Jeannie in NJ Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 we sold our house in Dec. It was on a barrier island off of NJ. It was large (for an island home) at 2200 sq ft. 43 years old. Prior to selling we had spend about $25,000 repairing pilings and some damage from Sandy (mostly on the garage, we repaired all that) plus about $10,000 (we did a lot of the work ourselves) on new kitchen, new appliances, new bathroom, re painted entire interior of house, etc , etc, Hardwood floors needed to be re-done but we left that for new owners to deal with. Well, dd drove by our previous house and it IS GONE, just an empty lot. So they paid us $450,000 for the land. We can only assume that they wanted to completely redo the house but decided to start from stratch. But still that amount for just the value of the land. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Oh my. I remember you posting about all the work and issues. Even though it's not yours anymore that must be a shock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted August 25, 2014 Author Share Posted August 25, 2014 yes behind our house was the intercoastal waterway and marshes as for as you could see. No neighbors at all behind us. Tons of wildlife and beautiful sunsets. But financially we needed to sell and move. We do love our new house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 The house I grew up in was moved off the property so the new owners could build a different house on the property. Ours was moved to a country location--I've driven by it once before. Glad it still lives on somewhere! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 We saw this all the time in LA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 That's sad. :( I mean, I know you were paid for it and everything, but it was still your home and I'm sure you were picturing a new family moving in and loving it there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Wow. And hugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5of5 Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Ugh. It's too bad you had to do all that work and then just have it torn down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 actually - they paid more than $450K for the land. they had to pay for the demo and hauling off debris. we sold our house in Dec. It was on a barrier island off of NJ. It was large (for an island home) at 2200 sq ft. 43 years old. Prior to selling we had spend about $25,000 repairing pilings and some damage from Sandy (mostly on the garage, we repaired all that) plus about $10,000 (we did a lot of the work ourselves) on new kitchen, new appliances, new bathroom, re painted entire interior of house, etc , etc, Hardwood floors needed to be re-done but we left that for new owners to deal with. Well, dd drove by our previous house and it IS GONE, just an empty lot. So they paid us $450,000 for the land. We can only assume that they wanted to completely redo the house but decided to start from stratch. But still that amount for just the value of the land. I do sort of understand. I've lived on this street for 30 years - and we've had three houses demo'd (with 11 built in their place.) currently with another two scheduled for demolition. (with two built in their place) there is one more house left on 2 1/2+ acres. ( the son supposedly wants the property to live there. I expect after the father dies - it will also be demo'd and turned into multiple houses.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 :ohmy: Oh wow. Speechless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 We don't see that much here because you are no longer allowed to build as close to the water as you once were. So, even big hotels get renovated, not torn down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myeightkiddies Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 My husband's grandfather designed and built his house. It was beautiful, and it was located on the intercoastal waterway in Florida. The people who bought it tore it down immediately and rebuilt something less attractive. It was a real shame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 I guess if one has money to burn, this is an option. But I know there are tons of other things - better things IMO - that I would have done with that same amount of $$ even if money were no object to us. I guess it's an extreme illustration of our throw away society. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Remodeling is extremely expensive and very difficult and takes much longer than building something brand new. They probably decided it would be less expensive to level it and begin with everything brand new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 yes behind our house was the intercoastal waterway and marshes as for as you could see. No neighbors at all behind us. Tons of wildlife and beautiful sunsets. But financially we needed to sell and move. We do love our new house. Wait...why wasn't I in on this sale? ;) That location sounds perfect...although coastal living does give me pause due to storms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 *blink* Wow, if I had half a million dollars handy, that would not be how I'd spend it.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisIsTheDay Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 WOW, what a shocker. That happened with my sil's house, and my mom's house too. But one knew ahead of time, and the other expected it. That would be such a weird feeling, I think, to find out that had happened. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Something similar happened here with a "mansion" that just could not get sold. It had been for sale for at least 8 years--as long as we've lived in this house. I finally looked it up and saw that almost nothing had been done inside except the wall studs. It was on 8 acres but not all of that is usable--at least 2-3 acres are hilly woods. The thing finally was bought--and immediately torn down and a brand new Ace hardware is soon to be opening there. For them it made sense. The mansion would not have worked as an Ace hardware. And this location is between 2 stores that will be closing when this one opens. I guess I can see why one might tear down and build new but it's still quite jolting to see it happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 In NJ too, happens all the time. With multi million properties too. Gosh, that is a bargain price, unless some government rule is going to take houses off barrier beac islands. The location sounds stunning. You were not surrounded by other homes? Wow! I would have loved your house as is, sounds wonderful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 We have 100 houses on our street and there are only 6 original ones left. All the others have been torn down over time. We took down a 1940s cottage that was practically uninhabitable to build our new home 10 years ago. We thought we were building next to established houses that would stay, but a few years ago a next-door neighbour tore down their house to build again. Theirs was already a