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My husband and I may be relocating to NJ and have been looking at houses on the internet. I have a general question regarding homes in NJ that I'm afraid is going to come across as not very nice but I promise I am really trying to understand something. We have been potentially moving to several states over the past several years for my husbands job so I have looked at a lot of houses in many states on the internet but I notice that in NJ it is extremely common for homes to not really be decorated or updated regardless of the price. By this I mean it is very common to see homes with only white walls (no colored paint); very outdated carpeting, window treatments, and furniture; no artwork or pictures or the walls; kitchens and bathrooms that have never been updated and have old appliances. So if a house was built in the 1950s or 1960s it literally looks like the place hasn't been touched since - furnishings and all. In fact it is almost difficult to find a house that is updated and decorated, even in the million dollar ranges. (I should mention we are looking at areas within an hour commute to NYC). I love to decorate so it has been a bit depressing for me as I search for houses. At the same time I realize that we will be purchasing a blank slate, so to speak, and I can start from scratch. But with everything looking so outdated it's a bit difficult for me to try to figure out how our furniture is going to look in the house or where I would even begin to update. But I am curious as to why people in NJ aren't as interested in decorating and updating/upgrading their homes as people in other parts of the country seem to be. Do you all not spend a great deal of time at home so you don't look at it as important? Is it that the cost of living is so high that there isn't enough money around for decorating and upgrading? I'm a bit concerned that the decorating and upgrading that has been viewed as standard and normal everywhere else I have lived will be viewed as snobish in NJ and I don't want to come accross that way if we move there but at the same time I won't be happy living in an outdated, undecorated home either.
My husband and I may be relocating to NJ and have been looking at houses on the internet. I have a general question regarding homes in NJ that I'm afraid is going to come across as not very nice but I promise I am really trying to understand something. We have been potentially moving to several states over the past several years for my husbands job so I have looked at a lot of houses in many states on the internet but I notice that in NJ it is extremely common for homes to not really be decorated or updated regardless of the price. By this I mean it is very common to see homes with only white walls (no colored paint); very outdated carpeting, window treatments, and furniture; no artwork or pictures or the walls; kitchens and bathrooms that have never been updated and have old appliances. So if a house was built in the 1950s or 1960s it literally looks like the place hasn't been touched since - furnishings and all. In fact it is almost difficult to find a house that is updated and decorated, even in the million dollar ranges. (I should mention we are looking at areas within an hour commute to NYC). I love to decorate so it has been a bit depressing for me as I search for houses. At the same time I realize that we will be purchasing a blank slate, so to speak, and I can start from scratch. But with everything looking so outdated it's a bit difficult for me to try to figure out how our furniture is going to look in the house or where I would even begin to update. But I am curious as to why people in NJ aren't as interested in decorating and updating/upgrading their homes as people in other parts of the country seem to be. Do you all not spend a great deal of time at home so you don't look at it as important? Is it that the cost of living is so high that there isn't enough money around for decorating and upgrading? I'm a bit concerned that the decorating and upgrading that has been viewed as standard and normal everywhere else I have lived will be viewed as snobish in NJ and I don't want to come accross that way if we move there but at the same time I won't be happy living in an outdated, undecorated home either.
I think this is a very bizarre statement, but I guess you're getting that impression from SOMEWHERE, and I'm curious as to how that impression happened. There are thousands of beautifully decorated, modern, gorgeous homes in New Jersey. As a matter of fact, there are some very talented interior decorators in NJ, too--they have to be working in somebody's house, right?
Can you show us some examples of places that you've found on the Internet that are giving you that impression?
The "I'm only looking at houses within an hour's commute to NYC" might be a clue, since that says you are likely only looking at older homes in older towns in the first place. In general, suburbs with that magical one-hour commute to Manhattan became overcrowded more than 50 years ago, so naturally you are looking at neighborhoods that are, in general, more rundown and less updated than the newer, more open and affluent suburbs. You may also be looking at houses in those towns where the owners lived in the house for half a century, grew old and died there, and never updated their kitchens because those Avocado kitchen appliances worked just fine for them.
