Alex and Deirdre Silberman's Blog

But we have granite!

Alex and Deirdre Silberman (Keller Williams) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 12:15:26 -0700

But we have granite is one of those comments home owners make that both make me cringe and feel badly. Home owners are generally smart about many things however when it comes to assessing the value of the improvements in their home the line between financial investment with a return in mind and simply doing something because it brings them joy gets very blurry.

Many people have an intuitive sense on what it means to be the nicest home on the block, however that’s usually a superficial judgement from the outside. How many homes don't look particularly grand on the outside only to find the homeowner spent $75,000 on an exquisite marble bathroom on a $400,000 house?

I saw a bathroom just the other day that would have fit nicely in a home ten times what this home was worth. Can we say the owner threw caution to the wind and just wanted that bathroom for the enjoyment of it for as long as he or she was in that home? Somehow I don't think so. We've seen plenty of homes where the new owners ripped out the pink marble to put in the blue marble. Cost? tens of thousands. Change in value? pennies. Lesson? Priceless.

A home can be both a sound financial investment as well as a sanctuary where certain things are done simply for the love of it. Knowing the difference makes for a happy homeowner and seller.

Now don't get me started on the equivalent of 'we have marble' for buyers....But we're paying cash!

How To Sell Your Home Without An Agent

Alex and Deirdre Silberman (Keller Williams) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 08:20:49 -0800

How to sell your home without an agent

Should you sell your home without an agent?

One of my RSS feeds is wikihow. It's generally a fun lighthearted breezy read that covers all kinds of fun things I'm somewhat interested in reading about but would never actually do, like how to make a kimono girl origami, how to make a cup cake in your microwave oven, or How to Build a Homebrew Kegerator.

Today's entry is how to sell you home without an agent.

Since I've never really tried to escape from a sinking car or tried to make healthy cooky dough bites, I never really knew how good or bad this information was.

The steps outlined in Wikihow are:

Read more on how to sell your home without an agent here.

Jane Seymour Appearing in the Short Hills Mall

Alex and Deirdre Silberman (Keller Williams) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 10:47:54 -0800

Jane Seymour will be appearing at the Wentworth Gallery in Short Hills to promote her art work tomorrow (March 4th) from 7-9 pm and Saturday, (March 5th) from 4-7 pm.

You can have her art work dedicated to you and have your picture taken with her. You'll need to RSVP at 973-569-9776.

And you thought the only exciting thing at the mall was the new Ipad2!

A Race to Nowhere

Alex and Deirdre Silberman (Keller Williams) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 21:51:14 -0800

Many prospective buyers place great importance on the quality of a community's school system. A Race to Nowhere is a heartbreaking and thought provoking documentary that is being screened nationally. If Education is important, you owe it to yourself to find a local screening.

More information about A Race To Nowhere here.

Fabulous Mid Century Modern Home

Alex and Deirdre Silberman (Keller Williams) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 19:56:40 -0800

It’s not everyday you stumble across a true mid century modern gem like this. It’s a rare opportunity to find a perfectly preserved home, while appropriately updated with all the modern conveniences. Think Atomic Ranch meets Dwell and Modernica. This home will make some mid century modern lover very very happy!

Click here to get more details on this amazing Mid Century Modern Home 50 minutes from NYC!

Our business allows contact with some terrific people

Alex and Deirdre Silberman (Keller Williams) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 18:50:58 -0800

One of the perks of our business is in coming in contact with outstanding people. It's absolutely my pleasure that a client and now friend has just been nominated by The Network Journal as one of 2010's 25 most influential Black Business Women.

Linda, congratulations to you for your achievement. It's a pleasure working with you, and I guess I have to now start bowing whenever i see you. Linda is a prime example of the fabulous people we have in our community!

Well done!

You can say anything, right?

Alex and Deirdre Silberman (Keller Williams) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 11:12:46 -0800

You can say anything, right?

If you're reading this, you are part of the publishing revolution. you are either participating as a reader of mostly free content or are an active blogger yourself. The blogosphere has likely revolutionized publishing forever. It has officially toppled governments and there is no putting that Genie back in the bottle.

