432 Walton Road, Maplewood, NJ 07040

Bottom Line

A 1920 center-hall colonial on a 0.38-acre flat lot in western Maplewood, three-quarters of a mile from Maplewood Station and the Village [S1][S2]. Listed at $1,999,000 with 5 BR / 5 BA (3 full) and a detached 3-bay garage with climbing wall / loft [S2]. The bid question is positioning: this is roughly $750K above the most recent same-block 2019 sale (434 Walton at $1.25M) [S6], and Maplewood just completed a 2024 revaluation so the post-sale tax picture is unusually current [S5].

Quick Takeaways

• Built 1920, Block 14.15 Lot 297, 0.3788 ac, 2-story SF + 3-car garage; rear adjoins Maplewood Ave [S1].
• Listed $1,999,000, 5 BR / 5 BA (3 full); on market ~6 months; open house May 14 [S2].
• Listing flags "one of only a few flat streets in Maplewood" — comfort signal, but flat = drainage retention; basement and yard water history is the first question [S2].
• Aha — SOMSD does not assign elementary by proximity. The district uses an "Intentional Integration Initiative" that buses across all six elementaries to balance socioeconomic demographics; aggregator "nearest school" lists do not apply [S4].
• Aha — Maplewood completed a 2024 revaluation. Post-sale tax-shock risk is lower than typical NJ towns; 2024 general rate 2.313 / effective 2.686, township average bill $18,615 [S5].
• 459 Walton flipped $720K → $999K in ~5 months (Aug 2025 → Jan 2026) — active renovation cycle on the street, but does not anchor a $2M tier [S6].
• Detached 3-bay garage with climbing wall + loft is unusual for the cohort — material if permitted and structurally inspected [S2].

What Makes This Interesting

• Walk-to-train + walk-to-village. ~0.75 mi to Maplewood Station (M&E Line, Midtown Direct to NYC Penn) and Maplewood Village retail [S2][S3].
• Lot. 0.38 ac and flat is uncommon on this block [S1][S2].
• Vintage with renovation. Retained 1920 features (leaded glass, hardwood, wood-burning fireplace) alongside a renovated primary bath and chef's kitchen [S2].
• Connectivity. Verizon Fios up to 940 Mbps + Comcast cable to ~987 Mbps marketed at the parcel [S1].
• Outbuilding optionality. Detached 3-bay garage with climbing wall and loft expands use cases beyond a typical 1920 lot [S2].

Open House Checklist

Look closely at

• Basement floor and walls at the sump and perimeter joints, behind any finished sheetrock — flat lot + 1920 vintage = water history is the first test.
• Windows — leaded glass at foyer and bonus room is signaled; check whether the rest is original single-pane or retrofitted.
• Wood-burning fireplace — flue, hearth, damper, last sweep; chimney mortar from outside.
• Detached garage slab and framing — climbing-wall anchoring, loft structure, electrical service, slab drainage.
• Finish-grade in kitchen / primary bath / basement powder — match to price tier; look for overlay over older substrate.
• Yard and driveway pitch — flat lot means water stays; observe slope toward / away from foundation.

Ask the agent

• Install dates for roof, HVAC, water heater, electrical panel, main sewer line — documented?
• Open or unfinaled permits — especially for the garage build-out and the kitchen / primary bath.
• Underground oil tank history — prior tank, abandonment, removal docs, soil testing.
• Prior pending sale that returned to market — if any, cited reason.
• Why 6 months on market — reductions, scheduled adjustments, strategy changes.
• Post-2024-reval tax bill — new annual figure, any appeal filed.

Decide after touring

• Worth deeper diligence if: dry basement on a wet day + install-date documentation in hand + clean permit file for garage build-out + post-reval tax bill within ~10% of a buyer's model at this price + comp test shows recent renovated west-Maplewood colonials at $1.7M–$2.1M.
• Move on if: active basement water management with no install documentation, or unpermitted electrical / structural work in the detached garage that can't be cleanly cured, or no post-reval tax bill, or the comp test puts the property at the $999K flip tier rather than the renovated-colonial tier.

