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Saturday, January 30, 2016

Living in Maplewood: Maplewood Memorial Library Events (Professionals in Transition, Create Space, Chef Jesse, Neo Soulz and more!)




ADULT PROGRAMMING

DIGITAL DEVICE CLINICS
Get free one-on-one support in using your ereader, tablet, smartphone, or other electronic device. The clinics take place during the Tuesday Create Space drop-in hours Tuesdays, January 5, 12, 19 & 26 6-8 pm at Hilton Branch


CREATE SPACE DROP-IN HOURS
Use Rhino 3D software to build a model, print an object on our 3D printer or use our new color printer or laminator. There are also Snap Circuits, Squishy Circuits, LittleBits and SparkFun kits for the kids. Raspberry Pi single board computers are also available to learn more about computer science.
Located at Hilton Branch
Every Tuesday and Thursday 6-8 pm Every Saturday 10 am to 1 pm


AMERICAN CLASSICS BOOK DISCUSSION SERIES
Our February title is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Considered to be Fitzgerald's greatest work, The Great Gatsby explores themes of decadence, idealism, resistance to change, social upheaval, and excess, creating a portrait of the Roaring Twenties that has been described as a cautionary tale regarding the American Dream.
Thursday, February 4 7:00 pm at Main Library

The title for the March 3 meeting is Rabbit Run, by John Updike.
This program was made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.


PROFESSIONALS IN TRANSITION
--Ageism in the Workplace-How to Protect Yourself
Presenter Sonali Pundalik, Digital and Business Strategy Consultant for Splendid Circle, will use specific case studies to lead the group through effective strategies for navigating this roadblock. Monday, February 8 10 am at Main Library

--Watching Your Language, Communicating Your Success
Business Performance Coach Paul Hatrak will instruct attendees in how to tailor their message to others. Monday, February 22 10 am at Main Library

--Rising Up
Consultant and Facilitator Terry Seamon will discuss the attitudes and skills needed to bounce back after losing a job. Monday, February 29 10 am at Main Library


FREE ADULT HEALTH SCREENINGS
Blood pressure and carotid bruit screening, medication, weight & health counseling. Free and open to adults 18 and over. Staffed by Maplewood Health Dept. nurses.
Drop in. Wednesday, February 10 10:30-noon at Main Library


READ AROUND THE WORLD: TRINIDAD
Our February title is The White Woman on the Green Bicycle by Monique Roffey
A newly independent Trinidad offers a rich backdrop for Roffey's evocative exploration of life in a tropical paradise rife with conflict. Sabine and George Harwood come to Trinidad from England with vastly different expectations: for Sabine, it is a blessedly limited three-year stint undertaken purely to advance her husband's career; for George it is an open-ended opportunity to break out of his dreary British life. Wednesday, February 10 7 pm at Main Library


BLACK HISTORY MONTH ART & MUSIC RECEPTION
Our February artist is Ronald Freeman:
"My inspiration comes from the music and movement that surrounds me. Music, being my first love, creates a visual and very personal
experience which is portrayed in my work."
Visit Ronald Freeman's website.
Saturday, February 13 3-4 pm at Main Library
Live music will be provided by The Manor's former "Piano Man"
Bob Richards


COMPUTERS FOR BEGINNERS
Learn the basics: how to get started, use the Internet, set up email, view photos and more.The teacher will help you with your specific needs. Intermediate students are also welcome. Tuesday, February 16 1 pm at Hilton Branch


FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT
Learn about different methods of saving and how to create a budget. Get the scoop on credit reports, how to obtain free reports and how to dispute inaccurate accounts.
Presented by the Irvington Family Development Center's Family Success Center
Wednesday, February 17 2-4 pm at Hilton Branch


NEO_SOULZ SPOKEN WORD AND POETRY OPEN MIC
For more information, call Zenobia @ 408-676-8597.
Thursday, February 18 6:30-7:30 pm at Hilton Branch


MAKER MEETUP
Are you interested in the Maker Movement? 3d printing? Do you want to find out more about the library's new Create Space? Join us at our monthly Maker Meetup.
Help our team build a 3D printer from recycled computer parts, or bring your own projects and ideas. Thursday, February 18 6:30-8 pm at Hilton Branch


CREATIVE COLORING FOR ADULTS
Adult coloring is taking the world by storm. Coloring relieves stress, takes you away from your cares for a while, trains your brain to focus, and gives you a sense of accomplishment. You may even help keep dementia at bay! Each month, the library will provide a variety of designs and a supply of colored pencils. Just drop in: bring your own coffee and we'll bring the cookies. Monday, February 29 10:30 to noon at Main Library


