Archive for the 'South Orange' Category

Maplewood/South Orange, NJ Neighborhood and Town Video

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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

When 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?

Maplewoodstock music festival!

What a fantastic weekend!  We spent it at Memorial Park in Maplewood for the fifth annual Maplewoodstock festival.  No you didn’t read that wrong.  A bunch of musicians started a two day outdoor music and arts festival five years ago and it’s gotten bigger and better each year.  This year, along with our own local artists,  Marshall Crenshaw and The Band closed the series.

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

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????  

 

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.

 

House Tour of Historic Colonial and Tudor Revivals of South Orange

On May 2 from 11 to 4, The South Orange Historic and Preservation Society is sponsoring a tour of seven of the town’s period Tudor Revival and Colonial Revival homes. 

With historic gas lights lining the beautiful tree-lined streets, these architectural masterpieces,   built between 1895 and the mid-1930s , illustrate the variety found within these architectural styles.

Click to order tickets for the Historic Gems of South Orange House Tour

The self-guided tour begins appropriately at the Episcopal Church of St. Andrew and Holy Communion, as this year’s tour coincides with the church’s 150th anniversary celebration.  Many prominent South Orange citizens, such as Augustus Brewer, William Baird, Francis Spier and Eugene Connett worshipped here, and there are several documented Tiffany stained glass windows. 

Click here for more information on South Orange NJ.

Click here to see all historic homes for sale in South Orange NJ.  If you’re intrigued by what you see here and would like a tour of the homes for sale in South Orange or surrounding towns, just give the Sue Adler Team a call at (973)464-9129.

Yours to count on,

Sue

So you need to commute to NYC and you can’t spend $1Million on a house??? Check out these GREAT New Jeresy neighborhoods – in these midtown direct “walk to train” locations!

What a day! 3 open houses on our three new listings – Two are getting at least one offer, and we had 27-30 people at each one.  All three of these homes are priced in the $500’s.  My team was also booked all weekend with buyers. What does all of this mean?

1. There has been so much pent up demand for great AFFORDABLE homes that  the nice ones that are priced right  are flying off the market.

2. The entry level market has now come down to a level where buyers can jump into the market. Of course the low interest rates have added the cherry on the top.

3. Even in a “buyer’s market”, you will always be able to re-sell a well priced home with close proximity to trains to NYC. This is what most buyers moving out from NYC are looking for.

4. Has this segment of the market hit bottom?

So where can you find these more affordable homes? Below are neighborhoods in each of the midtown direct trainline towns that are under a mile to the train.

• South Orange – South of South Orange Ave, there are two neighborhoods that are easily walkable and you can find housing that won’t break the bank. The area between Walton Rd and Wyoming Ave is one ( Conway Ct, Rynda, West End Rd, Lenox Ave to name a few streets) and the streets surrounding Seton Hall University are the other. North of South Orange Ave there are the Hart Dr ranch homes, and further north you can occasionally find a smaller home nestled amongst the larger ones off of Wyoming Ave.  The same would be true of the Montrose Section.

• Maplewood- Much of Maplewood fits the bill and that’s why so many buyers move here from Park Slope, Brooklyn, and NYC.  East of Valley Rd, across from Memorial Park, is  very popular among the “walk to train” crowd. Here are two examples:  www.sueadler.com/35Kensington and www.sueadler.com/36Madison Houses within a few blocks of Maplewood Village may be in the $500k-700k range, but they don’t seem to come on the market very often. There are homes on Jefferson Ave and some of the surrounding streets such as Brookside Rd, have sold in the $500k’s and 600’s as well.

• Millburn- The South Mountain Section and Wyoming Sections are the two largest neighborhoods that are “walk to  train,  town, Taylor Park, Wyoming Elem or South Mountain Elem, middle and high school ”. There are also many small streets off of Millburn Ave that are close by as well.Homes range from the $400k’s to the 800k’s with a few exceptions in the South Mountain Section.In the Wyoming Section you can easily find homes in this range, but there are also more expensive homes over $1Million.

