Real Estate Discussion

[musical comedy]

Just because I want to vent again, but it's a subject I don't think I've seen discussed here. I guess anything or everything goes here relating to real estate. That is, if anyone is even interested.

The other day I went googling my previous address which we sold in 1990. It was a mock tudor, only a few years old when it bought it. It was 4 br, 2.5 baths, garage, big eat-in kitchen, dr, den, lr. It was on a cul-de-sac circle on 2.5 acres. I loved that house!!

We changed a good bit when we bought it with the help of a interior decorator. While I know everyone has very different tastes, imo there wasn't much that anyone would look at and say "ick". But...apparently they did.

While this house is not for sale, there are lots of pics of it up on Trulia and the real estate sites. Maybe it was for sale before and that's why.

I hardly recognized the place. It was horrible. The new owners changed just about everything; things that would have been very expensive to change. For example, we had quality white ceramic tile in the kitchen. That was ripped up and some tan color flooring replacing it. The cabinets were originally a dark wood as was the trim around all the room entries. That was painted some white color or else replaced. I couldn't tell. All bathrooms were redone, and the original ones were nice. We had a big wood deck off the den and they demolished that. Replaced it with some level stone patio and added an unattractive swimming pool with fencing around it. They took down all beautiful custom window treatments. The master bedroom I guess I can see where it was not everyone's taste, but I thought it was beautiful. It had very expensive designer wallpaper with drapes to match. It was a foil paper with white/grey/maroon, and the carpeting was light grey. They changed that to just plain ugliness. Lots more changing, but you get the drift.

It sickened me to see this because as I said I loved that house. It was really hard making the decision to move from it, but the desire for the farm was strong.

I often peruse real estate listings, mostly in my area. I like to see what is selling/listing and the price. I am always shocked at the way people decorate and the different tastes. Of course, I think my taste is correct and everyone else is wrong . No really, I don't. However, it is difficult to understand all the weird tastes out there. Same goes for clothing. I see dresses, tops, etc. and think "who would buy that?". Apparently someone does.

[Josette]

I so completely understand what you are describing here. It happened when we recently sold my mother's little house. On her block there were several of the original older owners who had recently passed or moved on. These homes were built in the mid-1950's where over the years owners added finished basements and sun rooms. They make ideal starter homes but the younger folks moving in are putting up 6 ft stockade fences and painting over custom oak bookcases. It seems everyone is obsessed with white kitchen cabinets. Some homes have original landscaping with bushes and trees over 50 years old being torn out. Granted some of these homes are in a time warp and do need updating but others were done very tasteful imo.

If we ever sell our place I will never go back to look at it. I could not bear to see tress taken down and the massive changes as you described. We purchased almost 6 acres all woods (1998) and only cleared areas to build the home, barn, paddocks and riding ring. I probably have about 3+ acres of lovely winding trails to walk my dogs and ride. Plus on a cul de sac with only one neighbor who you cannot see their house. The woods makes for so much peace, quiet and privacy - minimal to no traffic except neighbor and mailman. I know where all the wild dogwood and holly trees are on the property - the huge flowering mountain laurel and sassafras trees mixed in among the huge oaks and bull pine trees. I love my trails covered in pine needles for soft quiet walks. Plus all the wildlife and my multiple hummingbird feeders with all the hummers chirping. I swear those little birds follow me into the woods chirping at me on my rides. So for me it is the property and my barn that I love and lesser so the house. It will be very hard for me someday to leave it as I prefer living in this wooded privacy.

[Hayburner]

I check out real estate listings all the time. Curiosity and also design ideas.

When we sold our last house the owners did not live in it very long, I actually was going to buy it back. Anyway, they changed many of my wall colors. The bedroom and sunroom were most impressionable from fern green to drab taupe!

occasionaly, I drive by and the new owners have let everything over grow, it's a mess! So sad as it was a beautiful home with manicured landscaping

[Tanga]

I do the same thing. I think most people have no taste or sense of balance, so do the latest trends, and other people are stupid enough to pay for it.

Look at everyone taking out great sinks and refrigerators and replacing them with stainless steel. Not only is that SO ugly, they are a mess and impossible to keep clean. People will take out cool old tile and put in the same granite counter tops everyone in the world has. Because someone tells them, everyone seems to think bathrooms need to be remodeled. Just how much time do people spend in the bathroom???