second generation build from the 1970s. Since then several others from that era have been torn down, so now we are in a third generation of rebuilds. There are constantly construction trucks on the street and when one project finishes we all joke "who's next?". It is really surprising to see the 1970s and 1980s homes there one day and gone a few days later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Remodeling is extremely expensive and very difficult and takes much longer than building something brand new. They probably decided it would be less expensive to level it and begin with everything brand new. Yep. It seems counter-intuitive, but it's almost always quicker and easier to raze and rebuild than it is to renovate, and often cheaper as well. Keep your eyes open, and you'll notice that you rarely see chain restaurants being extensively remodeled. They pull 'em down and start over, even though they have to be completely closed for the duration. When I see this, I always hope that at least some of the materials are being recycled in some way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Our former house vanished as well (although it was closer to 45K than 450K!), but it turned out that it had actually burned badly, which was the reason the lot had been cleared. Could that have happened here, too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moxie Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 In NJ too, happens all the time. With multi million properties too. Gosh, that is a bargain price, unless some government rule is going to take houses off barrier beac islands. The location sounds stunning. You were not surrounded by other homes? Wow! I would have loved your house as is, sounds wonderful. Yes, the house sounds wonderful but I remember her post detailing what it was like living through that hurricane. Scary stuff!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 In NJ too, happens all the time. With multi million properties too. Gosh, that is a bargain price, unless some government rule is going to take houses off barrier beac islands. The location sounds stunning. You were not surrounded by other homes? Wow! I would have loved your house as is, sounds wonderful. yep. there was one here on the lake front that sold for about $10M. then they sold "just" the house for about $600K (it was barged to one of the islands). that house was built in 1978 - and the previous house on the property had been torn down to build it. oh, the irony. that bill gates house is the most expensive (by far) on the lake - and you have to know where to look to see it because it is so *visually* understated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 I've also seen where people raze it to the foundation, and perhaps keep part of an exterior wall - then they call it a "remodel"around here - it's easier to get permits for remodels than new construction. Yep. It seems counter-intuitive, but it's almost always quicker and easier to raze and rebuild than it is to renovate, and often cheaper as well. Keep your eyes open, and you'll notice that you rarely see chain restaurants being extensively remodeled. They pull 'em down and start over, even though they have to be completely closed for the duration. When I see this, I always hope that at least some of the materials are being recycled in some way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefly Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Unfortunately we see that a lot here, too (I'm on the CT coast) It really makes me sad to see charming little houses demolished and replaced with huge monstrosities. DH's family has a beach house about 20 minutes away, right on the water. It's been in the family for two generations and I love it. We've been going every summer since I met DH almost 30 years ago. It is/was a true beach community and used to be full of little cottages where families would come and spend the summers. Now, people from out of state-- mostly New York (just a fact- no offense meant to New Yorkers ;)) are coming in, tearing down the cottages and building massive McMansions, complete with granite countertops in the kitchen and central ac. Our summers are usually not super hot, but especially right on the water there is always a nice ocean breeze. But they come to the beach and then close all the windows to turn on the central air! I don't get it. And I miss the little shingled cottages. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 The people who bought the house next to us basically did that as well. They spent more than that, I'm pretty sure, and then they proceeded to gut the entire structure and remake the whole inside. They couldn't replace the outside structure because it's a rowhouse, but from what I could see they replaced everything else, including the floors and walls and beams. It made me feel poor, which is hilarious since we are obviously rich compared to the neighbors across the street who are big families all living in rented tiny apartments in terrible shape. But just destroying all that hart pine and old molding... we couldn't afford to toss that out like nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Hope they at least salvaged the new stuff you put in. Glad you like your new home and location!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted August 26, 2014 Author Share Posted August 26, 2014 Yes, the house sounds wonderful but I remember her post detailing what it was like living through that hurricane. Scary stuff!! I was not sad to move after staying during Sandy, I have no desire to live on an island again. We are far enough offshore (hopefully) maybe for hurricanes but still only 15 min max drive to the beach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted August 26, 2014 Author Share Posted August 26, 2014 That's sad. :( I mean, I know you were paid for it and everything, but it was still your home and I'm sure you were picturing a new family moving in and loving it there. dh had tears in his eyes when we drove away from our house going to closing. He said "This is the house we brought our babies to, all those memories". But he does love our new house and especially to now have gas heat and not electric baseboard any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 We saw this all the time in LA. We see it here in The DC metro area too...although less so since the recession. I have rarely liked the new house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 Our family cottage that my dad built and we spent every summer and lots of Christmas's in was leveled. The family that bought it off of my parents said that they wanted a rustic cottage. By the time my parents sold it, it had water, hot water, shower, flush toilet, TV, and electric. I thought that it was way more luxury than "rustic," but I lived through all the years of no water, no power, no hot water, no indoor plumbing and no TV. I guess the "rustic" cottage was still not quite right. They leveled it and built a monstrous "house." It's very strange going back to see the old lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.