Rumson NJ from Sarah Bandy on Vimeo. 10/14/2009

As you can imagine, that is the question that I get asked the most. On my website I have a market report section that is updated every quarter. Click on your town on the right hand side bar for your updated report. If your town is not included- email us and we will send one to you. You may be surprised to note that in Rumson,for instance, the price ranges that are currently selling the most are $500,000 - $600,000 and over $2M Homes. Over $3M still take longer on average - the luxury market for obvious reasons always takes longer in any market. Rates remain low, inventory is still high, so plenty of choice, and with some very motivated sellers It is a GREAT time to buy. I believe in real estate. I bought my first home when I was 19 years old  in London, which is currently one of the hig... 07/22/2009

  This summer Rumson Recreation is bringing free outdoor shows for children and families to Victory Park. Bring a blanket and chairs to the Gazebo for some entertainment.      * YOSI & THE SUPER DADS - JULY 12 @7PM     * PRINCESS KATIE & RACER STEVE - JULY 26TH @ 7PM     * MISS SHERRI & THE ANIMAL BAN - AUGUST 9TH @ 7PM     * PUSS N BOOTS (THE PAPER MOON THEATER) - AUGUST 23RD @ 7PM   07/03/2009

$8,000 Home Buyer Tax Credit at a Glance The tax credit is for first-time home buyers only.   The tax credit does not have to be repaid.   The tax credit is equal to 10 percent of the home's purchase price up to a maximum of $8,000.   The credit is available for homes purchased on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009.   Single taxpayers with incomes up to $75,000 and married couples with incomes up to $150,000 qualify for the full tax credit. Call Deirdre to find your dream home today!  For more information on the First Time Home Buyer $8,000 tax credit.  Contact a Mortgage Specialist. Brought to you by the New Jersey Association of REALTORS® 06/29/2009

Why isn't my house sold?  This is a question that is asked many times by frustrated homeowners wondering why their house isn't sold.  The price is the most important but to get your house noticed you must present it properly on the internet.  The internet is where buyers begin their home search.  The listings that only have one photo are usually passed by, so make sure your agent takes a lot of photos of every part of the house and outside, too.  Buyers looking online like to scroll through the photos to get a better idea of the property.  This is to save the prospective buyers time before they actually start out to physically visit a property.  Make sure that the photos include street shots as well as back and front yards.  Taking photos of nearby attractions is also a good idea for ne... 06/12/2009

Rumson Closed Sales 2009 Visit www.njwaterfront to search Available homes in Rumson Dawn Marie White Broker Sales Manager Crossroads Realty Inc     103 BINGHAM AVE RUMSON 470000 118 2/27/2009 6 PARMLY ST RUMSON 475000 5 1/5/2009 7 BROOKSIDE DR RUMSON 1045000 61 2/6/2009 19 CIRCLE DR RUMSON 1060000 4 2/26/2009 10 PACKER AVE RUMSON 1100000 52 1/5/2009 65 NAVESINK AVE RUMSON 1200000 27 3/17/2009 44 RIVER RD RUMSON 1800000 213 1/16/2009   03/17/2009

The worst home selling mistake a seller can make is overpricing.  Prices of homes are on the decline and you can estimate a 1% decline per month in home sale prices on average in Monmouth County.  In order to get the most for your house in this market, a correct price tag is the key factor.  If a house is listed today and does not sell within 30 days, the price will have to be adjusted downward at least 1%.  Have you heard the phrase "chasing the market"?  This is when a seller prices a property too high and then reduces the price as time goes on.  Each time the price is reduced the seller cannot understand why the house still doesn't sell after such a big reduction in price.  Can you figure out why this happens?  What happens is that every time the seller reduces the price, the market ... 11/08/2008

VETERANS DAY CEREMONIES Tuesday, November 11th11:00 AMVictory ParkPlease come and honor our veterans! 11/08/2008

As a real estate representative, I've had the opportunity to help many homebuyers find their ideal homes. Buying a new home is one of the largest financial transactions that most people ever undertake. Because the process can be lengthy and sometimes confusing, I am there to help through every step. My goal is to help buyers find the home of their dreams and also make the home buying experience as easy and enjoyable as possible. Buying a home now can be rewarding and prove to be a great investment since interest rates are still at an all time low and prices of homes continue to decline. When representing buyers in the purchase of a home, I determine the current market value by using the "Right Pricing Analysis" (RPA) and also assist in the negotiations in order to obtain a great price f... 11/05/2008

I love the Salt Creek Grille in Rumson, NJ.  It's beautiful architecturally with a dark Craftsman aesthetic and stunning views of the Navesink River, especially at sunset.  There's much to love on the menu and it's suitable for a casual dinner with friends or a more formal affair. Best of all, Salt Creek offers some great events such as Happy Hour Weekdays, Monday thru Friday, 4 to 6:30 pm featuring 1/2 Price Wines by the Glass (nice selection)...  Plus they offer a very generous complimentary food bar. On Mondays its Mexican, Barbeque on Tuesday, Italian on Wednesday, Wing Night on Thursday and Seafood on Friday!  Plus, live jazz on Friday evenings. Tell them Tom McCormack sent you! (It won't help you at all but maybe they'll remember me next time I'm there!) 10/31/2008

On Oct. 11-14, nearly 200 luxury property experts met in Philadelphia for the 13th Annual Luxury Real Estate (LRE) Fall Conference at the Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia. In addition to the discussions of successful strategies and reports on current market conditions, more than a dozen LuxuryRealEstate.com members were honored with awards during a banquet on the final evening of the event. It was the first LRE event I've attended and along with Carolynn Ozar Diakon, Broker/Owner of Resources Real Estate, I was very pleased to have met some of the most influential brokers nationwide, along with a few from the international real estate community. There was much to be impressed with at this conference -- stellar marketing expertise, extraordinary properties, and huge production volume -- but mo... 10/30/2008