There are also trends in colors I can't stand. Grey inside walls? Really? White flat walls? Can you say how many stains with that show? The stupid one accent wall? My neighbors across the street bought the house and changed the outside color to dark grey (the darker the paint, the less time it lasts) and a godawful red door.

[piedmontfields]

MC, I'm thinking white ceramic tile in a kitchen---ick!

But seriously, tastes change and are also very generational. We redid most of the surfaces in our current house. To us, it now seems more contemporary and up to date---but I'm sure the prior owners (who built the house) were shocked that we removed everything pink element in the house! (there were a lot....) We did keep the tile counter tops, as they are in good shape and tough! (and the color was neutral enough)

[WheresMyWhite]

And yet, we all have our personal taste.

Tile for a kitchen counter... not me. I want a smooth surface so I don't have to mess with grout. I have granite but I'd much rather have quartz (the granite wasn't necessarily my choice).

I chose the very light grey walls in my house. I like it... better than white. It was a new build so color options were limited and the entire interior had to be the same color. Mine matches just about any of the colors I would choose for furniture, etc.

My old house had 1 room (my office) with a lovely medium brown walls and a lighter brown ceiling. The master bedroom and living area *did* have accent walls that I loved.

Just because someone doesn't like a red door doesn't mean the next person wouldn't and depending on the rest of the paint colors of the home, a red door would be cool.

[musical comedy]

MC, I'm thinking white ceramic tile in a kitchen---ick!

There ya go...proving my point. Not only do I like white ceramic tile, I LOVE it. I have it in my current kitchen. I also have cream colored marble floor in my sunroom and living room. I like white, I like tile/marble, I like mirrors, I like windows. I dislike wood, I dislike anything that looks like George Washington lived there. I dislike anything that looks old. I love Donald Trumps penthouse, which I suppose you and other would find gawdy.

[piedmontfields]

Exactly. Tastes can be very different and distinct. Or you could conclude that you have taste and I don't! LOL I grew up in a 200 year old center hall colonial...and I confess that it has influenced my future preferences! (give me wide plank hardwood floors, please, and lots of wood beams, beautiful staircases + large windows and a sense of place).

In my mind there are two approaches to decorating:
-Do exactly what you want and live with the consequences (others may hate it/rip it out or it may interfere with a future sale).
-Or keep up with "general tastes of the moment" and live with the consequences (you may hate it).

We generally do the former and it sounds like you do, too.

[Tanga]

Oh yeah. I love wood. I would take everything down to natural wood. When I bought this house they had almost new whitish carpet. Ugh! But, I didn't take it out right away. It was so hard to keep clean. When I finally took it out and discovered stunning hardwood underneath, it was beautiful. The dirt in the "clean" carpet. They put it in because their pets had destroyed the beautiful wood to almost black. I had all of that fixed. It's so much cleaner and nicer. Since then, with my animals, I have discovered blackened wood from pee stains can be fixed by applying hydrogen peroxide every day until it goes away!

I agree with piedmontfields you should do what you like. You live there. Don't try to do things because it's someone's idea of what is cool or in. It will always change.

[StraightForward]

There are also trends in colors I can't stand. Grey inside walls? Really? White flat walls? Can you say how many stains with that show? The stupid one accent wall? My neighbors across the street bought the house and changed the outside color to dark grey (the darker the paint, the less time it lasts) and a godawful red door.

I just repainted our master bedroom to light gray, with a stupid darker gray accent wall on the bed side, and also used the darker gray on the ugly 70's white brick fireplace. It coordinates with the blue pine mantle and barn door I installed. I love it, very restful, and coordinates with any bedding I might have.

We don't have white walls any more, but switched all the paint to a good quality satin, and it's easy to clean, so I wouldn't hesitate to use white if that was what I wanted. But if you meant flat paint, I agree that it's not a good choice, and gets dirty easily.

Personally, I keep the more unique design choices to cheaper, easily changed things. For stuff like fixtures and countertops that cost more, I'd go with classic choices that blend with different styles.

[musical comedy]

When it comes to white, be it rugs, walls, or whatever....the reason some people don't like it is because it shows dirt. I actually want it for that reason. I want to see the dirt so I can clean it off.

[Tanga]

My favorite painting choice is faux. It's the easiest thing to do and looks best. I pick the basic color I want, cut a bunch of chunks out of a roller, and put half the color and half a gloss white in the tray. Then I just randomly go back and forth. Looks expensive and great, and bever the same in any one spot.

