The Pollock Properties Group at Keller Williams posted an open letter on its website and shared it with Village Green responding to a recent Maplewood Township Committee discussion about soaring home prices in Maplewood, where leaders said it was “outrageous” that a home on Hilton Avenue, which is on the tax rolls at $684,000 and listed for $879,000, sold for $1.1 million.
The discussion at the July 15 meeting was focused on the increasing lack of affordable housing in Maplewood, even in a neighborhood that has traditionally been seen as more affordable with more modestly priced homes and smaller lot sizes than some other areas of town.
Maplewood Mayor Nancy Adams said she would not be able to afford the home she bought in 1989 if she were trying to purchase it today, and Township Committee Member Deborah Engel said she is considering selling her home, but she can’t afford to buy in Maplewood if she does.
Township Committee Member Victor DeLuca called the sale price of 107 Hilton Ave “outrageous” and said, “We’re pricing ourselves out and I speak to the realty community and just folks who are selling — think about what’s happening here, that folks just can’t come and live here anymore unless you have a lot of money. And we’re going to be losing a lot of the economic diversity. We talk a lot about diversity and being welcoming, but if you don’t have the dollars, you’re not welcomed here.”
Vanessa Pollock, whose group sold the Hilton Avenue home, said she and her team felt the need to respond “because Realtors and Sellers were being specifically called out… and we felt it critical to provide our perspective to the community.”
In their letter, the Pollock Properties Group said that homeowners in the Hilton neighborhood should be able to capitalize on their investment just as much as anyone in any other neighborhood in Maplewood, and to suggest otherwise “feels discriminatory.”
The letter further states that the “question of aiding in affordability falls to the Town officials who oversee the property taxes, which have a higher increase over this period of time, than property values.”
“We ask the town officials to seek and implement policy change within their control that can aid in affordability, rather than calling on Realtors to go against their fiduciary duty to the Sellers whom have hired us as professionals to provide a fruitful and smooth sale,” the letter states.
The full text of the letter is below:
An Open Letter to Our Community
At Pollock Properties Group, we love Maplewood—and we believe all neighborhoods, including Hilton, deserve care, investment, and respect.
That’s why we are disheartened by the recent article in the Village Green highlighting public comments suggesting that a recent home sale price in Hilton is somehow “outrageous”. These statements imply that current home owners in that neighborhood shouldn’t be able to capitalize on their investment at the same rate as other neighborhoods in Maplewood. Language that implies that certain neighborhoods do not deserve to gain value at the same rate as other neighborhoods in Maplewood frankly, feels discriminatory.
Hilton resident Katie Rickard [said], “As a 16-year resident of the Hilton neighborhood, I’m disheartened that officials would call it ‘outrageous’ for a Hilton homeowner to profit from their home sale —especially when similar sales across town go unchallenged. Isn’t building equity the point of homeownership? When I sell, I expect my Realtor to work hard to get me the best return—just like they would anywhere else in town.”
And let’s be clear: REALTORS don’t drive up prices—the free market does. The $1.1M sale on Hilton Avenue happened because multiple buyers competed for a thoughtfully renovated and meticulously kept home that our group listed at $879K. That list price was set based on comparable homes and current market trends—not manipulated or inflated. Supply and demand—not Realtors—determine market value.
In our industry, we share the recent home sale prices as a way of informing residents of current home values, which is important news to all, as our homes are often our largest investment. We are a resource of that public information for the community. This particular sale was newsworthy, as we were as surprised as everyone to see the Buyer demand manifest in this record high price.
A famous article in The New York Times in 1987 may have put Maplewood on Mayor Adams’ radar before she purchased in Maplewood in 1989. In that NYT article, the Maplewood vice mayor and local realtor at the time, Robert C Klein, was quoted as saying, “On average, a three-bedroom colonial sells for $220,000 and carries an annual tax bill of $3,800.” In the past year, the average three-bedroom home in our town has sold for $838,240…an increase of 280% since 1987. Seems like a lot until you realize that in that same time period, the average NJ household income has gone up 294%, gasoline has gone up 268%, movie tickets have gone up 236%, and a loaf of bread has risen (get it?) 266%. And if you’re keeping score, that quaint 1987 property tax bill has ballooned around 350% in the past 38 years. The question of aiding in affordability falls to the Town officials who oversee the property taxes, which have a higher increase over this period of time, than property values.
We ask the town officials to seek and implement policy change within their control that can aid in affordability, rather than calling on Realtors to go against their fiduciary duty to the Sellers whom have hired us as professionals to provide a fruitful and smooth sale. We fully support affordability initiatives and creative housing solutions that help ensure Maplewood remains a welcoming place for everyone. But implying that only certain people should live in certain areas isn’t a solution—it’s a step backward.
We remain committed to serving all clients with integrity, compassion, and fairness. Let’s work together—Realtors, elected officials, and residents—to grow a Maplewood that’s vibrant, equitable, and inclusive for all.
— Pollock Properties Group | Keller Williams
