Real Estate S E C T I O N R S U N . 0 8 . 1 4 . 1 6 Moving Up: Couple see farmhouse in Ramsey as inspiring choice. Home Sales: A listing of prices and transactions in North Jersey, town by town. 2 3 Cul-de-sacs are a must for some Homeowners prize less traffic, quiet and safety By DEBRA LYNN VIAL STAFF WRITER Kathy Hardin has moved seven times in the past 15 years — and she knows what she wants in a home. The number of bedrooms, the layout of the kitchen, even the size of the yard are negotiable. But one thing is absolute: The house must be on a cul-de-sac. “I won’t live anywhere else,” said Hardin, whose family is relocating to Bergen County from Atlanta. Hardin’s love of cul-de-sacs goes back to her childhood, when she and her friends rode bicycles and skateboards every day in the safety of their circular, dead-end street. “Cul-de-sacs create mini-communities,” she said. “Some people could consider them cut off, but because the traffic is less, people come out of their houses to talk and children play kickball or roller-skate in the street. It’s quiet and safe.” Buyers appear to agree. The homes are so popular they are often priced higher — but “they sell quicker,” said Annmarie Garcia, an agent with Re/Max Accomplished Realty of Franklin Lakes. George Rosko, a real estate agent with Coccia Realty Inc., has lived on a cul-desac for years and effusively extols its many virtues “Little traffic,” he said “We park headon, which is great. I have a wedge-shaped property with only 35 feet out front, but a huge backyard. With five cars in the family, parking is rarely a problem. “Location is obviously very important in the value of a home, and it’s a rare buyer that wouldn’t want a house on a cul-desac,” he said. Appeared in Bergen in ’20s French for “bottom of the sac,” the lollipop-shaped, dead-end streets with homes facing a circular turnaround gained early popularity in Bergen County. In the 1920s, the planners of the Radburn community in Fair Lawn made them an essential part of their design. Radburn had main roads and a series of cul-de-sacs. The cul-de-sacs provided vehicle access to homes on one side, and the other side of the homes opened up to gardens and pedestrian networks that linked residents to central open spaces and schools, among other facilities. Radburn was so successful that in 1939 the Federal Housing Administration recommended that others developers follow its lead. “Homes located on cul-de-sacs offer distinct advantages, especially [for] families with small children. In addition to the reduction of the traffic hazard, the creation of such sites has many other advantages to both the buyer and the developer,” the FHA said at the time. Cul-de-sacs gained popularity in the 1950s after one of the first engineering studies on residential street safety found that the number of accidents was substantially higher in grid-based subdivisions compared to neighborhoods with cul-de- sacs or looping streets. Cul-de-sacs are popular with developers because they allow them to build homes on odd parcels, often close to rivers or other barriers. Another plus: Because of the odd shape, that undeveloped plot land often costs less for the developer to acquire, but the finished house can, by some national real estate surveys, sell for up to 10 percent more than a home on a regular street. OPEN HOUSES! OPEN HOUSES! And Just Listed! And Just Listed! Sunday Sunday ALLENDALE Sun. 1-4 14 Crestwood Mews 2A. Fully renov 2 BR/2.5 bth townhome. 