Archive for the ‘Miscellaneous’ Category
Halloween in Basking Ridge
October 12th, 2009 | 
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Halloween is just around the corner! Who doesn’t love to trick or treat, or decorate their home or dress up in costume! Spooky or cute, the kids have a blast!
Basking Ridge has several activities planned during this month. From crafts at the library to pumpkin rolling and trick or treating sponsored by local businesses it shouldn’t be hard to find something to do. Follows is a schedule of events:
Saturday, October 24th – 1:00-4:00 Safe Trick or Treat in downtown Basking Ridge. Sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, children are invited to come trick or treating for treats given out by local businesses and merchants.
Saturday, October 24th – 1:00-3:00 Drop-in crafts at the Bernards Township library. Children must be accompanied by an adult but no registration is required. Children of all ages are welcome.
Saturday, October 24th – at 1:00 The Bernards Township Recreation Department has many fun activities scheduled at the Oak Street School field on Henry Street. Pumpkin rolling races, crafts and other ghoulish activities. Come for tricks after you get your treats!
Monday, October 26th 7:00-7:45 Midnight at Normandy at the Library; Children ages 5-12 are invited for an evening with Piccirillo Sciencetelling. Tickets are a must – contact the library for more information.
If you are interested in buying or selling a home in Basking Ridge, please visit my webiste at www.Basking-Ridge-Real-Estate.com or click here to sign up for listing alerts in and around Basking Ridge.
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Liberty Corner 4 Miler in Basking Ridge
This weekend, on Sunday, NJ Adventure Boot Camp is sponsoring the tenth annual Liberty Corner 4 Miler in Basking Ridge. I wish I could say I’d be running, but I am working instead! (Visit my open house at 64 Dogwood Terrace in Millington!)
The race benefits the Adult Day Center of the Visiting Nurse Association of Somerset Hills. I love races that benefit local organizations! If you want to run, registration starts at 8:00 am at Harry Dunham Park; the race starts at 9:30.
After the race, if you decide that Basking Ridge is where you want to call home, then search homes for sale in Basking Ridge by clicking here.
The Economy Continues to Improve – Impact on Real Estate?
Good News! Basking Ridge Real Estate
The economy continues to show signs of stabilization. In fact, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke announced this week that the recession is probably over and that the economy is likely growing at this point. Famed investor Warren Buffet also said the economy appears to have leveled off.
In addition, the number of newly laid off workers applying for unemployment benefits has declined in three of the last four weeks. Consumers also seem to be more comfortable spending money. The government reported that retail sales rose 2.7 percent in August, the most in more than three years.
The positive news also extends to the real estate industry:
- Rates on 30-year fixed mortgages are at their lowest level since the end of May, making homes more affordable.
- Housing construction rose in August to the highest level in nine months, and applications for building permits — an indicator of future activity — rose 2.7 percent. Regionally, construction rose 23.8 percent in the Northeast.
- The National Association of Home Builders’ housing market index rose in September, reflecting growing optimism in the industry.
The market seems to be moving in the right direction — up.
If you are thinking of buying or selling your home, please contact me for information about today’s market. Or visit my website for more information about what is for sale in Basking Ridge, NJ and other surrounding areas. No obligation, Just information!
Homeowner Tips – Energy Efficient Lightbulbs
Did you know that you should NOT use flourescent light bulbs with dimmer switches? Not only does it burn them out faster (three bulbs in one week – according to the homeowner who called the Liberty Corner Fire Company this evening)…but it is a potential fire hazard! My husband, a firefighter with the Liberty Corner Volunteer Fire Company in Bernards Township, came home from a call and said, blog it: Energy saving flourscent bulbs (the energy efficient curly ones as well as the straight tube ones) can be a fire hazard when used with dimmer switches.
Contact me for more information on fire safety or Basking Ridge Real Estate!
If you are thinking about buying or selling a home visit my website to search what is currently for sale in and around Basking Ridge, NJ.
Listings online….where are they?
As a seller it is important that your listing be ALL OVER the internet! And, it needs to look great! Even the worst websites are used by the general public; you never know where your potential buyer will be looking so your listing may as well be on as many websites as possible. In addition to building a website for each of my listings – which gets used in all marketing materials – all of them are advertised as follows:
Contact me for more information on how I market my Basking Ridge inventory.
Does it make sense to buy now?
This is a question that only YOU can answer! The $8,000 tax credit sounds very appealing – and it certainly is a GREAT deal! Especially while prices are still low and interest rates are still manageable. Owning your first home is a big step, and of course it is going to be a little stressful going through the process – finding a house, making an offer, feeling confident while negotiating, understanding the paperwork, writing the checks – but it should also be fun and exciting. Iwant you to sleep at night – or not sleep because you are excited but not because you are worried sick over it!
If you are feeling like the people in any of these videos, it is time to contact me.
If you aren’t quite there yet, that’s okay too. I’m still happy to chat with you – sometimes I work with people for years before they decide to make a move. One of my hallmarks is that I work at YOUR pace; if you need information, I’m here to provide it. If you want to see some homes, we can do that too. I can send you listings and answer questions until you are comfortable and ready for that next step!
Community happenings
The Liberty Corner Fire Company welcomes it’s newest addition:
Measuring 47 feet long, weighing 40 tons, and boasting a 100 foot high LADDER:
Until now the fire company had to rely on the Lyons VA Medical Center or the Far Hills-Bedminster fire company when there was a need for a ladder truck. The Lyons truck is about to be decommissioned, and waiting for a neighboring community may waste precious moments when help is needed.
Visit my website for more information about exciting community events.
Twitter?
How many of my blog readers are using Twitter? I have to admit that I am still somewhat skeptical. Facebook? Easy – I love it, and I’ve reconnected with so many people from my past. It’s a fun place to “hang out” when I need a brain-break during the day. I see both social and business uses with Facebook and it’s easy to use. Look me up at facebook.com/JBlanchardHomes.
Twitter – that’s a different story! TweetMe, TwitterLater, Mr. Twitter, Twitterhood, Twello…there are so many offshoots – and I find it confusing! Should I make my profile private? (What good is that?) Should I make it so I have to manually approve follow requests? (I want it that way – I don’t need every Tom and Jane following me!) But, I haven’t figured out how to do that without making my profile private and I WANT to show up on the public timeline – otherwise, what’s the point? I consider myself pretty technically adept – however, when it comes to Twitter, I feel like a twit. Wait, I think that’s twitter lingo for someone who tweets…!!
Anyway, follow me at twitter.com/JBlanchardHomes and maybe you can help me figure it out!!
Or just keep coming back to www.Basking-Ridge-Real-Estate.com and keep up to date on the latest Basking Ridge real estate market!