No Takers For Historic Montclair Home That Was Selling For $10

MONTCLAIR, NJ — It was a deal seemingly too good to pass up: buy a historic home in Montclair for less than the cost of a fast food dinner. So why did nobody take the offer?

Two years ago, Montclair township officials put forth a unique real estate proposal: buy a historic property at 44 Pleasant Avenue for only $10. There was a catch, of course. The buyer had to move the house to a site within a quarter mile of its location at their own expense.

Montclair officials previously explained:

“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.”

The seller was even willing to kick in $10,000 towards the cost of moving the 113-year-old home, which had an assessed land value of $212,800 and an improvement value of $435,600 at the time.

Its local tax bill for 2017 came to $24,211, according to municipal records.

• See related article: Buy This Historic Montclair Home For $10 (But There's A Weird Catch)

Despite the eye-catching $10 deal, nobody took the bait. After an attempt to give the property historic designation fell through, demolition of the home began in May of 2018, NJ.com reported.

Now – in the place that the historic property once stood – a multi-family residential community called “The Collection at Montclair” is taking over. Here’s the listing, as seen on Realtor.com.

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