Eating watermelon at the Hartshorn Strawberry Festival

Back when I was a child in the 1960′s, my elementary school in Millburn, NJ hosted an after school festival in the spring time each year. It always involved all the students, parents plus Strawberries and vanilla ice cream. I lived just 2 blocks from South Mountain Elementary School and every year from Kindergarten on, I eagerly awaited this wonderful day in May.  There were rides, cotton candy, games, prizes, pizza, crafts, snow cones, gold fish, the cake walk and spin art. We needed to buy lots of tickets to pay for everything (you could not pay with cash) and at the end, as it was about to get to dark, we had to redeem (reward tickets) to pick out our prizes. The more tickets you collected, the better the stuff. It was a big deal to compare which of the toys you and your buddies took home, but for the life of me I can’t remember a single thing that I won. I did have many goldfish over the years who lived from one week to several months.

Strawberry Festival Sign by The Short Hills Train Station

Of course all of my friends ran around school that day, full of excitement and unable to concentrate in class. This festival was a BIG DEAL and everyone seemed like it was his or her own private party.

We competed for gold fish, or prizes or more junk food and we waited on line to play ring toss or to get the bean bag through the hole in the cut out in the big piece of painted wood. When the weather threatened to rain, we were all devastated. Nowadays there is a rain date for most of the festivals, but back then I do not remember an alternate day. When the weather was bad I recall thunder storms and tears shed for the party that never was or the one that ended early.

Once safely ensconced in Millburn Junior High (now Millburn Middle School) and Millburn High School, the Strawberry Festival was relegated to something that was just for babies. I was too grown up for that as a teenager and I did not attend. For those of my friends with younger siblings, they might have gone back to chaperone their brothers and sisters, but the thrill was no longer there once we towered over the little kids running all over the playground.

It was decades later when I had my own child that I finally decided I should venture back to my youth and check out the local festival circuit.

Kids love to go on rides at the Strawberry Festivals

Each school had a unique setting but almost everything was the same, even though more of the kids and parents were now on cell phones and blackberries and blown up balloon jumping toys were now lining the periphery of the festivals.  I never ate the Strawberries and ice cream but each and every school serves them.  I relive my youth and feel very grateful that the lady with the hairy arms and the big mole is no longer in charge of winding the cottony pink or blue sugar around the paper cones that were the objects of my desire each year. For the last few years I have set aside time each week in May so I can take my daughter to the various festivals and relive the walk down memory lane.

I’m not sure how this wonderful event originated, but every single elementary school in Millburn and Short Hills held a Strawberry Festival on their school  grounds and we all bragged that our school had the best one.   I truly believed that South Mountain was special, but when I was ten, my parents moved to Short Hills and for both fifth and sixth grade, I then became a fan of the Deefield School Festival.  It never occured to me that each of the schools had the exact same carnival. In recent years a big sign in the shape of a strawberry stands in front of the Short Hills train station announcing all of the dates for the upcoming festival.

If you want to check out any of the festivals for the 2012 season, here are the dates and locations:

Deerfield Elementary School’s annual strawberry festival has been postponed. The festival, which was scheduled for Wednesday, May 16th, will be held on Thursday at 3 p.m. because of rain.

Deerfield School - May 17, 2012 (this is the raindate)

Hartshorn School – May 22, 2012 (rain date May 23, 2012)

Glenwood School - May 30, 2012 ((rain date May 31, 2012)

Deerfield Strawberry Festival - Short Hills, NJ

Glenwood Strawberry Festival - Short Hills, NJ

South Mountain School - June 7th, 2012 - No rain date scheduled

Wyoming School - June 13, 2012 (rain date June 14, 2012)

Chick here for more info about the Millburn Public Schools 

For information about Millburn – Short Hills or School Report Cards, please visit my website at Towne Realty Group.

Sales Associates Donna Shaw, Elaine Ehrenkranz, Wendy Drucker and Fran Kurtis at TRG in Short Hills, NJ

I’m on a mission! For the Month of May, I am working on getting as many tenants and landlords, to display American Flags on the front of their buildings, leading up to Memorial Day. The Short Hills side of Millburn Avenue has looked a little sad in the last couple of years, with empty stores, a burned out building and a shopping district that does not get as much attention as Downtown Millburn.  