CHEF JESSE: A SPECIAL BLACK HISTORY MONTH TALK & DEMO
Our favorite southern chef, Jesse Jones, will give a short talk about his modern, healthier approach to traditional southern cooking, and will offer a demo and sampling of his pulled pork tacos. For all ages. No registration is needed. Monday, February 29 6:00 pm at Main Library



Mark Slade
Keller Williams
917.797.5059
Good Homes



Selling a Maplewood/South Orange/Millburn/Short Hills area home involves many steps and having an experienced Maplewood New Jersey Real Estate Agent and Realtor®, specializing in the Bedroom Communities of New York City in Essex/Union County— Millburn, Short Hills, Montclair, West Orange, South Orange, Livingston, Maplewood, Springfield, Summit, Madison, Chatham, Scotch Plains, Fanwood, Cranford and Westfield--by your side will make the transaction run a lot smoother. I would love to be your Maplewood/South Orange New Jersey Area Real Estate Professional! I assist both buyers and sellers in the Bedroom Communities of New York City, mostly served by NJ Transit’s Mid-Town Direct Train Lines, offering commutes of 45minute or less to NY Penn Station, with either the purchase and or sale of residential real estate.


As an Accredited Buyer’s Agent (ABR), I have received special training to guide and educate you through the entire home buying process. From start to finish, I listen to your needs and desires in what you would like and take the information you give me to find you home. My GO-TO team can provide you the best in Real Estate advice with regard to attorney choices, Home Inspectors and Mortgage Loan Officers


As your Maplewood/South Orange/Millburn/Short Hills/Essex/Union County New Jersey listing agent I am well versed on as your local expert in all things in the Maplewood and South Orange area Real Estate Market. You can expect personalized service that includes a detailed consultation on how to best position your Mid-Town Direct home to be competitive in today’s market with training to provide my clients with an in-depth Advanced Comparative Market analysis, and advice on staging. As my office’s technology officer as well as both a Zillow Platinum Premier and Trulia Premier agent, I use the latest and most up-to-date marketing methods to get your home in front of as many buyers as possible. Being your New Jersey Real Estate Agent and Realtor ® not only involves just finding the home or selling the home, but being your guide, negotiator, advisor and advocate and making sure that your needs and goals are met. Being your New Jersey Essex/Union County area Realtor® (with a little bit of Morris County thrown in for good measure) is one of my truest passions, and “Helping You Find Your Dream Home” is my number one priority.


Mark Slade

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Luxury Homes Require Extra Expertise



I'm not sure how often you get chosen to represent a client and then the following year you get recommended to help a sibling buy a home and then you get a chance to sell and buy for their parents, but this did happen to me and I couldn't have been any more excited and honored by their choice in me as their Realtor.





Mark Slade
Keller Williams
917.797.5059
Good Homes



Selling a Maplewood/South Orange/Millburn/Short Hills area home involves many steps and having an experienced Maplewood New Jersey Real Estate Agent and Realtor®, specializing in the Bedroom Communities of New York City in Essex/Union County— Millburn, Short Hills, Montclair, West Orange, South Orange, Livingston, Maplewood, Springfield, Summit, Madison, Chatham, Scotch Plains, Fanwood, Cranford and Westfield--by your side will make the transaction run a lot smoother. I would love to be your Maplewood/South Orange New Jersey Area Real Estate Professional! I assist both buyers and sellers in the Bedroom Communities of New York City, mostly served by NJ Transit’s Mid-Town Direct Train Lines, offering commutes of 45minute or less to NY Penn Station, with either the purchase and or sale of residential real estate.


As an Accredited Buyer’s Agent (ABR), I have received special training to guide and educate you through the entire home buying process. From start to finish, I listen to your needs and desires in what you would like and take the information you give me to find you home. My GO-TO team can provide you the best in Real Estate advice with regard to attorney choices, Home Inspectors and Mortgage Loan Officers


As your Maplewood/South Orange/Millburn/Short Hills/Essex/Union County New Jersey listing agent I am well versed on as your local expert in all things in the Maplewood and South Orange area Real Estate Market. You can expect personalized service that includes a detailed consultation on how to best position your Mid-Town Direct home to be competitive in today’s market with training to provide my clients with an in-depth Advanced Comparative Market analysis, and advice on staging. As my office’s technology officer as well as both a Zillow Platinum Premier and Trulia Premier agent, I use the latest and most up-to-date marketing methods to get your home in front of as many buyers as possible. Being your New Jersey Real Estate Agent and Realtor ® not only involves just finding the home or selling the home, but being your guide, negotiator, advisor and advocate and making sure that your needs and goals are met. Being your New Jersey Essex/Union County area Realtor® (with a little bit of Morris County thrown in for good measure) is one of my truest passions, and “Helping You Find Your Dream Home” is my number one priority.


