Keller Williams Village Square Realty will be hosting a Grand Opening celebration at their new office location, 257 East Ridgewood Avenue (second floor) on Saturday, November 19^th from 3 to 7pm. Individuals are invited to drop by to enjoy great food, beverages and entertainment, as well as take the opportunity to explore the company’s new Ridgewood office. A door raffle will also be held, prizes will be awarded, and assorted fun activities for all ages will take place throughout the event.

“We can’t wait for the community to see for themselves what all the buzz has been about,” said Aloysius Donohue, Operating Principal with Keller Williams Village Square Realty. “This Grand Opening signals a new and exciting chapter for our sales team. With added resources, enhanced technology and tools and a larger work space, this new office will mean greater efficiency and productivity for our agents and continued positive results for their customers.”

The new Keller Williams Village Square Realty office enjoys a convenient downtown location and also features an Internet café, spacious training room, smart boards and a children’s play area so clients can bring their little ones to the office without worry.

Keller Williams continues to attract the best agents in the industry by offering the most innovative educational resources along with cutting-edge technology and a revolutionary profit sharing system. Having expanded to a staff of nearly 100 agents in just seven months, Keller Williams Village Square Realty is no exception, as it is now home to a formidable team of well-known and highly-respected sales talent.

As Donohue continues to assemble a dynamic team of all-star agents, the Ridgewood office continues to flourish. A glimpse of his sales team reveals such top-ranked professionals as Sally Ponchak, ranked as the Number One agent in Wyckoff in 2010 in terms of number of transactions; Nancy Larsen, the Number One agent in Ridgewood in 2011 in terms of number of transactions year-to-date (tied with 2 other agents); Pam Christian, the Number One agent in Ridgewood in 2011 based on dollar volume year-to-date; and Jeff Adler, the Number One agent in Ramsey for 2010 in both dollar volume and number of transactions. Adler is also currently tied for top spot in 2011 for number of transactions.

“Our sales professionals have consistently outpaced the market in productivity. They represent the cornerstone of our company’s growth and success,” Donohue added. “Clients can expect superior service from beginning to end when working with a Keller Williams Village Square Realty agent.”

Keller Williams Realty Inc. is the fastest-growing residential real estate firm in North America according to Realtor Magazine.  J.D. Power and Associates recently (2008-2010) ranked Keller Williams #1 in overall home buyer satisfaction among the largest full-service real estate firms for the third year in a row. In 2010, the company received many accolades including:

• Entrepreneur magazine, No. 1 ranked real estate franchise on the 31st Annual Franchise 500 list
• Inman News, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board Gary Keller named one of the 100 Most Influential Leaders in Real Estate
• Training Magazine, highest ranking real estate franchise on the annual Training Top 125, #47 Overall

Individuals interested in attending the Keller Williams Village Square Realty Grand Opening celebration are encouraged to RSVP by calling the office at 201-445-4300 by November 12. The new office is located at 257 East Ridgewood Avenue in Ridgewood.

Below is a list of 12 Ridgewood Homes currently listed for under $400,000. It was not that long ago that it would have been difficult to find homes in Ridgewood under $500,000 – much less under $400,000. However, now first time home buyers and investors alike, have 12 homes to choose from. They range from 4 Bedroom, 2 Bath Cape Cod homes to 2 Bedroom, 1.5 Bath colonial style homes. Low entry level pricing coupled with interest rates at all time lows may make this the perfect time to buy into this blue chip village.

12 Ridgewood Homes Under $400,000

** There are actually 13 homes currently available under $400,000 . 423 Bogert Ave is currently in Attorney Review and may no longer be available at the time you read this.

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Beneath bright and sunny skies, Keller Williams Village Square Realty in Ridgewood took a beautiful spring day and made it even more special. In support of the company’s RED Day (Renew, Energize and Donate) initiative, the Ridgewood office sales team rolled up their sleeves and got to work; lending a hand to local organizations whose primary objectives are helping others.

Now in its third year, RED Day is held annually on the second Thursday in May and celebrates Keller Williams Realty’s commitment to improving local communities. Every year on that particular day, tens of thousands of Keller Williams associates from across the United States and Canada participate in a wide range of community service projects, devoting their time to renewing and energizing aspects of the neighborhoods in which they serve. RED Day activities can range from rebuilding homes, refurbishing local parks and giving to local food shelters to hosting blood drives, beautifying beaches and more. Projects are chosen by each individual market center based on needs they see within their community.