At Towne Realty Group, we raised our flag five years ago, but now we want all of our neighbors to join in!

Things are perking up our side of Millburn Avenue and with new construction of The Enclave, featuring thirty luxury townhomes being built by Toll Brothers, on on the former site of The Chanticler. Many new tenants are moving into long empty spaces, and it looks as if the area sometimes referred to as Short Hills Boulevard, is on an upswing.

Elos Aqua Studio New York is opening in early June

In an effort to add some color and American Pride to our block, we want  to honor our veterans and our troops, and provide a little lift to our Millburn High School seniors who will be graduating right down the street in just a few weeks. With summer around the corner and also less than two months before the 4^th of July, this is the ideal time to show our stars and stripes! 

Here is a list of over 25 businesses who are participating as of May 15th: 

Towne Realty Group (flag already up)

The Enclave – new contruction townhomes (flags already up)

Lloyd Perkel with flag at M. Blaustein Furs

M. Blaustein Furs (flag already up)

J.D. Custom Tailor posing with a flag

Coleman Tuxedos  – J.D. Custom Tailor (flag already up)

Khun Thai Restaurant – Albert Jacobs Sunoco Station

Enzzos Tratoria – Dreamy Jeannie – Lynn Kols – Klee Nails

Glenwood Restaurant – Ganny Russ (flag already up) 

Stone & Tile Design  (flag already up)

Stone and Tile Design on Millburn Avenue in Short Hills

Chai Judaica –

Uffizi – Cait and Abbys

Keller Williams (going into vacant space at 518 Millburn Ave)

Jeffery Realty – (vacant store next to Cait & Abbys)

Highlander Capital

(2 flags already up)

Aquos New York Studio (flag already up)

Jake Dalton, Jean Gajano, Susan Dyckman and Karen Bigos in front of New Eyes

New Eyes for the Needy

Weichert Realtors

Coldwell Banker Realtors (flag already up)

Monterey Cleaners

Shell Gas Station (flag already up)

Keep your eyes on Millburn Avenue and let the store owners know how much you appreciate our new look — in time for Memorial Day!

We look forward to seeing your flag waiving in the wind!

Towne Realty Group’s Short Hills Office is proud to be included on the list of Five Star Professional Award Winners for 2012, with eight agents who won high marks in customer service for a transaction consummated from April 2010 to April 2011. Congratulations to our Townies!

Wendy Drucker

Wendy Drucker - wendy@wendydrucker.com

Elaine Ehrenkranz

Elaine Ehrenkranz - eRealtor1.ee@gmail.com

 Sindee Buchalter

Sindee Buchalter - sindeebuchalter@aol.com

Cathy Knapp

Cathy Knapp - cknapp@trghome.com

Jennifer ‘Jen’ Lieberman

Jen Lieberman - jlieberman@trghome.com

Sharon Preston

Sharon Preston - spreston@trghome.com

Karen Bigos  and Daniel Cannizzo 

Daniel Cannizzo and Karen Eastman Bigos, Managing Partners

These agents live and work in Millburn, West Orange, Short Hills, Maplewood and Summit, NJ.

Five Star Professional conducted research to determine the real estate agents in any given market area, who rated highest in overall satisfaction. As part of an in-depth research process, real estate agents were evaluated by their customers and real estate industry professionals based on customer service, integrity, market knowledge, communication and negotiation skills, closing preparation, helping you find the right home, marketing the home being sold and overall satisfaction.

This elite group of professionals from Towne, brings over 118 years of combined experience and is considered the cream of the crop in the real estate industry. Winners represent less than 7% of the real estate agents in the local market.

Six of these agents are featured in a full page promotion in the March 2012 issue of NJ Monthly Magazine. This section is devoted to agents and Brokers from many companies who won the award.

Agents appearing in NJ Monthly Magazine March 2012 are from top left: Jennifer 'Jen' Lieberman, Sindee Buchalter, Marcia Hicks, Karen Eastman Bigos, Daniel Cannizzo and in front, Cathy Knapp

Agents from Towne Realty Group are experts on the communities all along and close to, the Midtown Direct Train line towns. Active volunteers in their communites and supporters of small businesses, this team of pros is full-time and very focused on assisting buyers, sellers, landlords and renters in Essex, Morris, Union and Somerset Counties in New Jersey.

