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Replies (10)
- ERICA AT PLATINUM
- Contributions:59
Hi Rattus13,
Sorry it took so long for me to get back to you, Llewellyn Park is a very nice upscale area in West Orange, your issue is with the school West Orange has 1 high school and people who are not happy with the school usually would enroll their children in private school. Maybe you can also look into the school systems in these neighboring towns like Montclair, South Orange, Livingstown, Roseland, Cedar Grove, Glenridge, Millburn and Short Hills. Most of these towns have great commute to NY (TRAIN).
- rattus13
- Contributions:3
Thank you for your reply.
I could not find anything good on a train line between Millburn and BR before, so that is why I started to explore other areas.
I don't have kids but I am concerned about the resale. I know that it is easy to sell in Basking Ridge since a lot of people want to live there, but I am not so sure about the areas like W.Orange.
Average family now has about 2.3 kids and with $30K/year/kid for a private school it is a huge extra expense on top of their high taxes ($16K/$1M in BR vs >$30K/$1M in W.Orange). I am scared to be stuck with a $1M+ house (in case if I need or want to sell) in an area which is so much worse than my current town. But maybe I worry too much and people who buy in LP are prepared for this extra expense....
I also worry about the health of the township, usually in bad economy bad towns become even worse (how can they explain such high taxes and such bad schools!). I see price decline in Maplewood and S.Orange but not so much in Millburn as an example - that is why I correlate everything to schools.
Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.
I could not find anything good on a train line between Millburn and BR before, so that is why I started to explore other areas.
I don't have kids but I am concerned about the resale. I know that it is easy to sell in Basking Ridge since a lot of people want to live there, but I am not so sure about the areas like W.Orange.
Average family now has about 2.3 kids and with $30K/year/kid for a private school it is a huge extra expense on top of their high taxes ($16K/$1M in BR vs >$30K/$1M in W.Orange). I am scared to be stuck with a $1M+ house (in case if I need or want to sell) in an area which is so much worse than my current town. But maybe I worry too much and people who buy in LP are prepared for this extra expense....
I also worry about the health of the township, usually in bad economy bad towns become even worse (how can they explain such high taxes and such bad schools!). I see price decline in Maplewood and S.Orange but not so much in Millburn as an example - that is why I correlate everything to schools.
Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.
- beverly meaux, "Agents Clients Refer"
- Contributions:223
There's been a price decline in Maplewood, South Orange, Millburn, and West Orange. LP is a gorgeous exclusive community; a town within a town. West Orange is also starting the Edison development less than a mile for LP, which will add new condo/townhomes and shops. Check here for background and here for LP. Taxes are high, but also remember West Orange is about the size of Maplewood and South Orange put together and provides many town services, is centrally located to the highway, malls, bus and shuttle to NY trains...but the taxes are high. I'd like to take you on a tour of some of the homes. You just might be impressed.
- Cynthia Messina, "cynthiammessina"
- Contributions:1
Hi Rattus13,
I work closely with Victoria Carter of Burgdorff in Short Hills. She asked me to reply to the thread that was originally posted regarding LP in West Orange. You're right, it is a beautiful place. In order to make an informed decision on it being "smart" to buy there, it would be best to gather specific market information relative to that area, which I'd be happy to provide to you. Resale value is a concern for all buyers, so your worry is completely understandable. The reality is that any home will sell, anywhere, in any market, if it is priced right and shows well.
While home sales have declined in just about every market across the US over the last few years, there are those that have remained strong even with the decline. Some of these include West Orange, South Orange, Maplewood, Millburn/Short Hills, Summit and Westfield. We are definitely seeing a lot of buyer activity in the market and still experiencing mutliple offers on homes that are priced right and show well. This is key.
You're also right about the decline being a bit less in Millburn/Short Hills in comparison to the other towns I mentioned. I do believe it is partly because of the reputation of the schools here. Feel free to logon to http://education.state.nj.us/rc/rc08/index.html to check out all of the school report cards in NJ.