201-825-0500 $405,000 HILLSDALE Sun. 1-4 ALLENDALE By Appt By Appt: Custom 4 BR/2.5 bth Victorian. Original founda on. 201-825-0500 $950,000 HO-HO-KUS By Appt 10 Crosley Ter. Beau ful 3 BR/2.5 bth ranch. Whirlpool. 201-445-4554 $564,000 By Appt: Sophis cated private 5 BR/7.5 bth colonial. 201-934-4900 $3,499,000 MAHWAH MAHWAH Sun. 1-4 435 Ridge Rd. Impeccable 5 BR/5 bth colonial. Large lvl lot. 201-934-0600 $1,225,000 PARK RIDGE By Appt By Appt: Well maintained 3 BR/2 bth ranch. Immaculate! 201-327-7100 $475,000 ROCKAWAY In recent years, however, the cul-de-sac has been criticized by urban planners, who say its use has hurt communities by chopping up neighborhoods and isolating residents. They have blamed these streets for harming the environment — because culde-sacs empty out on busy artery roads, these planners say, they discourage walking. “In many neighborhoods with cul-deSee CUL-DE-SAC Page R-3 Sun. 1-4 359 W. Main St. Expanded 4 BR/4 bth ranch. HW floors. 201-934-4900 $380,000 Sun. 1-4 47 Longfellow Ln. Brookside Manor 2 BR/2 bth townhouse. 201-327-7100 $439,000 PARK RIDGE Sun. 1-4 51 Laura Ln. Lovely 4 BR/2.5 bth colonial. HW floors. 973-838-0100 $521,000 SADDLE RIVER By Appt By Appt: Magnificent 5 BR/8.5 bth brick estate. Slate roof. 201-327-7100 $3,395,000 ELMWOOD PARK Sun. 1-4 69 Linden Ave. New construct. 2-fam. 3 BR/1 bth each flr. 201-445-4554 $599,000 LITTLE FERRY Sun. 1-4 12 Chamberlain Ave. Large 4 BR/3 bth bi-level. Deck. 201-445-4554 $479,000 MAHWAH Sun. 1-4 34 Bellgrove Dr. Just listed! 3 BR/2.5 bth townhome. 201-327-7100 $525,000 PEARL RIVER, NY Sun. 1-4 298 N. Highland Ave. Arts & Cra s 3 BR/1.5 bth colonial. 845-351-5551 $425,000 SADDLE RIVER By Appt By Appt: Custom 7 BR/7 full/3 half bth manor. Pool. 201-934-4900 $7,299,000 FAIR LAWN By Appt By Appt: Custom 3 BR/3 bth bilevel. Open floor plan. 201-934-4900 $525,000 LODI By Appt By Appt: Spacious 5 BR/3 bth colonial. High ceilings. LR/fpl. 201-445-4554 $427,900 MIDLAND PARK Sun. 1-4 84 Westbrook Ave. Just listed! Expand 3 BR cape cod. Quiet st. 201-891-0100 $399,900 RAMSEY Sun. 1-4 382 S. Central Ave. Lovely 3 BR/2.5 bth bi-level. Cust pa o. 201-825-0500 $499,900 U @M1IYH() () 5ձͱ䁵хЁ HȁձȁѠ(Ĵд(()I9-1%81-L() () M܁1̸))]ɹȁѽԁ HظԁѠ(ĴĴ(Ȱ)5!] ()MոĴ((AѽIIɕ)مȁ HĸԁѠչи(ĴĴ()=-19()MոĴ((ȁ=ٕɱI եȁԁ HиԁѠ(Ĵд()I5Md()MոĴ((ā и%ɕͥٔI͕) չ Ոԁ H̸ԁѠ(ĴԴ()U@M1IYH()MոĴ((MIٕȁI ɕЀ) HԸԁѠȸ1ɝи(Ĵд(İ()ܹѽȹ()!5AQ=9 UI 9dMոĴ(( չIєĸ ɵ) H́ѠYѽɥԁɕ̸(ԴĴ()5!] ()MոĴ((ā ͽ1M Hظ)ѠԵȁɅ(Ĵܴ(İ)=1QAA8() () !ѽ屔) H̸ԁѠɕ(Ĵд(İ)I5Md() () %ձєЁ H)ѠI͕ (Ĵд()]== 1%1-()MոĴ((́٥܁ٔձ̀) H̸ԁѠЁٰȴȁ(Ĵܴ(()!]Q!=I9()MոĴ((ā=ɍɐA)Ёѕ) HȸԁѠɅ!́ɕ(ĴĴ()5!] () ())Ё1ѕչЀ́ Hȸ)ѠѽݹI(Ĵܴ()AI5UL()MոĴ((\5ٔЁ H̸)ѠMЁ݅ѕȁ(Ĵд()I%YHY1()MոĴ((Mȸ ѽ H)Ѡ= ȁ(Ĵд()]== 1%1-()MոĴ((Ʌ и]Ё!͕и) HȸԁѠɅ(Ĵд(((0