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Archive for the 'Ridgewood Real Estate' Category

Ridgewood Real Estate Values Compare Favorably to Other Affluent Towns

February 26th, 2011 categories:Ridgewood Real Estate

Ridgewood’s Median Sale Price Rose 8.7 Percent in the Last Quarter

Ridgewood Town Hall

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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Posted by Al Donohue | Discussion:No Comments »

Keller Williams Office to Open in Ridgewood New Jersey

February 26th, 2011 categories:Real Estate News and Advice, Ridgewood Real Estate

Aloysius Donohue to Open Ridgewood Keller Williams Office

Keller-Williams-Realty-Stacked-Web

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

Related Articles

Ridgewood NJ Neighborhoods – Colonial Square

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


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Posted by Al Donohue | Discussion:No Comments »

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

December 27th, 2010 categories:Ridgewood Real Estate

For Once, A Three Year Low Is Actually Good News…

Posted by Al Donohue | Discussion:4 Comments »

Ridgewood NJ Neighborhoods – Colonial Square

October 10th, 2010 categories:Real Estate News and Advice, Ridgewood Real Estate

My Favorite Ridgewood Neighborhood

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

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Posted by Al Donohue | Discussion:2 Comments »

Ridgewood Real Estate Market Report – October 6th, 2010

October 7th, 2010 categories:Ridgewood Real Estate

Ridgewood Home Sales Have Been Exceeding New Inventory for the Past Several Weeks.

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.

October 6 Ridgewood Market Report 

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.

 Market Action Index October 6

Posted by Al Donohue | Discussion:2 Comments »

Ridgewood Home Values Fall to Zero – Real Estate Agents Must Repent

July 1st, 2010 categories:Ridgewood Real Estate

Cynical “Experts” Proven Wrong Nationwide and in Ridgewood

Ridgewood Home Values Fall to Zero

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).

 Ridgewood_Median_Sales_Price_First_Half_of_2010

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

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.

Related Articles

Top Ten Reasons to Relocate to Ridgewood New Jersey

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…

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Posted by Al Donohue | Discussion:4 Comments »

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

May 2nd, 2010 categories:Ridgewood Real Estate

New Jersey Home Sales Improve for 10th Month in a Row

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.

Ridgewood Homes Under Contract

Related Articles

Home Buyers Out in Force in Ridgewood

Ridgewood Real Estate Looks Solid – Regardless of what the “Doom and Gloom” Set Have to Say

 

What Clients Are Saying About Al Donohue…

Patricia Paul and Ed Dabagian – Alpine Terrace, Ridgewood

At a time when the market was very bad, and during the absolute worst time of year to sell a home- right before Christmas- Al gave us invaluable advice about how to stage our home, and his efforts brought a huge amount of traffic to the home. Thanks to Al, we had an offer days after putting our home on the market, and we accepted the offer, which was very close to our asking price. Al was also invaluable in providing advice every step of the way.

If I had a close friend putting their home on the market, its not just that I would recommend Al: I would tell them it would be a serious mistake to use anyone else.

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

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Posted by Al Donohue | Discussion:3 Comments »

Ridgewood Real Estate Looks Solid – Regardless of what the “Doom and Gloom” Set Have to Say

March 16th, 2010 categories:Ridgewood Real Estate

The Median Price of Ridgewood Homes Have Increased in the Last One, Five and Ten Year Periods*

Ridgewood Homes – 10 Year Chart

Ridgewood Median Sales Price 10 Year Chart

People love to talk about bad news and no other industry has seen more “doom and gloom” reports over the past few years than the Real Estate Industry.  How many of you heard this a few years back?

“Prices are going up too fast in Ridgewood - this is a bad time to buy”

Today you hear:

“Prices are going down, it is a bad time to buy”

Ridgewood Homes – 5 Year Chart

Ridgewood Median Sales Price 5Year Chart

Ridgewood Homes – 1 Year Chart

Ridgewood Median Sales Price 1 Year Chart

* Sales figures taken directly from Zillow.com on 3/16/2010.

Related Ridgewood Articles

Ridgewood’s High(er) End Real Estate is Starting to Move

Ridgewood Real Estate Market Looks Strong

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Posted by Al Donohue | Discussion:No Comments »

Ridgewood’s High(er) End Real Estate is Starting to Move

March 9th, 2010 categories:Ridgewood Real Estate

The More Expensive Ridgewood Homes Are Beginning to Look More Attractive to Home Buyers

Much has been said about the impact of the Home Buyer’s Tax Credit  on lower priced homes.  However, I believe we are also starting to see its impact on the higher end.  We are seeing lots homeowners from Ridgewood, and other nearby towns, trading up from homes in the $300,000 – $500,000 range to more expensive Ridgewood homes.  Buyers are snapping up the moderately priced homes because they want to lock in the tax credit and many of these homeowners are deciding to roll the proceeds from their sale into a larger/more expensive Ridgewood Home.

