When I left New York City, I headed straight for Montclair because my then-husband grew up here. Coming from the city, this town was just right for me. But some of my New York friends wanted a smaller town feel. They headed straight for Maplewood.

The first time I visited Maplewood, I thought, this is what Montclair would feel like if it were a village. Vibe-wise, the two towns are nearly identical. 

I love the walkability of Maplewood – how, wherever you live, you’re never too far from downtown and the direct-to-Manhattan train. And also how peaceful it is to stroll through neighborhoods – walking the dog or pushing the stroller.

One of the things that was important to me when I left the city was to live somewhere that felt vibrant and creative. And Maplewood is that!

Words, one of my favorite New Jersey bookstores, attracts crowd-pleasing authors like Mark Bittman as well as up-and-coming local talent. There’s plenty of local music, including the annual Maplewoodstock – an all-weekend, family-oriented, art and music extravaganza that’s been taking place in Memorial Park since 2004. And the South Orange/Maplewood Adult School offers classes in everything from pottery to pickleball.

If you love the outdoors, nearby South Mountain Reservation is a force to be reckoned with. Spanning over 2,000 acres, this massive nature reserve includes miles of hiking trails, great sledding hills, and a magical waterfall. 

I love that you can hop on the train and catch dinner and a show in Manhattan. But I also love that you can have dinner and a show right in your own backyard. Downtown South Orange is close by and has a wonderful performing arts center, which has won the Discover Jersey Arts People’s Choice Award for “Favorite Small Performing Arts Center” for four consecutive years. Neighboring Milburn offers great theater at the renowned Papermill Playhouse. And Montclair’s Wellmont Theater is great for rock and roll or comedy, and is a quick half hour drive. 

As walkable towns go, Maplewood gets high marks. If you think it might be a good fit for you, I’d love to take you around!

I usually stay away from anything political in my blog, but this week I am making an exception. On Wednesday, June 27, I had the great honor of attending a local reading staged to raise money to support one of the many organizations fighting to help immigrant children being separated from their parents. 

Montclair, New Jersey is a liberal town. That’s no secret. But this event, like so many initiatives – big and small -- started by residents who cannot sit by and watch people being treated inhumanely, reminds me so why I’m so proud to live here. This is a town that speaks out for families – all families.

Families come in all shapes, sizes, and colors – and that is one of the many reasons people want to live here. We all want our children to grow up in a community where families with two moms, or two dads, or no mom, or no dad, or different color moms and dads, or grandmas as moms, or grandpas as dads are all as commonplace as families with one mom and one dad. That’s the community mindset that sparked an event like Borders of the Heart: Writers Read in Support of Migrant Families.

In eight days, a few local writers put together this reading in an effort to do something to help. Donations were collected through Facebook and at the event. Nearly two dozen writers read pieces on the subject of immigration. Some readers were people I knew personally and never knew their story. It was heart-wrenching and uplifting, and I walked out of that room –appropriately, a local temple sanctuary – feeling so very right about the work I get to do: helping people find a community where their values and ideals can thrive.

I write this on July 4^th, the “birthday” of my country. Today, I will dress for the heat as I walk the few blocks to Midland Avenue and take a spot on the curb to watch Montclair’s 90-minute July 4^th Parade. I will cheer for floats celebrating local ice cream and local music lessons and the local Irish pub. I will cheer for organizations that provide free tutoring for kids and free meals for adults. I will cheer for the bike advocates and the football team and the Community Pre-K. And, of course, I will cheer for my home away from home, Keller Williams Realty.

Like the reading, our parade reminds me how we take care of each other here. Everyone is welcome to show up with their stories. 

Everyone is welcome.

OPEN HOUSE

Saturday 6/23 and Sunday 6/24

2-4 p.m.

107 Montclair Ave

Offered at $989,000

 

As a Walkability Devotee, 107 Montclair Avenue is an absolute dream. It's spacious enough to grow with a family and offers premiere walkability at every stage.

