Pascack Valley NJ Real Estate : June 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 wars from the build up of those buyers that were holding out.

Mortgage rates remained low so long that the Buyers seemed to believe that they would stay there indefinitely.  The funny thing is that now that those rates are starting to creep up, more Buyers are coming out of the woodwork. 

As we head into the heat of the Summer market, some may think that this is the slowest season for real estate.  While others believe that it's now or never to buy if you have children you need to get into the school system.  Whether you're a first time home buyer, a move-up buyer or you're downsizing, it appears to still be a great time to buy real estate!  So we ask; Is it us? Or is the market picking up steam again?!

If you're thinking of Buying or Selling in the Pascack Valley area of Bergen County, New Jersey, call the Number One Husband & Wife Realtor Team!  Call Lisa & Bob at (201)218-6802 or visit us on line at www.HammersTeam.com.

 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 everything together because we're a Team.

Getting back to my original point of view (oops, another pun), "See" if the following list illustrates Why Real Estate is like Eyeglasses:

• Both can be costly, depending on what you chose to buy
• Eyeglasses, when required, are a necessity just like a HOME is
• You must maintain your eyeglasses much like you must maintain your Home
• Getting just the right type of glasses requires the assistance of a professional as does finding the right home
• Much like the Real Estate market, your eyeglass prescription is ever-changing
• Keeping up with the changes of your prescription is a necessity the same way keeping up with the marketis necessary
• Adjustments may be needed to your eyeglass prescription as well as your home price, if you are Selling or your price range, if you are Buying a home
• Focusing on the key points when you are Buying a home is the best way to see which one is right for you!

I can go on for a long time with my list of analogies but I'm certain that you can "SEE" what I mean by now.  We hope this has helped you to understand Why Real Estate is like Eyeglasses.   We'd love to hear from you so please feel free to comment. 

If you're "LOOKING" for a Home to Buy or Sell in the Pascack Valley area of Bergen County, New Jersey, give us a call at (201)218-6802 or "LOOK" us up on the Internet by logging on to www.HammersTeam.com.  Take a tour of the Pascack Valley area as "seen" through the "eyes" of your area experts by clicking on the link below.

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Gardening in the Garden State

I'd like to share some tips on Gardening in the Garden State of New Jersey.  So take a walk with me through my New Jersey garden.  I love sharing the beauty of my flowers with others because I know how much joy they bring me.  Many have told me that I have a Green Thumb.  But there is nothing special that I do to nurture my garden.  Sometimes it's messy looking and weed?  Well, yeah, we have plenty of them too.  The thing is - a Garden doesn't have to be perfect to be perfectly beautiful.  I think of mine as a work of art that's always in transition

In fact, you don't have to be an especially good Gardener to put some plants in a pot or dig a hole in the ground and throw some seeds in to be a "Gardener"!  My belief is that the fun of gardening is through trial and error and letting nature just take it's course.  Some years my roses will be breathtaking and depending on what the weather was like, I may miss the blooming of a favorite.  Every year, I have stunning poppies in my border.  Not this year!  My guess is that the warmth of the Spring didn't allow the cooler weather loving plant to do it's thing.  Pictured here at the left are what my poppies were doing in May of 2006'.  This year there was only one bloom on this same plant.

Growing up in the Pascack Valley area of Bergen County, New Jersey, I remember my Mother always had a vegetable garden and flowers all over our property in River Vale.  There were big Beefsteak Tomatoes at the summer dinner table sliced up with some olive oil and salt and pepper sprinkled on them.  Mmm Mmm - gooooood...... Makes my mouth water just thinking about it!  Cucumbers, zucchini and a variety of vegetables and herbs.

In the Spring, the big red Dogwood tree burst into bloom on our front lawn and I just sat under that big tree and dreamed of someday having my own garden.  Sounds corny but I remember having a love for gardening from my very early years.

Check this picture out in front of our neighbor's rose garden.  I'm the third one from the left.  To this day every time I smell the first Rose of Summer, my mind goes racing back in time.  Now, I have a row of my own Roses in my garden.  Here it is in the picture on the right!

Living in the Garden State makes it difficult to say I have just "one" favorite.  How could I love my Clematis vines more than my Peonies that I can't wait to see in the late Spring?  They're all my favorites!