Concerns to Verify

Taxes / Carrying Cost

• 2024 general rate $2.313 / effective $2.686 per $100; township average bill $18,615 vs. Essex County average $13,615 [S5].
• Maplewood completed a 2024 revaluation. Every parcel was reset to market value; post-sale reassessment shock is smaller here than in towns that haven't reassessed in years [S5].
• Parcel-level assessment for 432 Walton is not displayed in the NJParcels scrape — pull the live SR-1A from the Maplewood Tax Assessor or the online tax-account lookup [S1].
• Illustrative only: at the 2024 effective rate (2.686) applied to a $1.999M market value, a stabilized annual line would be near ~$54,000. Directional; not a tax opinion.
• 459 Walton (2,738 sf, similar vintage) carries ~$21.9K/year per a third-party aggregator [S6] — bottom-of-cohort anchor.

Schools / Commute

• SOMSD (PK-12) — six elementaries (Jefferson, Tuscan, Seth Boyden, Clinton, Marshall, South Mountain), two middle schools (Maplewood Middle, South Orange Middle), Columbia HS [S1][S4].
• Elementary assignment is not proximity-based. SOMSD's Intentional Integration Initiative buses students across the district to balance socioeconomic demographics; a two-zone model is in beta testing [S4].
• Verify assignment with SOMSD enrollment at 973-762-5600 using the exact address. Aggregator-default elementary assignments do not apply here [S4].
• Independent ratings: Niche, GreatSchools, SchoolDigger, U.S. News — review at the school level once the assignment is confirmed [S6].
• Maplewood Station (NJT Morris & Essex Line, Midtown Direct to NYC Penn) ~0.75 mi from the parcel per listing copy [S2][S3].
• Maplewood Jitney Mon–Fri (ex municipal holidays) to Maplewood Station, ~6–9 AM and ~6–9 PM. $3/ride cash; 2026 pass $165 ($82.50 after June 30); combo parking + jitney $415 [S3].

Market / Resale Context

• Closest comp: 434 Walton (next door) sold $1,250,000 on 2019-09-11 (3,796 sf, 1929 build) [S1][S6].
• 440 Walton $1,039,500 on 2019-06-24; 420 Walton $942,420 on 2019-07-01 — both pre-pandemic [S6].
• 459 Walton flipped $720K → $999K in ~5 months (Aug 2025 → Jan 2026) — active renovation cycle on the street, but does not anchor a $2M tier [S6].
• Maplewood 12-month median ~$922,500 [S6]. At $1,999,000, 432 Walton is positioned as a top-of-market township property.
• Buyer-pathway: the price implies a comp set of renovated 5 BR / 5 BA Maplewood Village colonials at $1.7M–$2.1M, not the as-is Walton Rd 1920 cohort. Ask the listing agent for the specific renovated-colonial comps the seller used; pull GSMLS sold >$1.5M in west-Maplewood for the last 12 months.
• No non-round bid-price endings in the reviewed comp set [S6].

Source Notes

Sources reviewed through: 2026-05-12.

• S1 — NJParcels — 432 Walton Rd, Block 14.15 Lot 297 — parcel facts, utilities, district, adjacency, deed; assessment/tax fields blank — High (facts) / Pending ($).
• S2 — Coldwell Banker listing MLS 3993282 — list price, BR/BA, on-market date, listing description — High.
• S3 — Maplewood Jitney Bus Services, NJ Transit — jitney route, hours, 2026 fares — High.
• S4 — SOMSD materials and reporting on the Intentional Integration Initiative; Village Green coverage — High (structure) / Pending (parcel-level assignment).
• S5 — NJ Treasury 2024 tax rates PDF, Maplewood 2024 Revaluation — High.
• S6 — Aggregator comp data via Redfin / Zillow / Ownerly / Movoto search summaries (2026-05-12) — Medium (verify in MLS).
• S7 — FEMA Flood Map Service Center (parcel pull pending) + regional Hurricane Ida (Sept 2021) context — High when verified.