Mark Slade

Friday, January 22, 2016

Maplewood’s Neighborhood Music School Opens

I am really excited to tell you all about the evolution of John Brophy Music into a new music school based in downtown Maplewood!

We are officially launching this weekend and are going to be called In Tune and are positioning ourselves as “Maplewood’s Neighborhood Music School”. We will be offering small (no more than five students per class!) guitar, ukulele, bass guitar, drums, keyboards and singing classes throughout the week and weekends and have some of the best teaching talent around. You can find out more about us on the website,

www.intunemaplewood.com

Creating good times by teaching you to make music
Music is one of life's most deep-rooted and powerful sources of inspiration, emotion and enjoyment. Music enables creative expression and it helps connect all of us to something bigger than ourselves. But most importantly it taps into a certain part of you than needs to be awakened once in a while.

We believe that no matter if you're young, old or somewhere in between, you have the ability to plug in to music by actually doing it rather than simply listening to it. And the greater part of the magic of music is in actually playing an instrument.

We are helping students create their own experiences by teaching them how to make music. Along the way students find themselves not only tapping into their creative sides but also connecting with other students in our group lesson setting.


Classes start the week of January 25th so I wanted to see if you were interested in signing up for one of our 8 week classes.

We have various options including a new ukulele class which is great for both kids and adults, and the new Commuter Jam Session, for those that want to rock out before heading home from the train.

Here's a list of the classes we are currently offering:

Play Guitar! – Beginning Kick-start your guitar playing and learn your favorite songs! Learn basic chords and riffs. Develop your strumming and picking. Learn songs and understand chord charts, tab and music notation. Bring your own acoustic guitar. Kids/teens: Wednesdays and Fridays, 4 pm; Adults, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 7pm - eight weeks, $340

Play Guitar! – Continuing Learn scales and advanced chords so you can play melodies and progressions in different areas of the fret board. Bring your own acoustic guitar. Prerequisite: Play Guitar! – Beginning or audition. Kids/teens: Wednesdays and Fridays 5 pm; Adults: Thursdays 8pm - eight weeks, $340

Multi-Instrment Dabble a bit on guitar, bass, keyboards, and sing! Get better at playing music with others! Wednesdays 8pm - eight weeks, $340

Play Keyboards! – Learn the fundamentals of the piano, chords and keys, accompaniment and improvisation. Play chords and melodies in several positions and learn to read musical notation. Tuesdays 5pm - eight weeks, $340

Play Ukulele! – Experience the joy that only playing the ukulele can bring! Learn basic chords, develop your strumming, learn songs and understand chord charts, tab and music notation. Ukuleles are available to try out! Thursdays 4, 5pm - eight weeks, $340

Write Songs! – Explore the songs you love, and get your own songs written! For all musical levels, learn the nuts and bolts of song structure, and take home an assignment to write a song for supportive critique at the next class.

Play Drums! – Apply rhythmic fundamentals to the drum set, integrating them with songs that reflect the techniques being learned. Learn how to read rhythms and how to play music with others. Thursdays 4-6; Fridays 4-5 pm

Play Bass Guitar! – Learn bass lines, chord arpeggios and develop technique. Learn songs and understand tab and music notation. Bring your own electric bass guitar.

Sing! – Learn about breathing, warm-up exercises, performance techniques, and improvisation. Understand pitch and rhythm, head voice and chest voice, and develop vocal control.

Commuter Jam Session – For those who want to get together and have some fun after the train gets in, bring your guitar and drop in on our jam session! We will provide the songs, you bring the music!

Start A Band! – The style is up to you! Bring your instrument and the desire to play. This class helps with the organizational side of forming and developing a band so you can focus on being creative and cooperative in the pursuit of making music!

If this all sounds interesting, send a note to:

lessons@intunemaplewood.com


Also, as we are still setting up we are asking for all the help we can get with marketing, so if you think your friends might be interested in finding out about this, please pass this on.

Thanks!
John Brophy –


Sunday, January 17, 2016

Local Maplewood Musicians Performing Live: SPUTNIK


Saturday Jan 23 7:30

SPUTNIK 5 @ Elks (Tuscan Fundraiser $25/head)
also featuring Fairmont • Tri-State • Dollar Store Riot

Friday Feb 5 8:00–10:30

SPUTNIK 5 @ Hat City Kitchen

Friday Mar 4 time TBD

SPUTNIK 5 @ Elks (First Fridays)a



Hold the dates and I’ll bother you more later.