I also do a streaking kind of thing. One bedroom has a gray tone with a light purple, brown, gray and white streaking sort of look. Very restful.

I do not get why people use flat paint. It's such a nightmare to clean.

And, yes, you can see the dirt to clean the white, but you also get staining which is not going to clean well, and the oneness of it all hurts the eyes. I hate the "modern" look, like when you see bare everything and white, glass, and metal. It's so uninviting.

[heddylamar]

Our house is all soft greys and yellows in the large spaces, with primary colors (bright yellow, teal, and orange) in the smaller spaces. Add in lots of natural light, LED lighting, glossy bright white woodwork, and bright white ceilings, and it's bright and cheerful.

[blob]

Small, silly gripe somewhat related. But my house has a yellow door that I love. It's bright and cheery and it's fun and easy to tell people that my house is 'the one with the yellow door'. Well, the house across the street was just sold a few months ago and the new owners just moved in this month. And what do they do? PAINT THEIR DOOR YELLOW. I mean...c'mon! Pick a different color!

Small conciliation is that my yellow is much prettier than theirs.

[Moutaineer]

Ah well, we all have different tastes! Houzz is my second favorite site after this one and the design debate can get pretty intense on there.

Blob, that would irritate me, too... Some one stopped by my house last year asking me about the color of green my trim is--now, this is a unique color I spent a considerable amount of time developing. I'm glad she loved it, but I was a bit vague about it and probably offended her greatly...

Piedmont, I too like my indestructible tile countertops and would not hesitate to do them again!

My home is very rustic--a pioneer style log "cabin." I've poured my heart into it over the past 20 years and dearly love it, but I'm aiming for charming Victorian next. I grew up in a beautiful English Victorian house and I miss the detail.

But houses are like horses. Once you sell them, they aren't yours to control any more. My friends spent years building their dream home on the side of a ski slope in Deer Valley. They discovered when they moved in that it was a terrible place to live with school aged children and sold it... the buyer bulldozed it the day after they completed on the sale.

[WheresMyWhite]

Bulldozing a fairly new home would crush me, especially if it was a custom home.

The one custom home I was part of 'constructing' at least was still standing when I drove by it maybe 15 years after we moved out.

When I was getting ready to sell my old house (with the fairly "loud" accent walls that I liked) the REA told me don't bother to paint them as the buyer will, more than likely, repaint anyway. So, there they stayed and the house sold.

If I had the $$ now, I might do an accent wall in the master with wallpaper rather than paint but that'll probably just have to stay a dream I'm not doing it myself and pretty sure I can't afford to pay someone else either.

[musical comedy]

Here are pics of the previous house the way it looks now. Just take a look at those kitchen cabinets and floor. Hideous. I have some pics of how it use to look, but I'd have to scan them in and my scanner doesn't work.

https://www.trulia.com/p/nj/pittstown/5 ... l-mediaTab

[Josette]

I see what you mean and agree it would turn me off as a buyer. However, it will appeal to someone or else they will redo it too. I had to laugh as we have the identical oak staircase from the 1990's.

I also look at homes for sale in various areas and some of the interiors are a real turn off. My sister is far better than I at visualizing which changes to make for colors and decorating. I need pictures to get ideas because I simply am not create on my own.

[piedmontfields]

Even though I am not a fan of pure white kitchens, I have to say your old house is now a horrid combination of beiges, MC!

Our previous house had a weird addition put on to accommodate a lower level master bedroom and ramp. Some of the exterior photos here are old (pre-addition) and some include it:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/564- ... lpage=true

[Kelo]

Not a fan of the cabinets at all, but if you hate those floors - don't come to my house!

When I built my house, I chose beige tile -- somewhat similar to those, but a larger tile and a different shade of beige. I wanted hard floors (ie not carpet) since I have animals and need easy-to-clean floors, and just couldn't pull the trigger on those "hardwood floor" tiles that were also an option. I have been quite happy with them. My cabinets are a medium oak though, not pink

Everyone has such different personal taste. I spent so much time vexed over what to choose when I built my house -- and I finally just settled on what would make me happiest and best served how I lived. If the next owner comes in and wants to puke at my design choices, well, that's their prerogative. I actually made the assumption that would happen, thus selecting what I liked.

[musical comedy]

I like a lot about that house. But the red accent stuff...no. Gosh, as much as I like windows, thats a lot for in the master bedroom.