To participate in the conversation with Towne, follow them and join their 1,200+ fans on facebook.

One of the first things a buyer sees is the front of your property. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) estimates that 88% of all home buyers search online for a home. Check out these stats.  If you don’t have an enticing lead image of the front, back or maybe even a kitchen as the first photo on the Internet, you can kiss the click throughs goodbye.

Snow on the front lawn in May? FORGET IT! They will just tap the NEXT button.

Since we all know that many people judge a book by its cover, having a great intro to a house is key. That means a photo with green grass, landscaping that does not resemble an overgrown jungle, a blue sky and a good angle of the image that is not blurry.
Buyers are busy people. According to the NAR here is the breakdown for buyers:

Active home search (median):

• Number of weeks searched: 12
• Number of homes seen: 12

Buyers will tell you they like to see atleast 10 and as many as 20 decent shots of the front, back, living space and yard before they make a long trip to see your home. They want to see the rooms, not your stuff. Bad photos are a huge negative and one of the main reasons why houses do not get shown or sold.

At Towne Realty Group in Short Hills, NJ we work hard to get our listings prepared for sale so the buyers stay interested. We just listed 74 Browning Road in Short Hills, NJ for $1,150,000 and in three days we had the landscaping cleaned up, flowers planted, windows washed, the house cleaned and we made sure to load many hi-res images on 100 websites to announce the Open House on Sunday March 18th from 1 to 4 pm.

Here are some basics things to avoid when selling your home and keep the buyers tuned in.

First of all – Price it right. Nothing is a bigger turnoff than a house that is overpriced. Buyers are doing their homework and they know what is for sale and what has recently sold. They don’t care what you paid, what you want or what you need. They only care about what they like, what they want and what it’s going to cost them.

GET OUT! Take all pets, kids, family and friends and let the buyers see the house without you in it. They don’t want to feel like they are trespassing. I can tell you from experience that puppies are very cute, but not as lovable when they jump and urinate excitedly on a buyers foot.

Dark houses are scary. Open the shades, turn on the lights and make it bright and cheerful. Be sure your windows are not dirty and your bulbs are not burned out. You may even want to get some higher watt lights bulbs in rooms without sunlight and cut down bushes that block light from the entire window.

Get rid of odors. There is nothing like smoke, strong cooking smells, old dogs, garbage, or kitty litter to get a big thumbs down. Pop an apple with cinnamin in the oven on a low temp and it can bake for hours making the whole house smell like pie, or light a candle or two.

Take down the wall paper from the 1970′s! Hire a painter. It is money well spent and buyers truly appreciate that you took the time to freshen things up. They can’t picture themselves in a room where they can see their own reflection in the metallic patterns of wild wall paper from the last century.

Pull up those old carpets. Hardwood floors are in syle and many buyers or their family members have allergies and don’t want the dust from your old rugs and carpets. If you can’t remove carpeting, atleast have it shampooed with allergy free cleaning fluid.

CLEAN UP! Declutter, pack up and put your junk in storage. Less is more and dirt is a huge turn off. Your house really needs to sparkle and shine. That dusty attic, filthy oven, basement full of junk, scum on shower doors, mold and mildew in the bathroom are a sure fire way to get them rushing to the next property. Kitchen counters lined with vitamins & condiments, refrigerators covered with photos, magnets and holiday cards, bathroom sinks & counters lined with mouthwash, toothbrushes and hair spray are distracting. Hire a cleaning service!

The list goes on and on, but with just these basics, a seller has a much better chance of getting showings, repeat showings and an offer.

We are working with dozens of qualified buyers and they all want the same thing (albeit in different price ranges and varying areas). A bright, attractive, clean home that will be a nice place to live and a good investment.

Karen Bigos - Broker/Owner of Towne Realty Group in Short Hills, NJ

For more information on how to attract a qualified buyer and get a decent offer on your home, call Karen Bigos 201-417-1600 or email to kb@trghome.com

Check out our Buyer Bulletin Board to see if your home might be right for one of our many buyers or investors.

In closing, here is my motto:

“Price it right, it sells overnight. Price it wrong, it stays on too long.”

