Open Houses
5 Louisburg Square: 2 bed, 2 1/2 bath. Townhouse with garage. $361,000. Open house Sunday, Jan. 29, 2 to 4 p.m.
109 South Prospect Street: 3 bed, 1 bath. $374,900. Fireplace, central air. Open house Sunday, Jan. 29, 2 to 4 p.m.
19 Lynwood Road: 3 bed, 2 bath. Eat-in kitchen, finished basement. $419,000 Open house Sunday, Jan. 29, noon to 3 p.m.
106 Park Avenue: 3 bed, 2 bath. Cape. Backs up to Verona Park. $489,900. Open house Sunday, Jan. 29, 1 to 4 p.m.
1 Old Farm Road: 3 bed, 3 bath. Quiet cul-de-sac. Central air. Open house Sunday, Jan. 29, 1 to 3 p.m.
15 Stonewood Parkway: 3 bed, 2 1/2 bath. Afterglow section Cape. $599,900. Open house Sunday, Jan. 29, 1 to 4 p.m.

New Listings
349 Bloomfield Avenue #2: 1 bed, 1 bath condo. Onsite laundry. $119,000
2 Claridge Drive #8BW: 2 bed, 2 bath condo in full-service building with skyline views. $305,000.
249 Fairview Avenue: 3 bed, 2 full, 2 half baths. Planned new construction. Near Verona Pool. $589,000.

Price Cuts
2 Claridge Drive #9BE: 2 bed, 2 bath condo. Walk-in closets, updated kitchen. Cut by $32,500 to $340,000.

The Claridge II building

There are two new listings this weekend, one of which is among the six open houses on Sunday. And there are six homes with lower prices, all of which are condominiums.

Open Houses
349 Bloomfield Avenue #148 : 1 bed, 1 bath condo. Updated kitchen, pets allowed. $149,900. Open house on Sunday, January 22, 1 to 4 p.m.
26 E. Lincoln Street: 3 beds, 1 1/2 baths. Recently cut by $26,000 to $319,000. Open house on Sunday, January 22, 1 to 4 p.m.
144 Claremont Avenue : 4 beds, 2 1/2 baths. Two-car garage and deck. $338,000. Open house on Sunday, January 22, 1 to 3 p.m.
68 Lynwood Road: 4 beds, 2 baths. Renovated kitchen, finished basement. $338,000. Open house on Sunday, January 22, noon to 4 p.m.
19 Lynwood Road: 3 beds, 2 baths. Eat-in kitchen, Florida room. $419,000. Open house on Sunday, January 22, 1 to 3 p.m.
10 Hillcrest Terrace: 3 bed, 2 bath. Eat-in kitchen, finished basement. Close to NYC bus. $430,000. Open house on Sunday, January 22, 1 to 4 p.m.

New Listings
2 Claridge Drive #GW : 1 bed, 1 1/2 condo. 1,306 square feet. Penthouse with private terrace. $225,000.
10 Hillcrest Terrace: 3 bed, 2 bath. Eat-in kitchen, finished basement. Close to NYC bus. $430,000. Open house on Sunday, January 22, 1 to 4 p.m.

Price Cuts
1 Claridge Drive #521 : 1 bed, 1 1/2 bath condo. Renovated kitchen. Cut by $7,000 to $165,000.
6 Green Acres Drive: 2 bed, 1 bath condo. First-floor unit, updated bath. Cut by $8,000 to $199,900.
29 Park Court : 2 bed, 2 bath. Second floor unit, skylights. Cut by $5,000 to $240,000.
3 Otis Place: 3 bed, 2 1/2 bath. Eat-in kitchen, garage. Cut by $20,900 to $329,000.
2 Claridge Drive #DE: 2 bed, 2 bath condo. Tenth floor. Cut by $45,000 to $350,000.
2 Claridge Drive #9BE: 2 bed, 2 bath condo. Two large wlk-in closets. Cut by $9,500 to $372,500.

At Hobcaw Cafe, this weekend

Whether or not you are a New York Giants fan, you can be in and out of the open houses on Sunday in plenty of time for the pre-game nachos (or half-time cupcake, from Hobcaw Cafe). There are five open houses to tour, plus three new listings of various shapes, sizes and prices. It’s also probably a good weekend to check on the current price of any houses that you have been ogling, because there have been a few changes.

