Bergen County New Jersey Real Estate Newsletter December 2009

Hi everyone and Lisa says Hi!

December has arrived and so has our updated Real Estate Newsletter!

The Fall foliage season is over here. Can this be far behind? The temperatures are cooling off a little too quickly for my tastes.

New Jersey is the Garden State.

The market has heated up as the temperatures drop all around the country.

The time for the first time home buyers credit has been extended and expanded as well. If you can be in contract by April 30th 2010 and close by June 30th 2010, you could still take advantage of the tax credit but you better hurry.

For More Information on the first time home buyer Extension.

Click on the link below for a short video highlighting the important updates to this very important stimulus package.

Business is great and we are excited at the possibilities available for first time home buyers as well as sellers looking to move up.

Historically, interest rates are still at an all time low.

Either moving up or buying for the first time, now is a great time to make the move up to home ownership.

This Newsletter is full of interesting and useful information that I think you will enjoy whether you are a buyer, seller, homeowner, or renter.

This month’s issue includes topics such as:

“Home Buyer Tax Credit Extended, Expanded”;

“Man’s Best Friend May Be Costly When Selling Your Home”;

“Should I Take My Home Off the Market During the Holidays?”;

“Tips for an Eco-Friendly Holiday”;

“How Mortgage Management Affects Credit Scores”;

Plus a roundup of November real estate activity as well as much more advice and information.

We hope you enjoy this monthly newsletter. If you have any comments, please e-mail them to us or post them as comments below.

We hope you all have a wonderful upcoming Holiday Season.

Please Click on the button below to access our newsletter:

Thinking of Selling Your Home In The Pascack Valley? Find Out Why Now Is The Best Time!

• Thinking of Selling Your Home In The Pascack Valley area of Bergen County, New Jersey? Find out from the Experts Why Now Is The Best Time To Sell! There are currently 299 Actively Listed Single Family Homes in the Pascack Valley towns of Emerson, Westwood, River Vale, Washington Township, Park Ridge, Montvale, Woodcliff Lake & Hillsdale.Bob and Lisa are a Full Time and Full Service Real Estate Team with the inside track on what it takes to get a home sold Fast for Top Dollar. The following is a list of reasons why NOW is the
  Best Time to Sell!
   

   

• The Spring market has started to heat up and the Competition is Growing.
• The Buyers have been waiting for the Inventory to build. There is a pent up demand for new listings.
• The Winter Holidays are past and Spring Clean-up is in full swing.
• Interest Rates are still in the High to Mid 4.8% range. Historically Low!

For more Tips on Selling your Home, call Bob and Lisa at (201)218-6802 or visit us on line at http://www.hammersteam.com/. We’re your High Tech Realtor Team – “Wired for your Success”!

Check out some of our Marketing here: Town Of Hillsdale, Town Of Westwood, Town Of River Vale

Find out why 2 Heads are Better Than One!

2 Heads Are Better Than One!

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Robert and Lisa Hammerstein • Sales Associates • Coldwell Banker • (201)315-8618

• Address • 50 Broadway • Hillsdale, NJ 07642 •

Hillsdale NJ Real Estate Report|March 09′ Single Family Home Sales saw Three homes closing in the town of Hillsdale in the month of March.  The 2009 Spring Real Estate market is here.  With interest rates low, qualified Buyers can take advantage of some wonderful opportunities to own a piece of Small Town America!  There’s no place like A New Hillsdale Home!

The town of Hillsdaleis constantly changing to keep up with the times while maintaining that desirable small town feel.  Residents can take advantage of the many amenities offered by this Pascack Valley town.

Hillsdale Library Flowers

Before  you know it those April showers will be bringing beautiful May flowers.

Hillsdale Real Estate Market Activity:

Total Homes Sold……………………..3

Average List Price…………..$ 599,000

Average Sold Price………….$ 523,333

Median Sold Price…………..$ 510,000

Sale/List Price………………….. 87.368 (12-13% differential) 

There are currently 41Actively Listed homes in the town of Hillsdale with an average List Price of $597,742.  There are some fantastic opportunities in this popular town with prices for every budget.   Report

Click here to view all Hillsdale Local Listings

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 www.HammersTeam.com your Pascack Valley Real Estate Resource at “Your Service”!  It’s a great time to “Buy A Home” in the Pascack Valley.  We’re keeping an eye on the real estate market for you….

Hillsdale NJ Real Estate Report|December 08′ Single Family Home Sales saw Four homes closing in the town of Hillsdale in the month of December.  The Holidays are over as we welcome in 2009.  With interest rates low, qualified Buyers can take advantage of some wonderful opportunities to own a piece of Small Town America!  There’s no place like A New Hillsdale Home for the New Year!

The town of Hillsdale is constantly changing to keep up with the times while maintaining that desireable small town feel.  Residents can take advantage of the many amenities offered by this Pascack Valley town.