~Karen Eastman Bigos

The FSBO - the for sale by owner sign that actually HURTS your chances of selling

 Once upon a time you could put a for sale sign in the yard and your house would sell. In 2012, selling a home is not that simple: popping a sign in the ground is just one of the many steps you take to attract a buyer. Placing an ad in the paper, telling your friends and neighbors, holding an open house, putting some photos on the Internet and even hiring a Broker, might help you find a buyer, but you are a long way from getting to a closing.  Even after you sell your house, there are many hurdles that you have to continually jump over to keep that sale on track, in order to get to a closing.

 Today you actually have to sell your house SIX times!  At Towne Realty Group in Short Hills, we want you to be aware of the hurdles and how to avoid them.

1. First you must sell to the Realtors – if the local Brokerage community does not agree with your pricing, they may show your house once, but they won’t push it or rush to get their buyers in. They are the match makers and you have to get them excited. If the house is too difficult to show, the price too high, the commission too low, the amount of work needed too much of an obstacle, or if they don’t believe a seller is serious or motivated, they won’t waste their time. There is always another house to show…  They don’t really care which house they sell, they just want to sell something and they will take the path of lease resistance.

2. Second - sell to the buyers – if the buyers don’t fall in love with your home, they won’t come back. They may look once, but the 2nd showing is usually when you know you have serious interest. If the buyer comes once but does not come back, they have rejected your home. Often when the price is reduced, they will come back for another look, but if you wait too long, they may have moved on. This is a courtship and you have to keep them interested.

3.  Third – sell to the family – buyers often want a second opinion and this could be the parents, the kids, an uncle or a sibling. Just to make sure they are not making a mistake, they may even bring a close friend to reassure them that this is the right house.  Sadly, this visit is often the kiss of death…

4. Fourth - sell it to the attorneys – if your house gets an offer and goes into attorney review, this is a phase where lawyers sometimes add language or clauses that can kill a deal. Often the attorney is a family friend or someone who dabbles in real estate; and they believe they are doing you a favor. This is not the case. Even if the buyer is getting a discount, an attorney who does not regularly practice in real estate, could miss some important issues and really create problems. The attorney review can end in an hour, a day or last for weeks. (In NJ we have a 3 day attorney review and in Essex, Morris & Union counties, most of our transactions have both a buyer and seller’s attorney. This is less common in Southern NJ, but if the attorneys don’t get along or agree, the house may go back on the market.)

Always a good idea to pre-inspect before you list

5. Fifth - sell it to the home inspectors – even when you disclose issues about oil tanks or old leaks in the roof or the the basement, or admit to broken appliances, the home inspectors can come and frighten a buyer. We call this the cold-feet-renegotiating-phase. Inspectors can convince a buyer that the issue is bigger and may cost more to repair or replace. One of the main reasons a sale of a home falls apart is due to home inspection issues that cannot be successfully resolved with credits or repairs that are acceptable to all parties.

Will the house appraise for the purchase price?

6. Sixth - sell it to the appraiser – just because a buyer is willing to pay a certain price for a property, does not mean the bank will agree to lend the money. The house has to appraise and if the recent comparable sales are low (due to short sales, divorce, job transfer or desperate sellers) this can impact the the fair market value. Often the appraiser comes from a depressed area or is unfamiliar with the comps. When an appraisal comes in low, the price may need to be lowered or the buyer has to come up with more cash. If neither of these solutions will work, the house goes back on the market.

Being prepared in advance with the right timing, staging, pricing and finesse of a good listing agent, can help you avoid these pitfalls. Doing a home inspection in advance, resolving glaring issues up front or being prepared to offer reasonable credits, hiring a knowledgable real estate attorney and knowing the comps, can save you a lot of heartache and help you get to a closing. For a consultation about how to get your house sold quickly and at a good price, call Karen Bigos at 201-417-1600. Check out our website for many exclusive listings coming on every week.

Our sold signs are all over TOWNE

Oh and I almost forgot – Sellers need to be sold on the idea to stage it and price it right in the first place or the house will probably just languish on the market for months.

Here is what has happened in the last year for both towns. As you will see. Prices are down, inventory is down, but for 2012, I predict that demand is UP because the commute to Manhattan and the Millburn public schools are still among the best in the state and prices are still very high, incomparison to many neighboring or nearby communities. We are also seeing a spike in our Sunday open house activity, an increase in our Internet leads across many high traffic real estate websites and the first two weeks of January we had contracts and multiple offers on many local properties. In fact, a brand new listing in Short Hills for $1,150,000 at 173 Tennyson Drive, garnered 11 offers in less than a week.

