"Let's go for a walk." Now that spring is here in earnest, you may find yourself  frequently uttering this phrase. There are many good reasons to go for a walk--to get some fresh air, burn some calories, enjoy the trees in bloom. And, depending on where you live, you can accomplish all of this while actually getting someplace you need to [...]

Here's a short quiz:  What do the diner, the fast-food drive-thru, the turnpike and the mall have in common? Apparently, these icons of suburbia all had their beginnings in New Jersey. I  learned this bit of historical trivia from an interview with Dr. Richard Jackson published last week on [...]

You'll be happier living in Montclair than in  most other suburbs - A bold statement, I know. It's subjective, but there are in fact, a three key predictors of happiness -  1. health 2. wealth and 3. social connectedness.  Because of its  street layout, design and diversity of housing  Montclair offers  opportunities to foster all three.  [...]

I don't generally have a lot of time to watch television; being a New Jersey Realtor means being "on call" day and night. I am determined to make time for Designing Healthy Communities, though. This is a four-part series airing soon on WLIW  (and other public television stations) which looks at the links between our built environment (urban [...]

A few weeks ago, The New York Times ran an Op-Ed piece called "The Death of the Fringe Suburb." The author, Christopher Leinberger, discusses the collapse of outer-ring suburbs and return to popularity of urban and inner-suburban housing. As a New Jersey Realtor, I feel sadness and concern about the decline of any housing market. I find it [...]

Driving around town this past week, I've seen a huge number of Montclair homes that were hit hard by the snowstorm of October 29. Drooping power lines and downed trees are unfortunately a common sight these days. Power lines are obviously a matter for PSE&G to deal with; trees, however, may be your [...]

As a New Jersey Realtor, I am a member of the National Association of Realtors, and I regularly read its publications. Recently I came across one that I found interesting and worth sharing.

In March of this year, the National Association of Realtors commissioned a market research firm to conduct a survey regarding Americans' housing and [...]

I'm feeling very retro these days. A couple of weeks ago my dryer quit after a long and useful life.  Engrossed in my washing, I hadn't noticed that the dryer was not keeping pace with the washer and so 4 loads later I found myself with 80 lbs of wet clothes. A quick run to Mr. Charlie's (aka [...]

In this CDC-sponsored video the narrator says "(walkable communities) are no longer a fairy tale - they're a reality".  I had to laugh! it's like the government just stumbled upon this concept.  In towns like [...]

It's unusually cold for this time of year, but since it is in fact April, I assume that we'll see warmer weather soon. For me, that means more time outdoors, specifically in Brookdale Park.

I've been going to Brookdale Park since my kids were babies: I spent many afternoons pushing their strollers along the paths and later helped them [...]