Following careful consideration, the office selected two organizations whose primary focus is assisting individuals and families throughout the community: The Center for Children and Youth in Ramsey (a division of West Bergen Mental Healthcare) and the Alpine Learning Group in Paramus.

“When our staff first learned about the company’s RED Day initiative, we were collectively excited about having such the opportunity to help a fellow organization in our local community. Absolutely everyone in our office wanted to participate, so our goal was to find projects that everyone could take part in,” said Sally Ponchak, Keller Williams sales associate and co-chair of the local RED Day event. “Both West Bergen and Alpine Learning Group were thrilled by our offer to help out, and we were thrilled to do so. It was a perfect fit: the activities were fun and uplifting at the same time.”

Boasting a large and motivated assemblage of volunteers, Keller Williams Village Square Realty kicked off their local RED Day event on May 12. The office divided into two “work crews”, with one group arriving at the Childen’s Center in Ramsey to plant flowers.  The Children’s Center is a division of West Bergen Mental Healthcare, a non-profit organization based in Ridgewood that provides a wide range of psychiatric and counseling services for all age groups with various levels of need.

With a “RED Day Project in Progress” sign signaling their work was underway, Keller Williams agents got to work, beautifying the center’s entrance with a colorful explosion of spring flowers. West Bergen Chief Operating Officer Lee Schaeffer and Chief Executive Officer Michael Tozzoli enthusiastically lent their support to the activity.

The second group of Keller Williams agents spent the morning at Alpine Learning Group in Paramus, a non-profit education and treatment program specializing in working with individuals with autism. With the facility planning a large-scale garage sale as an upcoming fundraiser, they enthusiastically welcomed the agents’ offer for help.

Assisted by Gwen Purcell, Project Manager with Alpine Learning Group, the agents spent a busy morning helping Alpine staff members with setting up, tagging items, organizing donations and moving furniture- all in preparation for a fundraiser from which one hundred percent of the proceeds go back into the facility.

“We were thrilled with the success of the first Keller Williams RED Day in Ridgewood. We were able to raise awareness about some great local organizations and help them with necessary tasks,” noted Keller Williams sales associate and RED Day co-chair Jennifer Casper.  “Our office goal is to continue to give where we live throughout the entire year, not only during RED Day. With the unofficial office motto of ‘spread the red’, RED Day empowers us to help in our own communities on a daily basis.”

“RED Day reflects the culture of Keller Williams Realty. It illustrates the extraordinary effect a company can have when individuals come together to work as a team for the greater good of everyone,” added Keller Williams Village Square Operating Principal Al Donohue.

Keller Williams Village Square Realty is located at 257 East Ridgewood Avenue in downtown Ridgewood. The office may be reached by calling (201) 445-4300.

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The New York Times recently ran an article entitled “In Market Reports, Some Affluent Towns Do Better Than Others”.  The basic gist of the article is that towns that are convenient to Manhattan and have a local train station will fare better than some of the other affluent towns.  Obviously this bodes well for Ridgewood Real Estate and the numbers seem to bear this out.

Excerpt from New York Times Article

In the Bergen County village of Ridgewood, for instance, the median sales price (at which half the homes sold for more and half for less) rose 8.7 percent in the last quarter, versus the same period in 2009. The median price was $700,000, according to the latest statistics from Otteau. In 2009 it was $644,000.

A typical well-maintained colonial at 42 Ethelbert Place in Ridgewood sold in November for $710,000. That was well below the original asking price of $839,000 in May, but above the real estate Web site Zillow’s October estimate of its market value: $626,000. The house last sold in 2002, for $545,000.

The Zillow estimate for a Tudor mansion at 224 Crest Road was $3.5 million in early 2010, and rose to $3.85 million by December, when it sold for $4.11 million…

Click here to read the full article.

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Aloysius Donohue plans to officially open a new Keller Williams office in Ridgewood in the next 30 days, having left his namesake firm, Marron Gildea & Donohue to do so.

