10 TIPS FOR PREPARING YOUR HOUSE FOR MARKET

1. CREATE A TIMELINE Depending on your personal housing needs, set up an effective timeline that allows you to practically understand how much time you will need to prepare your house for the market. This gives you realistic goals for you exit strategy.

2. INTERVIEW REALTORS  Take the time to interview potential realtors to list your home so you can get an idea of their specific market strategy to help sell your house. Make sure you look at the realty company’s website to ensure the quality of marketing. How, why, and where do they plan to list your property?  Most potential buyers begin their search online.

3. FOCUS ON CURB APPEAL Try to have an objective eye when evaluating your house from the outside.  Fix any glaring cosmetic issues that may show up in photographs. If hedges aren’t trimmed or there are missing bricks from the stairways this could be a red flag for a potential buyer that the property may not have been well maintained.

4. DECLUTTER THE INTERIOR If you have established a timeline, you will know whether or not you have opportunity to have  a garage or house sale. Go through each room and determine if items will be coming with you to your next home.  If not, sell it, donate it or throw it out. If time does not allow for this, you can rent a temporary storage unit like a Pod that you can store items in until you have the time to go through them. This rids the house of any extra clutter and allows you to show your house at its best.

5. DEPERSONALIZE THE HOUSE Store photographs and personal items like collections during the sales process. This allows potential buyers to visualize themselves living in the space which is the goal!

6. TAKE GREAT PHOTOGRAPHS When interviewing your potential realtor ask them if they are going to be taking professional photographs. This can make a big difference in how your home looks on websites. If your timeline allows, try to have your home photographed during the optimal season. For example, if you have a pool, you would want there to be photographs of that while it is open rather than snow covered!

7. ORGANIZE IMPORTANT PAPERWORK  Keep track of any significant paper work that would substantiate major improvements you have made to your house. If you have had a new roof or boiler create a folder for the future buyer so they have a record of the contractor. This is also a great marketing tool to reflect the quality of maintenance while you owned the house.

8. HOME INSPECTION If you have owned the home for a significant amount of time and are concerned about what a home inspection may discover, hire your own home inspector. Although not inexpensive,  this would allow you to deal with any major issues ahead of time rather than have to give a credit that may or may not be fair. Once again, it is a terrific marketing tool to show that as an owner you are on top of everything which should give buyers a lot of confidence.

9. HAVE A PLAN FOR PETS If you have pets, make sure you have a plan for their care during open houses and showings. You don’t want anything to inhibit prospective buyers from seeing your house  especially in the first few weeks.

10. WEEKEND GETAWAY If at all possible try to go away for the long weekend that your house will be shown to brokers and the public. This allows you to leave everything clean and tidy, gives you a chance to relax, and makes for flexible showings during what should be your house’s busiest weekend.

Have questions or want to learn more about the value of your home? Feel free to contact me at 973-610-3956 or via email at mbaird@halstead.com.

Mary Therese Baird Halstead Property  |   973-610-3956   |   mbaird@halstead.com Website

CUT YOUR OWN CHRISTMAS TREE IN NORTHERN NEW JERSEY

 

Below are some Christmas tree farms in northern and western New Jersey where you choose and cut your own trees.  Some places supply their own saws and will baill and tie the trees to your car.  Others will come around with staff pick up trucks to help you “haul” back your tree treasures.  Please visit websites or call for specific varieties and hours of operation and method of payments.  Many of the farms are pet friendly.

Tip:  Within 2 hours of cutting trees a scab of sap will begin to form so that water cannot be absorbed.   Make sure to give all trees a fresh cut before setting it up in the stand.  Most trees absorb the most water during the first week of being cut.  The temperature of the water used to fill the stand is not important and does not affect water uptake.

Brookhollow’s Barnyard
425 Powerville Road
Boonton, NJ
201-400-4505
brookhollowsbarnyard.com

Open Saturday and Sunday beginning the weekend after Thanksgiving from 10-4.  After finding your tree, come watch Farmer Tina make fresh mini donuts. Tea, hot chocolate, coffee, delicious hot apple cider and donuts are available to purchase.  For more information please call or visit the website.

