Archive for the 'Enjoying Home' Category

I’m feeling very retro these days. A couple of weeks ago my dryer quit after a long and useful life.  Engrossed in my washing, I hadn’t noticed that the dryer was not keeping pace with the washer and so 4 loads later I found myself with 80 lbs of wet clothes. A quick run to Mr. Charlie’s (aka American Royal Hardware on Park Street in Montclair) and I was back on track.

40 foot retractable clothesline:  $19.99
50-pack of wooden clothespins:$ 5.99
2 stainless steel screws:$.0.50

A basket full of dry, sweet-smelling clothes: Priceless

I find myself actually enjoying this activity which my mother did on a regular basis, every Tuesday, weather permitting.  Besides feeling nostalgic, I feel virtuous and thrifty for allowing the sun and wind to do for free for what I usually pay PSEG.  My 14 year-old son – not so much.  He’s mortified that his friends might see his skivvies from Valley Road.

I just read an article on usatoday.com that confirmed what I’ve suspected for awhile – that walkability leads to happiness.  The article cited a recent study from the University of New Hampshire which found that people who live in walkable communities are happier than those who don’t. Researchers interviewed 700 residents of three different communities and found that those who lived in the most walkable areas reported being happier, healthier and more likely to volunteer in their community than those who lived in less walkable areas.

Walkability is certainly one of the reasons I feel so connected to my own town. My sons bike to Montclair High School every day and to get to Edgemont park they just have to cross the street. On Sunday morning sometimes they walk over to Watchung Plaza and bring home a bag of Sunrise Bagels. I don’t need a car to get to the train station, my office is walking distance from our home and the supermarket is next to my office. For me, walking along a tree-lined street to a locally-owned store beats driving on a highway to the mall any day – it’s one of the things that makes Montclair a great place to live and Montclair real estate a great investment.

Heard this weekend while showing some Montclair houses for sale: “disappointed by the kitchens in the current inventory of Montclair real estate – even some of those that have been renovated”

It seems today’s Montclair home buyers expect more out of the kitchen than they did in years past. The dream kitchen of today is not just equipped with Sub-Zero and Viking appliances; it is also centrally located within the house and versatile. Susan Serra, a home designer on Long Island, explains in this month’s issue of Realtor magazine that “Living room and family room activities are merging into the kitchen, and it’s changing how kitchens look.” The kitchen has become the nerve center of the house, where party guests congregate and kids do their homework.

Homeowners are knocking down the walls separating the kitchen from the dining room and even the living room, creating a more open, inviting space. For sellers not looking to do such a drastic overhaul, there are a number of smaller steps that will create the same feel. Serra suggests using sconces and small lamps rather than overhead lighting, for a softer effect. Buyers love extra storage space, so adding a cabinet or wall shelving will add appeal. And most important, don’t skip the basics: make sure the countertops, flooring, etc. are in good condition.

Before you renovate or sell your Montclair home, give me a call or send me an email and I’d be happy to discuss what many of my buyer clients are looking for in the “current kitchen”.

I’m a big fan of the Brookdale section of Bloomfield. It has charming, well-maintained houses right by Brookdale Park, as well as a great mix of traditional and trendy shops and restaurants on Broad Street. Italian food fans have two delicious choices, each open less than a year.  Bar Cara is the more casual sibling of Montclair’s haute Italian restaurant Fascino;  both are owned by the DePersio family. On the other side of Watchung Ave. is Pizza Rustica, serving pizzas, pastas and the like. Literally next door is the popular Greek eatery Stamna, and right across the street is Boonsong Thai Cuisine. 

Looking for something less exotic?  The IHOP is perfect for a traditional pancake breakfast, and Mastriano Prime Meats & Deli has been the  neighborhood butcher since 1966. After dinner,  Brookdale-ites often stroll over to Holsten’s. Open since 1939, Holsten’s was famous for its ice cream long before the Sopranos came to town. 