These are some of the joys of gardening in the Garden State.  I'd like to share my Perennial garden with you here because the Perennial garden is one that brings a smile to the faces of many a passer by.

One last note that I'd like to point out to those interested in Gardening is the Birds.  When you're a Gardener you learn soon enough that the birds like to help or "not".  What I'm referring to is the fact that the birds play a big role in re-seeding things in the most unsuspecting way.  One year your favorite Perennial will be on one side of a path and the next year you think you lost your marbles when you see it come up on the opposite side of the same path.  I love to feed the birds and that's a post for another time.  However, I also like to have plants in my borders that produce Berries to feed the birds so that they'll return.  On that note, I'll end here by saying there is so much joy to gain by Gardening in the Garden State.  If you're interested in more information about Real Estate in the Pascack Valley area of Bergen County, New Jersey, call Bob & Lisa direct at (201)218-6802 or visit us online at www.HammersTeam.com.  Happy Gardening!

Here are more links on Life in Bergen County and the Pascack Valley:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/31211/Birdwatching-In-Bergen-County

http://activerain.com/blogsview/46202/For-The-Love-Of

http://activerain.com/blogsview/60179/Hillsdale-New-Jersey-Is

http://activerain.com/blogsview/59707/Welcome-to-Emerson-New

http://activerain.com/blogsview/60214/River-Vale-New-Jersey

http://activerain.com/blogsview/60804/Scenic-Montvale-New-Jersey

http://activerain.com/blogsview/60753/Pascack-Valley-HUB-Is

http://activerain.com/blogsview/60867/Small-Town-Americana-In

http://activerain.com/blogsview/60941/The-Upscale-Community-of

http://activerain.com/blogsview/60970/Washington-Township-New-Jersey

 Click here to see photos of the Pascack Valley area.

Curb appeal plus best describes this Charming Colonial style home located on the Oradell border of New Milford.  Gleaming Hardwood Floors highlights the old world charm of this warm and welcoming home.  The Formal Living Room offers a beautiful Brick Fireplace and the Formal Dining Room steps out to the fully Fenced backyard making this the perfect home for entertaining family and friends!  Bergen County living is so fine!

MLS #2721598

Home Features:

• $475,000
• Living Room w/Fireplace
• Formal Dining Room with outside entrance
• Bright & Cheerful Updated Kitchen
• Master Bedroom w/Walk-In Closet
• Three additional Bedrooms  
• Second Level Full Bath
• Side entry from Kitchen to Driveway
• Basement w/Quarter Bath, Laundry Room & Utility area with extra large storage space
• Taxes - $6655
• Property size - 50X100
• One Car Detached Garage

Lisa Hammerstein, CRS, E-Pro Certified

Robert Hammerstein, Sales Specialist

(201)218-6802 Mobile

Coldwell Banker

For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit us at http://www.hammersteam.com/.

Your Real Estate Resource!

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: 

There are currently 49 Actively Listed homes in the town of Hillsdale with an average List Price of $655,902.

River Vale:

There are currently 69 Actively Listed homes in the town of River Vale with an average List Price of $844,027.

Westwood:

There are currently 43 Actively Listed homes in the town of Westwood with an average List Price of $552,877.

Emerson:

There are currently 42 Actively Listed homes in the town of Emerson with an average List Price of $648,440.

Park Ridge:

There are currently 33 Actively Listed homes in the town of Park Ridge with an average List Price of $719,052.

Montvale:

There are currently 31 Actively Listed homes in the town of Montvale with an average List Price of $851,793.

Woodcliff Lake:

There are currently 46 Actively Listed homes in the town of Woodcliff Lake with an average List Price of $1,174,826.

Washington Township:

There are currently 45 Actively Listed homes in the town of Washington Township with an average List Price of $690,616.

For more information on Listings in the Pascack Valley area of Bergen County, New Jersey, call Bob & Lisa at (201)218-6802, or visit us online at http://www.hammersteam.com/ your Pascack Valley Real Estate Resource!  It's a great time to "Buy A Home" in the Pascack Valley.  We're keeping an eye on the market for you....

Click on the links below to view some scenes of these picturesque towns.

EMERSON

HILLSDALE

RIVER VALE

WESTWOOD

PARK RIDGE

MONTVALE

WOODCLIFF LAKE

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP