Basking Ridge Real Estate » Uncategorized

Message to today’s caller …

Jennifer Blanchard — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:11:52 +0000

We spoke earlier today – I apologize but I did not catch your name as my bluetooth connected. You said you read my blog, so I am hopeful that you see this!

The property we discussed is still available. It is in an R4 zone which means you only need one acre to build but we’d need to look at a survey to understand if it is a buildable lot or if you’d need a survey. I suggest you use BING’s birdseye view to look more closely at the location.

I look forward to getting your contact information via email!

December Sales – Basking Ridge

Jennifer Blanchard — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:58:28 +0000

220 Woods End	Colonial	Prince Edward Pointe	$1,100,000	$1,040,000
46 Hansom Road	Colonial	Liberty Ridge	$649,000	$625,000
83 Childs Road	Ranch		$799,000	$777,500
27 Liberty Ridge Road	Colonial	Liberty Ridge	$789,000	$756,000
14 Revere Drive	Colonial	Liberty Ridge	$799,000	$736,000
46 Vanderveer Drive	Colonial	Revere Hill	$1,029,000	$965,000
25 Tall Timber Lane	Colonial	River’s Edge Estates	$2,975,000	$2,504,000
75 Hardscrabble Road	Colonial	Franklin Corners	$850,000	$805,000
17 Roe Lane	Colonial	Gatehouse	$819,000	$790,000
60 Canterbury Way	Colonial	Canterbury Estates	$1,395,000	$1,329,500
4 Revere Drive	Colonial	Liberty Ridge	$719,000	$673,500
129 Woodman Lane	Colonial	Beacon Manor	$1,495,000	$1,425,000

10 Springfield Lane	Townhouse	Amherst Mews	$900,000	$885,000
115 Countryside Drive	Condo	Countryside	$325,000	$320,000
107 Irving Place	Condo	Society Hill	$229,900	$215,000
4 Village Drive	Townhouse	Lord Stirling Village	$324,900	$326,000
194 Patriot Hill Drive	Townhouse	Patriot Hill	$599,000	$580,000
2 Benedict Crescent	Townhouse	Amherst Mews	$789,000	$751,000
45 Village Drive	Townhouse	Lord Stirling Village	$350,000	$315,000
440 Penns Way	Townhouse	Society Hill	$310,000	$277,000

Bernards Township Hurricane Irene Update

Jennifer Blanchard — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 14:42:54 +0000

The following information can also be found here.

Bernards Township Hurricane Irene Update

As of August 30, 2011

Townhall and the Police Department are open using generators. Phone and computer services are limited.

The Bernards Township Municipal Court will not be in session today. All cases will be rescheduled and notices mailed to defendants and attorneys.

The Bernards Township Library is open. Township residents may charge cell phones, check email on the public-access computers or use their own computers for those who have WiFi access.

The grace period for the third quarter 2011 taxes is extended through today. No postmarks will be accepted.

Our Department of Public Works is working to remove downed trees and branches as quickly as possible. In some area, the trees are leaning into power lines and those cannot be touched until the power line issues are resolved by the utility company.

The Pill Hill Recycling Center will operate on extended hours as follows:

Friday, September 1 7:30 a.m. through 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 2 7:30 a.m. through 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, September 3 7:30 a.m. through 6:30 p.m.

Punch cards will not be required for this period of time with proof of residency (driver’s license or Bernards Township Punch card). Residents may bring in unlimited brush for recycling. Commercial vehicles and vehicles larger than a pickup truck are not allowed.

Pleasant Valley Pool, the Coakley-Russo Golf Course and the Township athletic fields are closed until further notice.

Street closures within the Township are as follows. This list is subject to change at any time. PLEASE do not remove barricades and drive down blocked roads. The roads are closed due to dangerous downed power lines or impassable trees or water.

West Oak Street between Mt. Airy Road and Brook Avenue
Lyons Road Between Goltra Drive and Mt. Airy Road
Madisonville Road between North Maple Avenue and Route 202
Lord Stirling Road Between Village Drive and Riverside Drive
Old Army Road between Old Farm Road and the Bernardsville border
Brook Avenue
Decker Street
Juniper Way near the cul‐de-sac
Old Farm Road near Old Army

Utility Information

The Basking Ridge and Liberty Corner Fire Departments cannot pump out flooded basements. Please contact a private contractor if you have water in your basement. Notify JCP&L at 1‐888‐LIGHTSS (1‐888‐544‐4877) or 1‐800‐545‐7738 if you lose electricity and your basement is flooded. Stay away from the breaker box if it is in a flooded basement and do not go into a flooded basement if energized wires are present. If water is rising to the height of a gas appliance, turn off the gas supply. To restore gas service to appliances, call PSE&G at 1‐800‐436‐7734 to have the appliance checked for safety. If you smell gas, contact PSE&G immediately.

