in residence
A car drove up to our door this morning. You have to understand, this is not a driveway you happen upon, especially since you have to drive past the main house to get to ours. So. A station wagon drove up, parked. A older man got out. Someone here to check the meter? But on a Saturday? In sweatpants and a Yankees baseball cap?
Turns out he came around to make sure we actually live here. At this house. It's a school check, to flush out people lying about their addresses to get their kids into the Montclair school system. He said he catches 40 to 50 kids every year. Mostly from Newark, also Irvington and another town I can't remember. I don't blame them, and I can't say I'm surprised. You do what you need to do when it comes to your kid. I was just kind of tickled that we now live in a place that has schools worth lying to attend. And yes, the property values reflect that and yes, it's going to make it somewhat trickier to buy a house here. But our house in LA was worth as least as much as a decent house around here, and the schools? Not so great.
It's all relative.