Keller Williams offers innovative educational resources along with cutting edge technology and a revolutionary profit sharing system, Donohue says. He anticipates that when the Keller Williams office opens its doors, it will be one of the largest real estate offices in…

Click here to read the Full Article

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Ridgewood NJ Neighborhoods – Colonial Square

Ridgewood Homes Average “Days on Market” Near 3 Year Low

Great for Ridgewood Families

This is my favorite Ridgewood Neighborhood and not just because I live here.  The Colonial Square section of Ridgewood is a throwback to simpler times.  Neighbors greet each other by name, folks stop by for leisurely chats while walking their dogs and children don’t need play-dates but rather walk from backyard to backyard to play with other neighborhood children.

Convenient to Everything That Makes Ridgewood Great

Colonial Square is within easy walking distance of Ridgewood’s Downtown, Ridgewood Train Station, Elementary, Middle and High Schools, Graydon Pool, Veterans Field, Ridgewood Public Library, Ridgewood Duck Pond and more.

Solid Real Estate Investment

Despite what you hear about home values on the national front, Ridgewood Real Estate remains strong and Colonial Square in particular is very strong.  Consider that 3 Colonial Square homes were listed for sale in the past month and all three were “under contract” in less than two weeks.  See links below.

465 Fairway Road – Ridgewood NJ

480 Overbrook Road – Ridgewood NJ

453 Colonial Road – Ridgewood NJ

By the way, I created the name Colonial Square for the purposes of this article.   Colonial Road is squarely in the middle of this neighborhood, and it is filled with beautiful Colonial Homes,  so I thought it made sense.  Besides, this great Ridgewood Neighborhood deserves a name.

Other Ridgewood Articles

• Top Ten Reasons to Relocate to Ridgewood New Jersey

• The Venn Center Opens In Ridgewood, NJ Offering Psychiatry, Psychology, and Education To Promote Mental Heath And Human Development (prweb.com)
• Ridgewood Real Estate Market Report – October 6th, 2010

The median list price in Ridgewood, NJ 07450 this week (October 6th) is $650,000. The 204 Ridgewood Properties currently on the market have been on the market for an average of 99 days.

Positive Outlook

The Ridgewood Market Action Index below has been climbing lately while days-on-market are trending down, these point to a positive near-term outlook for the the Ridgewood Housing Market.

Many “experts” and some commenters to this blog predicted that Ridgewood and National home values would fall in the first half of 2010, transactions would be down and interest rates would rise. Check out what Time.com had to say back in January.

Today is July 1st.  Let’s see how the experts fared…

Have Ridgewood Home Prices Fallen?  Well, not according to the New Jersey Multiple Listing Service (see chart below).

Well, then surely the number of Ridgewood transactions are down in the first half of 2010 versus the first half of 2009, right?

Wrong.  The number of Ridgewood real estate transactions nearly doubled from 70 in the first of 2009 to 129 in the first half of 2010.

At least they were correct about mortgage rates going up, right?  Wrong.

Here’s what they were saying about rates at the end of 2009…

…And the chart below shows the reality.

Mortgage Rates - Jan 20th to June 20th 2010

Predicting the real estate market is a lot like predicting the stock market or even the weather.   That’s why folks need to consider whether buying a Ridgewood Home makes long term sense for themselves or their family and not look at Ridgewood Real Estate as a short-term investment because, as you can see, not even the experts can predict what will happen in the real estate market.

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Ridgewood Real Estate Recovery Keeps Rolling Along…Even at the High End

What Clients Are Saying About Al Donohue…

John and Ginny Fitzgerald – formerly of Fairway Road, Ridgewood

In selling our house in Ridgewood, New Jersey, we were extremely fortunate in finding Al Donohueas our Realtor. Al has been a real pleasure to work with. Not only is he a consummate professional, but he went out of his way to make what is usually a painful process quite the reverse. He is industrious, knows his business, innovative, totally honest, and keeps you fully informed. I can’t imagine that anyone does it better than Al does. On top of all this he has a great sense of humor !!!

Click below and let’s connect on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, FriendFeed…

The numbers speak for themselves.  See article and accompanying chart below from the Otteau Valuation Group.  Jeffery Otteau is considered by many to be the foremost expert on New Jersey Real Estate.

Ridgewood’s Higher-End Homes Are Participating in the Recovery As Well

The chart below shows the number of Ridgewood Homes “under contract” for each of the past twelve months in the $1 million and above price range.  As you can see, the the number of higher-end homes under contract is roughly double what is was at this time last year.

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What Clients Are Saying About Al Donohue…