Like most real estate agents, I work with many young couples coming from the city looking for a bigger space for their growing families. However, I also want to give a shout out to what might be my fastest growing client base: the downsizers.

These are couples, or singles, who are retired or close to retiring. Whose kids are grown. Who have a lot more leisure time. And who invariably say to me, “I’ve always wanted to live in Montclair.”

I’m not surprised. We are a destination for fabulous restaurant meals of every imaginable cuisine and concerts and musical performances of every imaginable genre. We are home to one of the few New Jersey movie theaters that show independent films – not to mention hosting our own Film Festival. Everywhere you turn, there are stimulating, provocative, culturally relevant offerings that keep a mind vibrant – from art galleries to lecture series to performance art. 

If you’re looking to make social change, you’d be hard-pressed to find a cause that doesn’t have a local chapter. We have garden clubs, Improv classes, a state university that offers older folks the opportunity to audit classes. If you’re looking to make friends, there are wonderful offerings for seniors through the Montclair Institute for Lifelong Learning, from yoga and exercise classes to art classes and hosted lunches. There’s stuff to do every day. And a lot of it is free!

There are trails to hike. Parks to stroll. Ducks to watch (but not to feed, please!). There are several tennis courts, golf courses, and three town pools. We also have seven train stations throughout the town in case you want to pop into Manhattan, because, yes, Montclair Art Museum is a gem, but it is not The MoMA. 

Book stores. Antique stores. Coffee shops. Tea shops. A pie store (just one, I think). Spas for pampering. Bistros for people-watching. 

I know. It sounds too good to be true. But to be fair, Montclair does not have everything. We don’t host any hot-air ballooning. If you’re looking for something like that, Montclair cannot deliver. 

However, if you’re looking for a suburb that does not feel like a suburb -- that's walkable and always abuzz with people, places, and things -- call me. I’d love to show you around the town I love.

Talk or Text: 973-809-5277

1.    Declutter

2.    Declutter 

3.    Declutter

No one wants to hear this, because it’s not an easy thing to do. But if you’re thinking of moving – particularly if you’ve been in your home for a while – this is the absolute best place to put your resources. 

Here’s my philosophy on this in a nutshell:

If you have the slightest notion that you may want to sell in the next five years, start the very liberating process of decluttering as soon as possible. If you end up putting your home on the market in a year, you’ll already be halfway to making your house ready to show. If you dont list your house for another five years, you can enjoy living in a calmer and more orderly environment. 

We’ve all just spent so much more time in our homes this past year, doesn’t a more serene space seem so very appealing? It does to me!

Decluttering isn’t easy for many reasons, most of them having to do with memories. Besides the physical toll, it takes a lot of mental energy to make decisions about all our “stuff.” This is why, when I need to declutter my own space, I call in the big guns: my associates Jodi or Linda. 

While my Scandinavian sensibility is very streamlined and spare, my actual living space veers from that ideal. Jodi or Linda can wrangle any kind of disorganization and clutter that may have crept into my space. They take what has become chaotic and make it make sense. 

I’ve turned each of them loose on my garage, attic, and the closet into which I’ve been stuffing the loot from too much Costco shopping. For my clients, they have made molehills out of mountains in an impressively short time. 

I know one obstacle to decluttering for many people is: How do I get rid of my stuff?

If you’re in Montclair or nearby, I just found out there’s a one-day Clothing Drive at Montclair High School (Chestnut St.) on April 3^rd from 9AM-1PM. They’re taking clothing, shoes, accessories and household items like blankets and towels in good condition. (No furniture, only soft goods. Items must be in a plastic bag and you can drive through the circle and drop from the car.)

If you’d like me to send you a list of my regular top places to donate, drop me an email! Or reach out even if you just need a pep talk!  lina@walkablesuburb.com

I think I can speak for most when I say this past few months has been an incredible learning experience. From the minute New Jersey went on “lockdown,” all my colleagues and I could talk about was how will we do our jobs?

We learned how to make great use of virtual house-tour apps and what to do to make an in-person home tour safe. We learned how to get houses inspected and close under the most arduous circumstances. But maybe most important, as a society we learned to stop all our hurrying about and start to understand what we care about and value. What we want to take into the future with us.

Many of my clients adopted a more inward focus. Buyers started to care more about “comfort,” less about “image.” Grand spaces for entertaining became less important than a garage loft that could be converted into a home office. Also, short commutes to work from an apartment on the Upper West Side became less important than outdoor space.

We’ve also seen how size came to matter in a different way. Some sellers looked at their big houses as a welcome oasis, someplace where they could work and school their kids and have a little privacy from everyone else. Others began to see their big house as too much to take care of since they’d become the ones cleaning it every week.

Buying and selling decisions have become far more about “quality of life” – though not just about a person’s individual life. We’ve seen more people looking for quality of life in a community that’s consistent with their beliefs. A community’s dedication to welcoming all people has become a selling point like never before. I know as a society we still have a long way to go, but as someone raised in Manhattan, I can personally vouch for Montclair’s continued commitment to making our town feel like it’s a place where everyone belongs.

Helping people buy or sell a home has always been a very personal experience, and now it feels like an even deeper one. As always, I’m here to talk about any and every aspect of home buying or sales. Talk or text: (973) 809-5277

Carol and John moved to Montclair in 1995. They have three grown children, two of whom are out on their own; the youngest is living at home. John works from home, a partner in a media marketing company. Carol commutes to New York City four days a week for her job at a non-profit. This past summer, after 24 years in their Montclair home, they sold and bought a home in Bloomfield.

Why Bloomfield?

We wanted to stay in the Montclair area – close to friends and all the places we like to go. Our original plan was to downsize, but the house we bought is not much smaller than what we had been in. However, it was less expensive, and it’s also a much better configuration for our current situation. We wanted to be close to the New York bus and able to walk to things, and we were lucky enough to get a house in the Brookdale section, right off the park.

What’s your favorite thing about living here?

We love the neighborhood. Not just the proximity to the park, but also the coziness of block. It’s a dead-end street, so the only people driving on the block, live here. The houses are closer together and closer to the street, so it feels more like a little community. Everyone is extremely friendly, so it just feels really good to be here. 

Any challenges along the way?

We bought and sold with Lina, and for us, the buying was very easy. We went to an open house that checked off all our boxes; she came back with us the next week and everything fell into place quickly and smoothly, even in this neighborhood where houses go fast. The selling was more complicated for us, and there, Lina was amazing. We had her come over almost a year earlier and advise us what we should do to prepare the house. We discovered there was a lot that needed updating, projects we often did ourselves. (That was the hard part.)  Our prep work included repainting every room, refinishing floors, finishing off the 3rd floor more completely, updating kitchen cabinets and counters, and installing some new light fixtures. Lina’s advice was spot on. She really understands the market and what it takes to make a house marketable. From the timing, to the paint colors, we just did everything she told us to do and it worked. Our Montclair house was our nest egg and she helped us maximize what we could get for it. 

What’s turned out better than you expected?

Our other challenge was the endless decluttering. We had to get rid of so much! It was hard to let go of what we’d held onto for decades. For months, we spent most weekends giving things away and filling up a dumpster. But now, it feels so good to live a more streamlined life. It’s been great to learn that we can make do with a lot less “stuff.” The fact that we didn’t have to let go of our relationships in the area probably made the whole move a little easier.

Photos: Top - Carol and John in front of their new home; Bottom - their former Montclair home. 

Not long ago, I showed a couple a house that was perfect in every way. Perfect size. Perfect location. Perfect price. They were visibly interested as they moved from room to room. When we got back in the car, I was waiting for one of them to ask what I thought they should offer. Instead, the woman said, “I don’t think this house is for me. [...]

Clutter is a topic that my clients and I can talk about for hours. 

It’s no secret that one of a real estate agent’s first directives to a potential seller is “Get rid of the clutter.” This is obviously easier said than done.

I just came across some research studies that tie an organized, uncluttered home to feelings of well-being, [...]

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Downsizers and starters, your new home awaits!

82 Cumberland Ave in Verona is right-sized for smaller households with two bedrooms and easy, one floor living. On the lower level, a bonus in-law suite with its own entrance and screened in porch is perfect for overnight [...]

When my oldest kids started college, I put my big house on the market. Yes, they’d be coming back for summers and breaks, but we just didn’t need that space anymore. I opted for a smaller house in the same town (practically in the same neighborhood), but there are plenty of choices if you’re ready to down-size. 