• Short Hills - The Glenwood Section ( where I live!) is the perfect place to be – walk to Glenwood Elem and top rated Millburn HS, Short Hills train station, and Millburn Ave restaurants and shops. Most homes range from the 600k’s to the $1Million range, but certain streets wth larger homes and properties such as Pine Terrace East  command much more. www.sueadler.com/11PineTerraceEast Generally speaking, the Glenwood Section runs between the Short Hills Train Station and Millburn Ave. The main roads running through are Woodland Rd, Baltusrol Way, and Short Hills Ave, with many small charming treelined streets in between. The Knollwood Section, behind the Millburn Middle School, is also similar in price to Glenwood. This neighborhood  comes in between Hobart Avenue and Old Short Hills Rd – Whitney Dr, Midhurst Dr, Haddonfield Drive are a few of the streets you find in this storybook enclave of charming colonials and tudors.

• Summit Most of the areas surrounding the Summit Train Station tend to be a bit pricier however there are certain streets close to the train station that do turn out homes for under $900,000. To name a few, Mountain Ave and Ashland Rd- south of the Summit Train station, and Waldron Ave, and DeBary Place- north of the station. I do need to mention a neighborhood that is just over a mile, but with comparable homes to the Glenwood and South Mountain homes in Millburn/Short Hills. Its the Memorial Field area by Brayton Elementary School. Don’t overlook this neighborhood if you’re looking for an awesome neighborhood in a great school district.

• Chatham Boro – The nice thing about Chatham Boro is that almost all of it is within a mile of the Chatham Train Station. The Station is located just off Fairmount Dr and Main Street so its central location and stellar school system, makes it a sought after town. The majority of homes in the Boro are in the “affordable” range and are close to Main Street shops and restaurants, and elementary schools as well.

• Madison -The Madison Train Station is situated between Waverly Rd and Greenwood Rd, just south of Main Street. On the northern side of Main Street in Madison you can easily find 3 to 4 bedroom homes starting in the $400’s, and ranging up to over $1M. Because Madison is home to Drew University, Main Street feels much like a college town with a jazz bar, trendy shops and a wide variety of restaurants.

So, there you have it! If you want to see your options in person, just give me a call (973)464-9129.

Yours to count on,

Sue Adler

Luxury homes in Midtown Direct “walk to train” locations

If you work in NYC and need the direct train to Midtown New York Penn Station or Hoboken (where you can then take the PATH downtown to the financial district), here are the most convenient New Jersey neighborhoods where you can find the beautiful upscale homes:

• Old Short Hills  is the area north of the Short Hills train station off of Hobart Ave.  Stewart Hartshorn originally developed this as the ideal community, and brought the train line from NYC into the magnificent rolling landscape of Short Hills, which was at the time, all countryside. Truly magnificent one of a kind homes off of quiet winding roads, its no wonder why Old Short Hills is such a sought-after area.  A major attraction of Short Hills is  that it is part of the Millburn School District, the  highest rated school district in NJ.  There are also private school options as well.
• Northside Summit - The area north of Springfield Ave between Woodland Ave and the Whittredge Green area consists of some of the most stunning homes you’ve ever seen. ( I really didn’t mean for that to rhyme!) From tudors to Victorians, to brick manor homes, you’ll pay a hefty price tag, but if you can afford it, this is truly the best of all worlds. Summit also has a very highly rated school system. There are many renowned private schools in Summit as well.
• Wyoming and Montrose Sections of South Orange  were planned as a haven for wealthy New York businessmen looking for stylish large homes away from the city – the area’s first commuters. The fact that the commute into Manhattan is only 25 minutes from South Orange is a big draw to commuters who aren’t willing to sacrifice a short commute for their estate home. These homes of history between Ridgewood Rd and Wyoming Ave in the Wyoming Section, and between Scotland Rd and Grove Ave in the Montrose Section, have magnificent craftmanship, beautiful mature plantings, and have historic gas lights along their tree-lined streets. Prices are much less than Summit or Short Hills, but the taxes tend to be equal to ( and sometimes a little higher) what the taxes for the same house in Short Hills or Summit would be, so keep that in mind because home buyers normally compare by price range town to town, not size of home. Check out “Tulip Hill” circa 1906! Asking $1,095,000.
• West of Maplewood Village- Maplewood Ave, and some of the tree-lined streets west of Maplewood Village, such as Woodland Ave, Mountain Ave are examples of streets boasting beautiful homes of character, and an easy walk to Maplewood train station, which is only 1/2 hr to NYC, as well as Maplewood Village shops, restaurants and Memorial Park. The upper bracket homes in Maplewood tend to cap in the low 1 Million dollar range, which is much more affordable than luxury homes in its surrounding trainline towns.
• Chatham -  The area between Fairmount Ave and Watchung Ave, near the Lafayette Elementary School and the Chatham High School are under a mile to the Chatham Train Station and  beautiful upscale homes can be found on these tree-lined streets. Highland Ave, Washington Ave, Dellwood Ave, and Chandler Ave are a few worth noting in Chatham Boro. Chatham is another Blue Ribbon School District and has a great down town area as well.
• Hill Section of Madison - Southwest of the Madison train station, you’ll find luxury homes that are walkable to the Madison Train Station and the trendy restaurants on Main Street. Midwood Terrace has the reputation for the most upscale homes in Madison. However, there are other beautiful streets with gorgeous new and older homes in the Hill Section. To name a few- Pomeroy Rd, Woodland Ave, Crossgates, Garfield Ave, and the small streets that come off of these.

Much of the luxury home market in Short Hills, Summit, Livingston, Chatham and Madison, Maplewood and South Orange still feels overpriced. However, the serious sellers have priced their homes to sell, and these gems are now trading at more affordable prices, ( although I guess “affordable” is a relative term considering we’re talking about luxury homes!) Just in the past few weeks, homes in the high end are starting to sell again, however we’re back to late 2003-early 2004 prices, which is very hard for many sellers to accept.

 It is more important than ever to get good advice in buying or selling a luxury home from realtors who KNOW the luxury home market.  Call Sue at 973-464-9129 to discuss your options.

Mid-Century modern home living in New Jersey

We are fortunate enough to have found one of the very few modern Frank Lloyd Wright inspired homes on Sagamore Road in the Wyoming section of Millburn. We enjoy floor to ceiling windows with dramatic NYC skyline views, open and clean living spaces, walking distance to town and the Midtown direct train into NYC, and appreciative comments from visitors and anyone who’s read Dwell Magazine. While some are not in love with modern design, we find freedom and think it’s just down right cool! We love living in our tree house, or a sculpture of sorts with Eichler, Mondrian, and Calder inspirations throughout.

Those who aren’t familiar with Sagamore Road, to me it’s a beautiful country road, nestled up against the South Mountain reservation, with over 2000 acres of trees and streams, but still conveniently located in walking distance to Down Town Millburn!

We’d always liked Modern design as architectural statements, never thinking we’d depart from our traditional roots, but when the opportunity came, we grabbed one (by the skin of our teeth). I can’t say we knew what it all meant at the time, but after living in our Jetsons styled home, it’s hard to imagine we could have ever lived anywhere else!

It’s not that traditional homes aren’t wonderful with their classic charms, but mid century modern homes call to a contemporary sensibility that’s very different and special in it’s own way.

Mid Century modern homes are rare here, but can be found in Millburn/Short Hills, Maplewood, South Orange, Warren, Mountainside and the surrounding towns.

These gems, or diamonds in the roughs, don’t come up every day.  Call or drop me an email, if you want me to keep my eye out for you.  Deirdre  973-985-0500 Deirdre@sueadler.com

Also, check out our web site for more info http://www.adlerbenjamin.com/