If only it were possible to buy two houses for the price of one. That would be just too good to be true.
Or would it?
In Verona, it is true — kind of.
Listed for $899,900, the property at 21 Laurel Court has two homes in one: a three-bedroom, three-bathroom bi-level main house, and a spacious attached in-law ranch with two bedrooms, one bathroom and two private entrances.
Listing agents Douglas Holmes and Jacqueline Sturm, both of Howard Hanna Rand Realty, said this one-of-a-kind in-law suite was added to the home by its previous owners, but was expanded by the property’s current sellers to include a second bedroom.
“They built a separate ranch house off the side. Usually in-law suites are kind of like an afterthought, and they’re usually not as nice as the main house,” Holmes said. “This one is just as nice as the main house. Actually, it has some features that the main house doesn’t even have.”
In addition to the private entrances, he said this in-law suite includes a formal living room with a wood-burning stone fireplace, custom built-ins, walk-in closets in each bedroom, an updated kitchen that leads to a back deck, custom pantries and a spacious bathroom.
As for the main house, the entry foyer leads you either down to the family room or up to the living room. There’s also a master bedroom with a walk-in closet and zero-clearance bathroom, an updated kitchen and updated bathrooms.
Holmes said one of the stand-out features of the main home, though, is the elevator. He said the elevator runs through the area between the living room and dining room, and has hardwood flooring on its roof so it blends in with the floor when it’s down.
“It also has a safety feature that if the elevator is up and somebody wanted to get in and go down, but somebody else is standing below it, it will not move, and vice versa,” he said. “There’s also a landline phone in the elevator so that you can never get stuck.”
Holmes and Sturm said this elevator, as well as a door with a ramp connecting the main home to the in-law suite and other ADA compliant features that have since been removed, were added by the home’s sellers. This is because one of the sellers, motivational speaker Scott Chesney, is a wheelchair user and these updates were made to accommodate him.
Sitting on a .35-acre lot at the end of a double-cul-de-sac, Holmes said the property offers stunning mountain views, which can be seen from the home’s Juliet balcony and deck that runs the entire length of the home.
The property is also located near Hilltop Reservation park, several schools and public transportation, he said.
“Everything is within moments from this house. You couldn’t get a better location,” he said. “And because it’s on a double cul-de-sac — this is at the very far end of it — the only people going through here is people that live in this development because there’s no through street.”
Holmes and Sturm said that when the home was initially listed for sale in March, they received multiple offers and ended up accepting one for $940,000. But during attorney review, that buyer received a relocation package from his job and backed out of the deal, setting the listing back to square one.
That’s when Holmes and Sturm decided to give the home’s siding and shutters a fresh coat of paint, as well as remove the home’s ADA-compliant features, with the exception of the elevator. While these accommodations can be added back to the home by its next owners, they said they did this to make the home appeal to a larger pool of buyers.
“I’ve gotten a lot of people saying that they’d rather it go to someone with a handicap,” Sturm said. “They love it, but they feel it should go to someone that needs the home.”
The property is still looking for its next owner, Holmes said. And compared to the quality of other properties listed in Verona for a similar price, he said he feels as though this home has a lot more to offer.
“This is a great house and it’s at a really reasonable price,” he said. “This is really two houses in one, with an in-law suite that’s just as good as the main house. You can’t beat it.”
Maddie McGay is the real estate reporter for NorthJersey.com and The Record, covering all things worth celebrating about living in North Jersey. Find her on Instagram @maddiemcgay, on X @maddiemcgayy, and sign up for her North Jersey Living newsletter. Do you have a tip, trend or terrific house she should know about? Email her at MMcGay@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Essex County NJ home with bonus in-law ranch listed for sale
