Last Sunday’s New York Times ran an article titled When Taxes Affect Sales; here’s the online version of that article. The premise is the potential ‘gridlock’ of the West Orange real estate market due to high property taxes. I’m quoted in this article. West Orange, New Jersey taxes may make buyers pause, but those of us who live here know what they are missing if they do not decide to move here.

The article made a couple of mistakes. One main one is the number of homes on the market in West Orange. There are 413 residential homes listed for sale as of today in the Garden State Multiple Listing Service, which is what all real estate agents use to list properties for sale. I would have to add in all multi-families, land for sale, businesses for sale and rentals to even get close to the 533 homes noted in the article.

Most of the facts of the article were correct, although comparing West Orange to Livingston is an apple to oranges comparison since Livingston has a vast commercial base.

The key problem with the article is it missed 3 key points:

1. Why people still flock to West Orange;

2. Property taxes are an issue throughout the state so West Orange is not the anomaly but an example;

3. The economy is putting pressure on everything in this world.

People still flock to West Orange because it’s a vibrant town that offers safety, serenity, and peace of mind. It has a relaxing atmosphere of togetherness and an informal and formal support structure. We can still knock on our neighbor’s door for a cup of sugar. We can take a walk in one of the parks, play on one of the golf courses, or go out and party — our town experience, is up to us.

There are events within each of the neighborhoods like block parties, halloween parades, large yard sales, and more. There are always bigger, free town events to draw residents in like the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Bike Rodeo, fairs, Memorial Day, 4th of July and New Year’s Celebrations, and Blues Festival. There are an enormous amount of youth activities offered by the recreation department throughout the year, too. And this is just to name a few things.

Part of the town’s appeal is the United Nations feel. Did you know there are more than 50 languages spoken within the West Orange school district? The vast number of different cultures, races and creed can be mind-boggling. So, too, can the variety of housing stock you can get in prices ranging from $50,000 – $3,000,000+ (sometimes within a mile of each other) and in styles from ranch, colonial, splits, and everything in between. It’s still true that in West Orange you can normally get more yard and a little extra space on a great block for less price than neighboring towns with a train station.

So, yes, we are close to New York City and can get there easily by highway, bus or even train. Yes, we have one of the greatest and most in-depth special education curriculum around. Yes, West Orange high school just made Newsweek’s Best High Schools List. Yes, we are close to Short Hills Mall and everything on Route 10 along with having various areas throughout the town to visit, eat and shop. Yes, we have the Thomas Edison Museum and many celebrities have come from here and live here now.

We have many things to hang our hat on and sometimes it seems like the Town does not say those things clearly and loudly — perhaps because there’s so much to say. There are just as many intangibles and tangibles to make you want to never leave West Orange. But don’t think because the Town doesn’t have a robust PR campaign that there’s something wrong.

How does that commercial end: …PRICELESS.

This is why people will always flock to West Orange, NJ to live.

Property taxes are an issue throughout the state and even more so in towns like West Orange that do not have a large commercial base to tax. That’s living life in New Jersey. Even Governor Christie has high property taxes on his agenda this week. What every person needs to do is check to see what you get for your tax dollar and make sure you’re comparing apples to apples, and constantly push local government to do more to keep the costs in line; this is what we need to keep doing in West Orange.

As house values have dropped over the last couple of years nationwide, West Orange was not immune. But combine the fact that a tax re-valuation has not been done in almost 30 years and the issue is compounded. A house that once sold in 2004 for $500,000 with $13,000 in taxes may now be selling for $350,000 with $15,000 in taxes. Prices have gone down and taxes have steadily gone up. The re-valuation will bring balance to this hopefully, the new Mayor will bring a renewed sense and spirit for more positive changes to hold down costs and promote the town, and the town will continue to thrive even stronger and better as the national economy gets back on its’ feet.

When you’re ready to really see all that West Orange has to offer, contact us for a tour. You won’t be disappointed. There are many things people from other towns can drive to experience, like the Turtle Back Zoo, but you have to be a member (a resident) to really soak it all in.

When I’m out on my deck tonight, watching the fireflies light up the sky in peace and seenity, I will be thinking of you saying “don’t you wish you were here?”

Ooh la la!