Welcome to Hillsdale NJ

Hillsdale Real Estate Market Activity:

Total Homes Sold……………………..4

Average List Price…………..$ 611,950

Average Sold Price………….$ 541,250

Median Sold Price…………..$ 537,500

Sale/List Price………………….. 88.447 (11-12% differential) 

There are currently 40 Actively Listed homes in the town of Hillsdale with an average List Price of $611,530.  There are some fantastic opportunities in this popular town with prices for every budget.  Compare the previous Year’s activity for the month of December in this Pascack Valley town by clicking on the following link.  The numbers may surprise you!

 December 2007′ Hillsdale Market Report

Click here to view all Hillsdale Local Listings

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 www.HammersTeam.com your Pascack Valley Real Estate Resource at “Your Service”!  It’s a great time to “Buy A Home” in the Pascack Valley.  We’re keeping an eye on the real estate market for you….

The Real Estate market in the popular town of Hillsdale New Jersey has held it’s own. With a good supply of Active Home Listings ranging from the low $300,000 price range to the $1,000,000 +, this town Sells! That “Hometown” feel is a well-known selling feature of this popular town of the show “ED” fame. What makes everyone love and flock to the town of Hillsdale? Is it the trendy Downtown centered around the quaint Train Station and Hillsdale Traffic Booth carrying it’s passengers to their destination? Is it the Top Notch School System? Or is it the desire for those Homebuyers to own a peice of Old Fashioned Americana? Whatever your desire, this homespun town with it’s tree-lined streets and green lawns is sure to please.

The highways and by-ways make Hillsdale easily accessed and yet one still gets the sense that home sweet home is just around the next corner. For Sellers thinking of putting their homes on the market, now is a good time to capitalize on a currently active Real Estate market in the Pascack Valley. For the Buyer, there’s no time like the present to make a move on your peice of Americana. Why pay rent when you can own a home in this sought after town. Interest rates seem to be remaining lower than ever making the temptation too great to pass. Nobody knows what will happen in tommorow’s market but getting into a home in Hillsdale could be the perfect move today!

Hillsdale New Jersey Information

Call Bob and Lisa today at (201)218-6802 or visit us online at www.HammersTeam.com for your Hillsdale Real Estate needs!

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Lisa & Robert Hammerstein • Sales Associates • Coldwell Banker • (201)218-6802

• Address • 50 Broadway • Hillsdale, NJ 07642 •

Get In Touch With Your Roots!  It’s a well known fact that the population as a whole is living longer today.  Baby Boomers such as Bob had fathers who served in World War II.  My parents were the generation that followed close behind Bob’s parents.  Many of us so-called “Baby Boomers” have parents that lived through the Depression Era and post Depression Era.  You’ll probably find that this generation are great Story Tellers with a wealth of knowledge to share.  This opens up opportunites for many of us to get in touch with our “Roots”!  If you’re like me and are fortunate enough to still have your Mother with you, I would urge you to listen to the stories of your elders.  You’ll probably be amazed how much you didn’t know about yourself and your own Roots!   

For instance, just this morning I was chatting with my Mom on the phone.  Something sparked her to launch into one of the many stories that I’m sure I’ve heard before but today it resonated for some reason.  She was telling me about how my Grandmother was from a family that was, as she put it, “comfortable”.  It seems my Great-Grandfather was a Composer of music and a Mariachi Player.  When the Mexican Revolution came and their money was no longer any good, they were forced to flee Mexico and come to America.  Now of course this is only one quarter of my story as I had two parents who also had two parents.

Bob’s Great Grandfather on the other hand was a Builder in the town of Hillsdale and his Mother was born and raised in Sweden on the border of Finland.  Sadly, both of our Fathers are no longer with us and so their stories are gone with the exception of what our Mothers can tell us and what we can remember.

As Baby Boomers we are at that point in our lives where we are fortunate enough to be Bridging the gap.  We both have Mothers that are still living and a daughter who is a member of the popular Gen-Y group or better known as the “Echo-Boomers“.  These terms are losely used to describe the differences in the time periods (sometimes overlapping) in which we were all born.

But if we don’t capture as many of the stories as we can now and pass them on to our children, they will be lost forever.   So the next time you have the opportunity to hear the stories your parents or grandparents have to share with you, take a moment, and lend an ear.  They will probably enjoy the company and you will be enriched by the stories they tell that will help you to “Get In Touch With Your Roots”!

For more local information about the Pascack Valley area of Bergen

County, New Jersey call Bob & Lisa at (201)218-6802.

Your Local Real Estate Resource!

The community of River Vale, New Jersey in Bergen County consists of a small unassuming town known for it’s Golf Courses and manicured green lawns a plenty. It’s not uncommon to get a glimpse of the beautiful wildlife as seen here on Piermont Road in front of the Edgewood Country Club.

Established in the early 1900’s, the Township of River Vale is rich in History and has remained one of the most unassuming towns in the Pascack Valley region. It’s quiet yet upscale personality boasts three Golf Courses as well as the town center known as “The Four Corners” where River Vale Road and Westwood Avenue intersect to provide the town with shops, banks and local food stops.