Open Houses

349 Bloomfield Avenue #148: 1 bed, 1 bath condo. Pets allowed, on-site laundry. $149,900. Open Sunday, Jan. 15, noon to 4 p.m.
10 Wedgewood Drive: 2 bed, 1 bath unit with a washer/dryer hookup. $199,500. Open Sunday, Jan. 15, 2 to 4 p.m.
68 Lynwood Road : 4 bed, 2 bath. Central air, deep yard. $339,000.  Open Sunday, Jan. 15, noon to 4 p.m.
19 Lynwood Road : 3 beds, 2 baths, Finished basement, Florida room. $419,000. Open Sunday, Jan. 15, noon to 3 p.m.
12 Stonewood Parkway : 4 beds, 2 1/2 bths. Center hall cape with open porch. Open Sunday, Jan. 15, 1 to 4 p.m.

New Listings

349 Bloomfield Ave #148, Verona NJ :1 bed, 1 bath condo. Pets allowed, on-site laundry. $149,900.
248 Linden Avenue : 3 beds, 1 1/2 baths. Central air, flat yard. $339,000.
5 Louisburg Square: 2 bed, 3 bath townhouse. Open floor plan, vaulted ceiling in master bedroom. $361,000.

Price Cuts

14 Wedgewood Drive #17: 1 bed, 1 bath condo. Washer/dryer in kitchen. Cut by $4,500 to $134,500.
6 Green Acres Drive #23:  2 bed, 1 bath condo. Maintenance includes heat. Cut by $8,000 to $199,900.
26 E. Lincoln Street: 3 bed, 1 1/2 bath. Screened porch, hardwood floors on quiet street. Cut by $26,000 to $319,000.
12 Stonewood Parkway : 4 beds, 2 1/2 baths. Center hall cape with open porch. Cut by $20,900 to $479,000.

New Listings
365 Bloomfield Avenue #9B: 1 bed, 1 bath condo. $155,000. Fees include utilities.
349 Bloomfield Avenue: 1 bed, 1 bath condo. $159,000. Updated bath and kitchen.
2 Claridge Drive #7EE: 2 bed, 2 bath with separate living room and dining room in full service building. $245,000

Price Cuts
284 Claremont Avenue #A3 : 1 bed, 1 bath: Cut by by $5,100 to $169,900 on December 30.
22 Martin Road : 3 bed, 2 bath. Cut by by $3,500< to $299,000 on December 29.
42 Oakridge Road : 3 bed, 1 bath. Cut by by $9,000 to $310,000 on December 25.
68 Lynwood Road: 4 bed , 2 bath: Cut by by $10,900 to $339,000 on December 29.

14 Manor Road

Yes, we know you’re thinking more about champagne right now than real estate, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t alert you to a major price change on a major home in town. The owners of the Hiram Cook House, the mansion built for the man who donated the land for Verona Park, have lowered the asking price again to $319,000. (The previous cut, on December 20, took it down to $339,900.)

When 14 Manor Road was first listed last year, the asking price was $475,000. The home, which sits on a half-acre of land on a dead-end street overlooking Verona Park, has four bedrooms, a large double living room and a good size kitchen. What it doesn’t have is modernity. As we noted in our first story on 14 Manor Road, the home needs extensive renovation.

But this is the kind of project that could be richly rewarded if you take it on. There’s a home of very similar vintage and size for sale at 110 Claremont Avenue that has been updated through the years. The asking price on the Priest House, as it is known, is $569,000.

New Listings
51 Mountain Avenue: 3 beds, 1 1/2 baths. Updated kitchen, electric. Large deck. $375,000.
2 Claridge Drive #9BE: 2 bed, 2 bath condo. Two walk-in closets, updated kitchen. $382,000
49 Montrose Avenue” 3 beds, 2 full and 2 half baths. Completely renovated 2007. Open, eat-in kitchen. $580,000. Open house Sunday, 2 to 4 p.m.

Price Cuts
22 Martin Road: 3 beds, 2 baths. Attached one-car garage. Now $302,500.
95 Linden Avenue: 3 beds, 1 1/2 baths. Glass conservatory. Price cut $4,550 to $469,000.
2 Claridge Drive #10NE: 2 bed, 2 bath condo. Updated throughout. Gourmet kitchen. Price cut by $36,000 to $483,000.

The multi-family property at 10 Elmwood Road

This is a fairly busy day for real estate in December, which is normally a quiet month. There are six open houses today, two new listings and two price cuts to consider. Here’s what’s happening from lowest priced to highest in each category.

