Positive Market Indicators in the Pascack ValleyWhat better indication of market activity is there than buyer interest?  Here in the Pascack Valley of Bergen County we have had a number of Open Houses for the public.  Today, one of my beautiful new listings on 77 Knickerbocker Avenue in Hillsdale had 10 groups of buyers attend our Open House.  This exceptionally beautiful Nantucket Colonial has stainless appliances, a wonderful and spacious rear yard, two beautifully adorned and updated baths, and three full levels of living, with a finshed lower level!  Three of the buyers were return visits, and we anticipate offers coming in quickly!  Again, let me repeat, the Real Estate Market is Alive and Well in the Pascack Valley!Susan Laskin, Sales Associ... 01/27/2008

Moving to Hillsdale New Jersey?  We just Sold a Hillsdale Home to a family and they were quite excited about the prospect of moving into their new Hillsdale residence.  When a Buyer purchases a home in an area they are not familiar with, there are many things to consider.  The following are some important considerations when re-locating to a new area like the quaint Norman Rockwell-like town of Hillsdale New Jersey.Commuters may be concerned about public transportation.  In the center of the town of Hillsdale, commuters will be happy to find the Pascack Valley Train Line as well as New Jersey Transit Buses on Broadway in Westwood and neighboring Rockland County Coach Buses to The Port Authority Bus Terminal and George Washington Bridge Bus Station in New York City.  Should you arrive at... 01/22/2008

The Pascack Valley Market -  Hillsdale Sales Activity Report - November 07' shows the Sales Activity of Single Family Homes for the month of November 2007 in the chart below.The Pascack Valley area is beautiful this time of year with hints of the Holidays in the air.  The trees have lost their leaves and the landscapes are beginning to take on the feel of the upcoming Holiday season!         Hillsdale Real Estate Market Activity:  Listing Status        Total        Total List/Sale Dollars  Average ListPrice Average SoldPrice Median SoldPrice Sale Price/List Price* Sold 3  $ 1,836,700  $ 661,296  $ 612,233  $ 573,350   92.581 There are currently 63 Actively Listed homes in the town of Hillsdale with an average List Price of $615,721.Compare the previous month's activity for the Pascack V... 12/01/2007

                                            Annual Flu Shots for Hillsdale ResidentsThe Hillsdale Board of Health has announced that it will be holding a Clinic to qualified residents on Thursday October 4th (12 P.M. to 1:30 P.M.) and Tuesday October 16 (7 P.M. to 8:30 P.M.).  This is in concert with the Bergen County Regional Health Commission, and will be held at the United Methodist Church, located at 349 Hillsdale Avenue.  The following are covered:  Residents 65 and over, those 18-64 with a chronic health condition (must be accompanied by a note from a personal physician), and pregnant women (accompanied by a note from a personal physician).For further information, please contact the Hillsdale Health Department at 201-666-4800, ext 5025.If you would like more information about the ... 09/30/2007

                                             Historic Documents about the Pascack Valley in the Hillsdale NJ Library While visiting the Hillsdale, NJ Free Library, I came upon an exciting discovery.  Hillsdale has a growing section of historically important documents and books which will definitely excite the local historians.  Just browsing through the documents, you will discover:1.  An 1876 Map, showing Hillsdale at this time2.  An undated map circa 1890, showing the Manor section of Hillsdale3.  A Pascack Valley History Project4.  Local Photographs and documentsPlease visit the Hillsdale Free Library website for more detailed information about their offerings.  Or visit the newly renovated facility on Hillsdale Avenue, just west of the pictueresque town center.If you would like more... 09/14/2007

                           It's Time for Flu Shots in Hillsdale NJThe Hillsdale NJ Board of Health has announced that it will be holding its annual flu shots at the United Methodist Church, located at 349 Hillsdale Avenue on Thursday, October 4, 2007, from noon to 1:30 P.M. and again on Tuesday, Oct. 16 from 7-8:30 P.M., as was reported by Community Life. For eligibility requirements, please call the Hillsdale Health Department, at 201-666-4800, ext. 5025.If you would like more information about Hillsdale, or other towns in the Pascack Valley (River Vale, Woodcliff Lake, Montvale, Westwood, Park Ridge, Emerson, and the Township of Washington, please visit my website, SusanLaskinRealtor.com. Here you will find links to each of the town websites.Susan Laskin, Sales Associate, #1 Realtor i... 09/13/2007

Pascack Valley High School NJ - Hats off to Thee!  That was the song we sang at the games we attended back in the 70's.  Back then when we attended this great High School things looked alittle bit different then they do today but the spirit still lives on.  Renovations of the High School were in the works when I (Lisa) was graduating.  The community was growing and the school needed more room to accomodate the children of Hillsdale & River Vale.  In keeping with the newest growth spurts, the school has recently undergone a new face lift. We took a peek at the grounds recently and the memories came flooding back to the times we both spent attending High School.  Below you will find the before and after photos we took. The High School Field was seemingly larger than either of us remembere... 08/10/2007

