Archive for the 'Suburban Living' Category

One of the things I love most about Montclair is its diversity. Over the 20 years that I’ve lived here, I’ve  become friends with a number of people whom I probably would never have even gotten to meet in a more homogeneous suburb. These friends come from different religious,  ethnic and economic backgrounds from my own. I was thinking about this in connection with Governor Christie’s veto last month of an affordable housing bill.

On January 24, the governor conditionally vetoed a bill that would have replaced New Jersey’s Council on Affordable Housing with simpler ways for towns to meet their affordable housing obligations. He feels that the bill places too much of a burden on towns and builders; I believe that his proposed solutions will endanger the building of any new housing for middle- and working-class New Jerseyans. These are often the very people who provide the services essential to any community–the firefighters, police officers, shop owners, schoolteachers, etc. Without this economic diversity, walkable suburbs such as Montclair may become richer in terms of per capita income, but we will almost certainly become poorer in terms of our civic spirit. Hopefully this will never happen.

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”.

According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal,

“Today’s home buyers aren’t just looking for good schools and low crime rates when they evaluate a neighborhood, many brokers say. They’re paying much more attention to what they can walk to.” (emphasis added)

The growth of walkability as a desirable quality comes from homebuyers who want to avoid traffic as much as possible, and may also be looking forward to a day when gas prices get too high. Aging boomers buying homes to retire in and younger couples buying their first homes are both starting to look for the same easy proximity to town restaurants, shops, and activities.

This is why the towns I work in are so popular, and why I focus on the benefits of walkability when buying or selling homes. Though walkability depends on a number of factors - traffic patterns, topography – I have found that buyers are more and more looking to be within walking distance of things to do, and are willing to pay more for it.

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.

After closing on their bank-owned Colonial in Verona, one of the first “improvements” Bil and Ashli made was to add a vegetable garden to their backyard. They are predicting a prolific harvest of beans, onions, tomatoes, and Chinese sweet potatoes, of which they only eat the greens.

With 40,000 shade trees in Montclair, some gardeners have found that the backyard is just too shady to grow vegetables. A front yard flower and vegetable patch, however, is always an option, and can even replace the entire front lawn, giving the house a verdant and functional appeal. Robin of Glen Ridge has replaced her front lawn with a beautiful and bountiful combination of flowers and edibles. In her garden of Eden she grows rhubarb, cucumbers, beets, lettuce, squash, and herbs.

Montclair resident and food writer Laura has a front yard garden that is bordered by stones and integrates flowers and vegetables in the European fashion. This design, which runs along the path to her front door, works especially well because it welcomes visitors into her pleasant home and busy kitchen.

As for me, I have also established my raised-bed garden in the front yard, the only place that gets consistent sun.

If you are reading this, you are probably one of the 90% of buyers who searched for a home online this year.  According to the National Association of Realtors only 37% performed this activity 10 years ago.  Here are 7 stats that have changed – or not changed over the past decade:

1. 1999: 37% of buyers searched for a home online. 2009: 90% of buyers searched for a home online.
2. 1999: median home value is $137,600. 2009: median home value is $172,600
3. 1999: 82% of buyers purchased detached, single family homes. 2009: 78% of buyers purchased detached, single family homes.
4. 1999: 46% of buyers choose suburban neighborhoods. 2009: 54% of buyers choose suburban neighborhoods.
5. 1999: 68% of buyers were married couples. 2009: 60% of buyers are married couples.
6. 1999 and 2009: the median age for buyers was 39.
7. 1999 and 2009: “neighborhood quality, affordability, and convenience to work and school have consistently been top priorities.”

I bought my Montclair home just over a decade ago –11 years to be exact– and it has doubled in value, current market conditions notwithstanding.  Happy to be living here in Essex County, NJ and not where the median home value has increased by a mere 25% (see #2, above).