Dixiedale Farm
Hillside Avnue
Chatham, NJ
973-635-2097
dixiedalefarm.com
Open November 27-December 20 from 9-3:30

After finding your tree, don’t forget to visit Chatham’s quaint Main Street for breakfast, lunch or a cup of hot cocoa.  They are less than an hour west of NYC, so you can make a day of it!

Hidden Pond Christmas Tree Farm
4 West Field Rd.
Mendham, NJ 07945
973-865-6362
hiddenpondtreefarm.com
OPEN 9AM – 5PM – CLOSED Mondays
Just 45 Minutes From NYC!
Hidden Pond Tree Farm is family-owned and operated by the Nicholson family.

Bear Swamp Farm
81 Otterhole Road
West Milford, NJ
973-697-2541
Bearswampfarmnj.com

Open Saturday and Sunday 9-3

Once you have chosen your tree, they  bail it in netting and help tie it on your vehicle.  While waiting for your tree, you can get warm and shop  in the Christmas Shop.

Bunker Hill Tree Farm
118 Bunker Hill Road
Griggstown/Franklin Twp, NJ.

Phone: 732-306-4265.

Saint Paul’s Abbey
297 Route 206 S, Andover, NJ
973-383-2470

You choose and cut Christmas trees, Precut Christmas trees, live-plantable trees are available, saws are provided, you may bring your own saw
Email: osb@newtonosb.org. Directions: 8 miles N. of Route 80. Exit 25. 1 mile S. of the town of Newton. Open: 9 am to 4, daily, from the day after Thanksgiving to December 23.

Glenview Farms
2 Glenview Lane
Blairstown, NJ 07825
(908) 362-6904
glenviewfarm.com

Fri – Sun: 8:00 am-6:00 pm

Visit my agent website.

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New York City Commute: Maplewood – Train Edition

Maplewood, a beautiful suburb 20 miles west of New York City, is home to a hip and active population deeply involved in their town and community.  Sitting on only about four square miles, Maplewood boasts a vibrant town center scattered with small businesses, restaurants, artists’ studios, and community arts center. The town has 6 public parks, including the South Mountain Reservation, a county park that bridges Maplewood that has a zoo,   an ice skating arena, a dog park, and about 20 miles of footpaths.  Overall, there is much to love about this small town. It is a charming neighborhood to raise a family and a great place to live!

One of Maplewood’s appeals is its close proximity to New York City.   If you are looking for a suburban home base but enjoy the convenience of easy access to NYC, Maplewood may be a town you want to check out.  One of the main ways of transport to and from the city from Maplewood is the NJ Transit Train.

New Jersey Transit trains go directly from the Maplewood Train Station to New York’s Penn Station in about 35 to 40 minutes, with one-way tickets costing $7.25 and a monthly pass costing $208. During rush hours a town jitney will take commuters to and from the train station.

Interested in learning more about Maplewood?  Check out some of these interesting articles that go into greater depth about the town and its community.

NY TIMES: Maplewood, NJ: If Brooklyn Were a Suburb

NY MAGAZINE: A Tree Grows in Maplewood

NJ TRANSIT: TRAIN INFORMATION

Downtown Montclair Named Great American Main Street in New Jersey – Take a Tour!

Interested in learning more about downtown Montclair?  Check out this video, where residents give you their insights into the award-winning town’s culture and restaurant scene!

GAMSA | Montclair from NOTICE PICTURES on Vimeo.

Check out the full article here: http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2015/03/nj_downtown_named_2015_great_american_main_street.html

Montclair Commute: Train Edition

Photo by Phillip Capper

Many out-of-towners want to know what their commuting options will be once they leave Manhattan and make the move to the other side of the Hudson.  While there are other forms of transportation to and from New York, let’s focus on the train.

Montclair, at its beginnings, was considered a “railroad suburb”, and much of the draw to the town was its commuter train rail service, which was first introduced in 1856.  In 1930, the Montclair Branch railroad became the first fully electrified suburban railroad and the inaugural train was driven by Thomas Edison, who himself helped develop the line.