The HREN Home Improvement Series
Categories: Design, For Buyers, For Sellers, Hoboken Condos, Home Improvement Series
We frequently receive inquiries about residential renovations–from sellers looking to increase the curb appeal of their homes as well as from recent buyers hoping to make improvements that will enable their house or apartment to function better and feel like “home”.
Always eager to serve, I am introducing a new HREN feature: The Home Improvement Series, in which I will discuss many facets of the renovation process, viewed through the lens of the real estate market here in Hoboken. What are buyers looking for? Where is money well spent? What clever solutions have I seen in my travels?
Working with me on this series will be my brother-in-law–the most recent addition to the Turoff Team–who has spent almost 20 years working as a residential architectural designer and project manager. He will contribute practical advice and technical know-how along with some of his spectacular design talent (to use his words…).
Between the two of us, we have plenty to say, but if you have any questions on the topic, don’t hesitate to submit them, and we will try to assist you.
Ready? Let’s get started.
Question 1: I am planning some “cosmetic” renovations to my Hoboken Condo. Do I need a permit?
As with so much in this life, one person’s idea of a minor task might strike someone else as a substantial project, and while you know what you mean when you say “cosmetic”, there are specific guidelines defining what scope of work can be undertaken without a permit. Hoboken residents are governed in this arena by the city’s Construction Code Office which, in turn, administers and enforces the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code. When you plug “cosmetic renovation” into the Universal Code Jargon Translator, the phrase that pops out is “Ordinary Maintenance”–the tasks that any homeowner can undertake in the course of maintaining their home.
Alteration to the number or configuration of rooms will always require a permit. While some minor alterations to walls can be considered “ordinary maintenance”, it is a good idea to check with an architect or contractor before you start swinging your hammer. No modification of any structural wall or element is allowed without a permit, and the extent to which non-structural walls can be altered without a permit varies from case to case.
Any work that involves any change to the path of Egress–the emergency escape route from your home–requires a permit. This includes any change to the dimensions or configuration of the hallways or stairs, any change to the configuration of the home’s entry doors or egress windows–windows that lead out to fire escapes, fire ladders etc.
Within these parameters, however, there is a fair amount of work that can be considered “cosmetic” renovation work, largely related to interior finishes–painting, installation of ornamental trim, re-finishing floors, replacement of doors–and minor plumbing and electrical work: repairs and replacement of faucets, bathroom fixtures, electrical fixtures, receptacles,etc.
Beware the “Slippery Slope”
One phenomenon that you will encounter in any contemplation of “minor” construction projects is the “slippery slope”. Yes–replacing the water controls in your shower is “ordinary maintenance” under the NJ UCC. But any changes to “piping arrangements–the hot- and cold-water pipes inside the walls–is not. You can replace your old shower handles and valves with new ones without a permit, but if you decide that you want to add a hand-held shower–great for washing the dog–and a second shower head–for a romantic shower a deux–and maybe a rain head and a couple of body jets, you will need to re-work the plumbing pipes in your shower, and the code requires you get a permit. Plumbing and Electrical tasks are the most likely to lead you down a slippery slope and for that reason–and for safety’s sake–I encourage you to engage the services of a licensed plumber or electrician for all but the most basic tasks. A professional will know when your goal involves work that will take you out of the realm of ‘ordinary maintenance’ and into the Permit Zone.
In coming installments, we will take a look at these “ordinary maintenance” tasks in greater detail and look at some of the ways you can “renovate” your home, one small step at a time.
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The Hoboken & Downtown JC Open House Google Map for Saturday, March 17th & Sunday, March 18th, 2012
Categories: For Buyers, Hoboken Condos, Jersey City Condos, Open House
The Original and Best Open House Google Map!
Courtesy of the Turoff Realty Team
No need to register! No form to fill out!
Just click on the map below to see every Open House in Hoboken this weekend:
Click HERE to see the Downtown Jersey City Open House Map
When you look at the maps, place markers are color coded:
- Studios & 1BRs are red
- 2BRs are green
- 3BRs & Bigger are yellow
- New listings are marked with a Push Pin icon (in the same color scheme.)
