Few can afford a mansion, especially one in a metropolitan area. For instance, in New Jersey, one of the more affordable states to buy a home in, mansions start at around $900,000! Start! So, you can imagine our surprise when we found this mansion in New Jersey for just $10. However, there is a catch…
About The $10 New Jersey Mansion
Trust us, when you see this mansion, you’ll start looking around for the closest $10 bill. The property, located in Montclair, is a 111-year-old, colonial home. Many who have seen the house in person say it leaves them speechless. Over 4,000-square-feet, the mansion features six bedrooms and three-and-a-half baths – not bad at all! Like any good mega-home, the property also comes with tons of great amenities. The home sits on a two-acre property and also includes a private tennis court, a gazebo, and a carriage house.
Plus, if the mansion owners ever get bored, they can just head out for a night on the town. Manhattan is only an hour ride away, while Montclair has a great downtown. And, while out in downtown, you never know who you might spot! Celebrities like Stephen Colbert and Christina Ricci both own mansions in Montclair. Who knows, maybe they’ll even be neighbors of the new mansion owners. If anyone ever buys it, that is…
So, What’s The Catch?
So, why has no one picked up this incredible deal? Well, as it turns out, no one can live in this mansion as long as it’s in Montclair. Yes, you read that right! After the Montclair Township Planning Board approved new zoning rules, the house’s land became a non-residential zone. Now, the new owner will need to pay to have the entire mansion relocated.
Moreover, the buyer will have to pay for needed renovations before lifting and moving the house, due to its age. To sweeten the deal, the seller’s offering $10,000 for improvements, once someone buys the home. However, this will only cover a small portion of the total costs. Experts think the entire cost of the project might cost somewhere in the range of $200,000 when adding up the renovations and moving expenses. While it’s still cheaper than other mansions, the work means someone might never buy the home. Which is a shame, as it features quite the history! In fact, the Montclair Township Historic Preservation Commission even tried to stop the new zoning rules to save this well-known mansion…
A Little Bit of History
The $10 mansion’s history begins in 1906, a local architect, Dudley S. Van Antwerp, built this house. He also worked on the Montclair Wachtung Avenue Congregational Church and the Yacht Club in Bayside, Long Island.
Later, athlete and Montclair native Aubrey Lewis bought the mansion. College football fans will remember him as the first African-American athlete to become captain of the Notre Dame football team. Lewis then went on to become part of the first training class including African-Americans at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Today, many in Montclair view him as one of their most famous citizens. The mansion remained his home for most of his life, until he, unfortunately, died of heart complications in 2001. After that, real estate agents from BNE Real Estate Group bought the property, who owned it until the recent decision by the Planning Committee.
Sources: NYPost, TrendChaser