[piedmontfields]

Just to join in the brown floor club, here is a photo of the tile we put in our current house. We call it "southern dirt colored"....We miss those red brick floors in the old house. They were completely indestructible. Incredibly hard on the body, though. MC, that bedroom with all the windows was an office when we lived there.

tile-3.jpg (19.18 KiB) Viewed 33901 times

Kelo, your POV is the smart one I think!

[exvet]

MC, I'm thinking white ceramic tile in a kitchen---ick!

There ya go...proving my point. Not only do I like white ceramic tile, I LOVE it. I have it in my current kitchen. I also have cream colored marble floor in my sunroom and living room. I like white, I like tile/marble, I like mirrors, I like windows. I dislike wood, I dislike anything that looks like George Washington lived there. I dislike anything that looks old. I love Donald Trumps penthouse, which I suppose you and other would find gawdy.

Wow MC, you should come here..........it sounds like we have very similar tastes. My counter tops are marble. My floors are porcelain but look like marble. Color - predominantly white. I have tons of mirrors but even more windows and sky lights, lots of sky lights. I prefer open floor plans to chopped up ones that cram in multiple rooms.

To each his own especially when it comes to houses. I had to have my mother's house repainted (interior) because my mother loves yellow and light green. She and my father painted the house themselves not that long ago and those were the main colors room to room. The realtor hated it and demanded I paint the entire house a light beige otherwise she said it wouldn't sell. She staged the house and I had to buy new curtains, updated the light fixtures and added a few mirrors. We've had 3 offers on the house in as many months. Unfortunately the first offer we accepted didn't go through but the third offer and one we're under contract with, keeping fingers crossed, seems to be good. I do think my mother's house looks better with the changes however the realtor also wanted me to change the counter tops (currently tile). They are in pristine condition (my mother is a neat freak - catholic school, retired airforce officer and a nurse - grew up having to pass the white glove test weekly). I refused and fortunately it does not seem to be dismaying everyone that comes to look at it. I'm sure who ever buys it will change much of it. Right now it looks like a clear palette to do with what you want.

[Josette]

My biggest frustration is that we do not have a true mudroom entrance so dirt is tracked into the kitchen entrance from the garage. I once told my husband we should have had cement floors with drains so I could just hose the place down. I would make myself crazy if I were constantly cleaning so I have had to step back. Kitchen is large laminate tiles (marble look) but someday all flooring and carpeting will need to be replaced. I am holding off because it will cost so much.

[Tuffytown]

Lol, Y'all would hate the place I recently sold. Modernist and lots of color.

[heddylamar]

Lol, Y'all would hate the place I recently sold. Modernist and lots of color.

I LOVED your old photos of that house on UDBB! We have plans (plus land, all engineering, and everything except pulling the trigger on building) for a modern modular home.

[piedmontfields]

Tuffytown has some beautiful homes. That sounds very interesting, heddylamar! I actually love modern shapes in houses----I just like more rustic, natural materials where I interface with the house. My dream house would be an open burnished steel box with large windows and lots of wood and cork on the inside (except the kitchen, which would be stainless and marble on the counters, concrete below, with a drain in the floor! lol).

[texsuze]

DH and I bought our first house in 1993. Realtor took us to a classic "Leave it to Beaver" style, red brick, white trim, dormer windows, two story, majestic live oak trees in the front yard. The interior was a 1973 time warp with sculptured mustard yellow carpet, lime green kid's bedroom upstairs, an upstairs sewing room with 'upholstered' walls, bright yellow formica kitchen countertops, dark wood paneling in the den, red brick floors. When we walked into the house and stood in the foyer I knew instantly this was the house for us. DH could not see beyond the time warped elements but the layout and bones were great. It felt like home to me. The house was built in 1964 and we purchased it from the original owners, Mr. & Mrs. F. They'd raised 4 kids in the home and the wife wanted to 'right-size'; Mr. F. did not want to leave.

After the "F's" moved across town we had about a month to make some basic, essential updates (kitchen countertops, painting, flooring) before moving in. Mr. F. would stop by from time to time to see what changes we were making to his home. "Oh, glad to see you are putting in ceiling fans! Norma wouldn't let me put in fans", and "I made the pool bigger because one of my daughters wanted it bigger", and "All those live oak trees in the front yard were planted by me". We had a little open house once we moved in and invited Mr. & Mrs. F. who graciously attended.