Millburn NJ Real Estate Stats for 2011

The Millburn Market had fewer homes for sale and this chart breaks down the new listings coming on the market in each month, as well as the average list price (which dropped from January 2011 to December 2011), the average days on the market, the list price to sale price (although this does not include what the original list price may have been and a number of properties were reduced in price before they sold). This shows the number of closings by month ( a total of 75 homes for the year) and you can see that the market dropped significantly as we suffered setbacks from Hurricane Irene at the end of August.  One thing is clear, the inventory built up towards the end of the year, the prices dropped (possibly because of an early and debilitating snow storm in late October) and prices were the highest with the most trades in the spring and lots of closings in summer, starting with the end of the school year in June.

 

Short Hills, NJ Real Estate Stats for 2011

The market in Short Hills, with much higher prices and a larger volume of inventory overall, followed similar patterns in many of the categories. The most expensive homes (over $2,ooo,ooo) came out in the spring market and the bulk of the closings took place largely over the summer months. In January the average list price was just over $1,300,000 and by the end of the year that number had dropped to $1,182,571. A similar pattern was established from the average closed prices as January started out at approximately $1,286,000 and by December the average closed price dropped to $1,218,000. From July to the end of the year there were only 2 closings at $2mm and over. The luxury market completely dropped off and there was a direct correlation to a slow down in the month of November, following the damage of the freak snow storm on October 30th. November was not a good month in comparison to other years.

 

To view the active multiple listings in Millburn, Short Hills or any of the local communities in the Garden State Multiple Listing Service, just visit our website. We also have many exclusive listings coming to the market and we track all of the new construction, tear downs and sales and listings in every price range and neighborhood.

 

Our sold signs are all over TOWNE

For an update on the market in your neighborhood, call us and we will be happy to consult with you. 973-376-8300. With the mild winter in 2012, the market has been very active with many buyers trying to buy early and take advantage of low interest rates.

 

A New Year - Some New Ideas

Looking back on 2011, it was a very tough year in Residential Real Estate in my hometown of Millburn and Short Hills, NJ, there were many factors that made it harder than ever to sell or buy a home. Some obstacles are out of my control (like the behavior of the buyers, Realtors, lawyers, extreme weather, lenders and appraisers) but others can be avoided and for the New Year, I’m turning over a new leaf and keeping my eyes open on what can, and will go awry.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not afraid of hard work, in fact, I enjoy challenges and I actually derive a lot of satisfaction from throwing myself into difficult projects and conquering them. Since I opened Towne Realty Group in 2006, I have to commited to working hundreds of hours of labor without pay (which is exactly what Real Estate agents do every day.) I don’t get paid one dime until after a closing, the first month’s rent is paid, or passing of title. Even better, I usually spend thousands of dollars of my own funds to promote a property (with floor plans, photos, brochures, web postings, videos, postcard mailings, ads in local papers, open house luncheons and other expenses) for weeks, months and even years, without ever getting paid; that’s right, I lay out the money, work for free and earn nothing, sometimes for over a year, until a buyer is found and the closing has passed.

Starting with sellers – there are some things must be addressed.

1.  Are the mortgage and taxes current? (These days, I don’t always get the truth so I need to conduct my own mini title search to be sure.)
2.  Is there enough equity to sell the house for less than the ‘dream’ price and still pay closing costs and commissions?
3.  Does this person/family need to move or is this just a passing fancy, if the price is right? How strong is the motivation?
4.  Can the seller afford to buy if they don’t sell first? Should I be running out to show this prospect homes if the sale of their own home is the only way they can qualify as a purchaser?
5.  If this seller is also a buyer: Have they spoken to mortgage lender or a bank to have credit checked and get pre-approved for a loan? With banks tightening up their lending requirements, if a credit score dips below 700, that alone can kill a deal. 

6.  Can the seller say out load: “I know I may need to sell for what I paid or less than what I paid for this house, and I can live with that.” If those words cannot be uttered, this could be a dead end. 