The house itself is gorgeous. A 1923 Colonial with 5 bedrooms and 4 full baths. Beautiful [...]

OPEN HOUSE

Sunday, June 10

2-4 p.m.

222 Highview Drive, Clifton

Easy commute. Gorgeous interiors. Four bedrooms, 2 full baths.

Listed at $449,000, 222 Highview offers, and in that price point everyone seems to be looking for.

I was instantly taken with the kitchen in this home — newly renovated and just the right size. 

The first floor has a great flow for entertaining, the fireplace adding a warm, welcoming [...]

Open House

this Saturday, May 12 and Sunday, May 13

2 - 4 p.m.

653 Grove Street, Montclair

I’m always excited to get a Montclair listing in the $500,000 price range. They’re not plentiful. But I’m even more excited to list a house like 653 Grove Street, because not only is the price right – everything feels right.

Set back and side-facing, this house feels private and secluded. I love the expansive, flat yard, and the entertainment patio off the great [...]

Open House this Sunday, April 29  2-4PM

25 Mountain Avenue, Caldwell, NJ

Convenient to shopping and nature, this house is not only situated between two cute downtowns (W. Caldwell and Verona) and two Olmsted-designed county parks, it’s steps away from the New York City bus. The perfect location for starting a family or for folks who are [...]

Many of my clients begin dreaming of a simpler, more streamlined life long before they feel able to do anything about it. And that is because most of them are overwhelmed by their “stuff.” 

I understand. So was I.

When I downsized a few years ago, it seemed as if I kept thinking the same few thoughts: How are we all going to manage in a small, cramped space. How will I fit all my furniture? How can I possibly get rid of these things that I love? And the loudest thought of all: How did I end up with so much stuff to begin with?

Going through a significant downsize myself taught me valuable lessons I pass onto my clients daily. Probably the most poignant of all being: My perfect living conditions have very little to do with my “stuff.”

In the move from big to smaller, clients often mistakenly focus on what they think they’re going to lose: spare rooms, storage, places for all their stuff. Having a life that has long revolved around the upkeep of a big home, they’re not quick consider how much is time and money is saved with less house to make repairs on, and fewer things to keep track of in general.

I never imagined how much better I would feel with a fresh start – the ability to imagine my daily life with all of the things I love around me, and without any that had become a burden.

As a student of architecture and design, I can help you envision your new living space. Together we can make a plan for what should come along. I have lots of tricks to make the most of modest spaces and a long list of vendors who can make it all happen. 

As a fellow down-sizer, I can help you envision your new life. My clients tell me that talking to me about what they imagine for their next chapter has helped them get to know themselves better and has also helped them attain the things they truly want. 

And as a life-long lover of second-hand selling, I can guide you through staging your current home, and moving that “stuff” you don’t need anymore into the hands of someone who may.

Going small can be an energizing, exciting journey when you have the right person to guide you. If you’ve been dreaming of simpler for a little too long, give me a call. I really can help. 

It’s no secret: some of my clients start out afraid to leave the city. Of course they are! We live in cities because there is so much going on and it’s unsettling to think we’re giving that up.

For those who have already taken the leap, there was plenty going on here last weekend, as is true most weekends.

The Montclair Literary Festival launched in 2017. Given how many journalists, authors, playwrights and poets call this area home, it’s almost shocking that we didn’t have a weekend-long celebration of writers and writing before now. The festival included readings, talks, workshops and panels by writers of all genres. There were events devoted to politics and events devoted to rock’n’roll. There were lots of events for kids. Most everything was within an easy walk to everything else. And a lot of it was free!

On Sunday night, we were graced by a reading and musical performance by Patti Smith who arrived with her longtime producer Lenny Kaye. The two took the stage in the sanctuary of the spectacular First Congregational Church and captivated the audience for nearly two hours.

Being in that audience reminded most of us why we came to this area in the first place. It reminded us that we live in a community that can support two independent books stores, even in the age of Amazon and Kindle. It reminded us that, as a town, we believe that the arts are worth making room for – lots of room. And it reminded us how many of our friends and neighbors work so hard to fill our town with intellect and beauty everywhere you turn. Just like the city.

