtor for misrepresentation. There will be a trial, to find out if the realtor really did misrepresent anything, and to find out if the couple suffered any actual damages.
In filing the suit, the couple claimed that their home was not in the zone for the elementary school that they thought was the better one. However, from the news story it seemed that the mailing address was as important to them as anything else.
Quote:Only part of the municipality carries a Montville mailing address. Two other sections of the township, Towaco and Pine Brook, have their own post offices, while a few homes get mail through the Boonton Post Office, according to court papers.
The Vagiases bought their $743,435 house on Bonnieview Lane in "Woodmont Court at Montville" on Nov. 8, 2001. According to court papers, they learned they had a Towaco post office when a Christmas card addressed to them in Montville was returned to the relative who sent it.
What really amused me about this story was the following bit of information, which came from pretrial interviews of the plaintiffs -
Quote:To Frances Vagias, the address mattered. When she and her husband began scouting homes in 1999, they also looked at properties in Short Hills, which is part of Millburn Township.
"I needed a Short Hills address, not a Millburn address -- big difference," she said in pretrial questioning. "Just like Towaco and Montville -- big difference."
In conclusion let me say: first, I doubt that we need to worry about Ms. Vagias coming to look at properties in SO-M; and second, condolences to you folks in "just plain Millburn" for living on the "wrong side of town".
The whole story is here -http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-5/11430932718790.xml&coll=1 |
Mr. Big Poppa
Citizen
Username: Big_poppa
Post Number: 535
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 11:02 pm: |
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Vagias - that's a tough name to grow up with |
Innisowen
Citizen
Username: Innisowen
Post Number: 1820
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 11:43 pm: |
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Notice the use of the verb "needed" with regard to the address. Such needs we have today, air, water, and food no longer suffice.
If you "need" an address, the must-haves are off Central Park, 5th Avenue, and Madison Avenue north of 65th.
We're really dealing with a pretentious wench here. |
WendyP
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 3392
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 11:54 pm: |
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Disgusting. |
Just The Aunt
Supporter
Username: Auntof13
Post Number: 4469
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 12:20 am: |
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I feel sorry for the kid(s) growing up with such insecure parents. |
hch
Citizen
Username: Hch
Post Number: 231
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 12:30 am: |
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As Cameron from Ferris Bueler's Day Off would say, " Pardon my French, but you're an a**hole!" |
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 7044
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 6:34 am: |
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The irony here being that the Truly Important People Amongst Which They Consider Themselves probably wouldn't be caught dead around these folks. An what idiot does not verify the school neighborhood if it's so friggin' important.
To quote Dominick Dunne: NOKD.
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Cynicalgirl
Citizen
Username: Cynicalgirl
Post Number: 2532
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 6:38 am: |
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I read the article, and it occurred to me that the writer might have edited the quotes to create an inflammatory situation. If the couple's "need" stemmed from a desire to insure that their kid went a specific school, I don't think that's awful.
If I were paying that kind of money for a house, whether the school was in Short Hills or the "right" part of Montville Township, to insure that I was in the feeder pattern for a specifc school, I, too, would be po'ed. At the same time, I can see why the town offical was piqued. There's also resale value questions to consider. For good or for ill, some areas have more cachet and that translates into your house's value. We have some similar situations here in Maplewood. I've seen the same size/type/condition of house advertized in various parts of Maplewood. Very different pricetag if it's near Ridgewood v parts of Boyden v other side of SA. Like, several hundred thousand dollars. Same old center hall colonial with "Maplewood room."
I do think the writer/editor wrote the piece to emphasize the buyer's snootienss and get readers riled. |
Virtual It Girl
Citizen
Username: Shh
Post Number: 4192
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 6:51 am: |
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I read it too and my first thought was what GT said, who doesn't verify what school their kid would attend? Secondly, she only paid $750+k. What kind of house in Short Hills is that? Not much. |
Innisowen
Citizen
Username: Innisowen
Post Number: 1824
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 7:37 am: |
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Two things
It could be a story, if accurately recounted, that affirms the realtor's mantra: "location, location, location."
The hard copy spec sheet of every house on the market usually provides the address, town name, zip code, and name of the school that serves the house, and the realtor web sites offer information on the location and names of the schools.
A potential purchaser would have to be "blinded" by some weird form of inattention not to notice the information before going to contract. |
doulamomma
Citizen
Username: Doulamomma
Post Number: 1277
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 8:09 am: |
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Greenie,
Who said it first (NOKD): Dunne or "The Preppy Handbook"? The latter was my introduction to that phrase |
fiche
Citizen
Username: Fiche
Post Number: 102
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 8:23 am: |
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When I read the article, I thought the plaintiff's qoute "I needed a Short Hills address, not a Millburn address -- big difference" was so unbelievable that I just assumed she was building up her legal defense. I certainly hope so. Otherwise, Ugh! |
SO Ref
Citizen
Username: So_refugee
Post Number: 1612
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 8:40 am: |
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And, they probably drive over their neighbor's lawn while backing out of the driveway... |
WendyP
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 3395
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 8:42 am: |
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fiche, I think you're giving her too much credit. |
Nohero
Supporter
Username: Nohero
Post Number: 5226
Registered: 10-1999
| | Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 8:48 am: |
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Bonnieview Lane isn't exactly the "mean streets" of Montville -
Woodmont Court at Montville
Apparently, only two of the "hovels" there are still available. |
Virtual It Girl
Citizen
Username: Shh
Post Number: 4193
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 9:39 am: |
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Also, the article said the couple had picked out the home before the realtor even got involved. If anyone, the builder should be fined for misrepresenting the location. |
SO Ref
Citizen
Username: So_refugee
Post Number: 1615
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 10:28 am: |
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It's really the fault of the USPS... |
Brett
Citizen
Username: Bmalibashksa
Post Number: 2233
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 11:16 am: |
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Why is that so crazy wanting an address in a particular town? Would anyone here be just as happy if their house had an Irvington address? Of course not, you’re all very happy to say you live in Maplewood or South Orange.
Do you have any idea how many companies share an office just to have a Manhattan address?
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greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 7049
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 11:34 am: |
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Brett, it wouldn't be so bad if they weren't A) so incredibly snobby and insulting to the people who like their neighborhood and B) weren't idiotic enough to jump into something that is "so terribly important" to them without doing their research.
If you, as a business owner, started offering some trendy product that you hoped would grow your company without a solid business plan based on thorough research, how much sympathy do you think you'd get if it turned out badly? |
crabby
Citizen
Username: Crabbyappleton
Post Number: 525
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 11:38 am: |
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What's so shocking about Short Hills people not wanting a Millburn address? Ask any Short Hillsian and ask almost any Millburnite. (The Short Hillsians probably don't even know where Wyoming Ave is) |
C Bataille
Citizen
Username: Nakaille
Post Number: 2502
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 12:26 pm: |
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We had a related difficulty years ago when renting a townhouse at South Orange Gardens on Scotland Road. Nice enough place, big enough to think about staying there while our (planned) child was youngish and while saving money for a house. All utilities came to the South Orange address, including correct zip code. Our new drivers' licences said South Orange. We finally get around to new library cards only to be told in no uncertain (and rather mean-spirited) terms that while our licenses might indicate South Orange, we actually lived in Orange. WHAT????!!!! Turned out the library person was right. The property spans two towns, with the driveway/parking area in South Orange and the actual buildings in Orange. And no, we were not prepared to send our would-be child to the Orange Public Schools. So we rented for a few years and then scraped together a downpayment for a house on the Irvington border of Maplewood. (But Orange does have a great library with excellent holdings and a very nice staff.) |
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