Knowing what the clients have paid and invested, and understanding their expectations of what they will net, is critical to the process of listing, selling and getting to a closing.  If a seller is moving into rental, rather than buying another home, this becomes less important, but they still need to have decent credit or enough cash to get into a rental. Landlords often require credit checks with decent scores or several months of rent paid up front, if there is a problem with the tenant’s financial history.

One of the things that takes the most time is going over the seller disclosures and understanding the history of the house and the land.

IS THERE A SURVEY? I will look for a copy of the survey and really push them to find it in their papers, the safety deposit box or with the last attorney or agent who assisted them in a closing or refinance. In some cases, I have requested that they get a new one. It can cost up to $1,000, but not having a survey has caused delays and it can force a seller to leave money on the table.

Easements, boundary disputes, and tax records with incorrect lot sizes and acreage can be instant deal killers. If the land is measured incorrectly, it can also impact the tax assessments and create a higher and unfair property tax.

In 2012, I will be reviewing the old sold and expired listings, making sure the lot size adds up and doing my own math on the measurements. I was shocked to find that the municipal and multiple listing tax records were wrong on many properties. Lots sizes were off by as much as a QUARTER OF AN ACRE on one lot I examined. It is easy to calculate the lot size of a basic square or rectangular lot, but irregular shaped lots need to be evaluated by a qualified surveyor or architect so the acreage is listed accurately. A lot that is listed too small or one which has the size is overstated, is sure to have financial repercussions later.

Many disclosure items are obvious to the naked eye. I don’t need to interview a home inspector to see that a driveway is cracking, the front steps are deteriorating, the paint is peeling or that there has been water in the basement. What I can’t see is what is happening inside the chimney, whether there are hidden termites, if there is high radon level or whether an oil tank has leaked deep into the soil.

Even with all the proper papers showing an underground storage tank was abandoned properly, or a tank scan showing that there is no buried tank on the property from the previous owner, I can no longer trust those records and feel safe. Several of our listings in 2011 had serious problems with tanks that had long ago been emptied and filled with sand. If someone wants to hire me to list his house, the tank must come out first. If they do not agree, I will not move forward with the listing.  

This is my New Year’s Resolution: Remove that empty, abandoned tank, or I  will not accept the listing. Too many months and hours of my life have been spent arguing and discussing what I knew from the start – the tank must come out. We maintain a list of companies that will scan, dig, clean, and/or remove tanks. 

When was the last time someone poked his head inside that little trap door that leads to the attic? My last listing that had one of those hard-to-reach-attics that required a ladder to gain access through a small closet. The mold was so thick, that all new roof sheathing was required (meaning a new roof) and expensive mold remediation plan was needed to the tune of over $45,000.

NEVER AGAIN will I take a listing and not have someone qualified to peek into that crawl space in the attic and also the basement!  

A pre-listing home inspection is critical for sellers who have been in their homes for several years. Let’s just say I don’t like surprises. When it comes to selling a home, I call the building department and find out if there are open permits. I don’t want to find out later, that something easy can be resolved before I get started. Some open permits might actually trigger a tax increase or make it impossible for a seller to appeal his taxes.

Here are some other deal savers that I will be working on for 2012:

1.  Does the sump pump have a back up battery? If not, get one installed or consider a generator. In a year when Hurricane Irene and a freak autumn snow storm cut off power and gas for over week, twice within 2 months, many typically dry basements, took water. 

2.  Have you had any issues with your neighbors? On either side, behind you and across the street. I want to know about this up front so when the buyers are talking to the man raking the leaves, we don’t get a charming anecdote that can kill the deal.

3.  What insurance claims have you made on your home? Sometimes too many claims will be recorded on a particular home and make a house harder to insure, as if it has a pre-existing condition.

4.  Knowing some of the answers to feng shui questions up front can also help. Since approximately 40% of our buyers are foreign born, the direction of the house, the way the stove faces and the energy or karma of the house can be vital to the deal.

5.  Can you and should you get flood insurance? It can’t hurt to review the flood maps in any area and make sure that this property is or is NOT in a flood plain or zone.

As always, there are no guarantees that following these steps will make things easier. In fact, all of these recommendations take extra time, money, patience and may just end the notion of moving forward, but at least I will have the satisfaction of knowing that I did my homework and came into the transaction fully prepared. If you have questions about any of these points, please give me a call at 201.417. 1600.