Just ten years ago anyone with something to say would need to submit their work to a publisher, who was strictly in control of distribution. Unless we’ve been living in a cave, we know today the web has allowed a meritocracy in publishing. Anyone can post anything and it’s instantly available to everyone. What is most interesting can go viral and what is not gets relegated to the forever archives of Google.

The good news is that most of the dross is easily filtered out and what’s left is the golden age of expression.

What is the responsibility of a blogger, though? Is a blogger a writer? Is a blogger a journalist? Does a blogger deserve protection of the press because he or she ‘published something’? Are a blogger’s sources protected if he or she behaves like a journalist, whatever that means?

What is the bar we must set for ourselves as active bloggers? Can we puff ourselves to attract business as marketers and still call ourselves objective interpreters? Can we subtly trash the competition as politicians and still say we’re market leaders? Can we say anything then deny any responsibility because we merely repeated sources which we cannot reveal? Are we just feeding the never looked at archives of Google?

Any first year law student will tell you that liberty is not doing whatever you want, but is closest to doing what you ought. Off course most of us will disagree on what that pesky ought means much of the time, and therein lies the rub. We all know the first amendment doesn’t allow us to scream fire in a crowded movie theater if there isn’t a fire, but things get murky pretty quickly beyond that.

What is the bar for bloggers?

What is the bar for Realtor bloggers? That one almost feels like a double edged sword. Off course we want you to buy or sell a home with us, so where is that line drawn? Do we need a disclaimer at the bottom of every site warning readers as we would a consumer information statement?

Many questions, not so many answers.

My take is that most readers are not gullible and self aggrandizing stunts reek from a good distance. Write well by trying to beat the good writing of others, and that ups all our game. Come from a place of genuine service and value add and the goodies will come if the service and value add are truly meaningful. That is meritocracy at it’s best.

Thank you for not calling the client back

Alex and Deirdre Silberman (Keller Williams) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 08:26:12 -0800

Thank you for not calling the client back

I was showing a home to new clients yesterday and things were going swimmingly with a delightful young couple. They then told me that they had called several agents and I had been the only one to call them back. My jaw literally hit the ground.

They continued to thank me for being responsive and then commented that it was good for them and good for me. My answer was that it was very good for me and I thanked them for working with us.

I just wanted to take a moment to thank you out there for not calling these clients back and to encourage you to stop answering your phones and emails altogether.

Thank you, I really appreciate it.

Our Goal is excellent customer service, continuos improvement and we strive for perfection!

Alex and Deirdre Silberman (Keller Williams) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 15:56:32 -0800

Our Goal is excellent customer service, continuos improvement and we strive for perfection!

Whenever I hear people or companies' goals for excellent customer service or striving for perfection, I can't help but feel how those statements are lip service that let people off the hook.

Someone can offer terrible service while striving for perfection. Companies can stink but as long as they stink a little less than they stunk yesterday, they are true to their continuos improvement mission.

Getting a knife stuck into me and then having it pulled out halfway probably isn't going to make me very grateful. How many times do we feel that way in our everyday life while surrounded by 'striving' to be the best euphemisms?

Our typical semi-annual foray into Nordstroms coincides with their two sales. On a recent visit, a salesmen showed us a pair of slacks, which were similar to the kind we'd already bought and thought didn't wear very well. The salesman chided us for not having brought the slacks back. We smiled and said we had bought them years ago. No matter, he said. Bring 'em back. We exchanged them a few weeks later (feeling a bit silly). This is not a commercial for that one retailer, but it is noteworthy because:

We've been trained to accept that if something is just OK, it's good enough.
We felt silly for somehow expecting that they would take them back years later even after being told to bring them back.
We only shop when there are sales, so it's not any costlier than other retailers who would simply shrug their shoulders.
we got a new pair of pants for free.

Would I pay a little more for that? Hmm….Would I write about it? Hmm...

This is the difference between a guarantee (remember those?) and a warranty. We've conceded guaranteed satisfaction with accepting a warranty against manufacturing defects. I know as well as anyone that paying a premium for great customer service upfront is hard to justify sometimes. it's not all that hard to justify after the fact when the proverbial fan splats, or even when there are minor issues like this one.