Ridgewood Home Sales by Price Range: 1/1/2010 - 3/9/2010

Ridgewood Home Sales by Price Range: 1/1/2010 - 3/9/2010

The chart above shows the price breakdown of Ridgewood Home Sales from 1/1/2010 through 3/9/2010 (today).  The chart below depicts the same time period in 2009.  A few items to note:

  1. At this point in 2009 no homes over $1,750,000 had sold in Ridgewood.  This year two have sold.
  2. Five homes over $1 million have sold thus far this year – at this point in 2009 only two had sold.
  3. Seventeen homes over $600,000 have sold this year.  In 2009 only ten had sold by the same time.
Ridgewood Home Sales by Price Range: 1/1/2009 - 3/9/2009

Ridgewood Home Sales by Price Range: 1/1/2009 - 3/9/2009

Multiple Offers and Re-Listed Homes

I also have a bit more personal anecdotal evidence that the market is improving.  In 2009 I had listed two beautiful Glen Rock homes that eventually wound up being taken off the market because of lack of interest.  I re-listed these same two homes in 2010.  Both homes enjoyed many more showings, and significantly more interest this year, and both have now had offers accepted.  Additionally, I recently listed a wonderful Ridgewood home that was fairly priced – but certainly not under priced.  It received 7 offers within the course of a few days and is now under contract for a number significantly higher than what the homeowners were asking. 

I am bracing for a backlash from two of my most active and intelligent, but sometimes equally harsh, commenters (LaLaLand and Barney).  They both feel I see the real estate market through rose colored, or perhaps dollar-bill-tinted, glasses.  Oddly enough, I disagree.

Related Ridgewood Articles

Ridgewood Home Sales Rise 40% in January

Ridgewood Real Estate Market Looks Strong

Ridgewood Real Estate Report – Average Sale Price Up 5.4% in October

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

Connect with me on FaceBook Follow me on Twitter Connect with me on LinkedIn Connect with me on FriendFeed

Why Choose Aloysius Donohue?

It’s hard to answer this question myself without sounding like a complete blowhard so please click below to see what clients and local newspapers had to say.

Clients Are Saying…

Local Newspapers are Saying…

Click here to see some of my current listings…

Posted by Al Donohue | Discussion:8 Comments »

Ridgewood Home Sales Rise 40% in January

February 5th, 2010 categories:Ridgewood Real Estate

14 Ridgewood Properties Sell in January 2010 – Versus 10 Properties in January 2009

Ridgewood January Sales 2010

The chart above represents the number of properties sold in January 2010 versus the same period in 2009.  Obviously, this is a very small sample and taken alone it might not be very significant – but when added to the other recent, positive reports on Ridgewood Real Estate I think we can say it is starting to look like a trend.   That said, the big test will come when the home buyer tax credit  expires at the end of June.   How the market reacates in the Summer and Early Fall will tell us a lot about the health of the National and Ridgewood Real Estate markets.

Related Ridgewood Stories

Ridgewood Real Estate Market Looks Strong

Ridgewood Real Estate Report – Average Sale Price Up 5.4% in October

New Jersey Home Sales Rise for Sixth Month In a Row

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About Al Donohue

Al Donohue heads up Marron Gildea & Donohue’s Ridgewood office and is one of the top agents in Bergen County.

ibs-photo.jpg

Al attributes much of his success to lessons learned during his years as a top sales executive on Wall Street. Most of Al’s clients are busy professionals and business owners and they love the fact that he speaks their language and understands the incredible demands on their time. Al stays in constant touch with his clients not only through phone calls and face-to-face meetings but also through email, instant messaging, and web pages created specifically for his clients. Clients can view the status of the sale of their home, read feedback from agents that have shown their home and review the status of their personal marketing plan 24-hours-a-day via their personal web page.

Al understands that technology is just a tool and says it is really his focus on providing world class customer service that has enabled him to achieve great results for his clients. He says the key to his success has been his ability to listen more than he speaks and always put the needs of his clients first.

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

Connect with me on FaceBook Follow me on Twitter Connect with me on LinkedIn Connect with me on FriendFeed

 

Posted by Al Donohue | Discussion:2 Comments »

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