Karen Bigos - Broker/Owner of Towne Realty Group in Short Hills, NJ

Always eager to get involved in the community, the agents and employees of Towne Realty Group’s Short Hills, NJ office, 

Agents and Employees of Towne Realty Group pose with some of the coats we have collected

are collecting gently used coats to contribute to the Jersey Cares Coat Drive.  We are asking friends, neighbors and clients to look through your closets and see if you can find just one coat to help someone in need. If you cannot get to our office to drop them off, we can come to you and pick them up! We are almost at 100 coats and we want more! The deadline for contributions is this Friday, December 16th!

Jersey Cares is an amazing organization, that helps at-risk residents of New Jersey, stay warm by organizing, promoting, collecting, sorting and distributing thousands of coats each year. Last year alone they contributed 50,000 coats to local citizens and they are trying to increase that number in this, their 16th annual coatdrive.  

The Mission Statement for Jersey Cares says it all:

The Jersey Cares logo, helping people in NJ

Our Mission Statement: Jersey Cares increases civic engagement in New Jersey by coordinating volunteer opportunities to address community-identified needs. 

We also invite you to get your children involved by participating in the Note in a Coat Program:

The Note in a Coat program works to increase the number of children’s coats donated and to personalize the experience for those receiving and giving coats. Through Note in a Coat, children donating coats, write short notes to children receiving coats through the Jersey Cares Coat Drive. The notes are individually placed in the pockets of each coat. The children typically write short notes saying hello, telling the recipient something about themselves, expressing their favorite memory in the coat, and that they hope the recipient enjoys the coat. The goal of this program is to engage children in service by making the experience interactive and meaningful.

Donations can be made delivered to the office during business hours: Monday – Friday from 9:00 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

A Jersey Cares coat drive sign is displayed in Towne Realty Group's front window at 511 Millburn Avenue, Short Hills, NJ - corner of Campbell Rd

For more information, call 973.376.8300 or visit our website at http://www.TowneRealtyGroup.com - feel free to follow us on facebook and join in our real estate and community conversation at http://www.facebook.com/TowneRealtyGroup

Many thanks to the folks who have already dropped off over 150 coats to our office!

The holidays are a busy time and as everyone rushes around trying to get a million things done;  we let our guards down. Buying gifts, decorating homes and offices, planning parties, booking travel arrangemens and often out shopping and dining after dark, can be dangerous. 

Millions of people come to Short Hills, NJ to visit our fabulous Mall at Short Hills for Christmas and Hanukah shopping and we all need to be careful and focused in the stores and in the parking lots.

Historically, this is a time of year when a lot of robberies occur. The economy is stuggling and criminals seem to come out of the woodwork to steal purses, break into cars, rob houses and rip off your credit card. With all the excitement of the holiday season it is easy to miss an extra charge on your statement . The message here is to be on high alert and take extra precautions, to avoid being a victim.

Just 2 days ago, as reported in The Item, a thief stole a generator from the OUTSIDE of someone’s Short Hills’ home. We have heard stories of delivery people coming to the front door with flowers or plants saying they need a signature. DON’T OPEN THE DOOR. Tell them to leave the package outside and you will get it later.  It goes without saying that babysitters must be told DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR FOR ANYONE!

Here are a list of tips to follow while out and about, shopping and at home. You’ve probably heard most of them before from a police officer or in an email, but it can’t hurt to be reminded, and to share these with friends and family.

1. ALWAYS zip your purse and hold it close to your body. Empty out what you do not need while shopping so there is less to lose. If possible, take only the credit card you need, and keep it in a zippered pouch close to your body where someone cannot bump into you and scan it right out of your wallet. (Yes there are scanners that will copy your credit card numbers without every touching the card.)

2. Do not go shopping without charging your cell phone. You may need it to call 911 and it is always best to shop with a friend, in daylight, than to go at alone at night.

3. When you are walking to your car, have your keys out of your purse, in your hand, ready to open the door. No last minute fumbling in your bag while outside. If you are parked next to a big van, you may want to get help from a security guard, before getting into your car. Don’t waste time putting things in your trunk, get your packages into the car with you quickly, and then LOCK YOUR DOORS.

4.  Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and sit checking email or listening to voicemail. DO NOT DO THIS.  Predators will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, and put a gun to your head.