What is our ultimate responsibility to great customer service? Is it a strive, or is it a do?

How Buyers Can Find Their Money Sooner in 2011

Alex and Deirdre Silberman (Keller Williams) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 12:15:46 -0800

How Buyers Can Find Their Money Sooner is a reprint of our blog from 2009.

This topic is still one of the least understood concepts by so many buyers that we decided to update and re-post it.

One of the scariest financial mysteries to many home buyers surrounds the tax advantages of mortgage interest and property taxes. Although most buyers conceptually get that there are advantages to home ownership, the actual numbers don’t generally make their way into most people’s financial planning and typically come as pleasant news at tax time. The news turns less pleasant when buyers who weren’t aware of the tax advantage realize they might have made other decisions (specifically affording more house) than they really did.

Buyers that do understand these tax advantages can lower their monthly withholdings and get the advantage when they need it most: when paying their monthly bills.

The Basics:

If a buyer earns $100,000 per year and pays 20% taxes, they must have withheld $20,000 throughout the year to not owe anything. If our buyer has $25,000 in deductions (reductions to their gross income), their taxable income would be reduced to $75,000.

If we can assume the same tax bracket, their tax liability would then be $15,000, which is 20% of $75,000.

Can that $5,000 provide a nice refund? You bet it does, however it can also serve another even more important purpose many people don’t consider. Our buyer can decrease his withholding by $400 a month ($4,800 to make the math easy), and essentially have an extra $400 in hard cash to pay for their mortgage or other living expenses.

This is not Enron monopoly money. This is simply figuring out your taxes for the coming year and adjusting your withholdings so they match your taxes prospectively.

I certainly grew up thinking about tax refunds (a retroactive adjustment) as the only option but I learned this was not the only way to think about it. For me, it was not even the best way to think about it.

Taking a real world scenario where a buyer has a 30 year $400,000 mortgage at 5%, the interest the first year will be $19,866. Now let’s assume a realistic yearly property tax of $10,000. This creates a simple gross income deduction of $29,866.

Having this deduction can be thought of as a traditional refund or as having an extra $500 a month by withholding less! Plug your numbers into the live spreadsheet below to see how your interest and taxes can be used monthly.

Speak with your accountant to validate how this affects your particular situation as Uncle Sam doesn’t like people not withholding enough to cover their taxes. Do it well however, and you can use the money when you need it and break out even at tax time. Talk to your accountant, then talk to us!

We just got back from the best listing appointment that we never signed.

Alex and Deirdre Silberman (Keller Williams) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 17:54:40 -0800

A single mom, who we’ve been talking to for months and who has already interviewed a few agents invited us to come in and finally ‘sell her house’.

From the moment we arrived, we found ourselves reframing all manner of misinformation she’d been given. After reviewing our market analysis, she concluded that the number at which her home should be priced to sell would not only not yield her enough equity to make her next move, but it might even be a short sale. This was not a happy thought for her and mentioned that two and a half years ago, her neighbor down the street...We know how that one ends. A galaxy far far away.

The final side spin on this tale is that not only does she not have enough money, credit, or equity to pay off the mortgage or make a move, but it’s her father’s reverse mortgage so she doesn’t make any payments.

We closed our laptop and put away our listing paperwork. We turned to her and simply told her that selling now was not in her interests, and she was far better off doing nothing. We encouraged her to save her pennies and enjoy her father’s good health, as not only was she enjoying her father, she had essentially free housing, and had a golden opportunity to save money so that one day she would have enough to make her next move. Who knows, when the time came, she might even have equity!

She told us she had been ready to sign the listing with us, and could not believe we were encouraging her to stay put. She told us our advice was the best she had ever gotten and that it made all the sense in the world. She thanked us for taking a huge burden off her and for giving her clarity. We’re pretty sure we made a friend for life.

We weren’t wedded to the outcome and came from a genuine place of service. This might be the best listing appointment we never signed.

Help Keep All Day Millburn Kindergarten

Alex and Deirdre Silberman (Keller Williams) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 20:30:14 -0800

Vote here to keep the Millburn Kindergarten program as all day. Anyone who has kids, or anyone who has seen cranky parents that have kids knows just how little a half day program gives a parent.