Click the “Address”, “Price” “Bed” or “Details” columns to sort the list of open houses in ascending or descending order.
Click on the location marker for:
- open house date
- time
- unit size
- asking price
- link to all the info found on the MLS and more (from ourHobokensBestHomes.com IDX feed.)
Who Represents Whom?
Did you know that the agent hosting an open house is the Seller’s agent? Whether it is the actual listing agent or any other agent from the same company, that person legally represents the sellers. Not only that, the hosting agent – by law – has a fiduciary duty to the seller to get that seller the highest possible price for that property. Do you think it might be a conflict of interest for that same person to then represent you? Many people think so. In fact, in many states (other than NJ) it is illegal for the same agent to represent the seller and also work with the buyer.
If You Thought Sunscreen & Condoms were the Only Protection You Need – You Are Wrong!
Interested in new construction – like Maxwell Place or Hudson Tea? Before you walk into the Toll Brothers Sales Office know what you are getting in to! Once you talk to the sales office – even casually – they WILL NOT compensate your agent if you go back with an agent. Of course, you should go back with an agent because:
1. The sales office works NOT for you but for the developer! They are Toll Brothers’ agent – not yours!
2. Despite what you may have heard or come to believe, Toll Brothers is NOT going to cut you a deal if you work with them without an agent.
Looking at resales? Did you know that when you go to an open house you can see the property at the open house on your own and then go back to it with your own agent? So if you see something you like at an open house you find your own agent who does not work for the seller. By the way, if the host says “oh, it’s not my listing, I’m not the seller’s agent” they are just flat-out wrong. The listing agreement a seller signs is between the seller and the brokerage company (Century 21, Coldwell, Remax, etc.). EVERY agent from that firm is the seller’s agent! So protect your interests. You’re making one of the biggest financial decisions of your life.
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Miscellaneous Hoboken Real Estate Musings
Categories: For Buyers, For Sellers
While you all anxiously await this weekend’s Open House Google Map, I would entertain you with a few thought and observations.
- Keys
If you are trying to sell your property, chances are better if lots of buyers get to see it, no? So why do sellers not request that their listing agent put a lockbox on the building? It is not a security risk because the key is not identified with a unit number. Besides, in 10 years of selling real estate, I’ve never heard of one being broken into. Why do you not, at least, demand that your listing agent make multiple sets of the keys they keep at the office? Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to all us agents working with buyers to have to hunt down the one and only set of keys on a busy Saturday or Sunday? Often, we cannot get them at all. So the buyer doesn’t get to see your gorgeous home. And it doesn’t sell. Finally, assuming we do get the keys, how much trouble do you think it would be for your listing agent to label them? Between bad key cuts, and no labels, do you have any idea how much time I (and other agents like me) waste every weekend fumbling at front doors that won’t open? Seems like common sense stuff to me yet it rarely is done properly.
- Sales
I heard a real estate coach give a presentation yesterday. Personally, these guys turn me off, big-time. I don’t need a paid cheerleader to motivate me to do my work. Many agents do and coaching is a very lucrative gig. During the presentation, he said (I’m paraphrasing here) interest rates are at an all time low, many agents have dropped out of the business, and even though inventory is shrinking prices haven’t really rebounded – yet. Real Estate is on sale! If this were Bloomie’s you’d be fighting each other at the rolling racks. I strongly suspect that in 2015 and 2016 I’m going to hear buyers saying “oh, I wish I had gotten in back in 2012″. People are always afraid of missing out on a good deal. It is here & now.
- Awards
All the big brokerages have a bunch of terribly-named sales awards; the President’s Circle, the Centurion, the Million Dollar club, etc. None of them convey to the home-buying public any sense of how a winning agent differs from the losers. They are not the “Top 1% of all agent sales Award” or the “I sold 10 times as many condos as the other guy Award”. Last night, Century 21 had it’s big, regional awards banquet. Although I passed on the rubber chicken and dessert buffet, I got one. Woopie for me. I would rather they spent the money and effort on something that would help me help you. Like designing a really awesome mobile app for home search that had an intuitive user interface and accurate results.
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