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This week’s featured open house is at 11 Archgate Road in Basking Ridge.
11 Archgate Road, Baking Ridge, NJ – open Sunday, 1:00-4:00 pm
It’s a great time to buy – interest rates have never been lower. Come preview this home while it is still available!
Homes for Sale in Basking Ridge
My webmaster has been encouraging me to add video to my blog posts. I created a test video this morning – a walking tour around my office. I simply can’t post it. It is very shaky and simply a very bad first attempt. But I can’t allow myself a complete ZERO for the assignment, so I created this instead:
I am hopeful that this will earn me at least half credit for the day!
Basking Ridge Market Activity – Oct 2 through Oct 8
There were three closed sales in Basking Ridge this past week:
- 137 Village Drive in Lord Stirling Village sold for $310,000 (list price: $339,000)
- 14 Clark Court in Hamilton Woods sold for $417,000 (list price: $419,000)
- 76 Shannon Hill Road in Shannon Hill Farms sold for $1,125,000 (list price: $1,225,000)
There are 173 properties on the market in Basking Ridge; eight of those listings are in attorney review. Average days on market is 118 and average list price is $878,217. There were 17 contract sales in the last 30 days yielding an absorption rate of 10 months.
Since the beginning of the fall makret there have been 62 new listings. Seven of these listings are already in under contract, there have been an additional 18 contract sales since September 1.
Happenings around town
On November 1, 2011, Bernards Township will have paid off the last of its unfunded debt. In celebration of this, the Township Committee will host a “Bond-Fire” in the rear parking lot at the township municipal building on October 29, 2011, at 7 PM. A facsimile of the township’s final unfunded bond will be burned as a symbol of a successful fiscal policy.
The Bernards Township Police Department, will be hosting an Operation Take Back New Jersey local collection site as part of the Operation Take Back NJ medicine disposal day. The event will take place at Police Headquarters, 1 Collyer Lane, Basking Ridge, NJ between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 29, 2011.
While the overall real estate market is not doing so great, the market here in Basking Ridge remains strong. Sale prices may not be where we want them to be (as sellers and homeowners) but sales activity continues to remain steady with some properties attracting multiple bids and near-asking sale prices. It’s a little hard these days to push the envelope on pricing – market value is going to become evident in the first few weeks that your house is listed and you and your agent will have only limited control over the final sale price.
What you can control is how the house shows. I often tell prospective sellers to start packing. Less is more, de-clutter and neutralize. You are selling a house, not your home – to a buyer who is looking for a house which they can envision as their home. You need to make it easy for them to do that.
Sharon Tara, a stager in NH wrote a great article for a real estate forum that I frequent. She says that when preparing your house for sale, you should consider the “Perfect Crime”. Today’s buyers are like the detectives in those old time movies: leave them the smallest amount of evidence and they will find a way to use it against you!
She suggests that successfully selling your house requires leaving no evidence at the scene. Remove the DNA – your family photos, diplomas and degrees. Clean up the fingerprints – medical equipment, medications, hobbies and collections. Allow a prospective buyer to walk through your house and imagine it as their home. I do not think you have to take away everything; it is important that your house be warm and inviting. But it should be presented in a way that is universally accepted as such: chocolate chip cookies or apple spices are much better aromas than last night’s garlic casserole!
Additionally, you should be prepared to flee the scene at a moment’s notice! It is virtually impossible to keep your house in show shape 24 hours a day – but, of course, that is what today’s detectives expect (oops, I meant buyers). I often tell people that we understand that people live here – and if you are feeding a toddler three meals a day it’s okay to leave the high chair in the kitchen. But it’s a good idea to keep a laundry basket or a plastic tote by the front door to hold the remnants of quick clean up so you can leave in a hurry if an agent calls to schedule a last minute showing.
The best way to ensure that your house will sell is to price it right and make sure it shows PERFECTLY.
258 Alexandria Way, Basking Ridge
Spring Ridge Duplex – Greenbriar model – 3 bedrooms, 2.1 baths and a finished basement.
Sold for $432,000
The price on 267 English Place in Society Hill Basking Ridge is getting better and better! Now being offered at $284,900 – this two bedroom end unit has been updated with a new kitchen, new bathrooms, floors, and more.
Open this Sunday from 1:00 – 4:00. Come take a look!