There is a better way and there are other ways to conserve that don't impact the already impacted family core!

Vote!!!!

Mid-Century modern home living in New Jersey

Alex and Deirdre Silberman (Keller Williams) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 16:25:36 -0800

We are fortunate enough to have found one of the very few modern Frank Lloyd Wright inspired homes on Sagamore Road in the Wyoming section of Millburn. We enjoy floor to ceiling windows with dramatic NYC skyline views, open and clean living spaces, walking distance to town and the Midtown direct train into NYC, and appreciative comments from visitors and anyone who’s read Dwell Magazine or knows about Atomic Ranches. While some are not in love with modern design, we find freedom and think it’s just down right cool! We love living in our tree house, or a sculpture of sorts with Eichler, Mondrian, and Calder inspirations throughout.

For those who aren’t familiar with Sagamore Road, it’s a beautiful country road nestled up against the South Mountain reservation with over 2000 acres of trees and streams, but still conveniently located in walking distance to Downtown Millburn!

We’d always liked Modern design as architectural statements, never thinking we’d depart from our traditional roots, but when the opportunity came, we grabbed one (by the skin of our teeth). I can’t say we knew what it all meant at the time, but after living in our Jetsons styled home, it’s hard to imagine we could have ever lived anywhere else!

It’s not that traditional homes aren’t wonderful with their classic charms, but mid century modern homes call to a contemporary sensibility that’s very different and special in it’s own way.

Mid Century modern homes are rare here, but can be found in Millburn/Short Hills, Maplewood, South Orange, Warren, Mountainside, Boonton Township and the surrounding towns.

These gems, or diamonds in the roughs, don’t come up every day. Call 973-219-9200 or drop me an email, if you want me to keep my eye out for you. You can get much more on this lovely home featured by visiting www.midcenturynjhome.com

Also, check out our web site for more info http://www.greatnjproperties.com

It’s tax day and there are two weeks before the tax credit expires…What does it mean?

Alex and Deirdre Silberman (Keller Williams) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 12:34:22 -0700

It’s tax day and there are two weeks before the tax credit expires…an alternate perspective.

OK, no alternate perspective on paying our Federal and State taxes by today. No matter how right, left, or fence squatting one is, no one likes to pay uncle Sam more than they absolutely have to.

Now onto the about to expire tax credit….Many buyers will feel a sense of urgency to go under contract before the deadline lest they lose the $8,000.

How many homes will be available May1st with that could be had for $8000 less because deflated sellers are feeling that buyers bought elsewhere?

I’m not suggesting that anyone who finds the home of their dreams hold out as that home could be someone else’s dreams too! I am saying that urgency should be dictated by the home itself, not the tax credit whether one is a buyer or a seller. The true value of a home is still what a buyer is willing to pay and a seller is willing to accept. The tax credit ought to be thought of as the cherry on top

How Maplewood and South Orange could make up for the budget cuts

Alex and Deirdre Silberman (Keller Williams) — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 07:18:36 -0700

Unless you've been under the proverbial rock, you know Maplewood and South Orange are reeling from the budget cuts. What can be done? I can think of one easy thing now that the weather is so absolutely lovely.

If the township were to offer free public WIFI in the downtown areas serviced by restarurants and cafes, it would encourage people to 'work virtually'. There are several spots I avoid because they don't provide WIFI access. As Realtor, my laptop and cell phone are my office. Give me the Internet, and I can work in a Park.

Better yet, give me the Internet and the time in between clients can be productive (both for me, as well as for the establishments I'd spend money in). Would there be a cost to the Infrastrcuture? Absolutely. Would the cost be recouped with added tax revenue from the establishments and help reinvigorate the local micro-economy? You know it!

The old song bemoaned "I want my MTV". The new song should be "I want my Internet"! This is how many towns, not just Maplewood and South Orange could help themselves.

Getting the tempo right - Trust!

Alex and Deirdre Silberman (Keller Williams) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 06:57:53 -0700

In music and in real estate, getting the timing right makes the difference between hitting the sweet spot or falling flat.

Many salespeople try to instill a sense of immediacy on their clients, so how does a buyer or seller get it right?