Rich

Sputnik 5



Mark Slade
Keller Williams
917.797.5059
Good Homes



Selling a Maplewood/South Orange/Millburn/Short Hills area home involves many steps and having an experienced Maplewood New Jersey Real Estate Agent and Realtor®, specializing in the Bedroom Communities of New York City in Essex/Union County— Millburn, Short Hills, Montclair, West Orange, South Orange, Livingston, Maplewood, Springfield, Summit, Madison, Chatham, Scotch Plains, Fanwood, Cranford and Westfield--by your side will make the transaction run a lot smoother. I would love to be your Maplewood/South Orange New Jersey Area Real Estate Professional! I assist both buyers and sellers in the Bedroom Communities of New York City, mostly served by NJ Transit’s Mid-Town Direct Train Lines, offering commutes of 45minute or less to NY Penn Station, with either the purchase and or sale of residential real estate.


As an Accredited Buyer’s Agent (ABR), I have received special training to guide and educate you through the entire home buying process. From start to finish, I listen to your needs and desires in what you would like and take the information you give me to find you home. My GO-TO team can provide you the best in Real Estate advice with regard to attorney choices, Home Inspectors and Mortgage Loan Officers


As your Maplewood/South Orange/Millburn/Short Hills/Essex/Union County New Jersey listing agent I am well versed on as your local expert in all things in the Maplewood and South Orange area Real Estate Market. You can expect personalized service that includes a detailed consultation on how to best position your Mid-Town Direct home to be competitive in today’s market with training to provide my clients with an in-depth Advanced Comparative Market analysis, and advice on staging. As my office’s technology officer as well as both a Zillow Platinum Premier and Trulia Premier agent, I use the latest and most up-to-date marketing methods to get your home in front of as many buyers as possible. Being your New Jersey Real Estate Agent and Realtor ® not only involves just finding the home or selling the home, but being your guide, negotiator, advisor and advocate and making sure that your needs and goals are met. Being your New Jersey Essex/Union County area Realtor® (with a little bit of Morris County thrown in for good measure) is one of my truest passions, and “Helping You Find Your Dream Home” is my number one priority.


Mark Slade
Mark Slade, ABR,  Local Expert - Agent with KELLER WILLIAMS Mid-Town Direct Realty

Saturday, January 16, 2016

The 2016 Real Estate Market for Mapelwood Heating Up and a Don't Miss Open House

The above is a newly listed Renovated Home located at 77 Lexington Ave, Maplewood, NJ 07040
for more details: 77 Lex

Inventory is starting is Spring Market ascension as we have had no snow (hoping I'm not jinxing it) so far. In fact, we have had 10 new listings come to market in the past 2 weeks and 1 is already under contract; there are a total of 49 homes available for sale of which 3 now have accepted offers and are in the attorney review stage.

If you want to check some of these homes out, please go to www.maplewoodnjopenhouses.com for your most up to date Open House listings combined with our Quick-Find map to help locate these homes.

The a list of homes for sale: www.latestmaplewoodhomes.com



Mark Slade
Keller Williams
917.797.5059
Good Homes



Selling a Maplewood/South Orange/Millburn/Short Hills area home involves many steps and having an experienced Maplewood New Jersey Real Estate Agent and Realtor®, specializing in the Bedroom Communities of New York City in Essex/Union County— Millburn, Short Hills, Montclair, West Orange, South Orange, Livingston, Maplewood, Springfield, Summit, Madison, Chatham, Scotch Plains, Fanwood, Cranford and Westfield--by your side will make the transaction run a lot smoother. I would love to be your Maplewood/South Orange New Jersey Area Real Estate Professional! I assist both buyers and sellers in the Bedroom Communities of New York City, mostly served by NJ Transit’s Mid-Town Direct Train Lines, offering commutes of 45minute or less to NY Penn Station, with either the purchase and or sale of residential real estate.


As an Accredited Buyer’s Agent (ABR), I have received special training to guide and educate you through the entire home buying process. From start to finish, I listen to your needs and desires in what you would like and take the information you give me to find you home. My GO-TO team can provide you the best in Real Estate advice with regard to attorney choices, Home Inspectors and Mortgage Loan Officers


As your Maplewood/South Orange/Millburn/Short Hills/Essex/Union County New Jersey listing agent I am well versed on as your local expert in all things in the Maplewood and South Orange area Real Estate Market. You can expect personalized service that includes a detailed consultation on how to best position your Mid-Town Direct home to be competitive in today’s market with training to provide my clients with an in-depth Advanced Comparative Market analysis, and advice on staging. As my office’s technology officer as well as both a Zillow Platinum Premier and Trulia Premier agent, I use the latest and most up-to-date marketing methods to get your home in front of as many buyers as possible. Being your New Jersey Real Estate Agent and Realtor ® not only involves just finding the home or selling the home, but being your guide, negotiator, advisor and advocate and making sure that your needs and goals are met. Being your New Jersey Essex/Union County area Realtor® (with a little bit of Morris County thrown in for good measure) is one of my truest passions, and “Helping You Find Your Dream Home” is my number one priority.