Here are some of my favorite:

RENT SHORT-TERM. If it’s a seller’s market, take a short-term approach. Put your house up when the market is in your favor and simply rent somewhere until you figure out what you want to do long term. Renting allows you to get a more realistic sense of exactly how much space your family requires and also gives you time to reflect on things like outdoor space or garage space, two amenities you may change your opinion about if you do without for a few seasons.

RENT LONG-TERM. Some of my clients have always wanted a home at the beach or in the mountains but keeping up their big house prevented them from buying a second home. Renting a smaller home or apartment in the area can free up some money for a down-payment on that place in Woodstock. Even if your new rent is close to your old mortgage payment, there is often plenty of savings when you no longer have to maintain your big house.

BUY A CONDO IN THE AREA. Many down-sizers have enough equity in their house to buy a condo for cash, leaving only the monthly property taxes and association fees. Condo owners usually enjoy far fewer home maintenance fees with shared services like lawn care, snow removal. Many developments have clubhouses or a swimming pool for entertaining. There are also several new-ish Adult Only communities nearby that cater to empty nesters with an on-site social coordinator and plenty of stuff to do (most including wine!).

BUY A SMALL HOUSE IN A NEIGHBORING TOWN. I know I sing the praises of Montclair’s walkability until I’m blue in the face, but there are plenty of other towns that offer a similar NYC commute and are walkable to restaurants and shopping. The houses are typically less expensive, the taxes are less, and you’re still a 10-minute drive from all your favorite places to go. It’s worth taking a look at what your money can buy right around the corner!

BUY A MULTI-FAMILY HOME. One of my client’s just did this as soon as his son graduated college. His portion of the house was a good size, he still had a yard and garage, and he now has income. Few people realize that close to 40 percent of Montclair residents are renters, a fact that is not evident because many of the rentals look like single family homes from the street. If you are loathe to give up the charm of an older house, you may not have to! Plus, sometimes you can even end up with a sweet front porch. 

I’d love to help you figure out your best down-sizing option – or anything else you may want to talk through. Give me a call: 973-809-5277

Their nest was empty, but these downsizing buyers did not want to go small. 

“My husband and I weren’t the typical ‘downsizers.’ We weren’t looking for ‘smaller’ as much as for ‘different.’ And we weren’t in a big hurry to move, which gave us the opportunity to become curious about what other our options might be.

We wanted to stay in the general area, a home with a similar amount of space and an easy commute to the city. We wanted an interesting community where people seemed invested in where they lived. Really, most of the things that brought us to Montclair in the first place.  

But that was 20 years ago, when we also wanted a progressive school system for our young children. Now we needed to pay college tuition.  

I started looking at listings all over North Jersey. I became intrigued by a house in East Orange and called Lina to get her opinion. She said it was already under contract, but another house in the neighborhood was coming on the market the following week.

Long story short: right away, we felt that house could be “the one.” Then Lina provided us all the information we needed to make our decision. 

Lina knows about houses – especially architecturally. This one had great bones and an open layout. She helped us understand what and how we may need to renovate.

She knows about neighborhoods. This house was right next to Bloomfield’s Watsessing Park. We had lived adjacent to Brookdale Park – also an Olmsted designed space – when we were in Montclair, so Lina gave us the rundown on this park. I joined the conservancy not long after we moved! Also, as a true champion of the walkable lifestyle, Lina also sold us on the nearby train and bus, but also the walkable shopping and restaurants. 

She knows about communities. A good realtor has the kind of inside information you simply cannot get from just reading listings. Our new community is ethnically diverse, with residents of all ages. The people are extremely welcoming, and very proud of their neighborhood. Because Lina is a great listener, she knew we would respond to all those things.

Our new home is not far from Montclair – maybe a 15 minute drive. Early on, I considered that a major selling point of the new house -- the ability to keep my entire Montclair life intact. But now, most of my Montclair travels are to see friends. I do everything else here, in our new home!"

— Nancy, from East Orange

Once upon a time, I lived in a big house by the park. It was the perfect place to raise my children. Then one day, with my children older and beginning to leave home, my house seemed too big for my life. So I moved to a smaller [...]