Elaborate homes in North Jersey are no strangers to spending long periods of time on the market. With high price points, luxurious amenities and unique locations, these homes can require a one-of-a-kind buyer.
And one luxurious property in Alpine has finally found that special buyer after spending more than six years on and off the market.
The home at 16 Dogwood Lane in Alpine officially sold for a cool $7.25 million on Feb. 3. The listing was managed by Taylor Lucyk of The Taylor Lucyk Group at Christie's International Real Estate, along with Richard Orlando and Jason Pierce of New Jersey Proper at Prominent Properties Sotheby's International Real Estate -- who all took over the listing and put it back on the market in July 2024.
"This was always a house that we had emphasized to our buyers because we thought it offered a lot of value and was a very unique home. So, we just decided to give the guy a call and see if he'd be open to listing with us because who knows this house better than us, right?" Lucyk said. "We were very passionate about this house and we had a belief that there was a value for this house."
This six-bedroom, 10-bathroom estate boasts 11,623 square feet of living space on a 1.24-acre lot just minutes from the Palisades. Built in 2008 and designed by renowned Morristown-based architect James Paragano, this sleek property features 12-foot ceilings on the first floor, three living room spaces, a spacious chef's kitchen with high-end appliances, five marble fireplaces, a home theater and a fitness room.
There's also an elevator, a gunite pool, a cabana and a three-bay garage with lifts to accommodate five cars.
Lucyk said what really sets this house apart from other properties at this price, though, is its full diamond cut limestone exterior. He said that while people will often incorporate this material in their homes on a small scale, such as on a fireplace or on the counters, it's rare to see it used in a major way.
"Limestone is a really expensive exterior stone," he said. "To put a value on that, it's definitely north of $1 million just in material and install to do a full limestone house today. And what makes it so expensive is just the natural beauty of it and the timeless look of it."
He said that diamond cut limestone can be difficult to find because there's few vendors that offer it. And since it's such a heavy stone, he said it's a very expensive material to install. Because of this, the full limestone exterior of this Alpine property made it a really unique find in our area.
And to go along with this, the home has a Vermont slate roof -- a natural stone that is known for being durable and environmentally friendly.
Lucyk said that overall, he believes that their ability to highlight all of the key factors and unique details about this home is what made them successful in finally selling it. He said that taking the time to learn its ins and outs, as well as properly staging it to showcase its best features, was important.
"There were challenges around the fact that there was history to the listing, that there were multiple price changes and multiple brokers. So we had to work through that," Lucyk said. "But after some time, we had good interest in the property and we were just able to strike a deal."
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.