Mark Slade
Mark Slade, ABR,  Local Expert - Agent with KELLER WILLIAMS Mid-Town Direct Realty

A Great Year For Maplewood's Million Dollah Listings 2015



Million Dollar Listing New York/Los Angeles Move Over (to Maplewood, New Jersey)

I recently recapped Maplewood’s 2015 Real Estate statistics as part of another amazingly successful year for market growth. However, one of the standouts that I want to talk about is how the homes at the upper end of the market, more specifically the Million Dollar Homes performed.

In 2015 we ended up with a baker’s dozen worth of homes listed over $1,000,000. Of these homes, twelve of them sold for more than $1,000,000; in fact, 5 of them sold for more than their asking prices. The average prices paid for the lot was $1,180,500, representing 98.9% of the average asking price and they sold in a miraculous 33.5 days on market.

The average Million Dollar listing in Maplewood features just about 12 total rooms, making them about 50% larger than the average home in town. They also averaged 5.3 bedrooms and 3.2 baths. The highest price paid in 2015 was $1,375,000 for 574 Ridgewood Rd., selling for $125,000 above asking price in just six days!
Equally important to note is that 2015 came in with 13 closed transactions, just 1 shy of the 14 recorded million dollar sales in 2012, 2013 and 2014 combined. I attribute this trend to the health of NYC and Brooklyn’s real estate business. When the NYC economy is healthy, so is our beloved bedroom community of NYC. But, I have to also think that recent trends in the mortgage business may be a contributing factor.

According to Justin Messing, of Eagle Home Mortgage: “Jumbo loans are seeing a positive revival in the Mortgage Industry. In the past, Jumbo loans (loan amounts over $625,500) required a heavy down payment and top tier credit to meet guideline approval. Currently, these loans can be had with as little as 10% down and less than stellar credit. In addition, Jumbo loans can also be structured to carry no Mortgage Insurance with less than 20% down. Interest rates have also lowered on Jumbo loans over the past few years, in some instances even lower than Conforming loan limits ($417,000 or less). In today’s Mortgage Market, Jumbo loans are nothing to fear - you just need an experienced Loan Officer who can walk you through all the options. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via email justinmessing@eaglehm.com or directly at 973-865-3252.”

This leaves me to the simple question: If this trend keeps up, can we assume Million Dollar Listing Maplewood will be next on Bravo?



Mark Slade
Keller Williams
917.797.5059
Good Homes



Selling a Maplewood/South Orange/Millburn/Short Hills area home involves many steps and having an experienced Maplewood New Jersey Real Estate Agent and Realtor®, specializing in the Bedroom Communities of New York City in Essex/Union County— Millburn, Short Hills, Montclair, West Orange, South Orange, Livingston, Maplewood, Springfield, Summit, Madison, Chatham, Scotch Plains, Fanwood, Cranford and Westfield--by your side will make the transaction run a lot smoother. I would love to be your Maplewood/South Orange New Jersey Area Real Estate Professional! I assist both buyers and sellers in the Bedroom Communities of New York City, mostly served by NJ Transit’s Mid-Town Direct Train Lines, offering commutes of 45minute or less to NY Penn Station, with either the purchase and or sale of residential real estate.


As an Accredited Buyer’s Agent (ABR), I have received special training to guide and educate you through the entire home buying process. From start to finish, I listen to your needs and desires in what you would like and take the information you give me to find you home. My GO-TO team can provide you the best in Real Estate advice with regard to attorney choices, Home Inspectors and Mortgage Loan Officers


As your Maplewood/South Orange/Millburn/Short Hills/Essex/Union County New Jersey listing agent I am well versed on as your local expert in all things in the Maplewood and South Orange area Real Estate Market. You can expect personalized service that includes a detailed consultation on how to best position your Mid-Town Direct home to be competitive in today’s market with training to provide my clients with an in-depth Advanced Comparative Market analysis, and advice on staging. As my office’s technology officer as well as both a Zillow Platinum Premier and Trulia Premier agent, I use the latest and most up-to-date marketing methods to get your home in front of as many buyers as possible. Being your New Jersey Real Estate Agent and Realtor ® not only involves just finding the home or selling the home, but being your guide, negotiator, advisor and advocate and making sure that your needs and goals are met. Being your New Jersey Essex/Union County area Realtor® (with a little bit of Morris County thrown in for good measure) is one of my truest passions, and “Helping You Find Your Dream Home” is my number one priority.


