Housing Market Continues to Improve

According to The Otteau Report, the New Jersey housing market for the month of October recorded the highest number of sales in three years, a 55% increase from the same month of 2008. Local sales are also up from last year. Quarterly under contract sales in the 3rd quarter, typically a slow time of year, were higher than past years and 4th quarter under contract sales are already equal to or higher than 2008. This new data...

Easy Way to Clear Your Closet & Donate to a Good Cause

If you are getting ready to put your house on the market or are just doing a house cleaning, there is an easy way to clean out your closets and storage areas while donating to a good cause. The United War Veterans Council offers a free pick-up service of a wide range of household goods. By recycling your unwanted items you help people in need and divert goods from landfills which helps the environment. Pick-ups can be scheduled...

Quarterly Sales Data Signals a Recovering Real Estate Market

Quarterly statistics for homes going under contract are in for the 3rd quarter and numbers reflect a noticeable increase from not only the previous quarter but also from previous years. "Under contract" sales for the 3rd quarter in Millburn-Short Hills are at their highest since 2005 and Chatham’s 3rd quarter sales are their highest since 2006. Sales in Summit are at their highest since 2003 with 62 single family homes going...

Weekend Train Service Finally Arrives in Montclair

Beginning Nov. 8, 2009 weekend train service will begin in Montclair, Glen Ridge and Bloomfield. This long awaited schedule addition will occur approximately every 2 hours and bring commuters to Hoboken where they can take the PATH train to Manhattan. Those wishing to take the Midtown Direct directly into the city can change trains at the Newark Broad Street stop. For train schedules visit NJTransit.com. To read the official...

Contract Checklist: 5 Things Needed to Make an Offer

If you are new to buying in New Jersey or have not bought a property in the area in several years it is important to know what documents are needed to make an offer. Often paperwork needs to be put together in a matter of hours and in multiple bid situations there are tight deadlines to meet. Buyers may be caught off guard and feel overwhelmed by how many items are required. Knowing what documents are needed to make an offer...

Kitchen Renovation: Build Green, Save Green

If you are planning a kitchen renovation there are some great ways to save environmental and financial resources. Build-it Green! NYC offers a FREE kitchen de-construction for qualified kitchens performed by fully insured professionals. Build-it Green! NYC will deconstruct your kitchen and remove everything for free preventing building materials from being tossed in a landfill. You will also save money by not having to pay...

Link to Search for Local Farmers Markets

Nothing beats buying fresh local produce and flowers from a local farmers market. Unfortunately, it always seems that the one in your town is always on a day you consistently can’t make it. Fortunately, most of the towns in the Short Hills area host farmers markets and there is nearly one nearby everyday of the week. To find the location and day of farmers markets in any town in New Jersey visit the Department of Agriculture’s...

Save Energy While on Vacation

Summer is a great time to take a vacation and just get away from it all. However, unless you take action, the appliances and electronic devices in your home will not get a break and your next month's energy bill may be business as usual. Before you leave on your next trip, take a few minutes and follow these simple steps. You can minimize energy consumption in your empty house and maybe save a few dollars for your next vacation....

Short Hills Area Summer Activities

Although most of June didn’t feel much like summer, the sun is starting to come out more often and there are plenty of activities in the Short Hills & Summit area to try out this season including horse back riding, sailing, surfing, yoga, tennis and music lessons. All of these activities offer opportunities for children, adults and groups.TOWN RECREATION DEPARTMENTSMillburn-Short Hills:http://twp.millburn.nj.us/RecreationChatham...

Closing Cost Estimates

As with a lot of purchases and services one pays for in life, buying a home also involves fees and expenses beyond just paying the agreed upon sale price. The break down of closing costs was given to me by Steve Lupton with ISB Mortgage (908-522-6500) and represents a ballpark estimate for closing costs for 2 hypothetical purchases; one for a purchase price of $400,000 and one for $1,000,000. The information provided below is...