Over the years, while digging in the yard doing my little landscape projects, I'd find Match Box cars, plastic army men, and wonderful glass marbles--relics from the "F" children's years of playing in the backyard. In an upstairs desk, built-in under a dormer window, one of the young "F" kids had used Crayon to scribble his name; I didn't have the heart to paint over it.

Workmen who'd come in to do various jobs and updates over the years-- to a person--would comment on how well-built the house was. Walls met ceilings perfectly square, trim work was mitered and clean, drawers in the kitchen cabinets (we kept, and painted) were dovetailed, frame work (we had a HUGE attic) was exacting and 2x4s were made from knot-free pine.

In 2007 we put the house on the market to move to the country. I told DH and our realtor that if any potential buyer even SMELLED like they would tear the house down it was no sale. The tear-down/McMansion craze was in full swing in our wonderful 'hood and I feared our beautiful home would meet the wrecking ball. I was in that area last month and drove down our old street. Thankfully, now two owners later, our classic, stately house is still standing and looking better (at least on the outside) than any behemoth built since.

[musical comedy]

Houzz is my second favorite site after this one and the design debate can get pretty intense on there.

I went there and didn't see a forum. Where does this design debate take place?

On the subject of white walls, google provided me with some good info. Like a dummy, I'm one that thought that white walls brightened up a dark room. Not so, according to everything I've read on google. Unfortunately though, the colors that do brighten are not ones I like. I do not have white walls except for my bedroom. It has 3 windows, but get afternoon sun. That means in the Winter, it's pretty dim in there. The white walls I have in there now looks greenish-gray and not nice. Add to that a lot of dark wood furniture and wood flooring. I'd be really scared to paint yellow or something dark and bold. It would then take several coats of paint to cover that if I change my mind. Any ideas?

[Moutaineer]

MC, in the "Design Dilemmas" section, and also in the replies to the articles.

[Flight]

Here are pics of the previous house the way it looks now. Just take a look at those kitchen cabinets and floor. Hideous. I have some pics of how it use to look, but I'd have to scan them in and my scanner doesn't work.

https://www.trulia.com/p/nj/pittstown/5 ... l-mediaTab

I'm hopeless at coordinating colours etc but yep not a fan of what they've done to the kitchen. Our house has lots of white. I quite like it but that's as far as my interest goes!

MC, just use your phone to take a photo of the photos. Not always as good a quality as scanning but easy to do.

[StraightForward]

I'd be really scared to paint yellow or something dark and bold. It would then take several coats of paint to cover that if I change my mind. Any ideas?

This winter I repainted much of the inside of our house a color that I think is called "parchment" in satin finish. Previously we had an off white in eggshell that was more gray than I realized. The new paint brightened it up a ton but doesn't read strongly as yellow, it's just nice and warm feeling.

[StraightForward]

Texsuze, nice story. Those 60's houses were really well built!

[WheresMyWhite]

It has 3 windows, but get afternoon sun. That means in the Winter, it's pretty dim in there. The white walls I have in there now looks greenish-gray and not nice. Add to that a lot of dark wood furniture and wood flooring. I'd be really scared to paint yellow or something dark and bold. It would then take several coats of paint to cover that if I change my mind. Any ideas?

If you are undecided on color, get quarts (many places will now do this) of a few colors you are considered and paint squares (IMO at least 24"x24") on a few different walls and see how you like the colors in the morning and afternoon and at night. They *will* change based on the light in the room.

If you want to wait until fall, I'd see no problem with that (just to get more of a 'toward winter' light).

For my accent walls and the one room that I painted the entire room, I started with the above (accent walls just did the squares on the wall I would be painting) and let them 'bake' for a few weeks (3-4 maybe) until I was really decided on what color I liked the best in all kinds of light... both "natural" and artificial. For the office, put more weight into what the colors were like during the times of day I'd be in there.

A square is easier to cover up than a whole wall or room

[musical comedy]

I was perusing listings and sold properties in my county. It's both surprising and depressing. Some properties that have sold for a large amount have me scratching my head. Others, specifically one I saw yesterday, was extremely low and I am really puzzled as to why.

I like to plan for the future and I like to consider worst case scenarios, being that I am the ultimate pessimist. I have concluded there is no way for me to sell my current property and find another acceptable place that is going to be better expense-wise. There are several adult communities (55 and over) and also luxury condos that are new or being built. These start at over 500k. Start! The taxes aren't even mentioned, but I can guarantee that a 500k place would have taxes higher than mine.

