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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Top 7 Reasons Your Condo or Home is Not Selling (That You Can Do Something About)
Categories: Design, For Sellers
Why Hasn’t My Condo Sold Yet?
When a property has been on the market an eternity and it’s just not moving, there is a reason. It may be in a bad location. That’s not really anything the seller can do much about. The property is just ridiculously overpriced. Sellers can be greedy. That’s hard to change. Often there is a different reason and a simple fix.
If You Really Want to Sell – Let Go Of Your Attachments
Sounds like something I would hear in yoga class – and it’s true. You’ve been living in your condo with things a certain way and you’re all attached to it being a certain way. You’ve justified all the reasons you never made those little improvements and now you’ve deeply bought into your justifications. If you really want to sell you may have to make some changes. Here are 7 of the most common issues that usually have a very easy fix:
1. The Closets Are a Mess
You should have sprung for the closet organization system when you bought the place. After years of living with clothes piled on shelves and crammed on a single closet bar, it hardly seems worth the effort to change your closets now. Well, it is. One of the biggest turn-offs for buyers is a lack of closet space, a common fault with Hoboken condos.
Solution: Go to Ikea. Buy a new closet system.
They’re a fraction of the cost of California Closets and just a functional and good looking. They are easy to install yourself with nothing more than a screwdriver. If you simply can’t afford it – hide everything! That’s right, hide the mess. Buy a bunch of pretty, colorful, matching paper boxes. Pile all your stuff into the boxes and arrange them neatly on the shelf. Then get matching hangers and pretend you work at the Gap. You know what I mean. Everything in color order, facing the same way. Add a big dose of potpourri or home fragrance and you’re good to go.
2. The Bathtub Is Gross
I can’t tell you how many tubs I look at in the most pristine bathrooms that have dirty, stained caulking.
Solution: Go to Home Depot. Buy some “caulk remover” and new caulk.
This is a really inexpensive fix yet it makes a huge difference in the appearance of your bathtub. Check the sink, too. Moisture accumulates where the countertop meets the wall and often mildews. Re-caulk it if it needs it.
3. The Floors Don’t Shine
Hardwood floors get scratched by furniture and shoes and lose their shine. They need to be refinished every so often. Carpet looks nice when it’s brand new but after a while it seems more like a place where somebody else’s dirt is hiding. A small change in the appearance of your floors can make a huge difference in the attractiveness of your unit.
Solution: Have the floors refinished and replace carpet with hardwood.
If you already have hardwood, you’re ahead of the game but you need to have them sanded and refinished. A relatively small investment here has a big payoff. If your hardwood is the very 1970s style checkerboard parquet (yes, you with the condo at the Shipyard) get rid of it and put in plank flooring. Not only will it look 100% better, it will set you apart from your neighbors who are selling. If you have wall to wall carpet seriously consider ripping it out and installing hardwood, or at least a laminate like Pergo. Hardwood is way less expensive than you would imagine. Look on-line. There are plenty of discounters.
4. The Lighting is Awful
Dark, dreary, or cast in a blue/grey glow? Does this describe your space? Do you have bare, exposed bulbs in your bathroom fixture or high hats where there should be spots? Sure, the spots cost more and use more energy but now is the time to use lighting to your advantage.
Solution: Buy new bulbs!
I am all about saving the environment and not wasting energy. So while I don’t advocate ‘over lighting’ a home day-to-day, selling your property is like displaying diamonds in Tiffany’s window. Ever notice jewelers always use halogen lights in their display cases? It’s because it makes the diamonds sparkle more. You need high wattage in your kitchen and living room space so it looks bigger. Then think about accent lighting to highlight a particular feature – say next to a chair and bookshelf to create a reading nook, or strategically placed around the dining area to chreate a warm, glowing atmosphere. Again, Ikea is great for inexpensive light fixtures – and we’re talking $10 to $50 for major improvements. Those $5 Home Depot plain white ceiling-mounted globes the developer installed – replace them all with something pretty and turn blah into a benefit.
5. Who Picked Out Those Colors?
You may just love purple. Or shocking pink. The latest trend in home decor may cry out for lime green. You’ve had that wall painted bright orange since you bought the place. Guess what – not everybody likes what you like. People are thinking to themselves “why on earth would anyone paint that room purple and lime green?”
Solution: Duh – paint it neutral!
Unless you are a talented decorator by profession, it’s best to stick with warm, neutrals. My favorite paint color is Benjamin Moore’s Calming Cream (and I love the name). You want to stick with unobjectionable colors. Creams, warm toffee beige, soft moss greens. Ask they guy at Lowes which colors sell best. Go online to different paint company websites or look at the little leaflets they give out at in the paint department at places like Lowes to choose a non-personal palette. You want to go for the colors the most people will like. Plus a clean coat of paint does wonders to make your condo shine.
6. The Kitchen Hasn’t Been Updated Since 1968.
A gut renovation is ideal but can be cost prohibitive and disruptive. But short of that, there is much that can be done to bring your kitchen into the 21st century. We will assume that you will or will have it scrubbed from top to bottom so that it is clean. Beyond that, however, you need to make it inviting. Otherwise, the buyer will think: I don’t want this place because it needs a new kitchen and that’s too much work and too expensive.
Solution: Fake it.
I staged a Hoboken condo recently that had a horrible kitchen. The cabinets were dark, dated oak with ugly, worn, fake brass knobs. The counter was formica in a mottled brown and beige pattern. The appliances were half old, half replaced and didn’t match. Fortunately, it has a neutral white ceramic tile floor. Without breaking the bank, my handyman painted the outside of the cabinets glossy white. I bought new draw pulls and knobs. We got a few decorative tiles and mostly field tile to match the countertops and installed a new backsplash using the decorative tiles as a focal point. The light fixture was changed for a track style with little halogen bulbs. The seller’s big splurge was for a new refrigerator and matching micro-hood. My point is that you can make drastic changes for a reasonable amount of money.
7. It’s Too Small
Square footage is what it is. You can’t really make your condo any bigger. It would surprise you, however, to know how many buyers react badly to clutter. Any space can be made to feel bigger.
Solution: Get rid of the junk.
You’re selling so, presumably, you’re moving. Think of it as getting a head-start on packing. All the unnessesary stuff you have laying around; the extra furniture jammed into the second bedroom; the 48 different kids toys have to go. If you have to work your way around a mess no matter how large your space it is not going to show well. Even if it means temporarily renting a storage space – do it. Clutter won’t sell.There are probably a dozen more ideas I can think of but I’ll save those for a follow-up post. You get the idea, I hope. If you are really serious about selling and want to get the most money possible for your property, and who doesn’t, then a little work will have real payoffs.
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