Stylish, Chic & Sophisticated Condominium - 09/30/08 11:00 PM
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Red Cross Babysitting Course - 09/29/08 07:30 AM
Gone are the days of calling the neighbor's daughter to babysit. At least, without her having the proper credentials. Childcare on all levels is important. When education on childcare can be obtained, it should be embraced, because it only enhances the provider's knowledge. Case in point, the Red Cross Babysitting Course offered October 4, 2008, 9:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., in conference rooms A & B at the Somerset Medical Center.
The course is geared for youth ages 11 -15. The objective is to provide them with skill sets essential to provide safe and responsible care in the absence of parents … (0 comments)

HealthHike Walking Program: The Road to Achieving Optimum Fitness - 09/29/08 07:12 AM
The Healthhike Walking Program is being offered October 1, 2008 from 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. at AMC THeatres at Bridgewater Commons Mall, as part of Somerset Medical Center's fall line up for its Lifestyle and Wellness Program.
Jayme Cilente, a certified group fitness instructor will review opportunities to increase your activity level and ways for achieving obtainable goals.
Tia Haggins, RD will be on hand to discuss healthy eating, portion control and how to lose weight.
The program is free, as is the blood pressure and body fat screening offered at 9:30 a.m.
To register for Lifestyle & Wellness programs, visit the web … (0 comments)

Plainfield, New Jersey Events for The week Of September 28, 2008 - 09/27/08 10:42 PM
 
Sunday - September 28. 3 PM. Crescent Concerts: Organ Recital. Ventured performer, Eric Plutz, University Organist at Princeton, will conduct an organ recital at Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church, Watchung Avenue at East 7th Street. Tickets: $20, $15/senior, $5/student. Info: (908) 756-2468 or www.crescentconcerts.org/. Monday - September 29. 7:30 PM. City Council Agenda Session. City Hall Library at 515 Watchung Avenue, will be the venue for the agenda session. Tuesday - September 30. 9 AM. Chamber Walk. The South Avenue shopping district is the venue for the walk conducted by members of the Plainfield Chamber of Commerce. The chamber's efforts will … (1 comments)

Staging Gets Front and Center - 09/25/08 12:41 PM
I'm certainly no expert when it comes to staging. Even though ERA corporate arranged for ERA agents to take courses in staging, I wasn't one to jump on board the wagon. I am a firm believer of allowing those with the eye and talent to do those things which call for creativity. Alas, I don't include my self in that category.
I have used and recommended stagers to my clients. I have read recently in Staging"Twist Helps Vacant Homes Sell. That vacant homes and not just resales are being to utilize staging more and more, especially in this market. In point … (2 comments)

What Becomes of the Foreclosed - 09/25/08 12:23 PM
I just read a New York Times article (As Homes Are Lost, Fears That Votes Will Be, Too_ about those who have been foreclosed upon and the potential inability to vote in the presidential election.
Local election officials have a monumental task of informing the general public and in particular those who have been foreclosed upon, of the necessity to update their voter registration information.
There has been no outcry on the national level to help provide direction for the most vulnerable, therefore it remains to be a grassroots effort. Certainly we can implore our local elected officials to put forth … (0 comments)

Tell Me Something I Don't Know - 09/25/08 07:12 AM
Last evening President Bush pitched his Bailout Plan to the American people. He commenced reading the teleprompter by espousing the dire straits of the economy. He recanted the horrors of wall street and the stagnant housing market, things the American people are all too familiar with. What we don't have are the real details of his Bailout Plan and for those who do, they are not impressed. This lack of enthusiasm is not partisan. The Washington Post quotes, "At the hearing yesterday, Republicans on the committee were as harsh as Democrats in criticizing the Bush administration's handling of the financial crisis. … (0 comments)

Plainfield, New Jersey Events for The week Of September 21, 2008 - 09/25/08 05:48 AM
 
Thursday - September 25. 7 PM. Superintendent's Town Hall Meeting. Steve Gallon III will be your host for the town hall meeting. Mr. Gallon along with other education officials will discuss the agenda for the new school year. There will be an opportunity for questions. The venue is Evergreen School, corner of Evergreen Avenue and Edgewood Terrace. Come out and support the school districts! Friday - September 26. 9 PM. First Presidential Debate. Not in Plainfield, but just as important is the Obama and McCain debate taking place at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi. Moderated by Jim Lehrer, anchor of The NewsHour … (1 comments)