In my Hunterdon County, one-million dollar homes are a dime a dozen. A real dump is 250k. Hunterdon County is the 4th most expensive country in the USA.

Rank County State Median Household Income
1 Loudoun County Virginia $134,464
2 Howard County Maryland $120,941
3 Fairfax County Virginia $115,717
4 Hunterdon County New Jersey $113,684

I'm just a worried mess about how I will manage when I can no longer do what I'm doing now. My handyman is just wonderful (but expensive) and he won't be around forever. Getting labor in this wealthy county is really hard. Kids are too rich to work.

It amazes me that there are many many people in a much worse situation than I am, and they don't seem to be worried at all about their future. Some horse trainers, for example, are pretty much vagabonds with no home, 401k, etc. I can really see how people become homeless and end up living out of their car or even on the street.

[Josette]

MC - I would not be in any hurry to sell. Although you currently have much to maintain - enjoy your farm and ride your horse. You may get down to one horse in the future and then may decide something different. You can continue to do informed research for the future.

[Moutaineer]

I live in a very expensive area, too, so I understand where you are coming from. What delineates uber expensive from merely eyewatering is usually the school district around here. We are just outside the boundary for the fancy high performing district with all the money and resources, so get the double whammy of a mediocre school, 15 miles away, unless someone wants go go charter or private. (However, the prevailing spoiled rich kid, entitled and drug riddled culture is starting to turn some parents off and giving us a better chance.)

But this is one reason why we are looking at smaller properties in smaller rural local towns, rather than the big resort town close by. But even then, people think they are going to get resort town prices. For instance, the property I described in my "moving into town" post was originally listed at 495k... no takers because no one is that stupid, but I believe the offer he accepted was in the region of $265k.

[musical comedy]

This 'thing' just sold for 640k. Only 4 acres, but has a barn and small outside ring. Look at the pics. They get uglier as you go. Please nobody tell me they like this place.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/179- ... e&mmlb=g,0

[WheresMyWhite]

MC, a bit hard for me to compare as I've never spent anywhere near that for a house I've lived in.

Having said that, I didn't think it was as bad as you seemed to imply. Nothing that paint couldn't address. Layout was decent, floors appeared to be in good shape, maybe a few muddy spots in the pasture/barn area (but don't know how much rain there had been prior to these photos).

Everyone's taste is different

[heddylamar]

That's FAR from my favorite house -- not my style -- but it has quirky personality and some underlying promise. The outdoor ring is absolutely perfect for me -- flat, open, and, most importantly, no roof. I'd add a fenced-off dry lot around the barn area, but otherwise, it's a perfect setup for a few horses.

A similar place was on the market here (Annapolis side of DC metro area) for $1.6 million, with a house that's no where near as nice.

[musical comedy]

That's FAR from my favorite house -- not my style -- but it has quirky personality and some underlying promise. The outdoor ring is absolutely perfect for me -- flat, open, and, most importantly, no roof. I'd add a fenced-off dry lot around the barn area, but otherwise, it's a perfect setup for a few horses.

A similar place was on the market here (Annapolis side of DC metro area) for $1.6 million, with a house that's no where near as nice.

I can't find it now, but I think the riding ring was not as large as we'd like. Why do you not want a roof or a covered arena? A 'few' horses? The whole property is only 4 acres. Not enough for 4 horses imo.

Anyway, when I go to look at a house, I am not opposed to spending money on some changes and upgrades. That is only if I really like the property and those changes and upgrades would make it my taste. But, when I go see a house (like this one)...well, I wouldn't even go see it. Just the front photo would be enough to pass. Did you see the bathrooms in this place? Look again at #23, 24, 33. Unless you're willing to live with that, then changes required would cost a LOT of money.

Hey Mountaineer, this thread could get like the Houzz one, eh?

[Josette]

I'll take it with access to the trail system across the street! The interior is clean and changes look like paint jobs. I can see why someone bought it. It obviously was an old farm house with additions made. (built 1730!!!) Yup - the price is high and typical for NJ.

Hmm..... looks like an apartment could be made over the garage for caregiver on the property. It is not all that bad imo.

This one has 10 acres.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/243- ... 4465_zpid/?

[Moutaineer]

That would be at least a 2 million dollar property here and it would sell in roughly 30 seconds.

