I'm not a big mall person.  The whole ordeal of driving 20 minutes only to look for parking for another 20 minutes has turned me off.  These days I'm shopping locally in Montclair, and starting today, Oct 15th, 50 plus stores will keep their doors open until at least 8 pm.  Some of my personal favorites are: [...]

I'm a fan of mixed use.  Mixed use is the practice of allowing different types of buildings to coexist in a single neighborhood - for example, residential space next to/on top of restaurants and businesses.   By adding vitality and activity to a neighborhood, mixed use benefits a community because residents are able to walk to things that [...]

Many real estate agents hate Zillow.   But not for the reason you think.  When Zillow was launched a couple of years ago the word on the street was that agents would lose their usefulness in helping sellers determine their home's value.  That turns out to be far from the truth--which is that agents have to spend an awful lot of time [...]

When I walk to Watchung Plaza from my Montclair home, I take a short route  through an interconnected grid of streets and through a small park.  I wave to my neighbor on the way.  I stop for a brief minute in the park to chat with a friend who's on her way home from work (she's just gotten off the 5:31 [...]

As you may or may not know, rental transactions are a marginal business for real estate agents.  They require many hours, uncertain payoff and a very small commission.  However, many agents handle rentals with the knowledge that renters often become buyers at a later date and therefore view it as an investment in a relationship rather than a [...]

 For those of us who opted for the staycation this year, ArtsMaplewood and SOPAC offer a welcome distraction:  Free Outdoor Performances for Kids & Families  Kids: bring your parents to this event, grab your red-checkered picnic blanket, but leave the basket at home. Whole Foods will be on site selling delicious meals for the [...]

One of the metrics that buyers use to judge a property is days-on-market (DOM).  Days-on-market is important because it describes how long a property has been for sale without an accepted offer.  After months of increases, many market areas in Essex County have seen DOM leveling off - a good sign for sure, but Nutley has seen  a [...]

Last week I received my 2008 Homestead Rebate Application.  While I dutifully filled out the worksheet, I remembered my rebate from last year as being very minor, but better than nothing.  Lot and block number? Check.  Filing status number? Check. NJ Homeowner as of Oct 1, 2008? Check.  Only upon reading the fine print did I realize that I [...]

Sunday morning  historical walk/run and bike tour.

Don't try this in just any suburb.  It takes a village, a real one, to make these sorts of walk/bike tours possible.  Streets that are interconnected on a grid, sidewalks, trees to shade the sidewalks, history , a reason, a community, merchants that are involved with their community and [...]

1. The train station (any one of the six)

2.Watchung Plaza for a dozen bagels on Sunday morning

3.The farmer's market on a Saturday in June for local rhubarb and asparagus

4.Tierney's Tavern on the way home from work for a retro burger and beer (no phone, no credit cards!)

5.The Wellmont Theater on a Saturday night to see David Byrne, Kathy Griffith or Rosie [...]