My market is a bit of an anomaly. In the past two weeks I was able to get an offer accepted over 5 others for a home, got another client's offer rejected even though they were $60K over asking, and am working with clients that have been eyeing a property for several weeks.

In the first two cases, there were multiple offers and the homes went in the first week on the market. These were hot properties and it didn't take much arm twisting for my clients to see it also. The third has not exactly flown off the market in the past 90 days, and my client's slow and steady approach is reasonable. That house isn't going anywhere.

It's difficult for clients to initially trust their agent, yet that trust is critic so that that when an agent instills briskness for a given property, it's not a sales pitch or a fight, but an experienced assessment for their client's benefit.

It's very important to find that agent that can help match their client's sense of speed with the appropriate tempo for a given property. People are different and properties are different. No one formula is right all the time, and having the flexibility to work differently based on a particular home is key.

Several weeks ago I was working with a buyer who is extremely methodical, detail oriented, and thorough; all good things. He was extremely interested in two very desirable properties, both of which went under contract while he was still 'investigating' them (Even though all the signs it was happening were relayed to him).

There is nothing wrong with his qualities, he's simply not getting a hot property just on the market. After making the second phone call that the property he really liked was no longer available, I suggested we focus on different types of properties. If it takes him a month to make a decision, that's fine, but not for a property that sells in two weeks. He didn't like hearing this, but he grudgingly recognized that he was not about to proceed any faster, even though others did.

Frankly, I don't know if he'll find what he's looking for, and I haven't given up on him. He does represent the sour note when one doesn't get the timing right in real estate.

Enough about you, what do you think of me?

Alex and Deirdre Silberman (Keller Williams) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 10:06:59 -0700

I should be your Realtor because I’m the best! I’m the best agent in the area and no one comes close to me. No one touches my dominance on facebook, Twitter, my 30 Blogs, and I have a street named after me. I'm so good that we need a new word to describe how great I am. I am your super Realtor!

Does this sound familiar? Realtors must often self promote in order to compete in crowded markets. Somewhere along the line however the focus often shifts away from the client to themselves.

Who is the audience for this type of promotion? Is it a prospective client or is it the agent himself?

For ha has, I just ran a Google search on ‘best real estate agent’ and there are 127 million results! I then ran a search for the best real estate agent in New Jersey and luckily I was able to reduce that to 46.5 million pages.

Since New Jersey has a bit under 9 million people, I was delighted to learn there are over 5 ‘best agents’ standing by to be the best for every man, woman, and child in the state.

What makes an agent the best? One that is an expert in their area and all the facets of a real estate transaction and is a ggreat negotiator. One that is a wealth of information and a resource. One that hears and learns his client’s needs well. One that selflessly serves their clients best interests and doesn’t create artificial immediacy where one doesn’t exist. One that always remembers it’s all about the client.

When a client or prospect thanks me by telling me they’re going to refer me to everyone they know, I feel like the best.

That’s the best form of advertising. Enough about me, let’s get back to you.

School Budgets Decimated

Alex and Deirdre Silberman (Keller Williams) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:54:27 -0700

In a surprise move, governor Christie has slashed state aid by 80.9% to Maplewood and South Orange.Millburn, Summit, Livingston, and Madison (along with others) saw a 100% cut.

Superintendent of schools, Brian Osborne released a statement yesterday:

"This is an unprecedented blow to the district and to public education statewide. Yet we are a resilient community with strong schools, a caring staff, great kids. We will all need to sacrifice and come together to put our children first."

The Board of Education is scheduled to meet on March 22 and then conduct a budget workshop on March 24.

If you have something to say, call your local and state government!

Community, Music, and Art - Tonight in South Orange

Alex and Deirdre Silberman (Keller Williams) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:01:45 -0800

Community, Music, and Art - come together in South Orange for an amazing evening of music for the ultimate smack down:

Which was the better band The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?

Want to know what makes a community great? One of the ways is when local musicians and artists come together in a not for profit to bring live music to their community. Proceeds go to the Maplewood and South Orange Community Gardens.

Bring the entire family!

