studio = 12 units
ave. price = $517,200
median price = $373,450
ave. days on market = 88

one bedroom = 152 units
ave. price = $470,281
median price = $427,000
ave. days on market = 68

two bedroom = 269 units
ave. price = $668,089
median price = $625,000
ave. days on market = 77

three bedroom = 46 units
ave. price = $964,146
median price = $784,000
ave. days on market = 76

four bedroom = 4 units
ave. price = $1,417,225
median price = $1,274,950
ave. days on market = 59

information compiled on 03.31.08 from Hudson County MLS, information deemed reliable but not guaranteed

This is the 2nd annual Earth Hour, click on the below link for more details, it's an interesting concept.

Digital Home Canada - Earth Hour: March 29th 8pm

Sad to say that another long standing Hoboken establishment hit the MLS today, Ali Baba. This one is really going to be missed, both the food and owner have been so wonderful over the years. I guess all good things have to eventually come to an end. The owners are very hard working people and I wish them the best with their sale and any future plans.

Needed a few last minute gifts the day before Easter and didn't have time to drive very far so I ended up stopping by Battaglia's new location at 1414 Willow Avenue in Hoboken. I was really impressed with the wide selection that they offered from housewares to furniture, they really had a little bit of everything. They are definitely one of Hoboken's retail success stories. I remember when they first opened in 1993 on 10th & Bloomfield. They later moved to 3rd and Washington and now it looks like they finally found that large, spacious home that they have been looking for. I ended up finding a few things and plan on going back to find some decorative accessories (lamps, rug, etc) for my own home. Stop by and check it out for yourself. You can also visit their website at www.battagliashome.com

Enjoy this beautiful Easter Sunday

Help Alan D. Schwartz by Renting His House! -- Daily Intel -- New York News Blog -- New York Magazine

There were a lot of broker open houses today, from a small 2 br/1ba on Willow Avenue in Hoboken for $399,000 to a beautiful mansion in Weehawken for $7,500,000.  The Spring market is upon us and the inventory is becoming quite interesting.  

Active listings:
one family = 8 units
ave. price = $1,312,500
median price = $1,137,000
ave. days on market = 121
(3 units under contract)

two family = 8 units
ave. price = $1,093,237
median price = $1,099,500
ave. days on market = 62
(5 under contract)

three family = 6 units
ave. price = $1,332,500
median price = $1,090,500
ave. days on market = 59
( 5 under contract)

four family = 3 units
ave. price = $1,383,000
median price = $1,450,000
ave. days on market = 106
(1 under contract)

information compiled on 03.19.08 from Hudson County MLS, information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

There are 469 active condo listings on the Hudson County MLS:
Ave. price = $635,261
Low = $259,000
High = $2,500,000 (this is a 3 br/3ba at Garden Street Lofts)
Median = $569,000

There are 177 condo's "under contract" on the Hudson County MLS (below prices are list price, not sold price, this information is not disclosed until the units actually close):
Ave. price = $581,896
Low = $184,900
High = $4,500,000 (this is a 4 br/3.5 ba at W Hotel)
Median = $539,900

Information compiled on 03.15.08 from the Hudson County MLS, information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

This article is referring to the class I took last week.

