Hoboken Rated #1 Place to Live for Singles Over 30
Categories: Crazy Ball
CNN does an annual piece on top places to live in the US. Hoboken was top rated for singles over 30. Here’s the full story from Money Magazine (a CNN subsidiary):Hoboken is # 1 for singles. Of course, there is a video, too, complete with appearance by Mayor Dave Roberts: Click Here I guess they don’t rank most pregnant women per capita or we’d probably win that one too.
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Going “Green” in Hoboken Condos One Step at a Time
Categories: Crazy Ball, Design, For Buyers, For Sellers
Granite Counters May No Longer Help Sell Your Condo
We just celebrated the 30th anniversary of Earth Day, now expanded into Earth Week. On April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day, I happened to be on a family trip to Washington D.C. and on the mall where the first Earth Day event was taking place. I can still remember listening to a young Ralph Nader speak about the need to protect the environment. Thirty years have gone by and our environmental problems have become so much worse. Maybe it’s time for us to start taking our part in the problem more seriously. So here is my contribution for Earth Week 2008 (a tiny bit late).
There has been a lot of focus on ‘green buildings‘ lately, like the new Garden Street Lofts in Hoboken, which also happen to be some of the highest priced Hoboken condos ever. Yet every day I hear buyers ask “does that condo have granite counters and
stainless steel appliances in the kitchen?” and “are the bathrooms all tiled?” Many sellers think that putting new granite counters in the kitchen or replacing the carpets with hardwood floors is an easy, inexpensive way to upgrade their condo before selling. Granite, marble and most other stone is not green! Stones like marble, granite, slate, sandstone and limestone come from quarries. They are dug out of the earth from quarries which leave behind a huge, permanent, ugly gouge in the mountainside that disfigures the landscape for years and years. Stone quarrying causes all sorts of destruction to natural habitats, noise pollution, air pollution and water contamination from waste. We’ve all learned what damage has been done to our forests by over harvesting of trees. Now hardwoods are “FSC” certified (they come only from forests that are sustainable).
Why Not Recycled Paper or Glass For Your Next Kitchen or Bath?
Today there are hundreds of green products you can consider when renovating your condo. From recycled paper counter tops to reclaimed hardwood and even tile floors, the choices are affordable and attractive. There are many websites like the GreenHomeGuide where you can find advice and descriptions of these new options. Many of us, myself included, thought that if you wanted an upscale, luxurious finish granite, marble and stone were the way to go. Now we know better and have the information to make an intelligent, responsible choice. So before you begin selecting granite colors or looking at hardwood floors, explore the new options. Here are just a few to start:
- Bamboo for floors, cabinets and counters
- Marmoleum (made from linseed oil and natural pigments),
- Glass tile from Oceanside Glass made of recycled glass,
- IceStone (icestone.biz) produced in Brooklyn. Made of cement and glass, 75 %recycled, it is suitable for floors, walls and counters. Surfaces are available in almost any color, as the pigment can be added to the background mix and customers can select from a variety of sizes and colors of glass.
- Vetrazzo by Vetrazzo LLC (www.vetrazzo.com), which uses 80 percent postconsumer or postindustrial recycled glass and produces no off-gassing or VOCs.
- EnviroSlab (www.enviroglasproducts.com) is a recycled-glass terrazzo built in a color-pigmented epoxy resin.
- PaperStone (www.paperstoneproducts.com) composed of postconsumer waste paper and natural resin. Very strong and durable, its Certified line of counters uses 100 percent postconsumer waste.
- Richlite (www.richlite.com) another paper-and-resin counter, made from pulp derived from managed forests in the U.S. Like PaperStone, this matte slab material comes in natural colors that add a soft, comfortable feel to the room. The surface is stain-, scratch-, and heat-resistant, durable, and easy to maintain.
- Counterfeit, manufactured by shektaStone (www.shetkastone.com), is made from decommissioned paper money. Tops are scratchproof, waterproof, and stain-resistant and come in shades of green, including one that looks like marble and another that has pieces of U.S. Treasury bills visible in it.
- Reclaimed tile floors - take a look at the gorgeous ones at Pave Tile & Stone.
The list grows every day as more manufacturers are answering the demands of consumers for greener, healthier products. Remember, those same consumers are the ones willing to pay top dollar for environmentally friendly living spaces like the Garden Street Lofts. When time comes to sell, your greener floors and fixtures will lead to more green in your wallet! There are plenty of resources on the web where you can learn more about green building and remodeling alternatives. One of the most respected informational sites is buildinggreen.com. You’ll be surprised by the beauty and affordability of these new options and can sleep better at night knowing you did your part to help protect the earth while getting top dollar when you sell your Hoboken condo.
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Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign!
Categories: Crazy Ball, Design, Neighborhoods
Hoboken Streets Are Over Run with Signs - It’s Time For a Change.
Every Saturday and Sunday morning, you can watch as Hoboken realtors scurry around town, putting out sandwich board signs on street corners all over Hoboken to advertise their open houses. These signs are supposed to direct people to the open house but there is no evidence that this is at all effective. Worse, when it is windy, the signs often end up in the street instead of on the corner. Cars drive over them, people have to walk around them, and to say the least, they can be very unsightly.
According to most realtors, these signs are a necessary part of doing business. Yet in today’s internet world, that’s just nonsense. All of the open house information is readily found on-line at sights like craigslist, realtor.com and more, and it’s typically in the Hoboken Reporter classified section. For anyone who really cares, finding where the open houses are being held is pretty simple. The one thing the signs seem to do is make the seller feel all warm and fuzzy. So as long as one agency does it, the sellers will pressure every agent to do it. How do we get it to stop? Don’t let anyone do it! Or at least make them do it in a better way.
What’s the Alternative? Kiosks!
Why not have the city install a central kiosk or two, in high traffic locations that don’t block the sidewalk, where each agency can rent ad space? In fact, the city could use the revenue improve the street scape of Hoboken. Let City Hall fill some pot holes or plant some trees. The City has an interest in keeping the streets clear for pedestrians and ensuring the safety of its drivers. Keeping these signs out of the way and out of the street and having them placed in designated areas would surely further that purpose. It would also make Hoboken look a whole lot nicer.
Maybe even a little bit Parisian?
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A Luxury Hoboken Condo Home for A-Rod
Categories: Crazy Ball
A-Rod to Join Eli Manning at Hudson Tea?
The NY Daily News reported that that NY Yankee, Alex Rodriguez, has just closed on a $2 Million deal at the Hudson Tea building. According to earlier rumors, however, A-Rod supposedly was under contract for two penthouse units at 1025 Maxwell Lane. That is the completed building at Maxwell Place (the other Toll Brothers luxury development). The top floor of Maxwell Place has extra high ceilings and his units, which were to be combined into one, face due east with a panoramic view of the Manhattan skyline.
Maxwell Place or Hudson Tea?
Either the Daily News got it wrong or having Super Bowl superstar Eli Manning as his neighbor at Hudson Tea was enough to cause A-Rod to change his plans. In any event, it’s very nice that these to incredible athletes both selected Hoboken as their home. We look forward to seeing them around town. Johan Santana, if your listening, I’ve got a fabulous property I’d like to show you - call me.
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Friday - Hoboken Street Cleaning Suspended
Categories: Crazy Ball
Snowboken
Due to today’s snowfall, there will be no need to move your car for street cleaning. Be aware, however, that there is no parking to allow for emergency snow removal along parts of Washington Street - so check the street signs! Have fun and take your dog out to play in the snow!
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