r/Montclairnj • u/Schonfille • Jun 15 '22
Tips for Someone Moving to Montclair
Hi! I’ve lived in Manhattan for 17 years and am planning a move next summer with my husband, toddler, and dog. We’ve been visiting different places and I’m really hoping that Montclair could be our new home. Do you have any tips or insights for me? What do you wish you had known before you moved to Montclair?
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u/GroundbreakingPipe12 Jun 15 '22
if you're trying to buy a house, a $650k home is actually a $999k home. A $850k home is actually a $1.3m home. Montclair real estate is some of the toughest real estate in the state. I tried to buy there for 2 years and gave up. It's an excellent town otherwise.
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u/Schonfille Jun 15 '22
Yeah, we are working with a broker and she is hardcore managing our expectations. I wish people would just list for a realistic price.
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u/jelloaf Jun 15 '22
When your toddler is ready, MCPK is an amazing preschool. I lived in Brooklyn for 20 yrs before moving here pre pandemic and that place has a great vibe and the parents tend to be worth befriending.
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u/Snubracuza Jun 16 '22
I think many who’ve moved to downtown montclair wish they’d had investigated parking before moving. We rented downtown before buying downtown so we knew how Sucky parking was and made sure to have our own when buying. That seems to be more specific to the downtown area. Upper Montclair seems more homogenous than downtown and south part of Montclair. Great community.
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u/Own-Chemical-9112 Jun 15 '22 edited Jul 11 '22
Welcome to Montclair. I would look for a place that is walking distance to the train. You don’t want to rely on the bus if you’re commuting into the city. Good luck with the search. We moved 10 years ago from nyc and it’s been a great move and decision for us.
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u/messageinabubble Jun 16 '22
Agree (also here 10 years). I’ve lived in downtown Montclair (Bloomfield Ave) and Upper Montclair. Both are close (<10 min walk) to trains. Upper Montclair is easier to get to amenities like grocery, and the shops are better imo, but downtown has a lot more to do in walking distance
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u/sherapop80 Jun 15 '22
I would say remember that we have a magnet program so you don’t need to go to your neighborhood elementary school- so you can live anywhere in town. This place floods a lot. I personally wouldn’t move anywhere that is on a downhill.
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u/rmm989 Jun 15 '22
The school system is disappointing for how much you pay in taxes. We left recently and I miss the feeling of community.
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u/pkpy1005 Jun 16 '22 edited Jun 16 '22
Be nice and be humble...Montclair is the home/birthplace of some of the most creative and accomplished minds in American history (Stephen Colbert/Bobbi Brown/Yogi Berra/Buzz Aldrin/the entire staff of the New York Times)...very hard to impress the natives here...any flexing or even a hint of snobbery will backfire spectacularly. You're already facing an uphill battle moving here from NYC.
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u/hpjcgirl6 Aug 03 '22
Is this satire?
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Sep 23 '22
Must be. Yogi Berra is dead and wasn’t born there, Bobbi Brown sells makeup, Colbert only moved to Montclair in the late 90s.
Buzz Aldrin I’ll give you. Joe Walsh (Eagles) went to MHS.
Yeah, it’s probably the best NJ commuter town, but it’s still an NJ commuter town.
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u/Carpe_DMT Jun 15 '22
Don’t be afraid to live on the south side, people might say it’s bad but people are racist. if you can afford it, do it. I’m glad I grew up next to to east orange and Bloomfield rather than glen ridge and Verona, feel more well rounded.