ROCKAWAY TWP. -- More than 50 people bustled around the home at 16 Mohawk Ave. Wednesday, preparing the two-story dwelling to sell.
They were not making sure the family pictures were perfectly placed to make the house look like Ward and June Cleaver lived there.
Quite the opposite.
Any family portraits or pictures of relatives were packed in a big cardboard moving box.
Knickknacks, doo-dads and mementos were similarly relegated to the boxes -- with care, of course.
It stands to reason that prospective home-sellers want their house to look nice. And in the case of professional stagers, less is certainly more.
Stagers, professionals who arrange a home -- making it appear spacious, bright and clean -- in such a way as to maximize its selling potential, have been around for 35 years. Real estate agents sometimes take the training to become one, but it's not required.
Jane Ann Lance, a Mobile, Ala., resident and an Accredited Staging Professional trainer, had 52 of her students staging the Mohawk home as part of their course requirement to become accredited. The hands-on opportunity came about because one of Lance's students is the Realtor whose company is listing the home.
"Basically, decorating is personalizing a home and staging is depersonalizing a home without becoming sterile or too stark," Lance said as controlled chaos swirled around her, with stagers-to-be suggesting the positioning of a tables, couches, chairs, rugs and paintings in every room of the house.
Sellers' control
Lance said sellers have control over two things regarding their home: the price and how it shows.
"The ultimate goal is to show the value of the home," Lance said.
There are three components stagers look for when entering a room: cleanliness, clutter and color.
"We're talking Q-tip clean, we're talking operating-room clean," Lance said.
As for the clutter, Lance said owners are more apt to get sellers who focus on physical attributes of the house, and not an abundance of family photos, or a nice television.
Remove the clutter
Sheri Dirlan, 36, of Florham Park, who's starting her own staging business called "Room for Change," said the first thing she did when entering the home's family room was to look for a focal point. In this case it was the fireplace and the windows.
"We're going to make it more about the nice view, and about the focal point being the fireplace and not the television," she said.
Extra DVDs and videos were boxed up, as were any lingering magazines on the coffee table. She said the large, sectionalized wrap-around couch needed to be taken apart to make for more maneuverability. She also said there were too many bookcases and not enough floor space.
Julie Califano, a realtor with Coldwell Banker in Rumson, who completed the course and was there to offer advice, said that if a home has nice hardwood floors that are covered by a so-so rug, then the rug should be rolled up, exposing a nice selling point.
Lance stressed that the stagers do their job with care, and aren't out to hurt a homeowner's feelings by banishing their belongings -- which the owner may love -- to boxes. She said the way people live in their homes isn't what makes a home sell.
Color is the third aspect of staging. Lance said it helps to have the most appealing neutral colors on the walls and for the hotter colors to act as accents, be they on furniture or only on pillows.
Staggers work in groups

As you probably already know, Sharper Image recently filed for bankruptcy protection and will be closing 96 of its 184 stores.  One of the stores that will be closing is its Edgewater branch located at City Place on River Road.  We stopped by there yesterday to try to redeem a gift card.  Originally they weren't redeeming them at all, but they now have a policy where they will honor the full value of the gift card but only if you buy items that cost twice the value of the certificate.  For example a $40 gift card will be redeemed in full as long as you buy $80 in merchandise.

New Jersey - Hoboken Comes to Union City - Thread Building Condominiums - New York Times

"JC Fridays" is scheduled for tomorrow, March 7th. This is a free all-day event of art, music, dance, photography, theater, film, performances, and more at different locations throughout Jersey City. Maps will be available at the various event locations. For more details, you can visit http://www.jcfridays.com/

studio = 10 units
ave. price = $536,930
median price = $347,450
ave. days on market = 81
4 out 0f 10 of these units are located at 1500 Garden, Harborside Lofts.

one bedroom = 123 units
ave. price = $457,366
median price = $420,000
ave. days on market = 75

two bedroom = 207 units
ave. price = $623,018
median price = $589,900
ave. days on market = 99

three bedroom = 39 units
ave. price = $865,235
median price = $749,000
ave. days on market = 92

four bedroom = 2 units
ave. price = $1,770,000
ave. days on market = 83

There are currently 164 condo's under contract on the Hudson County MLS.

Information compiled on 03.05.08 from the Hudson County MLS. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

The Hudson Reporter - Hotels, office space, stores still risingCommercial space meets all needs in Hudson County

Stopped by the Meadowlands Exposition Center today to check out the All Breed Dog Show.  I got there too late to see the Chinese Crested's (my dogs breed) but I did catch some of the other categories, attached are a few pictures....