Millbun Bucks Convention With A Strong Seller's Market

Alex and Deirdre Silberman (Keller Williams) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:35:44 -0800

Millbun Bucks Convention With A Strong Seller's Market. That's what the latest Otteau report should have been titled. Millburn's sales to unsold inventory for January shows a 5.9 month supply of homes.

As most agents know, 7.8 months is considered a neutral market (neither a seller's nor a buyer's market). Many buyers are very surprised when their offers are rejected or when they find themselves in a bidding war because they've been hearing the media's generalizations.

Real estate is local, and in some instances it's hyper local. Maplewood, just next door has a 8.4 month supply of inventory (essentially neutral), Livingston has a 7.3 month supply, and Summit has a 9.2 month supply. These are all lovely and desirable communities with seven figure properties, yet they behave differently from a real estate perspective.

Market analysis courtesy of the Otteau Valuation Group.

Millburn Rocks!!

Alex and Deirdre Silberman (Keller Williams) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 08:55:08 -0800

Millburn rocks!

Music is a topic near and dear to my heart, so I'm delighted that this year's Millburn Rocks will take place March 19th at the Maplewood Country Club. Yes, I know that a Millburn event in Maplewood is a bit odd, but that's what makes the world go around!

The proceeds of the event will go to completing the Communication Arts Program for all seven Millburn public schools program (a very good thing) and will feature the B Street Band. If you've heard these guys, they're a joyous Bruce Springsteen tribute band and a great time.

Come support this great cause and have a really fun time in the process!

Millburn NJ Zoning Variance Informational Meeting Rescheduled for February 24th

Alex and Deirdre Silberman (Keller Williams) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 13:47:07 -0800

This week's snow days cancelled the Wednesday meeting at the Bauer Center.

A Millburn NJ non-profit group of residents will be holding an informational meeting on February 24th and is asking all interested residents to attend their public meetings and public meetings the township is holding on allowing the Chai Center to build a 16K square foot building should be permitted.

This meeting is rescheduled for February 24th at the Bauer Center in Taylor Park at 7:30PM. For it or against it, see what your neighbors are thinking!

Zoning Variance Meeting Scheduled for Wednesday 2/10 7:30PM

Alex and Deirdre Silberman (Keller Williams) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 13:13:02 -0800

There is a scheduled for Wednesday 2/10 at 7:30PM to address whether the Chai Center should be permitted to build a 16,350 square foot building outside of the normal guidelines.

This bulding has raised loud cheers from those for the project and loud cries from those against it.

Whether you are for it or against it, please attend the meeting at the Bauer Center and voice your opinion.

The building is being proposed by the Chai Center (http://www.chaicenter.net/). Those opposed have created a website at http://savemillburn.com/

NJ Inventory Lowest in 4 Years!

Alex and Deirdre Silberman (Keller Williams) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:29:37 -0800

The usold inventory in New Jersey is the lowest it’s been in four years, according to the Otteau Valuation Group. This is something that most realtors in the area already knew instinctively.

Are fewer homes on the market, or is level of sales activity higher so that the homes that did come on the market get sold quicker?

Town	2008 Q4 Sales / Month	2009 Q4 Sales / Month
Millburn	8.3	16
Maplewood	16	22
South Orange	15	18.3
Summit	10.7	15
Westfield	12.3	21.3
Livingston	13.7	19.3
Chatham Borough	3	8
Chatham Township	4.7	9.7
Madison	8.3	13.7
Berkeley Heights	8.3	10
New Providence	6.7	8.3

Clearly the level of activity in the 4th Quarter has been much higher than the previous year. In addition, Otteau is reporting that the core markets (such as the towns above) have stabilized and the outer ring markets are declining at a modest pace.

The Spring Market should be very active as new and trade up buyers try to take advantage of the tax credit before it expires.

Maplewoood NJ Tax Re-Valuation Appraisal process explained

Alex and Deirdre Silberman (Keller Williams) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 10:22:38 -0800

Maplewoood NJ Tax Re-Valuation Appraisal process explained.

In this video, Appraisal Systems explains the tax re-valuation process for Maplewood.

For more information on how this might affect your plans to buy, sell, or invest in Maplewood real estate, call me at 973/2190-9200 or visit my website Great NJ Properties