I agree with you on the white walls. They do seem popular with some, but I hate hate hate white walls. It's like being in a hospital or some other clinical setting. As a matter of fact, all my security from the last place I rented was taken to repaint the house because I had a gold kitchen, a dark green dining room, and a sand-colored living room. It was worth it not to live with white walls for five years, hehehe.
Anyway, do post some Internet pics. I'm curious as to what you are looking at.
My husband and I may be relocating to NJ and have been looking at houses on the internet. I have a general question regarding homes in NJ that I'm afraid is going to come across as not very nice but I promise I am really trying to understand something. We have been potentially moving to several states over the past several years for my husbands job so I have looked at a lot of houses in many states on the internet but I notice that in NJ it is extremely common for homes to not really be decorated or updated regardless of the price. By this I mean it is very common to see homes with only white walls (no colored paint); very outdated carpeting, window treatments, and furniture; no artwork or pictures or the walls; kitchens and bathrooms that have never been updated and have old appliances. So if a house was built in the 1950s or 1960s it literally looks like the place hasn't been touched since - furnishings and all. In fact it is almost difficult to find a house that is updated and decorated, even in the million dollar ranges. (I should mention we are looking at areas within an hour commute to NYC). I love to decorate so it has been a bit depressing for me as I search for houses. At the same time I realize that we will be purchasing a blank slate, so to speak, and I can start from scratch. But with everything looking so outdated it's a bit difficult for me to try to figure out how our furniture is going to look in the house or where I would even begin to update. But I am curious as to why people in NJ aren't as interested in decorating and updating/upgrading their homes as people in other parts of the country seem to be. Do you all not spend a great deal of time at home so you don't look at it as important? Is it that the cost of living is so high that there isn't enough money around for decorating and upgrading? I'm a bit concerned that the decorating and upgrading that has been viewed as standard and normal everywhere else I have lived will be viewed as snobish in NJ and I don't want to come accross that way if we move there but at the same time I won't be happy living in an outdated, undecorated home either.
You just need to spend more money to get an updated house.
Maybe that's what it is - that the homes have been owned by the same people for 40 years and they moved in and never bought new furniture or updated the kitchen, appliances, or carpeting. I've noticed that most of the homes don't have pictures of bedrooms posted so, now that you mention it, I can't tell if there are kids living there or not. We have been looking at the homes listed on the homes.com website and have been looking at just about every area within a one hour commute of NYC. We are thinking that it might be better to get something a bit less expensive and completely remodel the downstairs to allow for a larger kitchen and more open floor plan since we've noticed the older houses tend to have tiny kitchens with lots of tiny little rooms on the first floor thay aren't very functional as opposed to getting a more expensive home that I still feel I would want to makeover quite a bit.
It's not the price of the home necessarily. I have seen homes in the $300,000s and in the millions with the same issue. I'm not saying every house has this issue - it's just a vastly noticeable difference compared to other states we have looked at. I was more wanting to know because if we move we want to fit in and make New Jersey our home. I don't want to be the one person on the block investing thousands of dollars into decorating and remodeling if that is considered to be snobby.
I do want to point out that you all have the most beautiful front and backyard landscaping I have ever seen though!!! We actually wondered if everyone spends a lot of time outdoors and therefore invests their money on the outside of their home instead of the inside. I am going to have to develop a green thumb to keep up with everyone!!
If indeed this is what you're finding then you're in a great spot as you can negotiate those homes 'down' based on lack of amenities, updates, etc. ---unless of course your statement is about the whole neighborhoods being this way, in which case I find not accurate.
As a recent buyer in one of those areas, with the exception of a few homes, most were 'staged' quite well. I for one don't want to see family photos in every nook of a wall....hate clutter! Also, some painting colors may make the house look drab or dated or what have you. White walls, with no decorative points, old furnishings and old appliances I really didnt run into as much but I would have also priced accordingly.
Last but not least, I would start to focus your search with a savvy realtor. Someone who knows what you're looking for and knows where to go to get it. These folks have seen the ins and outs of so many homes so many times that they know it by heart. There were instances where I saw beautiful photos of kitchens on realtor.com only to be warned by the realtor that while it was nice in the pic, the "Ikea kitchen" was starting to fall apart. And sometimes they also have access to a different set of pics not posted on the websites.