Mark Slade





GO GREEN: Maplewood and South Orange Electronics Recycling and Trash Collection Information

2015 Electronics Recycling Schedule

Hours: 8am to 12pm. Maplewood residents may also bring their eletronics to South Orange on the collection days held in South Orange (300 Walton Rd.)

DATE: LOCATION:


March 14 South Orange Recycling Center (300 Walton Rd., South Orange)

April 18 Maplewood Recycling Center (359 Boyden Ave, Maplewood)

May 2 Maplewood Recycling Center (359 Boyden Ave, Maplewood)

June 6 South Orange Recycling Center (300 Walton Rd., South Orange)

July 11 Maplewood Recycling Center (359 Boyden Ave, Maplewood)

September 12 South Orange Recycling Center (300 Walton Rd., South Orange)

October 3 Maplewood Recycling Center (359 Boyden Ave, Maplewood)

December 19 South Orange Recycling Center (300 Walton Rd., South Orange)


Items accepted:
Computers - Monitors - Printers - Fax Machines - Scanners - Telecom Equipment - Speakers - Televisions - Keyboards - Main Frames - VCR's - Stereos - DVD Players - Toasters - Irons


If you have any questions please call Maplewood DPW at 973-762-1175.

Additional Hi-Lites
:

SHRED-IT DAY
- April 11th, 2015 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. or until the truck fills up, at the Maplewood Recycling Center, located at 359 Boyden Ave.


Smoke Detector Disposal Information:


Waste Industries New Services - Pay as You Throw and Other Options:


Attention Waste Industries Customer
If you are a WASTE INDUSTRIES CUSTOMER – You can have up to 4 items picked up curbside on the last Saturday of the month. You must make an appointment at 973-761-0009. This program will replace the fall pick up program.

Waste Management New Services - Pay as You Throw and Other Options:




Mark Slade
Keller Williams
917.797.5059
Good Homes



Selling a Maplewood/South Orange/Millburn/Short Hills area home involves many steps and having an experienced Maplewood New Jersey Real Estate Agent and Realtor®, specializing in the Bedroom Communities of New York City in Essex/Union County— Millburn, Short Hills, Montclair, West Orange, South Orange, Livingston, Maplewood, Springfield, Summit, Madison, Chatham, Scotch Plains, Fanwood, Cranford and Westfield--by your side will make the transaction run a lot smoother. I would love to be your Maplewood/South Orange New Jersey Area Real Estate Professional! I assist both buyers and sellers in the Bedroom Communities of New York City, mostly served by NJ Transit’s Mid-Town Direct Train Lines, offering commutes of 45minute or less to NY Penn Station, with either the purchase and or sale of residential real estate.


As an Accredited Buyer’s Agent (ABR), I have received special training to guide and educate you through the entire home buying process. From start to finish, I listen to your needs and desires in what you would like and take the information you give me to find you home. My GO-TO team can provide you the best in Real Estate advice with regard to attorney choices, Home Inspectors and Mortgage Loan Officers


As your Maplewood/South Orange/Millburn/Short Hills/Essex/Union County New Jersey listing agent I am well versed on as your local expert in all things in the Maplewood and South Orange area Real Estate Market. You can expect personalized service that includes a detailed consultation on how to best position your Mid-Town Direct home to be competitive in today’s market with training to provide my clients with an in-depth Advanced Comparative Market analysis, and advice on staging. As my office’s technology officer as well as both a Zillow Platinum Premier and Trulia Premier agent, I use the latest and most up-to-date marketing methods to get your home in front of as many buyers as possible. Being your New Jersey Real Estate Agent and Realtor ® not only involves just finding the home or selling the home, but being your guide, negotiator, advisor and advocate and making sure that your needs and goals are met. Being your New Jersey Essex/Union County area Realtor® (with a little bit of Morris County thrown in for good measure) is one of my truest passions, and “Helping You Find Your Dream Home” is my number one priority.


Mark Slade
Mark Slade, ABR,  Local Expert - Agent with KELLER WILLIAMS Mid-Town Direct Realty

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Living in Maplewood: Art Opening Reception This Thursday January 14, 7-9 pm at Gallery 103


There is an art opening reception this Thursday January 14, 7-9 pm at Gallery 103, 103 Baker Street. Fine Oil Paintings by Berc.

"Come into the world of Berc's paintings, where two dimensions become three, or maybe four, as swirls of human emotion encompass everyday, yet completely extraordinary, scenes. Berc's compositions are strong and direct. The result of endless studies and sketches, they are highly personal, revealing Berc's love of people and his deep understanding of them."

We appreciate you sharing the information with our fellow Maplewoodians!