Feds, Fraud & Funds - The Fleecing of America - 09/24/08 11:20 AM
Is everybody happy? It doesn't appear to be so! At least not on the hill. As congress prepares to recess and with nearly six weeks to the presidential election, there's the making of a non-partisan squabble over President Bush's hastily contrived bailout legislation. I am convinced that assistance from the government is essential. However, the details of the assistance need to be made public. The legislation is still being drafted as suport is being sought, not a good approach. This concern is echoed in MSNBC's article with the subtitle: Anger, Skepticism Among Members of Both Parties May Put Bill in Jeopardy.
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Plainfield, New Jersey Events for The week Of September 14, 2008 - 09/17/08 08:43 AM
 
Wednesday - September 17. 5:30 - 9 PM. FOSH Dine Out: Freshwaters. A wonderful opportunity to feast on sumptuous southern cuisine, while contributing to worthwhile causes. From 5:30 - 9 PM you can dine with family and friends and a portion of your bill will be donated to FOSH. Simply complete the FOSH donation form. Your contribution will support the FOSH scholarship and other community programs. To reserve your seat, kindly RSVP to fosh@foshnj. Freshwaters, 1442 South Avenue. Reservations: (908) 561-9099. Wednesday - September 17. 6 - 8 PM. Small Business Seminar: Buying a Business or Franchise. Co-sponsored by the Plainfield … (1 comments)

Deal or No Deal? - 09/15/08 06:35 AM
Many investors and real estate professionals struck the pose of children with wide eyed wonderment, in anticipation of a Lehman Brothers buyout. Many wondered who would be the suitor to come a calling? What role would the American government play? Visions of the play by play rescue of Bear Stearns, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were ever present, as highlighted in Measure For Measure At 5.3 Trillion Dollars In Assets.  In one of my previous posts entitled: When The Chips Are Down, Its Time To Fold And Sell, the playing field seemed ripe for another move of acquisition, in the money sector game called … (2 comments)

Monthly Residential Property Market Analysis For Scotch Plains, New Jersey- July 2008 - 09/13/08 11:06 PM
The July 2007 average volume of residential listings was 238 with an average price of $666,834 . The July 2008 volume was 203 with an average price of $696,472. The Change in volume was a 1% decrease.
Equally interesting was the similarities in the new listings activity. July 2007 saw 40 listings averaging $554,493 and July 2008 had 40 new listings averaging $539,016.
Now we come to the numbers reflecting the sales activity. July 2007 had 24 properties go under contract averaging $533,725 versus July 2008 with 15 properties averaging $564,053.
Finally, the month of July 2007 closed out with 26 homes sold averaging $598,659, while July … (0 comments)

When the Chips Are Down, It's Time To Fold and Sell - 09/12/08 03:52 AM
In hindsight do you think a $40 million compensation package was appropriate for the CEO of a company teetering on the precipice of an implosion?
And so it goes, Lehman Brothers, one of the oldest wall street firms boasted huge profits at the end of 2007, Only to show enormous write downs at the beginning of 2008, $3.5 billion to be exact.
How is this explained?In the midst of major write downs, how does a major player profess to go unscathed and not raise eyebrows? Ironically, there are those who would advocate less government involvement, when in-fact the government is and … (2 comments)

Plainfield Library's Annual Wine Discovery - 09/10/08 06:26 AM
The Friends of the Plainfield Library are sponsoring the Annual Wine Discovery - Saturday, September 13, 2008 to benefit the library's literacy and program needs. The venue of this year's event is the home of William Gearhart, located at 1039 Rahway Road in Plainfield. Tickets are $75/person in advance, $85 at the door. There is a scheduled tour of the home from 3:30 - 4:30 PM. Tickets for the tour (including the wine tasting) are $85/person in advance and $95 at the door. For more information call (908) 757-2305.
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World Markets Respond to Freddie & Fannie Bailout - 09/09/08 02:53 PM
Alas, I hear the cry.............The global voices have spoken in response to the Freddie & Fannie bailout. Could it be that they were reading our blogposts and all of the attached commentary? The initial excitement has given way to a pause. There is a need to understand the American plan for economic recovery. The problem is, a comprehensive plan has yet to be designed, let alone announced.
No less important to the American people, the need for a comprehensive plan is required to stimulate all sectors of our economy. There will be no recovery in any market sector without a comprehensive … (0 comments)

