Harold "Hal" Benz's (halbenz) Blog

One of the things that attracts so many people to our community is the lovely older homes. Many were built around the turn of the century, and some even earlier. We decided to purchase our Westfield home (built in 1927) because we love its character and architectural style.  But trust me...when y...

Downtown Westfield Attracts Home Buyers Whenever I talk to home buyers looking to move to Westfield, the downtown business district always seems to come up. It is one of the many things that attracts home buyers to the area! Downtown Westfield has a wonderful mix of independent stores and boutiqu...

Westfield NJ Home Sales - March 2010 (The following data is provided by the Garden State Multiple Listing Service, LLC. It is deemed to be reliable, but is not guaranteed.) Average List Price For Active Listings     =     $893,360 Number of New Listings Entering Market     =     56 Number of List...

We've all read about the growing number of foreclosed properties out there. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), one in 10 borrowers is seriously delinquent on their mortgage, up from one in 16 borrowers a year ago, and one in 33 two years ago. Increasingly, I'm being asked whethe...

An open letter to Joe the PLUMBER...or CARPENTER...of God forbid, Joe the ELECTRICIAN: Let me begin by telling you that I think you have a lovely home! You have done much to increase its value since you purchased it so many years ago. I especially admire the work you did when you finished the bas...

When I was younger, I loved to play baseball. Countless summer days turned to dusk and my friends and I would still be out there...playing with passion to the best of our ability... until we could no longer see in the dark of the warm summer's night. There's something about the feel of a well hit...

WHEW...What a week!! Somehow, I managed to make it to another weekend. Wait... I'm a real estate broker...I don't get weekends!! Oh well... But in the past 5 days, I've had buyers lose their jobs while in escrow, sellers refuse a terrific cash offer because their friends convinced them that their...

Yesterday, one of my associates brought in a direct mail piece sent by one of the competing brokers in my marketplace. This particular broker is a very small franchise office (less than 10 associates) within one of the big name brands. On the mailer, the broker made the following statement "When ...

I love to cook. It's probably because I really, really love to eat. In fact, if I was not a real estate broker, I would probably become a chef. When I was a very little boy, it was my father...and ex- short order cook...who first turned me on to the joys of the kitchen. So today...on Superbowl Su...

Last Thursday afternoon I was in the office when I heard the news. A commercial airliner had just dropped from the sky into the icy Hudson River. It was a sobering thought that immediately captured the attention of a nation. By now, most of us know how the story unfolds... it's the birds, it's t...