Buy This Historic Montclair Home For $10 (But There’s A Weird Catch)

MONTCLAIR, NJ — A house designed by renowned Montclair architect Dudley S. Van Antwerp is up for sale, and it could be yours for $10 or less. But like everything in life, there’s a catch … you’ve got to move the home about a quarter of a mile away.

That’s the deal that municipal officials are proposing for the property at 44 Pleasant Ave. in Montclair, the historic Dudley Van Antwerp home. In the exact words of town officials: “The buyer must move the house from its present location to a site within approximately one-quarter mile of its current 44 Pleasant Avenue location.”

In exchange, you can have a historic home – more than a century old – for less than the price of a fast food dinner.

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Here’s how Montclair town officials explained the proposal:

“During its June 12 meeting, the Montclair Planning Board approved a subdivision application for 44 Pleasant Avenue. A condition of the board’s approval requires that the existing dwelling on the property be offered for sale and relocation in an effort to save the historic Dudley Van Antwerp home.”

Officials continued:

“The premises are purchased ‘as is’ and ‘where is.’The structure must be removed from its present location at 44 Pleasant Avenue, Montclair, NJ, to a location within approximately ¼ mile. The purchaser shall be required to enter into a contract with seller in which: (a) the purchase price not to exceed $10; (b) the purchaser shall perform all necessary remediation before the move and the costs of the move shall be borne by purchaser; (c) the seller will contribute a maximum of $10,000 toward the move cost; (d) all other incidental costs, if any, shall be borne entirely by the purchaser, which; (e) purchaser shall also indemnify seller from any and all liability, including attorneys’ fees and costs; and (f) purchaser shall provide appropriate insurance guarantees. Purchase price: Best offer received. Contract must be executed on or before August 31, 2017 and; the movement of the structure shall be negotiated in good faith.”

Offers should be submitted to 44pleasantave@gmail.com

According to the Montclair municipal website, the residential property at 44 Pleasant Ave. has an assessed land value of $212,800 and an improvement value of $435,600. Its local tax bill for 2017 came to $24,211.

Essex County tax records state that the home was built in 1906 and has 3,912 square feet of floor area.

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Photo: Montclair Township