Hillsdale Market Report for Single Family Homes - July 2007' The following chart shows the Sales Activity of Single Family Homes for the month of July 2007, in the town of Hillsdale, New Jersey in the Pascack Valley area of Bergen County, New Jersey.The Garden State Real Estate market is in Full Bloom!  Check out some local nurseries in the Pascack Valley area.        Hillsdale Real Estate Market Activity: Total       Total List/Sale Dollars Average ListPriceAverage SoldPriceMedian SoldPriceSale Price/List PriceSold6 $ 4,025,999 $ 696,080 $ 671,000 $ 610,000  96.397There are currently 54 Actively Listed homes in the town of Hillsdale with an average List Price of $649,432.Compare the previous month's activity for the Pascack Valley by clicking on the following link: June 07' Pascack Val... 08/08/2007

Don't Forget to Check on The Elderly!  As the dogs days of Summer have pushed New Jersey temperatures up to very uncomfortable levels here in the Pascack Valley, you may want to consider these Tips.  With temperatures climbing, the heat of the Summer has given me a personal experience with my elderly Mother which prompted me to write this post.  With the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives, we can sometimes forget that our elderly don't tolerate simple facts of life such as "HEAT"!  We all run in and out of air conditioned offices, homes and cars and pay little attention to the temperatures outside.  If you know of an elderly homeowner, neighbor or relative, take a moment to call or stop in on them.  Many of the elderly don't think of the outside temperatures and can become dehydrat... 08/08/2007

Is Time on your side?  How much time is enough time?  Do you ever feel like there aren't enough hours in a day or enough time to spend with the ones you love?  This weekend brought these questions to the forfront in my life and I experienced a "sudden shift in priorities".  My Mother who is almost 80 years old and a very active woman, working two part time jobs, became ill at 7:00 am Friday morning.  I was forced to drop everything I was doing and rush to her house to help her.  It was scarey sitting by her bedside with the weight of the world on my shoulders wondering what the right decision was to make at that moment.I am the third child of four children and my siblings all live in other states.  My father passed away almost 9 years ago so I bare the weight of the responsibility to lo... 08/06/2007

The following chart shows the Sales Activity of Single Family Homes for the month of July 2007, in the Pascack Valley area of Bergen County, New Jersey.The Garden State Real Estate market is in Full Bloom!  Check out some local nurseries in the Pascack Valley area.        Hillsdale Real Estate Market Activity: Total       Total List/Sale Dollars Average ListPriceAverage SoldPriceMedian SoldPriceSale Price/List PriceSold6 $ 4,025,999 $ 696,080 $ 671,000 $ 610,000  96.397There are currently 54 Actively Listed homes in the town of Hillsdale with an average List Price of $649,432.River Vale Real Estate Market Activity:Total       Total List/Sale Dollars Average ListPriceAverage SoldPriceMedian SoldPriceSale Price/List PriceSold15 $ 11,619,899 $ 799,742 $ 774,660 $ 680,000  96.864There are c... 08/01/2007

We'd like to tell a story today.  It's The Story of the "For Sale By Owner".  So gather round and listen up!  This is one for the books.  We were contacted from some out of town Buyers a few months back through our website, www.HammersTeam.com.  They were a young couple transferring with their company and the original contact was made by the young man's Mother.  Being parents ourselves, we understand the concept of helping your children to make major decisions like purchasing a place to live.  We did it ourselves when we bought our first home and we certainly respect it.  Having said that, we were happy to help this couple and were willing to assist them when one of the homes they wanted to look at was a "For Sale By Owner".  The following steps are the steps we took in an effort to rep... 07/31/2007

"What Is a Real Estate Bidding War - and what causes it?"  As Realtors® we see Bidding Wars happen in different situations and on different homes.  The concept is one that occured more often in the "HOT" real estate market of the past five years but they do indeed still happen on homes for various reasons.When we're working with a Buyer who puts an offer on a home that has been on the market for an extended period of time and then is told that there are other offers, what does it mean?  READ MORE >>>>>When a Seller lists their home, what can they expect in the Offer process?  READ MORE >>>>>The "Best Offer" isn't always the most money. The best buyer for a home might be the buyer who has the best terms.  There is often more than one important fact the Seller must consider.  READ MORE >>... 07/08/2007