Open Houses
15 Beechwood Road: 3 beds, 2 baths. New kitchen, front porch. $374,900. Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.
9 Witherspoon Road: 4 beds, 2 1/2 baths. Bi-level, 2-car garage. $389,000. Open Sunday noon to 4 p.m.
169 Forest Avenue: 3 beds, 2 1/2 baths. Fireplace, family room, deck. $389,000. Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.
80 Morningside Road: 3 beds, 2 baths. Family room, deck, patio. $395,000. Open Sunday 2 to 4 p.m.
106 Park Avenue: 3 beds, 2 baths. Backs up to Verona Park. Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.
2 Upland Way: 3 beds, 2 1/2 baths. Renovated kitchen, baths. Half-acre property. $749,000.  Open Sunday 2 to 4 p.m.

New Listings
2 Claridge Drive #9GE: 1 bed, 1 1/2 bath condo. 1,300 square feet. $215,000
10 Elmwood Road: 5 beds, 2 baths. Across from ball field. Multi-family on mixed zone lot. $425,000

Price Cuts
1 Claridge Drive #521: 1 bed, 1 1/2 bath. Condo with renovated kitchen. Cut $16,000 to $172,000.
10 Wedgewood Drive #11: 2 beds, 1 bath. Condo with washer/dryer hookup. Cut $10,500 to $199,500.

The former Bahr Lumber site is the large open rectangle below the red marker

A small resolution approved by the Verona Town Council on Monday night has the potential for big changes on Durrell Street. Resolution number 127  allows the Planning Board to determine whether several properties on the F.N. Brown district street can be qualified as a redevelopment area.

The Planning Board’s work would focus on the lumber yard once used by Bahr Lumber, which closed in February, as well as the parking lot across the street, which has been used for Bahr’s heating oil business, which continues to operate. It would also encompass properties at 30, 40 and 42 Durrell that are owned by Fredco Landscaping.

At issue is what kind of new structures would be placed on the properties, which are now all zoned for residential use. Now, either freestanding homes or townhouses could be built, and potentially a lot of them. At the Town Council meeting, planning board attorney Greg Mascera said that perhaps as many as 33 townhouse units could be built on the lumber yard property, which backs on Lynwood Road. “It seemed prudent that if a multi-family development is to be put on the lumber yard, to look at both sides of Durrell,” said Mascera.

If the properties are deemed in need of redevelopment, which generally means that there are unsafe or substandard conditions on the property or that its commercial use has been discontinued, the town would gain greater control over the design and landscaping than typically occurs when a construction project goes for town approval. It could also open the way for Verona to get more tax revenue from such a development.

Last used at the Hilltop, the wooded ridge on the western side of Verona, the redevelopment designation could make it possible to collect what is known as a PILOT, or payment-in-lieu-of-taxes, on the homes built instead of regular property tax. In a PILOT structure, 95% of the tax revenue collected goes to the town and 5% to the county.

The town seems to be hoping that whatever is built on the Bahr and Fredco properties is one- and two-bedroom units and not single family houses. The theory is that the former are less likely to appeal to families with children, and add fewer students to the Verona school system.

It could take the Planning Board several months to decide whether the properties qualify as an area in need of  redevelopment and the designation would have to be approved by the Town Council and opened to public debate. Redevelopment is not the same as eminent domain, an action by which a government body takes control of private property. All the Durrell properties would remain in the hands of their current owners, or the developers they sell them to. John Bahr, the owner of Bahr Lumber did not return a call for comment about his plans for his property.

Open Houses

68 Lynwood Road: 4 beds, 2 baths. Quiet street, central AC. $349,900. Open Sunday noon to 4 p.m.
95 Linden Avenue: 3 beds, 1 1/2 baths. Conservatory family room with heated floor. $473,550. Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.
12 Stonewood Parkway: 4 beds 2 1/2 baths. Afterglow-area cape with porch. $499,900. Open Sunday 2 to 4 p.m.
24 Sunset Avenue: 4 beds, 3 1/2 baths. Side hall colonial in Afterglow section. $799,000. Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

New Listings
2 Claridge Drive #9GE: 1 bed, 1 1/2 bath, 1,306 square feet. $215,000.
29 Park Court: 2 bed, 2 bath, vaulted cieling in living room. $245,000.
138 Linden Avenue: 2 beds, 2 baths. Big family room. $299,900

Price Cut
169 Forest Ave, Verona NJ: 3 beds, 2 1/2 baths. Deck, central air, new roof. Cut $6,000 to $389,000.