Thank you,
Erin


Erin Rogers Pickering

Erin Go Paint
http://eringopaint.etsy.com
http://www.facebook.com/ErinGoPaint
http://eringopaint.blogspot.com



Mark Slade
Keller Williams
917.797.5059
Good Homes



Selling a Maplewood/South Orange/Millburn/Short Hills area home involves many steps and having an experienced Maplewood New Jersey Real Estate Agent and Realtor®, specializing in the Bedroom Communities of New York City in Essex/Union County— Millburn, Short Hills, Montclair, West Orange, South Orange, Livingston, Maplewood, Springfield, Summit, Madison, Chatham, Scotch Plains, Fanwood, Cranford and Westfield--by your side will make the transaction run a lot smoother. I would love to be your Maplewood/South Orange New Jersey Area Real Estate Professional! I assist both buyers and sellers in the Bedroom Communities of New York City, mostly served by NJ Transit’s Mid-Town Direct Train Lines, offering commutes of 45minute or less to NY Penn Station, with either the purchase and or sale of residential real estate.


Selling a Maplewood/South Orange/Millburn/Short Hills LUXURY home involves many steps and having an experienced New Jersey Real Estate Agent and Realtor®, specializing in the Bedroom Communities of New York City in Essex/Union County— Millburn, Short Hills, Montclair, West Orange, South Orange, Livingston, Maplewood, Springfield, Summit, Madison, Chatham, Berkeley Heights, New Providence and Westfield--by your side will make the transaction run a lot smoother. I would love to be your New Jersey Area Real Estate Professional! I assist both buyers and sellers in the Bedroom Communities of New York City, mostly served by NJ Transit’s Mid-Town Direct Train Lines, offering commutes of 45minute or less to NY Penn Station, with either the purchase and or sale of residential real estate.


As an Certified Luxury Homes Marketing Specialist (CHLMS) and an Accredited Buyer’s Agent (ABR), I have received special training to guide and educate you through the entire luxury home buying process. From start to finish, I listen to your needs and desires in what you would like and take the information you give me to find you home. My GO-TO team can provide you the best in Real Estate advice with regard to attorney choices, Home Inspectors and Mortgage Loan Officers,


As your Maplewood/South Orange/Millburn/Short Hills/Essex/Union County New Jersey listing agent I am well versed on as your local expert in all things in the Maplewood, Millburn, Short Hills and South Orange area Real Estate Market. You can expect personalized service that includes a detailed consultation on how to best position your Mid-Town Direct home to be competitive in today’s market with training to provide my clients with an in-depth Advanced Comparative Market analysis, and advice on staging. As my office’s technology officer as well as both a Zillow Platinum Premier and Trulia Premier agent, I use the latest and most up-to-date marketing methods to get your home in front of as many buyers as possible. Being your New Jersey Real Estate Agent and Realtor ® not only involves just finding the home or selling the home, but being your guide, negotiator, advisor and advocate and making sure that your needs and goals are met. Being your New Jersey Essex/Union County area Realtor® (with a little bit of Morris County thrown in for good measure) is one of my truest passions, and “Helping You Find Your Dream Home” is my number one priority.


Mark Slade



A picturesque town in Essex County, Maplewood is located on the East Branch of the Rahway River. Originally consisting of farms, mills and orchards, Maplewood is now a great mix of residential and commercial areas, culminating in the jewel of a downtown village and coming together to create a charming, tight-knit and diversified community. Maplewood has predominantly Colonial and Tudor style homes with sprawling porches and ample greenery, but you can also find some Victorians and a range of more modern style construction on its beautiful tree lined streets.
Maplewood is a diverse town with 6 elementary schools and prominent municipal building designed by famous architects, Guilbert and Betelle. In the center of town, famed landscape architects, the Olmstead Brothers, created the breathtaking Memorial Park; not to be overlooked is Ricalton Square, nestled between the train station and the downtown shopping; this area is frequently used for events including a Halloween Parade with hayrides and petting zoos, as well as featuring replica homes during the Winter Holiday Season. The town offers many activities to its residents from camps in the summer, arts and crafts classes, a public pool (with 4 pools ranging from a “baby” pool to toddler pool to large lap pool and a diving tank) and a farmers market when in season. There is even an annual musicalpalooza--Maplewoodstock—featuring a variety of bands and musical styles, showcasing local and national bands with booths for local businesses to set up.
The Village, also known as Maplewood Center, is a quaint, downtown shopping district with everything from restaurants with foods from all over the world, bakeries, dance studios, gyms, bookstores, a movie theater and bookstores. With its large variety of cuisines to choose from, Maplewood recently started a yearly town-wide Restaurant Week with over 30 eateries participating.
Easily accessible by its throughways and the New Jersey Transit, it's no surprise Maplewood has been ranked several times as one of the most desirable places to live in America by a number of surveys.

