Wow! We just had a special meeting where we learned that NRT/Realogy has decided that they are shedding the Burgdorff name. Of the 13 Burgdorff offices in NJ 7 will rebranded as Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage with the exception of the Hope office. Here in Montclair the Burgdorff office will become another independently operating Coldwell Banker resulting in 2 offices within about a mile of each other. Hal Maxwell is now the new president of NJ replacing Ronnie Laiken and Pat Hoferkamp. All transitions are slated to occur by July 10th. Our question is locally will this create a powerhouse brand or dissention in the ranks? We would love to hear you thoughts.
Starting in Septmember of 2009 the Bloomfield School district will offer full day kindergarten. This is good news for parents of little ones who live in Bloomfield. Last year there was talk of full day kindergarten but at the last minute the program was scraped due “cuts in the state budget” . If you have or know of someone who has a student that will be ready for kindergarten in fall you need to reach out the neighborhood school and register by May 30th. Please pass this along anyone who maybe interested. Here is the link to the Bloomfield School District website.
While the cool temperatures have been hanging on longer than most of us would like, even providing for a late season snow squall. The weather the last couple of days reminds us, that yes Virginia, there will actually be a season called spring this year. With the seasonal change comes the inevitable wardrobe switcheroo and required but much dreaded spring cleaning. Part of our responsibility as real estate agents is to advise a seller about the best way to present their home to the buying public before they put it on the market and this usually entails a “spring cleaning”. There are varying degrees for which this process needs to take place. Some homes require a few minor tweaks others require a full scale clean out crew, either way the results are well worth the efforts.
Having just completed this exercise for our new listing below at 408 Essex Ave in Bloomfield here are some lessons learned.
Ask for help
It easy to say that we have to declutter and depersonalize the home. In theory that is all well and good but if halfway through organizing the first box of stuff you find yourself thinking you may need that rotato peeler someday, it is definitely time for some neutral third party intervention. A professional organizer is a good place to start if your spouse/partner is not that person. Personally I know that I don’t REALLY need to keep that “Limited Edition Pink Floyd Marching Hammers” poster lithograph that I got as a gift with purchase (+$50) sometime back in ‘94/’95 which has never left the tube it came in and has no chance in hell of being displayed, but the suggestion to get rid of it from my significant other seems an afront to my days as a bachelor. A professional organizer will keep you on point and is well worth the money. We are happy to provide you some names.
Don’t make it personal
The goal is to create a space that will appeal to the largest percentage of the buyer pool. Neutral color, etc. should rule the day. Be open to all suggestions and understand that just because you may be an avid collector of something not everyone is. Having once escorted a client through a home that had over 65 clocks(yes they counted them) and a dining room full of Hummels be aware that potential buyers don’t/won’t look past that. When you decide to sell you must absolutely think of your home as nothing more than a house, a commodity to be sold, nothing more. You will always have the memories that were created there but remember the ultimate goal in today’s market is to sell.
All the worlds a stage
A buyers market is a stagers market. Whether is just rearranging some furniture and purchasing some wall art or a full scale lifestyle redesign of a space it is imperative in preparing your home. Once all the stuff is packed away, hopefully offsite, you need to showcase the space. Not everyone is a designer so hiring one to consult with on the project is the logical choice. For out project we engaged Jonathan Wiesmeth from JDW Designs and we can’t thank him enough for helping pull the space together. If you would like to see the space in person there you can visit out open house on Sunday April 19th from 2pm -4pm.
It has been about 218 days on the market and today we learned via the Garden State MLS that there has been a $1,955,000 price reduction on “Daybreak” the Montclair property located at 99 Lloyd Road. The 10 bedroom 5 and 1/2 bath property is now listed at $5,795,000. Back in the fall we listed all of the upgrades and restoration that this beauty has to offer please so if you forgot or want to refresh your memory please look here. Maybe this will be the push you need to snap this one of a kind home up. If you are interested in purchasing this property please give us a call at (973) 233-2073.
Starting in Septmember of 2009 the Bloomfield School district will offer full day kindergarten. This is good news for parents of little ones who live in Bloomfield. Last year there was talk of full day kindergarten but at the last minute the program was scraped due “cuts in the state budget” . If you have or know of someone who has a student that will be ready for kindergarten in fall you need to reach out the neighborhood school and register by May 30th. Please pass this along anyone who maybe interested. Here is the link to the 