Fortunately, everyone's taste is different and there's room for all sorts! I don't think you'd like my house either... some of my bathrooms have log walls

I went to an open house at a charming little home on .66 acre of horse property yesterday... 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, just over 2000 square feet. lots of trees, a stream, run in shed, garages and outbuildings and partial fencing that my boys would have apart in about 30 minutes... You could move into it, but in my mind the bathrooms and kitchen needed a re-do. $585K and they already have an offer on it...

[musical comedy]

Mountaineer, why are prices so high in that area of Utah? What businesses, ect. are there that result in having buyers with so much money?

Here, I think it is the pharma companies and the close proximity to NYC and Phila. Not sure about where Josette is as that is pretty far south of me, but also a known weathy area.

It's true that I don't like log cabins or anything rustic, early american, or colonial. Still, if done with good taste, I can appreciate it. It's just that the decorating in some these sales home is awful. Still thinking about those bathrooms in the one I linked. And in Josette's link, the bedroom rug and the bedspread...omg...the rug was figured and the spread was big flowers with clashing colors. Oh my eyes.
p.s. You guys wouldn't like my dump either, and it is a bit of a dump. Some of us will lower our home standards a lot in order to have land with critters.

Now this place I think is done well, and I've been in it before because this is the farm where my trainer worked from for years. He just left there last year due to a divorce. I imagine this would be 6 million in Utah.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/73-B ... 7582_zpid/

[piedmontfields]

The Ringoes property would probably be listed for similar or a bit more near Knoxville TN, and more like double near Nashville TN. But a lot of that is because taxes are so low (so you can ask more for nice properties).

[musical comedy]

Taxes are 40k on the Ringoes property.

[Josette]

These links are a hoot! I forgot to look inside the link I posted as I only saw the 10 acres as attractive. I tend to look at the outside if it looks okay. I'm down in Monmouth County so surrounded by MacMansions. Acreage in our area is at a premium as it is so congested here being so close to the beaches. I can get to the beach within 15 minutes (if I could find a parking space). Our home is very modest for our area and actually considered quite small at 3000 sq ft. The property next door has 13 acres and the person who invested in it spent a small fortune on the landscaping, new barn and paddocks. However, they did minimal to the old house with the assumption that a new buyer will tear down and put a 10,000 sq ft MacMansion. It has a 16 stall barn which is crazy and a riding ring - no indoor. Each year, they drop the price by 100K so now it is under 1.7 million coming down from 2.5 million. So far, only lookers but no buyers.

That equestrian estate you posted is stunning - really gorgeous and frankly well worth that price. If it were in our area I bet the price would be in the 4 million range. However, the taxes are insane when you look them up. Oh - did I mention we are all on well and septic, pay for trash pick up and no street lights for our high taxes.

[musical comedy]

That equestrian estate you posted is stunning - really gorgeous and frankly well worth that price. If it were in our area I bet the price would be in the 4 million range. However, the taxes are insane when you look them up. Oh - did I mention we are all on well and septic, pay for trash pick up and no street lights for our high taxes.

Just to give you an example of the kind of money around here, here's the compensation package from back in 2012 for the guy that owns the place.
https://www.fiercebiotech.com/special-r ... ers-squibb
It's his wife that bought it, and I'm told she has even more wealth.

Heck, I pay 9k a year on my little dump that is only 1200 square feet and I'm farmland assessed.

[Josette]

It's hard to even imagine that kind of wealth. No wonder those properties are a drop in the bucket for some people.

We pay just over $13K in taxes but we do not have farm assessment. I have a friend in a nearby town living in a very large refurbished Victorian home (historical district) and her taxes are $17K on maybe a half acre. However, her home looks like the inside magazine of Better Homes and Gardens. It is really stunning.

[silk]

Your property taxes make me feel better about the NZ market!

Our houses tend to be much more expensive compared with salary, however our taxes (rates) tend to be relatively low based on what's in this thread (and no other research, ha!). For my apartment I pay something like $1800 a year to the local council in rates. That gets me nothing because everything (water, rubbish collection, etc) is arranged and paid through the body corp, fees are $8k+pa. That's quite expensive for an apartment but we only have 15 units in the building. I think mum pays about 3kpa for the farmlet (now 5ac), it was less as a 10ac block but heading upwards as rates are based on values, and due to subdivision our block is miraculously worth much more than it used to be.