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Archive for the 'Chatham' Category

2010 NJ top High School Rankings- We did it again!

sep2010_tophsNJ top High School rankings 2010Our commuter towns of Millburn, New Providence, Chatham, Madison, Livingston , Summit, Berkeley Hts are all top 25!  So if you’re moving from NYC to NJ for an easy commute and great schools, this article is for you!

We all know how important Schools are to our communities and to home values. NJ Monthly analyzes  data on NJ’s High Schools and summarizes the results. The Top High Schools list is based on data reported by the schools to the Department of Education for the 2008-2009 school year.

 NJ MONTHLY’S ENTIRE ARTICLE

Click on the links below to read NJ Monthly’s  Top High Schools rankings in the categories listed:

Full 2010 Top High Schools rankings (pdf)

2010 Top High School rankings (alphabetical)

2010 Top High School rankings (by county)

NJ Home Buyers, Frustrated by low inventory? We have the solution!

 
Inventory low, demand still high in trainline towns

Inventory low, demand still high in trainline towns

Experts are reporting that rates are the lowest since 1956. Buying, selling or refinancing, that’s all everyone’s talking about! As a buyer’s agent , I watch the rates on a weekly basis and follow the flow of the Short Hills, Summit, Maplewood market for my clients. Bankrate.com also found record lows for the average 15-year fixed mortgage (4.18 percent) and the 30-year jumbo fixed loan (5.43 percent). The rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage this week was tied with the record established two weeks ago, the online aggregator of financial rate information reported. There is no question that if you were just looking at these numbers, it is a great time to buy.

The issue  for our buyers: Low Inventory

While the rest of the country and most of New Jersey is seeing an overflow of inventory, we along the Midtown Direct Train Line, have been spared in certain price points. Read the rest of this entry »

For Some NJ Home Buyers, It’s Chatham or Nothing

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For Some Buyers, It’s Chatham or nothing at all. Ranked as the 2nd best place to live in NJ by New Jersey Monthly Magazine 2010, and one of the top 10 places to live in the United States by Money Magazine in 2005, Chatham Township is known for its beautiful homes, tree-lined streets, a bucolic setting and only a 43 minute commute to New York City on the Midtown Direct. 

That’s why, after many home owners live  in Chatham, they simply won’t move anywhere else. They tell me it’s like “no other town.” Everybody knows everybody and they all seem to be on the street when I’m showing a house. Playing lacrosse in the yard, walking with their kids to a soccer game and let’s not forget the two golden retrievers that are always in tow. Did I stage this? You would think I did.  Read the rest of this entry »

Hey suburbia-phobic New Yorkers- we have great FREE schools in New Jersey!

Just released : the 2009 New Jersey School report card  

http://tr.im/NwwE   Our local NJ schools continue to be strongly ranked - Millburn, Livingston, Chatham, Madison, Summit, Berkeley Heights, New Providence and others are among the top ranked New Jersey public  schools.   So listen up all you suburbia-phobic New Yorkers – come in for the town tours, and visit our great schools….. OK, ”free” may be arguable since you’re paying for it in your taxes,  however, it’s still less expensive than New York private schools, and only a 25 to 45 minute direct train into midtown Manhattan.

Chatham NJ Neighborhood and Town Video Tour

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The sought after areas of Chatham Borough   and neighboring Chatham Township  share a common heritage and are often referred to as Chatham or The Chathams. If you’re thinking of moving to  NJ, and are looking for an easy commute into NYC, excellent schools, and a great community, here’s a way to get a peak at what this beautiful town has to offer.  You’ll see schools, parks, Main Street shops and restaurants, Chatham train station, as well as  beautiful borough and township neighborhoods.

Then, if I’ve peaked your interest, and you’d like to come in for the real town tours, just give me a call… (973)464-9129

Yours to count on,

Sue

Wanna be in pictures? Shooting town tours of my 8 New Jersey towns next week, and I need your input!

Dear Friends,

This past Wednesday  I held my 4th annual Client Mix and Mingle Party, which I hold every year so that my clients who have just moved to the area can meet new friends.  Thanks to  the 60 people who attended!   Pictures are up on  facebook   http://www.facebook.com/sueadler  so feel free to check them out!

I’m really grateful for the friends I’ve made through my business and I probably don’t express that enough.  