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

The Results Are In: 2015 A Great Year For Real Estate in Maplewood, South Orange, Millburn and Short Hills



We are now in 2016, which gives us a chance to review the past year—2015—in real estate. It was a tremendous year for our area train towns. We saw prices paid rise as much as 10.8% in South Orange, unit sales increase as much as 7.4% in Maplewood and the highest average price paid to $1,346,587.30 in Millburn/Short Hills. All three towns showed decreases in DOM-Days On Market-a measure of how quickly homes are selling. An amazing 51% of Maplewood’s listings sold for asking price or more!. South Orange showed the highest price paid v. asking price, coming in at 102.6% (making up for the past 2 years where South Orange lagged slightly behind Maplewood stats for increases in performance).

Here are the charts that depict the average results as pulled from the GSMLS* :

For Maplewood, prices paid for homes rose to $543,720, bringing us virtually to the same price from the peak of real estate prices paid in 2006 ($900.00 shy). Buyers are still paying over asking price to an average of 101.55%, the highest level since I’ve been tracking such activity since 2009. Unit sales were up which is a great sign considering that active inventory levels have remained at historical lows. Lastly, 2015 was the return of the Million Dollar Listings, There were 13 homes listed for over $1,000,000 and of these six of them sold for over asking. These 13 homes sold total more than the past 3 years combined of $1,000,000+ homes sold in Maplewood.


In South Orange, we saw an amazing increase in prices paid of almost 11%, bringing the average price up to $621,912. Even more exciting, buyers paid an average of 102.6% of asking price for their homes while Days on Market showed a sharp decline of almost 16%. There is no doubt that 2016 was a phenomenol year for South Orange sellers. While South Orange did make huge strides forward, we still have another 7.5% in price to grow in order to claim that full recovery has been reached, but the trends show that this could be achieved this year.


This brings us to Millburn and Short Hills, where we continued to see generally good signs. Keeping in mind that luxury inventory, more specifically multi-million dollar homes don’t sell as quickly, we still showed an increase in average price paid and a decrease in Days On Market. Even better, buyers paid 98.6% of asking price as compared to 98.2% in 2014. The only soft spot was that unit sales actually dropped 5.5%. Being that average inventories remain so low, this is not actually much of a surprise.

So, 2015 was a banner year and, if statistics prove right between trend analysis and the fact that 2016 is an election year, we could expect continued health in local real estate!.



Mark Slade
Keller Williams
917.797.5059
Good Homes



Selling a Maplewood/South Orange/Millburn/Short Hills area home involves many steps and having an experienced Maplewood New Jersey Real Estate Agent and Realtor®, specializing in the Bedroom Communities of New York City in Essex/Union County— Millburn, Short Hills, Montclair, West Orange, South Orange, Livingston, Maplewood, Springfield, Summit, Madison, Chatham, Scotch Plains, Fanwood, Cranford and Westfield--by your side will make the transaction run a lot smoother. I would love to be your Maplewood/South Orange New Jersey Area Real Estate Professional! I assist both buyers and sellers in the Bedroom Communities of New York City, mostly served by NJ Transit’s Mid-Town Direct Train Lines, offering commutes of 45minute or less to NY Penn Station, with either the purchase and or sale of residential real estate.


As an Accredited Buyer’s Agent (ABR), I have received special training to guide and educate you through the entire home buying process. From start to finish, I listen to your needs and desires in what you would like and take the information you give me to find you home. My GO-TO team can provide you the best in Real Estate advice with regard to attorney choices, Home Inspectors and Mortgage Loan Officers


As your Maplewood/South Orange/Millburn/Short Hills/Essex/Union County New Jersey listing agent I am well versed on as your local expert in all things in the Maplewood and South Orange area Real Estate Market. You can expect personalized service that includes a detailed consultation on how to best position your Mid-Town Direct home to be competitive in today’s market with training to provide my clients with an in-depth Advanced Comparative Market analysis, and advice on staging. As my office’s technology officer as well as both a Zillow Platinum Premier and Trulia Premier agent, I use the latest and most up-to-date marketing methods to get your home in front of as many buyers as possible. Being your New Jersey Real Estate Agent and Realtor ® not only involves just finding the home or selling the home, but being your guide, negotiator, advisor and advocate and making sure that your needs and goals are met. Being your New Jersey Essex/Union County area Realtor® (with a little bit of Morris County thrown in for good measure) is one of my truest passions, and “Helping You Find Your Dream Home” is my number one priority.


Mark Slade