(Lani Rosales, December 31, 2009, Agent Genius Blog)

Anthropologie—the big retailer with modern urban style clothing and home goods–has opened its doors in Montclair in time for the holiday shopping season.  I’m sure there is some grumbling as people roll their eyes at $200 corduroy pants and worry that chain stores will threaten the character of our very indie town.  Me, I welcome Anthroplogie here.  I think ultimately we need a few William Sonomas and Gaps to anchor the smaller retail offerings of our town and keep it vibrant and walkable.  Unlike mom and pop shops, the big chain stores have national funding to stay open seven days a week and later in to the evening.  Anthropologie is open late–until 9 pm at night—my own preferred shopping time.

There’s a positive ripple effect.  With longer store hours people walk in the streets until later, and they’re more likely to go get some dinner or a coffee on Church Street after they’ve browsed (or shopped in the store).    Anthropologie gives outsiders another reason to bypass the mall and come visit Montclair, and maybe pop into Semplice or the Montclair Book Center.

What’s interesting is that more and more big retail stores want to be located in a walkable downtown like ours.  For the first time in forty years, the trend is shifting away from malls.  People want to shop locally.  They don’t want to get on a highway to buy a pair of jeans or that perfect gift.

This holiday season you’ll find me at the sale rack sometime around 8:30 pm.  Anthropologie is located at the corner of Church Street and Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair.

I’m not a big mall person.  The whole ordeal of driving 20 minutes only to look for parking for another 20 minutes has turned me off.  These days I’m shopping locally in Montclair, and starting today, Oct 15th, 50 plus stores will keep their doors open until at least 8 pm.  Some of my personal favorites are: Terra for their fair trade merchandise and homemade goodies, semplice for their hip take on home furnishings and the new Anthropologie for their inspiring retro-handmade combinations.

Here’s a list of all the stores that are extending their hours this holiday season:

Accents With Flowers

Afro-Brazilian Cultural Center of NJ

Alicia’s

Amanti Vino

American Sampler

Anthropologie

Artistic Illuminations of Montclair

Aunt Jean’s Toys & Treats

Blu Lotus

Bobbi Brown Studio

Buds For You

Catcom

Chez Renee

Cisco Station

ColorStoryHome

Creative Endeavors

Culture Couture

Dobbs

Dulce Candy Boutique

Euro Glass Art

Essex Fine Arts Gallery

Fleet Feet

Four Eyes & Ears

Gallery 51

Gallery Loupe

Go Lightly

Glenridge Taekwon-do

Hampton House

HipNotique

Irish & More

Jerry’s Antiques

Johari

Little Cricket

Makeready Press

Modern Yarn

Montclair Antique Center

Montclair Art Museum

Montclair Pet & Feed

Nest & Company

O Soleil

Parlor Hair Salon

People Store

Phil Cantor Photography

Ruby

Sahana Spa

Salon Organic

semplice

Stix-n-Stitches

Terra

Tory Janes

Urban Outfitters

The Woodhouse Spa

.

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

Last week I received my 2008 Homestead Rebate Application.  While I dutifully filled out the worksheet, I remembered my rebate from last year as being very minor, but better than nothing.  Lot and block number? Check.  Filing status number? Check. NJ Homeowner as of Oct 1, 2008? Check.  Only upon reading the fine print did I realize that I am no longer eligible.  As it turns out, one of the casualties of NJ’s 29 Billion dollar budget is the homestead rebate check for New Jersey homeowners making more than $75,000/year.  NJ residents who are elderly or disabled have a household income threshold of $150,000.

The deadline for filing an application for the 2008 NJ Homestead rebate is September 1 of 2009.  Worksheet packets were mailed to non-senior and non-disabled residents during the last week of July. If you did not receive your application call the Homestead Rebate Hotline at 1-888-238-1233 or on the web at www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation.

“The Homestead Rebate program provides rebates for homeowners and tenants who occupied their principal residence in New Jersey on Oct 1st, paid property taxes on that dwelling either directly or through rent, and whose gross income for the entire year does not exceed certain limits”