b"Calling Maplewood Home (Again)Working with Douglas HuebnerBY ELLEN DONKER D I N G H ON MIF ET omPhillipsandTishportunitytokindofcustomizeit Sahner were feeling pres- ourselves. sured. They were rentingIn the four months theyve been in a home in Millburn aftertheir new house, they have been de-relocatingfromJerseylighted and surprised by the friendli-Cityduringthepan- ness of their neighbors. Phillips says, demic.Withaone-yearWevelivedasamarriedcouplein lease, they had planned to buy a homethreedifferentplaces.Thisisour in Maplewood in that time. But theirfourth,andweveneverhadneigh-first offer on a home landed them inbors proactively come out and intro-the 23rd spot of a bidding war, evenTom Phillips and Tish Sahner with their newest additionduce themselves to us. It was kind of though they came in well above ask- on closing day for their home. auniqueexperience.Theyvealso ing. Future efforts ended similarly.connectedwiththreeotherfamilies, WereallywantedtobeinMa- them a home on Suffolk Avenue. Al- Dougwasgreatalongtheway,all within a three-block radius, whose plewoodformanyreasons,Phillipsthough nothing sparked in that house,Phillips says, even though he was inchildren attend the same daycare class says,butthemarketwasjusttooHuebner mentioned that he was aboutatoughpositionrepresentingbothas their toddler. Sahner calls it an au-competitive. to start work on a home around thesides; but it worked out.tomatic mini community. Thinkingothertownsmightde- corner on Parker Avenue. Part realtorWhiletheywerewaitingtocloseThe couple are grateful that Hueb-liverbetteraffordability,thecoupleand part renovator, Huebner is uniqueon the house, the lease on their rentalner brought this opportunity to them looked in Union County, but nothingin that he offers his well-honed designin Millburn expiredthe owner hadso they could call Maplewood home clicked.Andthetruthwas,Sahnerssense via his company, The Habitatil- new renters lined up and was unwill- after all. hometown of Maplewood was whereist Group, to help owners update theiring to extend their leaseso the familyAs Sahner puts it, Were counting they had envisioned raising their fam- homes before they sell.moved in with Sahner's parents for twoourluckystarsthatwemetDoug ily. With a toddler in tow and a babyPhillipsaskedifhecouldseetheand a half months along with their tod- when we did, [and] that all the pieces ontheway,itmadesensetolocatehouse, thinking that they might buydler, dog, and newborn son. By Octo- fell into place. nearherparents.Sahnerremembersbefore the renovations and before it hitber, they were in their new home.an idyllic childhood. I really liked thethe market. Huebner readily agreed. AlthoughHuebnerdidntgetto positive aspects of Maplewood that weAs soon as we saw it, we could rec- make the updates on the house, he did enjoyed growing upthe kind of fam- ognize the bones and potential, Phil- ensure that the floors were sanded and ily-centric,livelycommunity.Ilikelips says, even though it did and doesstained, and the home's exterior and that its always attracting new familiesneed a lot of work.insidewallswerepaintedbeforethe from the cityand beyond. So, it feelsAlthoughitseemedalmosttoofamily moved in. As for future reno-very vibrant. serendipitousforthistoworkout,vations, Phillips and Sahner are going After a month or two, the couplePhillips and Sahner submitted an offer.withtheadvicethatHuebnergave declared themselves ready to start look- When the owner accepted it, Phillipsthem: Its better to live in the space, inginMaplewoodagain.Theyweresays,thecoupleremainedskeptical,figure out what you want to do, what working with realtor Douglas Hueb- certainthatsomethingwouldderailannoys you, [and] what changes you ner, who had been recommended bytheiroff-marketdeal.ButHuebnerwant to see.Douglas Huebner helped the Phillips/Sahn-a family friend, and he was showingkept it all going. Phillips says, We saw it as an op- er family find their home in Maplewood.finding home /31"