If you are without power, contact JCP&L directly at‐888‐LIGHTSS (1‐888‐544‐4877) or 1‐800‐545‐7738. Please note they are not currently predicting restoration times.

Our water supplies have not been impacted but please reduce water use as much as possible while New Jersey American restores their operating plants that lost power due to the hurricane. Recovery to normal operations may take several days more.

Welcome Back Basking Ridge Real Estate!

Jennifer Blanchard — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 19:18:20 +0000

Wow – it’s January 7th already. I’m sorry I’ve been gone so long. The break was nice, then getting everyone settled back at school, celebrating a birthday (not mine), managing two home inpsections, negotiating a contract and meeting two new buyers has taken up the whole first week of January!! Apparently the blog has taken a back seat…

Inventory in Basking Ridge has already increased by 10 new listings since 1/1/11 and I expect that we will see more new listings each day between now and the middle of April. My phone has been ringing and my Basking Ridge listing notification request web page has been busy – buyers are certainly out there!

With experts like Jeffrey Otteau predicting that values will fall another 6% and interest rates proposed to rise it will be interesting to see how the market shapes up this year.

If you are considering a move into or out of Basking Ridge, I can help you determine the value of your current home in Basking Ridge and I can help you search for a home or town house in Basking Ridge as well as in surrounding towns.

Are buyers out there during the Holidays?

Jennifer Blanchard — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 19:07:27 +0000

At this time of year, I have the “should we stay on the market through the holidays?” conversation several times, typically followed by “is it okay to put up a tree?” For this month’s column, I am sharing this month’s Weichert Insights publications:

‘Tis the season, and one might think the last thing on anyone’s mind is to buy a house during the holidays. In fact, it’s a great time to sell a home, especially this year as consumers look to take advantage of low interest rates. In general, buyers tend to be more serious and have extra time to look at houses together this time of year.

Consider these other benefits of keeping your home listed during the holiday season:

First and foremost, your house definitely isn’t going to sell if it’s not even listed. By leaving it on the market, you are likely to attract the motivated buyers who tend to house hunt during the holidays.
Buck convention. If everyone else takes their home off the market – thereby reducing inventory – but you leave yours on, there is a greater chance of a buyer viewing and purchasing your home.
When tastefully decorated for the holidays, a home is extra inviting. During this time of the year, buyers will be able to easily envision their own family celebrating in the cozy environs of your home. For these reasons and more, the holiday season is “prime time” for your home to be listed.

Additionally, sellers with their home on the market during the holiday season shouldn’t feel the need to give up their holiday traditions. In fact, sellers should not forgo decorating their home for the holiday. People expect at least some decorations, plus they add warmth to a home. The key is to decorate in a way that won’t turn off buyers, and the following tips will help sellers strike a good balance:

Too many decorations mask a home’s selling points: architectural details, condition, location and price.
Avoid too many personalized decorations. The goal is for buyers to visualize themselves celebrating the holidays in the home.
Choose an elegant, neutral palette of fresh greens, silvers, golds and classic whites. Avoid too much red and green.
Take down decorations within two weeks after the holidays.

Interest rates are still low – we are hearing rumors that they may be climbing, and in fact over the last week or so they have ticked up slightly. As rates go up, buyers often “get off the fence” in order to catch the rates before they climb too high, another reason to keep the house on the market – take advantage of the motivated buyers!

According to the 12/13/10 rate sheet sent to me by Clint Johnson with Colonial Mortgage in Bernardsville, a 30 year fixed rate loan is currently at 4.875%.

Here’s what has sold in Basking Ridge since November 1st:

(Address List Price Sale Price)

449 King George Road $639,000 $625,000

96 Independence Drive $1,098,750 $1,050,000

6 Chelsea Court $1,575,000 $1,320,000

307 Penns Way $325,000 $310,000

51 Carlisle Road $699,900 $660,000

153 Woodward Lane $255,000 $243,000

20 Parkwood Lane $999,000 $950,000

20 Stockmar Drive $1,099,000 $1,025,000

75 Aspen Drive $429,900 $405,000

81 Constitution Way $499,950 $480,000

18 Rockridge Court $1,845,000 $1,717,500

159 Jamestown Road $263,900 $245,000

49 Madisonville Road $469,000 $425,000

240 Arrowood Way $345,000 $345,000

240 Patriot Hill Drive $575,000 $545,000

116 Jamestown Road $299,900 $290,000

3447 Valley Road $499,900 $474,000

99 Constitution Way $439,000 $439,000

338 English Place $319,900 $310,000

78 Patriot Hill Drive $595,000 $578,000

126 Patriot Hill Drive $599,900 $599,000

2904 Hemlock Place $289,900 $280,000

277 Potomac Drive $299,000 $290,000

12 Battalion Drive $515,000 $495,000

68 Commonwealth Dr $234,900 $240,000

188 English Place $269,000 $260,000

204 Alexandria Way $267,000 $265,500

145 Alexandria Way $219,000 $218,000

OPEN HOUSES Today….36 Kensington Road and 51 Liberty Road

Jennifer Blanchard — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 14:46:21 +0000