When you take the leap, you will find yourself in a town with two libraries, an art museum, a film festival, a jazz festival, fabulous restaurants, an indie movie theatre, a concert venue, a jazz club, art galleries, art walks, avant-garde dance, opera and musical theatre, and a university with lectures, performance art, and minor league baseball. You’ll also find lots and lots of coffee shops!

The other not so secret truth I remind my clients: Montclair is surrounded by plenty of great towns — Bloomfield, West Orange, Glen Ridge, Verona, Cedar Grove. If you’re looking for a community with easy access to the arts, these are towns that you should consider as well. 

Patti Smith photo by Jacqueline Mroz

 

 

Their nest was empty, but these downsizing buyers did not want to go small. 

“My husband and I weren’t the typical ‘downsizers.’ We weren’t looking for ‘smaller’ as much as for ‘different.’ And we weren’t in a big hurry to move, which gave us the opportunity to become curious about what other our options might be.

We wanted to stay in the general area, a home with a similar amount of space and an easy commute to the city. We wanted an interesting community where people seemed invested in where they lived. Really, most of the things that brought us to Montclair in the first place.  

But that was 20 years ago, when we also wanted a progressive school system for our young children. Now we needed to pay college tuition.  

I started looking at listings all over North Jersey. I became intrigued by a house in East Orange and called Lina to get her opinion. She said it was already under contract, but another house in the neighborhood was coming on the market the following week.

Long story short: right away, we felt that house could be “the one.” Then Lina provided us all the information we needed to make our decision. 

Lina knows about houses – especially architecturally. This one had great bones and an open layout. She helped us understand what and how we may need to renovate.

She knows about neighborhoods. This house was right next to Bloomfield’s Watsessing Park. We had lived adjacent to Brookdale Park – also an Olmsted designed space – when we were in Montclair, so Lina gave us the rundown on this park. I joined the conservancy not long after we moved! Also, as a true champion of the walkable lifestyle, Lina also sold us on the nearby train and bus, but also the walkable shopping and restaurants. 

She knows about communities. A good realtor has the kind of inside information you simply cannot get from just reading listings. Our new community is ethnically diverse, with residents of all ages. The people are extremely welcoming, and very proud of their neighborhood. Because Lina is a great listener, she knew we would respond to all those things.

Our new home is not far from Montclair – maybe a 15 minute drive. Early on, I considered that a major selling point of the new house -- the ability to keep my entire Montclair life intact. But now, most of my Montclair travels are to see friends. I do everything else here, in our new home!"

— Nancy, from East Orange

I often tell my clients that Montclair has everything they need — top-rated restaurants, an indie movie theater, a concert venue, parks and hiking trails, public pools and tennis courts, public gardens, an art museum, a jazz club, tea shops, coffee shops, ice cream shops and just plain shopping galore. 

But there’s one thing we haven’t had: a hotel.

As of next month, that will change. Montclair resident and celebrity make-up artist Bobbi Brown has converted a turn-of-the-century inn into a the town’s first boutique hotel. In fact, the forthcoming George Inn was featured in January’s Vogue magazine, along with some of my favorite local haunts – namely my go-to for sushi: Dai Kichi. 

On its heels will be a more traditional hotel right in the heart of downtown Montclair. The still-under-construction MC will be a luxury Marriot hotel that is also slated to open sometime this year. Both will provide guests the walkable experience of Montclair that we who live here so love. 

I couldn’t be more excited about these much needed additions, especially for home-buyers. When you know there are wonderful accommodations for your guests right in the neighborhood, you have more options in your home search. You can purchase something smaller, foregoing that extra bedroom. Or you can go ahead and commit the sun-room to a home office without alienating the in-laws.

If you’re coming from far off to give Montclair a look, The George will provide you lavish quarters while you’re here. Once it opens in March, we really will have everything we need.