(Please note: all figures for past years indicate year-end totals unless otherwise indicated.) MARKET SALES SUMMARY: SingleFamily Homes         RUMSON 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Q1-3 Total Homes Sold 126 128 109 115 64 Change from Previous Year   1.59% -14.84% 5.50%   Average Sale Price $1,422,892 $1,410,222 $1,373,514 $1,426,267 $1,287,793 Change from Previous Year   -0.89% -2.60% 3.84%   List-to-Sale Price Difference 93.81% 95.08% 92.73% 92.32% 92.73% Sales in Rumson for the first 3 quarters of 2008 have been sluggish relative to the same period last year with unit sales down 32%. For last year during the same period, 94 homes were sold.  It's clear that buyers have not been feeling the need to take action.  For some this is because they are unable to move forward with a purchase until... 10/29/2008

Went to a great workshop regarding the Fall Housing Forecast presented by Jeffrey G. Otteau, State Certified General Real Estate Appraiser, and was surprised by the prediction that the housing market will redirect during the next 15 years from "...drivable suburban to walkable urban self-contained active adult" buyers whereby urban areas, especially those in close proximity to trains, will be the focus for Generation Y (Otteau Seminar, October 2008).  Also, prices of homes have been steadily declining at the rate of about a half percent per month since 2005 and are continuing to decline at a rate of about one percent per month.....So in other words, if you are a seller and sell now you will get more than if you wait and sell later.  For buyers, the best time to buy is now and if you wai... 10/25/2008

Featured article in the Monmouth Journal- October 3, 2008  As market experts, economists, and political pundits weigh in with their opinion of the bail out and other assorted plans to move forward, I can only hope whatever path chosen is laced with common sense. Any fool should known that prices do not go up forever and that interest rates do not come down indefinitely. The real estate market is not a ball-it does not "bounce back" or plunge in a matter of days. It quietly and reliably cycles up around and down again and so on. In fact it is always in the process of one or the other. It is probably the best and most consistent long term investment strategy there is. I am not a stock market investor, I am a real estate investor, and I can tell you with certainty that I am looking to buy.... 10/22/2008

I read an article recently that appeared in THE HUB Newspaper September 4, 2008 which elaborated on facts that the real estate market is not in as much distress as proclaimed by the news media.  The article is entitled "New Jersey Residents Capitalize on Opportunities in Local Real Estate Markets".  The article lists some real-life experiences of New Jersey residents who recently purchased or sold a home and got a good deal.  The New Jersey Association of Realtors (NJAR) is urging New Jersey residents to "Get the Real Story".  Going online and finding out the truth about today's real estate market will give you an accurate picture of what is really going on out there.  For a personal consultation on the real estate market please contact me at dkaplan@gnrgmac.com or call me on my cell ph... 09/07/2008

Just wanted to let everyone know about a fun-filled event that will be taking place on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2008 in Sea Bright NJ.  The Sea Bright Business Alliance (SBBA) is sponsoring the first "Taste of Sea Bright" event from noon to 6 pm.  A trolley will ride up and down Ocean Avenue picking up and dropping off participants at 27 different stops.  You will be able to sample food and drinks, shop and much more.  For complete details on this event click here. 09/05/2008

Just heard on the 6pm news that the cute dolphins entertaining us from the river banks of Rumson and Middletown in the Navesink river - are in fact,not dolphins but more likely bull sharks. Huh? Now that must come as a surprise to all those that went out on boats, including kayaks and canoes to get up close and personal with the dolphins!!  My family took the "Resourceful" out to watch them cavort, and oohed and ahhed with the best of them. It made me think a little about the local real estate market, (well lets face it, I am always thinking about the real estate market) and I saw a mini parallel. How you ask? Well, it seems to me that buyers right now do not realize they are behaving like dolphins when they could be bull sharks. Not that I know much about bull sharks, but they just sou... 09/03/2008

Getting a mortgage today is more difficult than it has been over the past several years.  Good credit and a decent downpayment is necessary, together with income requirements.  There are many mortgage reps out there and they are pounding the pavement for business.  Beware of untrue tales told by many mortgage reps in order for them to acquire new business.  Actually, a client of mine was telling me how he was being badgered by numerous mortgage reps trying to get his business.  They were using scare tactics by telling him that he would be given a different rate at the closing table and more fees or points added on if he went with another lender and not them.  He called me up so confused and upset - not knowing what to do.  Don't fall for it!  One way to make sure you are not getting rip... 08/29/2008

I have been through many real estate trends since the onset of my career as a real estate broker in 1984, i.e., prices of properties declining and prices of properties rising.  The real estate market cycles are usually progressing over a period of years not months, adjusting either upward or downward.  We are now experiencing a leveling of home prices but the trend is still continuing downward.  I came across a great web site which contains useful information regarding real estate trends.  Check it out at Otteau.com ......the good news is that some areas of Monmouth County are not as affected as other areas and inventory is declining. 08/28/2008

Well, the real estate buyer decided to take their lives off hold and buy homes - taking advantage of the still low interest rates and the affordability factor that increased in the last couple of years with higher supply forcing homeowners to lower prices to match demand. Currently there are 12 homes under contract in Rumson, and only four of those are over $2M. Out of the four properties, Resources Real Estate sold two. One we listed and sold, for a total of three transactions.   AS THEY SAY THREE OUT OF FOUR AIN'T BAD!! One of my major goals has been to stay lean and mean and not hire anybody and everybody. I strongly believe in quality not quantity. Our concept is to maximize the knowledge and experience in our boutique office rather than hire hordes of part times that rarely come in... 06/27/2008