Cloverhill Place/Glen Ridge Avenue/Grove Place - Bay Street Station - Montclair (Bloomfield: section 8)

[newjerseysafetypolice]

We are considering moving to Montclair, and found a great deal on Cloverhill Pl. Although I've been told Pine Street is a bad area, is it reasonable for a family to live on Cloverhill Place, catty corner to the Montclair side of Glen Ridge? I've only lived in urban areas, so not really bothered by the threat of some theft crimes, but don't want to move into a war zone.

Are there some non-criminal people in the neighborhood? I noticed great schools and day care not so far away...

[MontclairNative]

You'll be fine there. I have friends on Pine St and down the road on Baldwin. No problems. Train might be a bit noisy if your on the north end of the st.

[labcjo]

Is far from a war zone, it's just not the ritziest part of town (Montclair has most of its Section 8 housing on Glen Ridge Ave).

You can tell Cloverhill Place used to be a beautiful street. It's lined with old Victorian homes. But like much of the area between Bloomfield Ave and Chestnut St (east of Valley Road and west of Grove St) in the central part of town, its zoned for multifamly use, the area is close to downtown and busier, and over the course of many years, it's lost the charm the residential neighborhoods north and south of it still have. Many of the old homes have been vinyl sided over, the porches enclosed, etc.

I really think that this "box" south of Chestnut, north of Bloomfied, is one of the best areas in town to buy a good value. It's safe, a close walk to everything - shops and trains - and you can buy a beautiful old home and restore it back to its former beauty. Lots of people are starting to do this already - you can get a great home at a steal.

So far the houses that have gone for sale in the southern end of town in the Estate Section, and the homes north of Chestnut have been going fast and for much higher prices than in recent years. I think, well, more hope, that you'd be ahead of the game in a rennasance in the central part of town.

[montclairnewbie]

hi- this is a few years later now but curious about the same thing. Not so much the crime but the value. We're new to Montclair- coming from brooklyn- and are looking for a place we can start to raise a family. We loved Montclair and it seems like there is real value in this area and great for us- walkable to train, close to commercial, in the montciair school system- but not sure if we are overpaying for our house or if these homes will increase in value. I noticed there are a few foreclosures on the block. @newjerseysafetypolice- did you end up moving there? any regrets? have you seen home values increase over these short few years?

[MontclairNative]

I wish we knew if they would increase in value, but the more affordable areas of Montclair are seeing price increases as there just isn't much in the way of other affordable choices- hard to find a 4BR for under $500k unless its a distressed situation. Foreclosures, for better or worse, are ultimately good for a neighborhood. New owners come in with money to invest in improving the places, not to mention paying back taxes. Yes, the socio-economic diversity of the town changes and families that may have been here for generations have to move out, which is a shame.

There are values in short sales (buyer needs patience and flexible close date) and fixer uppers (most people don't have the time or inclination to do work themselves, plus they can cheaply finance a "done" house).