The following chart shows the Sales Activity of Single Family Homes for the month of June 2007, in the Pascack Valley area of Bergen County, New Jersey.The Garden State is in Full Bloom!  Check out some local nurseries and see for yourself!        Hillsdale Real Estate Market Activity: Listing Status       Total       Total List/Sale Dollars Average ListPriceAverage SoldPriceMedian SoldPriceSale Price/List PriceSold9 $ 5,123,000 $ 612,856 $ 569,222 $ 470,000  92.880There are currently 59 Actively Listed homes in the town of Hillsdale with an average List Price of $634,125.River Vale Real Estate Market Activity:Listing Status       Total       Total List/Sale Dollars Average ListPriceAverage SoldPriceMedian SoldPriceSale Price/List PriceSold9 $ 5,793,850 $ 661,606 $ 643,761 $ 587,500  97... 07/02/2007

 Would love to hear from everyone in the Active Rain Network as well as the Public.  Is it just us?  Or is the market picking up steam again?  Whether or not the year has been kind to Agents, Sellers or Buyers, it appears that the state of the real estate market is still pretty healthy.  Perhaps the market is returning to a "Normal" market?We are a full time husband and wife Realtor® team engaged in the business of real estate on a daily basis.  We are noticing that the inventory became very high at one point in the early Spring.  Sellers couldn't be convinced that the competition was building and they needed to price accordingly.  Buyers were holding out for price reductions armed with the knowledge that they had much to chose from.  When the prices reduced, suddenly there were bidding... 06/24/2007

 Hopefully my title caught your eye (pardon the pun) and you're wondering "Why Real Estate is like Eyeglasses?"  Yesterday Bob and I got new Eyeglasses.  For those of you who can relate to this, you may get the analogy.  Let's look at this for a moment, shall we?  I had always maintained 20/20 perfect eyesight.  However, as I grew closer to the half century mark, things started to get a bit fuzzy.  So I started using over the counter reading glasses and kept a pair in every room of the house.  One day I noticed that my long distance eyesight was not as sharp as it used to be.  It was inevitable - "I needed Bifocals"!  Bob had been wearing his for some time but now I was catching up to him.  So off we went to get ourselves His and Hers Bifocals.  For those of you who know us, know we do... 06/24/2007

The following chart shows the Sales Activity of Single Family Homes for the month of May 2007, in the Pascack Valley area of Bergen County, New Jersey.     Hillsdale: Listing Status       Total       Total List/Sale Dollars Average ListPriceAverage SoldPriceMedian SoldPriceSale Price/List PriceSold3 $ 1,389,999 $ 501,633 $ 463,333 $ 390,000  92.365There are currently 49 Actively Listed homes in the town of Hillsdale with an average List Price of $655,902.River Vale:Listing Status       Total       Total List/Sale Dollars Average ListPriceAverage SoldPriceMedian SoldPriceSale Price/List PriceSold5 $ 4,025,000 $ 886,380 $ 805,000 $ 665,000  90.819There are currently 69 Actively Listed homes in the town of River Vale with an average List Price of $844,027.Westwood:Listing Status       Tota... 06/01/2007

Homeowner Checklist The amount of do-it-yourself air conditioning maintenance a homeowner can do is limited. However, there are a few steps that can help the system operate trouble-free and minimize the potential for consequential damage. Ensuring adequate airflow is perhaps the most important homeowner responsibility. Homeowners can (following manufacturer instructions): Clean or replace the filter(s) regularly. Keep leaves and other debris off the condensing unit. Keep the condensing coils clean by carefully brushing and hosing them. Keep shrubs and other plant growth that might obstruct airflow at least 18 inches away from the condenser. Maintain insulation on ductwork in attics and other unconditioned areas. Check the condensate drain for any sign of blockage or leakage. Water shoul... 05/27/2007

Top Agents were invited to "The Breakers Hotel" in West Palm Beach Florida.   We had a meeting to exchange all of our ideas, and bring our Real Estate business to the next level.   The Internet has grown tremendously in the last 10 years, and New Jersy Coldwell Banker is on the cutting edge of technology. In 1997 only 10% of Buyers, and Sellers were active on the Internet.  Today, Statistics show that web surfing has grown to 83% of people that are looking to buy, and sell Real Estate in New Jersey.  When you choose a Realtor, make sure they are Internet Savy, and know how to work the world wide web.  The New Jersey Bergen Record has hundreds of Open House, and ads, advertising homes, but in today's fast market, this home can be Sold by the time it reaches the newspaper.  Your Real Esta... 05/26/2007

For this Husband and Wife Realtor Team What Makes a House a Home in the Pascack Valley area is defined by our personal histories here.  To quote Dorothy in a popular clasic movie The Wizard of Oz, "There's no place like home".   For us that says it all!  Unlike Dorothy, we don't have to follow a Yellow Brick Road or click the heels of our Ruby Red Slippers together - not even ONCE - to be home! Both natives of the Pascack Valley area, we simply love all that it has to offer but mostly it's that hometown feel we love about it.  Amidst all the hussle and bustle of everyday living, we like the fact that you can chose to stay home and putter in your garden (New Jersey is the Garden State) or visit one of the numerous   Parks the area has to offer.  Or you can pick one of the many local rest... 05/25/2007