  Referrals from my clients  now account for 70% of my business and my team is currently #2 in the entire MLS YTD for dollar volume production, and #1 in the midtown direct towns for units! THANK YOU!! 
So…since I do so much relocation, I’ve got this great idea for relocation buyers that I’m finally putting into action. Could use your input…..  I’ve hired a professional videographer to shoot town videos of Millburn, Short Hills, Maplewood, South Orange, Summit, Livingston and Chatham.
I’ve hired a radio host to interview locals and capture your stories about living here on video ( he’s very conversational and puts people at ease right away! ) We’re also interviewing shop and restaurant owners and filming homes that would be typical for the community.  Read the rest of this entry »

Manhattan Bagel to open in Summit NJ

Bagel shops in Summit, Short Hills, Livingston New JerseyWhen I moved from the Philly burbs, where we had great bagels from places like Hymies and Murrays, I just expected that living  ”outside of NYC” the bagels could all be bought fresh out of the oven with a crusty exterior with the soft inside. mmmm.  They’re fine, so I’m not really complaining, but they just dont exceed my expectations either.

So the news of Akram Kwaik opening up a Manhattan Bagel in Summit is music to my ears, that is, if the bagels actually taste like  New York bagels .  Is anyone out there familiar with them?

That brings me to my next question… where are your favorite places to get great bagels around here?  Would you vote for  Livingston Bagel , Bagel Chateau, or Bagels 4 You in Short Hills? Any others?

 

Bicycle, Bicycle…I want to ride my Bicycle. Ode to Freddie Mercury.

CY-00010-C~Girl-Trick-Riding-on-Bicycle-PostersWeek 3 of my “Greener Evolution”.

I was stopped at a light at the corner of Morris Tpke. and Millburn Ave. when four teenage girls, say 14 or 15 years old, nearly gave the “MOM”in me a heart attack. Two of the girls dangerously ignored the cross signal and road their bikes across the busy street narrowly avoiding oncoming traffic. The other two waited until it was slightly safer to ride across, but if any of their mothers had been there..OY!

It was a reminder to me, of how tough runners/walkers/bikers have it in parts of our town.Now, that particular intersection is definitely not a good place to bike (Morris Turnpike is infamous for lots of car to car accidents) but this incident begs the question: Where IS there a good place to ride in our downtowns?

In our area the number of residents who are thinking along the same lines seems to be hitting a critical mass. On July 21st a vote on this issue is scheduled at the Millburn Township Committee Meeting. If passed, it will provide bike lanes and safer bike travel around a portion of South Mountain Reservation from Brookside Drive to Ridgewood Road. The project is supposed to include striping along Glen Avenue, road markers with the bicycle symbol, and kiosks with information about the path and signs. In addition to running along Glen Avenue, the path would link to downtown Millburn on Lackawanna Place. Now this is something everyone (especially all of us Greenies) would love to see happen! Read the rest of this entry »

Summit NJ Wine and Food Festival- Not to be missed!

Courtesy of http://www.summitwineandfood.com

Save these dates and get your tickets now! July 24, 25, 26th at the Grand Summit Hotel 

courtesy of www.summitwineandfood.com 

Get your tickets for The Summit Wine and Food Festival here.

 Friday July 24th is opening night featuring 15 world-renowned chefs preparing their signature dishes. There will be 15 leading wineries providing the accompanied wines. The cost of the opening night reception is $195.  Afterwards, there is an Invitation Only after hours party for mingling with the winemakers, chefs and sommeliers at the Hunt Club Restaurant.

Saturday morning  from 10-12 the Rubicon Estate’s Master Sommelier Roger Dagorn will lead you through a vertical tasting of the legendary wines of this vineyard. Read the rest of this entry »

In the NJ Midtown Direct Trainline Towns, 95 Homes Have Gone Under Contract In Past Two Weeks!

Over the past two weeks,  did you notice how many homes in our NJ Midtown Direct Trainline Towns are selling????  

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I just went into GSMLS and searched all homes in  Millburn, Short Hills, Summit, Chatham, Madison, Maplewood, South Orange and Livingston, and found that 95 homes have gone under contract in the past two weeks. This does not include all of the ones that are in attorney review! 

Compare This To the last 2 weeks of  March, where only 45 homes went under contract in these towns, and the last 2 weeks of February where there were only 18 homes to go under contract.

Why now??

Move up Buyers finally are selling their existiing homes and there is finally enough inventory for them to want to make the upward move.

MORE  NJ Sellers are pricing right, staging their homes and listing with Realtors who are creating a sense of urgency for them  ( yes, shameless plug) , so those 95 homes are selling, while others remain sitting. 

The RATES-  I just refinanced at 4.625%.  How long do you think they’ll stay below 5%?

Its Spring!  The clock is ticking to get in for the school year – beats the 30k per year private school tuition.  The 3rd baby has been born and the 1 bedroom apartment won’t work anymore, etc… life goes on.. you get the picture.

 

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