The neighborhood is also home to several houses of worship. Among others, the Watchung Presbyterian Church is right next to the IHOP, and Temple Ner Tamid, a Reform congregation, is just a bit further south on Broad. 

Clearly local shop owners are proud of their neighborhood: long-established businesses here include Brookdale Wine & Spirits, Brookdale Pet Center and Brookdale Barber.  Add Brookdale Elementary School to the north, Bloomfield Middle School to the east, and you have one of New Jersey’s best walkable communities.

What Is Your Community Walkability Score?

walking in Montclair neighborhood

I’m a big fan of the rating website, www.walkscore.com, but its algorithm relies mostly on the proximity of a house to stores and community resources.  But to find walkability rating, it’s not just about distance — it’s also about the quality and ease of the walk.  Factors like wide sidewalks, shade trees, good lighting and flat topography matter a great deal in determining a walkability rating.  I downloaded this walkability checklist from www.walkinginfo.org and walked through my own Watchung Plaza neighborhood in Montclair.

Here’s what I found, both good and bad.

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We have a saying among real estate agents that  “Kitchens sell houses.” At the mere mention of the words “granite” or “stainless steel,” buyers flock to a new listing, imagining themselves preparing home-cooked meals for the family or having friends gather around the “island” while the host prepares a gourmet meal and offers a little kitchen theater.

So powerful is the pull of the granite kitchen that it can compensate for other defects in the house such as small bedrooms or too few bathrooms.  For many, the granite kitchen has become a symbol of the good life and of good times.  There’s just something about family, friends, home, and kitchen that is inextricably tied together – despite our love of take-out.

Check out some of these Montclair homes for sale, and see if these kitchens match your ideals.

Do all of us have a strong interest or skill in cooking? No.  But even those among us who have never flambéed or sautéed love a great kitchen. Friend and fellow Montclair resident, Alma Schneider has even built a business around the incongruity between having a fab kitchen but not knowing how to use it.  “Overcoming Obstacles to Cooking” is the theme of her blog “Take Back The Kitchen.” Here she offers tips, coaching packages, and classes.

Me, I’m still living with butcher block counters in my circa 1925 kitchen, albeit with new appliances, hoping that my friends and family will forgive my sin of missing granite.  What does your kitchen look like?

When I walk to Watchung Plaza from my Montclair home, I take a short route  through an interconnected grid of streets and through a small park.  I wave to my neighbor on the way.  I stop for a brief minute in the park to chat with a friend who’s on her way home from work (she’s just gotten off the 5:31 train from Manhattan).  It’s social.  It’s interactive.  It’s exercise.  It’s green.

On the other hand, it’s very difficult to walk to the train station, or the corner store to get milk in a town that is laid out in a branching street pattern with a series of dead-ends -aka cul-de-sacs- feeding in to a main artery. In these configurations, you can be a stone’s throw from your destination, but have to travel a mile to get there.  This may be a satisfactory layout for the car but not for the pedestrian or bike rider.

Watch this very clever video from the Congress for New Urbanism and you’ll see what I mean…

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGJt_YXIoJI

1. The train station (any one of the six)

2. Watchung Plaza for a dozen bagels on Sunday morning

3. The farmer’s market on a Saturday in June for local rhubarb and asparagus

4. Tierney’s Tavern on the way home from work for a retro burger and beer (no phone, no credit cards!)

5. The Wellmont Theater on a Saturday night to see David Byrne, Kathy Griffith or Rosie O’Donnell

6. Tinga Tacqueria on Monday and Tuesday nights when kids eat for $2

7. The “all children” playground in Edgemont Park on a weekday afternoon in spring

8. Anderson Park on the way to work for early morning Tai Chi

9. American Royal Hardware (aka Mr. Charlie’s) for that whatchamadoohickey that you’ll never find at Home Depot

10. Van Vleck House and Garden for a leafy respite