Sign up for new listing alerts in Basking Ridge or take a look at what sold each month for the last two years – a great way to get an idea of Basking Ridge home values.
You may have seen my listing at 11 Archgate Road in Basking Ridge. It’s a wonderful four bedroom center hall colonial set on almost an acre in the Glenbrook community of homes right off of Lyons Road. Many major updates have been taken care of: landscaping, new driveway, roof, gutters, front porch, irrigation, bathrooms, floors, doors, electric, moldings, California closets, even an energy audit!
There have been several sales in this community over the last 12 months:
- 65 Addison Drive – 4 bedrooms, 2.1 baths on almost an acre - sold for $780,000
- 11 Penwood Road – 5 bedrooms, 2.2 baths – sold for $760,000
- 3 Penwood Road – 5 bedrooms, 3.1 baths – sold for $839,000
Given the size difference and location difference of these properties, 11 Archgate Road has been fairly priced at $94,000 lower than the average value of these closed sales in the neighborhood.
At $699,000, 11 Archgate Road is an excellent value in Basking Ridge!
If you haven’t seen it yet, call your agent or contact me and I will make an appointment for you to preview it. You never know, this could be your next home in Basking Ridge!
There have been fourteen contract sales in Basking Ridge since 9/1/11 – at prices across the range from $200,000 up to $1,300,000. Of the 178 properties showing available, eight are starred as being in attorney review and I know that there are at least two others with offers being negotiated. I am working multiple offers on one of my listings, just received an offer on another one and I am expecting an offer on a third before the end of the week. Despite this activity, the absorption rate here in town has crept up significantly – reaching almost 12 months. That is CrAzY – and I think it is a false high as I am aware of several properties that are under contract that are not accurately reported in the MLS. This is being done to protect sellers in a buyers market full of uncertainty when it comes to things like appraisals and re-negotiations after inspections.
Obviously though, people are still buying homes in Basking Ridge – there have been 22 closings since September 1st:
85 Manor Drive, sale price: $975,000
22 Royal Oak Drive, sale price: $1,480,000
23 Mayflower Drive, sale price: $490,000
37 Emily Road, sale price: $1,750,000
19 Hancock Court, sale price: $499,000
222 Patriot Hill Drive, sale price: $615,000
21 Sentry Court, sale price: $1,232,500
128 Constitution Way, sale price: $468,000
35 Old Farm Road, sale price: $1,215,000
22 Dexter Drive North, sale price: $537,500
12 Van Dorn Road, sale price: $650,000
78 Carlisle Road, sale price: $610,000
55 Kinnan Way, sale price: $865,000
1 Potomac Drive, sale price: $210,000
184 Spencer Road, sale price: $475,000
257 Penns Way, sale price: $275,000
72 Liberty Ridge Road, sale price: $712,000
23 Ramapo Drive, sale price: $1,042,000
26 Hickory Drive, sale price: $855,000
18 Hadley Court, sale price: $660,000
142 Irving Place, sale price: $225,000
21 Knollcroft Road, sale price: $474,900
Great houses when listed at great prices will absolutely sell. And – in my opinion – every house is a great house! Seriously, there is a buyer out there for every house. You just need an experienced agent to help you market the property, find the buyer and navigate the rough waters of the current market! As these 22 new Basking Ridge homeowners can attest: it can be done!
Helpful Links
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Review what has sold in Basking Ridge – broken out by month
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Facebook.com/BaskingRidgeRealEstate
Considering a move to Basking Ridge?
- Three bedroom ranch on almost half an acre!
Then check out this charming three bedroom ranch on almost half an acre at the end of a private lane close to town. This home offers an updated kitchen, a renovated master bathroom, a finished room in the basement perfect for the kids or an office, a wall of windows overlooking a huge deck in the living room. Two full bathrooms, a huge two car garage and a yard that is perfect for so many things….parties, soccer games, swing sets, gardening!
Over $150,000 of upgrades since 2004
11 Archgate Road, Basking Ridge
Great new Price: $699,000
Landscaping, driveway, fenced yard, upgraded electric, fresh paint, new gutters, new flooring, new doors – inside and out, new roof, you name it, it’s new! Don’t take my word for it, come see – call for an appointment or come to next week’s open house on Sunday, 9/18 from 1:00-5:00.