Measure For Measure at 5.3 Trillion Dollars In Assets - 09/07/08 08:36 AM
There has been a lot of chatter about the Fannie Mac and Freddie Mac dilemma. The comments have run the gamut from the impact on the foreign investors to the impact on the national housing market. So the question becomes what is the real skinny on the issue? Well today the New York Times took a stab at covering the issue in two articles. One of the articles is entitled:Mortgage Giant Overstated the Size of Its Capital Base and the other is Mortgage Giants Agreeable to Rescue Plan, But its Cost is Unknown.
 Let's take the first article, in point … (10 comments)

Monthly Residential Property Market Analysis For Fanwood, New Jersey- July 2008 - 09/06/08 11:40 PM
The July 2007 average volume of residential listings was 434 with an average price of $342,175. The July 2008 volume was 511 with an average price of $306,176. The Change in volume was a 17.7% increase.
Equally interesting was the similarities in the new listings activity. July 2007 saw 76 listings averaging $337,540 and July 2008 had 80 new listings averaging $312,758.
Now we come to the numbers reflecting the sales activity. July 2007 had 20 properties go under contract averaging $308,800 versus July 2008 with 22 properties averaging $227,386.
Finally, the month of July 2007 closed out with 28 homes sold averaging … (0 comments)

Monthly Residential Property Market Analysis For Plainfield, New Jersey- July 2008 - 09/06/08 11:20 PM
The July 2007 average volume of residential listings was 434 with an average price of $342,175. The July 2008 volume was 511 with an average price of $306,176. The Change in volume was a 17.7% increase.
Equally interesting was the similarities in the new listings activity. July 2007 saw 76 listings averaging $337,540 and July 2008 had 80 new listings averaging $312,758.
Now we come to the numbers reflecting the sales activity. July 2007 had 20 properties go under contract averaging $308,800 versus July 2008 with 22 properties averaging $227,386.
Finally, the month of July 2007 closed out with 28 homes sold averaging … (0 comments)

Monthly Residential Property Market Analysis For South Orange, New Jersey- July 2008 - 09/06/08 08:34 PM
The volume of listings for July 2007 was 164 with an average price of $688,000 & July 2008 was 177 with an average price of 667,546.
New residential listings during the month were 29 with an average of $682,607 for July 2007 and July 2008 was 34 residential listings averaging $730,894.
Now we come to the numbers reflecting the sales activity. July 2007 had 16 properties go under contract averaging $764,344 versus July 2008 with 20 properties aveaging $500,165.
Finally, the month of July 2007 closed out with 24 homes sold averaging $596,417, while July 2008 saw 15 homes sold averaging $589,533.
In summary, the … (1 comments)

Monthly Residential Property Market Analysis For Maplewood, New Jersey- July 2008 - 09/06/08 08:08 PM
The volume of listings were significantly less for July 2007, at 176 with an average price of $518,660 versus July 2008, which came in at 209 with an average price of $470,426. The change in price point represented a 9% reduction and the change in volume represents a 18.75% increase.
The number of new listings was not far apart with July 2007 at 39 and July 2008 at 44. Here we see a reverse in pricing. Theaverage price point in July 2008 was $525,191, representing an increase over July 2007 by 5.5%.
Now we come to the numbers reflecting the sales activity. July 2007 … (0 comments)

Monthly Residential Property Market Analysis For Orange, New Jersey- July 2008 - 09/06/08 05:34 PM
The volume of listings remained very consistent for July 2007 & July 2008. In July 2007 there were 177 listings averaging $281,589 and July 2008 had 172 listings averaging $256,641. The change in price point represented a 9% reduction.
Equally interesting was the consistency in the number of new listings during the same period. July 2007 came in with 32 listings averaging $257,766 and July 2008 at 35 listings averaging $263,240.
Now we come to the numbers reflecting the sales activity. July 2007 had nine properties go under contract averaging $282,311 versus July 2008 with only six properties averaging $312,267.
Finally, the month … (0 comments)

45th Annual Plainfield Outdoor Festival of Art - 09/05/08 06:35 AM
It is that time of year again when the longstanding tradition of celebrating the arts comes to Plainfield. For the 45th year the town will host a festival to present fine art and crafts. There will be music and food vendors, as well as dance performances. Special consideration has been given to the needs of young people in the form of a Children's Art Table with other kids activities. Come celebrate the arts on September 6, 10AM - 4PM at Library Park, located at College Place and West Eighth Streets in Plainfield- its FREE!
… (0 comments)

 
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William Collins, Vice President

Scotch Plains, NJ

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FirstService Residential Realty

Address: 4000 Route 66, Tinton Falls, NJ, 07753

Office Phone: (732) 918-8398

Cell Phone: (732) 927-3281

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