www.36KensingtonRoad.com

Come meet Greg Ambrose with Weichert, Realtors as he presents this traditional five bedroom center hall colonial in the Mt. Airy Estates development between 1:00 and 4:00 today. Offered by the original owners who completed an amazing kitchen renovation and mudroom addition. Set on a level one acre lot within walking distance to Rebel Hill Park.

Don't forget the gorgeous kitchen!

www.Basking-Ridge-Real-Estate.com

www.51LibertyRoad.com

Come meet Dennis Tolley with Weichert, Realtors as he presents this adorable three bedroom ranch in Bernardsville between 12:00 and 3:00 today. This property features a nice sized kitchen, sun porch and a new full bathroom in the finished basement.

Room for expansion, great location, new bathroom

Mid-month Check-up

Jennifer Blanchard — Tue, 18 May 2010 19:50:24 +0000

There have been 18 closed sales here in town since May 1st (hey, that’s a closing a day!):

327 Potomac Drive $219,000/$217,000
17 Potomac Drive $245,000/$230,000
66 Sycamore Court $378,800/$365,500
12 Valley View Drive $449,000/$430,000
34 Dexter Drive N $478,900/$452,500
3 Fairbanks Lane $479,000/$465,000
318 Alexandria Way $489,900/$475,500
30 Roberts Circle $519,000/$495,000
8 Hancock Court $625,000/$600,000
189 Spencer Road $655,000/$630,000
71 Huntington Road $789,000/$729,000
10 Birch Drive $799,000/$750,000
50 Alder Lane $799,900/$765,000
63 Ramapo Drive $979,000/$955,000
88 Manchester Drive $1,000,000/$1,052,222
21 Wellington Drive $1,111,000/$1,085,000
11 Rockridge Road $1,499,000/$1,405,000
32 Oak Hill Drive $1,849,000/$1,750,000

Market absorption – a way to measure inventory levels – is currently at 4.4 months which is determined by considering 235 available properties and 54 sales in the last thirty days. On paper, this is a clear sellers market. I say on paper, becuase in reality, we are still in a buyer’s market. Though, I will admit that there have been several multiple offer situations here in town. Which means if you are serious about a house and you know there is competition, you need to come in strong. You can always re-evaluate the contract when the appraisal comes in (just make sure your attorney is aware of that and writes the contract to account for appraisal discrepencies).

I submitted an offer on a property over the weekend; we were told that there was so much activity that the seller was planning to wait until after the open house to respond to our offer. We were not at full price. On Sunday night, I recieved a call giving me two hours to come back with our highest and best offer and notification that there were two FULL price offers on the table. This is a million dollar property – so, yes, there are buyers out there and they are paying the mansion tax!

Buyer’s market or Seller’s market – here in Basking Ridge it’s a little hard to tell. But I am pretty good at analyzing each situation and responding to the market. So if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call me; maybe I can help.

Ten in Ten in Basking Ridge

Jennifer Blanchard — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:47:27 +0000

It’s been quite some time since I’ve posted – I’ve been very busy! Believe it or not, I have been managing mulitple offers on several of my listings and for one of my buyers. The market has certainly picked up. In fact, there have been TEN contract sales in the first TEN days of March. That’s pretty terrific. List prices for these properties have ranged from $299,000 to $1,100,000; five town houses and five single family homes.

There were THIRTY new listings here in town since the first of March. Two of those properties are under contract and one is in attorney review.

Are you considering a move into or out of Basking Ridge? Now is the time to make that move! Visit my website for information on what has sold in Basking Ridge or to search homes for sale in Basking Ridge.

Open House in Basking Ridge – Sunday – March 7th 12-4pm

Jennifer Blanchard — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 04:20:55 +0000

20 Old Coach Road in Basking Ridge is a traditional center hall colonial with an expanded kitchen featuring a center island, french doors, skylights and two pantries. It boasts a huge family room with cathedral ceilings and a first floor study. It has a great fenced yard with a two tiered deck and an inground pool. There is recessed lighting throughout the house, a newer roof(’07), two zone central air and several rooms have recently been painted. It also features a terrific master bedroom with lots of light, two walk-in closets and a bathroom with two sinks, a stall shower and a jetted soaking tub.

List Price: $929,000

If you are considering a move into or out of Basking Ridge, please visit my site for information on what has sold in Basking Ridge or to sign up for listing alerts.