Thanks lfsr1544! I also thought of another thing it could be. I might be seeing a lot of "leftover" houses right now since school has just started and people tend to buy in time to get their kids into the new school at the beginning of the year or sellers take their home off the market if it hasn't sold by the time the kids have started school thinking they will try again in the spring. So the younger, more updated homes may have sold or gone off the market. I also wonder - are pastels and florals considered more fashionable in that part of the country? Maybe it'a a regional thing. In the places I have looked previously and currently live earth tones are much more fashionable and you see a lot of shades of browns and muted orange with other accent colors. So when I see light pinks and blues with lots of florals and think "outdated", maybe that's just the style in that part of the country and if we move my neighbors will all talk about what hideous taste in decorating I have!!
Out of curiosity what area are you in and how long is your commute to the city? What method of transport do you use to get there?
One of the things I've noticed is that there are "cycles" that neighborhoods seem to go through. A development will be built and everyone moves in at about the same time, raises their kids and then within a 5 - 10 year period, a large percentage of the neighborhood turns over. New folks move in, redecorate and the cycle repeats itself. I used to joke that I could tell which houses in my neighborhood had been sold in the past 10 years by looking at the mailbox: younger people had nicer, fancier ones than the long-time residents.
From your description, I'd guess that you are looking at a lot of houses that were last decorated in the late 80s/early 90s ... which is when people who are now empty-nesters looking to sell their "family" homes would have purchsed. Most people I know who've bought and decorated houses in NJ in the last 5 - 10 years have decor that's more in line with what you're describing. People who know that they are going to be moving in a few years may not be interested in spending a lot of money to do major renovations, but they likely realize that the price they get will reflect the fact that buyers are going to have to "redo" kitchens and baths, window treatments, etc.
FWIW, my husband and I are getting our house ready to sell and we've been told by 2 realtors to paint our walls a neutral color (for example, our dining room is a dark red with blue undertones, and the kitchen is Semolina). I think that's just a "thing" realtors in the area have. We're also in the midst of buying a house, and the whole place will have to be painted before we move in to get rid of the Candlelight White walls.
Thanks lfsr1544! I also thought of another thing it could be. I might be seeing a lot of "leftover" houses right now since school has just started and people tend to buy in time to get their kids into the new school at the beginning of the year or sellers take their home off the market if it hasn't sold by the time the kids have started school thinking they will try again in the spring. So the younger, more updated homes may have sold or gone off the market. I also wonder - are pastels and florals considered more fashionable in that part of the country? Maybe it'a a regional thing. In the places I have looked previously and currently live earth tones are much more fashionable and you see a lot of shades of browns and muted orange with other accent colors. So when I see light pinks and blues with lots of florals and think "outdated", maybe that's just the style in that part of the country and if we move my neighbors will all talk about what hideous taste in decorating I have!!
Out of curiosity what area are you in and how long is your commute to the city? What method of transport do you use to get there?
We moved to Glen Rock and simply love it. It's a small town that has much to offer and where we've been pleasantly welcomed by 'new' neighbors, school personnel, etc. It's convenient to many main roads and best of all it's a great walkeable town which to us was a huge priority along with a downtown. Next door we have Ridgewood which opens up a ton more of eating and shopping options. But we moved here for the commute and schools. To get to Penn Station it takes me about :50-:55 minutes but I'm not traveling during peak hours and so I believe there are 'express' trains that may shorten that a bit. That also doesnt include door to door (I walk to the station). I've taken the bus coming back and not a big fan but that's just because I think train tarnsport is much more convenient in my case.
Regarding your color trends, it's obviously so personal. For example, my wife and I are huge Mad Men fans. We love the screen photography, the ambiance, the colors and even the over-indulgence (I mean scotch or a martini at noon almost everyday....what a life!). Our main living room came with a very subtle cream but we chose more of a sea-glass feel with some more modern furnishings....mind you this is a work-in-progress but the room feels so much more open to us now and while we live in a colonial type of home we almost feel like we're by the water once we're inside. Still we don't go overboard as we know we need colors that we can integrate with other furnishings later on. That and the fact that while we would love to buy and redecorate every nook now and not later, reality strikes when you have 'bigger' home things to fix (leaky bathtub or sealing the basement properly, etc)
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