There's so much involved when buying and selling and I'd be happy to answer any other specific questions you have. I wish you all the best!
Cynthia M. Messina
- Lance Diggs, "Brick City Broker"
- Contributions:15
[content removed by moderator for being self promotional]
- Linda Strasberg, "L Strasberg"
- Contributions:2315
Have you ever looked at homes in Elizabeth, NJ?
- kidodo
- Contributions:7
W.orange is a very beautiful place, easy commute to nyc, close to shorthill mall, I am a buyer, but i won't settle down there...
check the historial sales price, even in the bubble time (2005-2006), the house price didn't jump like all the other towns in the same county. But now, they did fell a lot.
check the foreclosures record, w orange has tons of forclosures and pre-foreclosures. I don't think this town will keep the value, obviously, it is going down. Plus the bad schools and insane taxes, I don't think a 1M house will have its market.
check the historial sales price, even in the bubble time (2005-2006), the house price didn't jump like all the other towns in the same county. But now, they did fell a lot.
check the foreclosures record, w orange has tons of forclosures and pre-foreclosures. I don't think this town will keep the value, obviously, it is going down. Plus the bad schools and insane taxes, I don't think a 1M house will have its market.
- x002548
- Contributions:1
OK, so taxes are high...but what do you get in these other towns. Check out what you pay for and you will see. WO is not down and out....never has been...and I was born and raised here.
Prices are up and even stayed up where other markets have fallen off...don't know where the other poster gets their info...and LP is NOT WO in any case...they are very much isolated...my wife grew up there..
School system is bad? Who said this? We just had our middle school voted as on of the top 10 in the country as a school to watch...and while Milburn High is probably one of the best in the country WOHS is not far behind...it is easy to look up all of yhe scores and achievements they have accomplished...
Never mind that WO is situated in the middle of 2 reservations, a county golf course, county zoo, county Arena, etc....
Hey, it's your choice...WO is so big however, it feels like 2 different towns....
Can taxes be lower? I would hope so....but you do see a lot of people moving here for all that WO affords
Prices are up and even stayed up where other markets have fallen off...don't know where the other poster gets their info...and LP is NOT WO in any case...they are very much isolated...my wife grew up there..
School system is bad? Who said this? We just had our middle school voted as on of the top 10 in the country as a school to watch...and while Milburn High is probably one of the best in the country WOHS is not far behind...it is easy to look up all of yhe scores and achievements they have accomplished...
Never mind that WO is situated in the middle of 2 reservations, a county golf course, county zoo, county Arena, etc....
Hey, it's your choice...WO is so big however, it feels like 2 different towns....
Can taxes be lower? I would hope so....but you do see a lot of people moving here for all that WO affords
- Nicaury Miller, "Home Styles Realty"
- Contributions:51
Taxes are very scary in NJ-West Orange is up for revalization of taxes that is good and bad. Check out all the township you like website and the report card for the school too. BUT THE REALITY IS THAT all school report card change from time to time. Most people only stay in a home for an average of 7 years. So try a school system that is good base on your children ages.
Nicaury
Nicaury
- joyboo
- Contributions:1
West Orange is a great , beautiful town. The upper portion of West Orange is undeniably one of the most beautiful areas in Essex County. Unfortunately our declining school system has given this upscale area a not too good reputation. Years ago West Orange had a top school system. Unfortunately due to politics and being politically correct we have allowed this system to decline rapidly. I have one child at WOHS and quite frankly I cannot wait for him to graduate. There are people permeating the school system that are quite shocking! Our other problem is that often the school system is breached by folks from neighboring towns whose school system is not up to par. Then of course we have an ever growing ESL (English As A Second Language) population which is not only costly but also brings down the rating of the school system. All in all these elements have caused a huge decline in the West Orange school system in recent years. When a school system in an area declines it also brings down the rating of the town. I hope Mayor Parisi will take these things to heart and work on an effective plan to revitalize the name and image of this beautiful town.
Is it smart to buy in Llewellyn Park, NJ (West Orange twp)?
Thank you for your input.
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