Have a Certified Wildlife Habitat™ in Your Own Backyard

Have a Certified Wildlife Habitat™ in Your Own BackyardThe National Wildlife Federation offers a great program to restore natural habitat in your community whether you have an apartment balcony or multi-acre estate. By addressing 5 categories you can apply to have your home habitat certified by The Nation Wildlife Federation. The categories include supplying food, water and shelter for wildlife and creating green space that...

Neighborhood Market Updates Available at TheJillSmithTeam.com

Have you ever wanted to keep updated with home sales in your neighborhood or a neighborhood you are considering moving to? We are pleased to announce a great new feature to TheJillSmithTeam.com that will send you monthly reports on the home sales within your neighborhood which includes selling price compared to list price, a map of currently available homes and recently sold homes, photos and details of each listing and much...

Luxury Statistics Now Available at TheJillSmithTeam.com

Luxury sales statistics are now available at TheJillSmithTeam.com. These statistics cover the towns of Millburn-Short Hills, Summit and Chatham and are divided into two categories: houses originally listed between $1-$2 million and houses originally priced over $2 million.Although dollar volume dropped dramatically for houses priced between $1-2 million in Chatham in 2008, average sale price was up 3% from 2007. Less houses...

Team Member Kathy Murphy Gets Green

Local Realtor® Achieves National Association of Realtors® Green DesignationSummit, NJ. Kathy Murphy long time Short Hills resident and sales associate with The Jill Smith Team of Keller Williams Realty in Summit, NJ has been awarded the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) Green Designation, the only green real estate professional designation...

This Week's Featured Listing 4/27/09

This week’s featured listing is a pristine, updated 4 bedroom, 2.1 bath 1905 Queen Victorian located on a quiet, tree lined street in Millburn just a few short blocks to NYC trains, Downtown Millburn and Wyoming School. 47 Chestnut Street is a great house, perfect for a first time home buyer and not to be missed! It is in move-in condition...

Multiple Offers in a Buyer’s Market is Not an Anomaly

The Millburn-Short Hills area is experiencing a buyer’s market for the first time in many years. Area home prices have been on a steady increase since 2000, with a dramatic spike in 2005 and 2006. They have been on a steady, albeit significantly less dramatic, decline since 2007. Prices are, however, expected to stabilize, if not this year, by 2010. Lower housing prices and a large inventory of available homes in all price...

Current Mortgage Rates & Housing Affordability

As the rate of house price declines begins to slow and the cycle nears its end, the math reality of this historic time will become clear and compelling. For those of you waiting for house prices to stop falling consider this:NJ house prices are dropping at a rate of 1/2 % per month, predicted to bottom out in the 2nd half of 2009.Interest...

Unofficially, the Best Unofficial Dog Park

If you have dogs and live in the area then you likely know that Short Hills is home to the best “unofficial” dog park. Off of Old Short Hills Road is, conveniently named, Old Short Hills Park. This beautiful park is a bucolic setting for picnics, kite flying, playing catch or reading a book. Adjacent to the park is Greenwood Gardens, a...

Millburn High School Ranks Best in NJ

NJ Monthly Magazine ranked Millburn Public High School number 1 for 2008. Read the complete article below and view all rankings by clicking here. You can also view the State of New Jersey's School Report Card for 2008 by visiting the state's website here.Millburn High School Ranks Best in NJMillburn High School grabs the top spot in the 2008 New Jersey Monthly rankings. Here’s why it’s the state’s best public high school.by...

Millburn-Short Hills 2008 Year End Statistics Review

The real state market in communities along the Morris and Essex train line exploded beginning around 2001. In 2001, the average priced home in Millburn-Short Hills was $738,052 and by 2004 it was $1,065,220, a growth of 31%. In 2005 prices went up an additional 19%, the average home selling for $1,314,908. In 2006, home prices in Millburn-Short Hills rose just 2% but still up 21% from 2004.In 2007 the average sale price fell...