Update your facebook status later and GO!                                           

R.E. (Real Estate) Advent in Millburn, NJ - What’s it all about anyway?  I don’t really know since I celebrate Hannukah, but my friend Stephanie Mallios and I are looking for ways to bring lots of attention to my hometown for holiday shopping.  

Watch my video and come follow me as I figure it out!

http://www.trghome.com/towne_realty_video13.asp

 

Downtown Millburn, NJ at the intersection of Millburn Ave and Main St – our favorite Starbucks

From December 1st to until Christmas eve, Karen Bigos and Stephanie Mallios of Towne Realty Group in Short Hills, NJ, will hit the town of Millburn, NJ to shop, dine, pamper ourselves and have fun, in time for the holidays. We hope you will follow us and learn about all the great stores, restaurants, salons, coffee and ice cream shops in our hometown. Our first stop was the fabulous Paper Mill Playhouse where we picked up tickets to White Christmas (playing now) and A Christmas Carol (on stage Dec. 10th & 11th). There are a bunch of great shows for children and a season line-up that rivals Broadway! Monday & Tuesday nights there is a shopping boutique in the art gallery from 5 to 10 pm and also a musical light show in the front courtyard that kids will love starting at 6pm.

Karen & Stephanie buying tickets at Paper Mill Playhouse call 973-376-4343 for tickets

So what is Advent? I asked that question in a video I posted on facebook and one of my friends from high school described it this way. “Advent is a Christian season of waiting and preparation for the celebration of the birth of Christ at Christmas. The Advent calendar is something children can use to mark the days leading up to Christmas. I think the reason the days are out of order is to make it a game to hunt for the right day. It makes it much more fun when the days are out of order!” (thanks to Meredith Ward for her post.)

What started as a Christian fasting holiday, is now best known for candy-filled calendars that children love to use as they countdown to Christmas.  This year Christmas and Hannukah overlap and the celebrations will blend together for many families who observe both holidays. Since my family observes the Festival of Lights, which begins at sundown on December 21st, my personal Advent Calendar has a bit of a R.E  ‘Jew’-venate twist to it. In addition to Christmas presents, I’m also shopping for 8 days of Hannukah gifts.

Since I love my hometown of Millburn, NJ and I enjoy supporting small businesses, I decided to head down Millburn Avenue, just a few blocks from my office at Towne Realty Group, where it becomes a one way street, and is this where our journey begins.

Looking east on Millburn Avenue, just as you enter the Downtown of Millburn, NJ

Our stop for Dec. 1st was Babyland Toystore at 382 Millburn Avenue (started on Essex Street back in 1953) this family-owned business has a great selection of toys, offers free gift wrap and friendly service from Karen and Deb, the owners.

Babyland Toystore at its new location of 382 Millburn Ave.

Karen from Babyland will always help you with a smile

Seed387,  Simple Elegant Design, is one of our favorite new gift and home furnishing boutiques in town, bringing a touch of SoHo to Millburn.  Meet us there on December 6th for lots of specials, discounts, great teacher gifts and early holiday shopping for friends and family. You’ll get to meet Nancy and Judy, the two owners who live in town.

Partners and Owners Nancy and Judy inside Seed387

After all this shopping and walking around town, we definitely needed a bite to eat and a drink so we made our way over to the new restaurant called Moonshine Supper Club at 55 Main Street. (formerly restaurant mc). The owner of Moonshine also owns The Brass Rail in Hoboken and he is no stranger to the restaurant business. This place has a separate bar on one side, a beautiful restaurant to the left and an entire 2nd floor with additional seating space and a party room. We happen to have our own bottle of TOWNE wine with us for this photo, but it is not a BYOB place.

Karen and Steph with our personal Towne Wine - made by Larkin Wines

 It was a busy, fun-filled start to advent, with much more to follow. Stay tuned for specials and lots of fun gift ideas! Some dates to mark in your calendar: Dec 4th – The Snowflake Parade, perfect day for a hot cocoa at Starbucks.

December 6th we’ll be at Seed387 for another Girl’s Night Out with specials and discounts

December 8th Karen is meeting a bunch of her high school friends for lunch at the Millburn Deli.

December 10th we’ll be at The Paper Mill to see A Christmas Carol.