This is the place that Lisa remembers growing up. Walking to the town center known as the Four Corners with friends or one of her three siblings, Lisa remembers a simpler time when walking to grammer school was what she did. Having grown up on the South side of River Vale, Lisa walked to Roberge School which covers grades K-5. Children on the North end of town attend Woodside. All meet at Holdrum School for grades 6-8 and then move up to Pascack Valley High School to join the children from the town of Hillsdale. Of course this was where Lisa first met Bob!

This beautiful town of River Vale has undergone some changes in the form of updates to the town center and the River Vale Public Library. The town celebrated it’s 100 year River Vale Cenetennial in a year long celebration.

In our current Real Estate market, homes in River Vale range from approximately, the low $400,000 price range for a First Time Homebuyer home up to $1,500,000+ for new construction.

The HammersTeam sold this rare Waterfront property on the Old Tappan border of Northern Valley.

For more local information and River Vale listings call Lisa and Bob at (201)218-6802 or visit us online at www.HammersTeam.com! Visit our site often to see updates.

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Lisa & Robert Hammerstein • Sales Associates • Coldwell Banker• (201)218-6802

• Address • 50 Broadway • Hillsdale, NJ 07642 •

                                                             
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 the train early, you can pop into either the Starbucks on Broadway for a cup of their famous Joe or Ronnie’s Hot Bagels for a tasty bite to start your day off right!

A New Hillsdale Homeownerwith pre-school age children will want to consider the availability of Day Care. Loving Touch Nursery School located at 365 Broadway across the street from the Shop Rite in Hillsdale offers many programs for pre-school children. Call (201)722-8500 to schedule a visit to the facility. Or a private school at 460 Hillsdale Avenue in Hillsdale – St. John’s Academy offers Pre-K through 8th grade classes. Call them at (201)664-6364 for information.

The Hillsdale Schools are highly rated with three elementary schools and the top rated Pascack Valley High School which recently completed renovations bringing the school benefits to new heights!

The borough has a bustling downtown Hillsdale Business District and a Hillsdale Homeowner will be delighted to find the many conveniences offered close to their new home. Hillsdale homeowners will find a super Shop Rite on Broadway or the specialty King’s market in the plaza on Hillsdale Avenue in the center of town. And yes, there’s even a 7-11 on Hillsdale Avenue that we remember from back in our own school days!

The town of Hillsdale offers park benches at the town center where the Hillsdale Veteran’s Memorial Park resides and hosts events such as the Sun Dial Garden Club plant sale. On Memorial Day 07′ the Hillsdale Historic Preservation Committee invited residents for an open house to see a bit of old Hillsdale at the Hillsdale Historic Victorian Train Station. If you want to really enjoy some fun, it’s a short ride or walk to the Hillsdale Beechwood Park. Here Hillsdale homeowners will find a great gathering place for the entire family. In the Summer the town hosts events at the Beechwood Park on Hillsdale Avenue such as Baseball under the Lights and a Summer Concert series in July – bring your lawn chairs and enjoy the live entertainment under the stars. Hillsdale Town Day in September is chocked full of fun for the family with Hot Dogs, Pony Rides and live music.

When evening falls and the adult community comes out to kick back and relax, there’s a Hillsdale Nightlife with Restaurants like the popular and nostalgic Cornerstone located on Broadway directly across from the Hillsdale Train Station. You’ll feel like you just took a giant step back in time to an old English style pub from the turn of the century. A fun feature is the flashing traffic lights that go off each time a train goes through the Hillsdale Train station.

Although the evening atmosphere appeals to adults, families are welcome here as well. The atmosphere is fun and the eats are mm…. mm….good!

If you’re moving to the town of Hillsdale New Jersey you’ll soon find the town has something to offer everyone. Recreation is abundant and available throughout the community with sports, fitness and there’s even a popular Senior’s Club for the 50 plus who like to go on trips, have luncheons and just enjoy life! One of the more popular family functions offered is the Hillsdale Stonybrook Swim Club with resident membership rates.

The Swim Club offers Olympic sized pool as well as kiddie pool, snack bar, showers, clubhouse, playground, swim activities and lessons too! For the book enthusiast, the Hillsdale Public Library was recently renovated and is a great place to just go and enjoy some quiet time. Currently celebrating their 110th anniversary with a community project based on collecting memories in the form of stories and pictures. Once they have collected enough, memories will be shared on the Library website and a permanent hardcover book will be published.

So if you or someone you know is planning a Move in the near future, call your Pascack Valley experts, Lisa & Bob Hammerstein at (201)218-6802 or visit us on our website at www.HammersTeam.com. We’ll help you if you’re Moving to Hillsdale New Jersey or any of the Pascack Valley towns in Bergen County New Jersey.

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Lisa & Robert Hammerstein • Sales Associates • Coldwell Banker • (201)218-6802

• Address • 50 Broadway • Hillsdale, NJ 07642 •