Thursday, September 6, 2007
Short Hills is a top notch community on the doorsteps of the Big Apple. If you relocate to Short Hills, you are relocating to a very nice area that is a hop, skip and jump from the big city.
If you plan to relocate to Short Hills, New Jersey, you are actually planning a relocate to Millburn. This township, located in the county of Essex in the state of New Jersey, is a thriving “bedroom” community for New York City and especially Manhattan. Short Hills is what is considered a hamlet, and while it has its own post office, zip code and railroad station it does not have its own government. Rather, as has always been the case since its inception in 1874, Short Hills is under the governance of Millburn.
While the average income of a household in the whole of Millburn, New Jersey is around $130,848, household incomes in Short Hills are found to be significantly higher – around $200,000 a year. It is home to many executives, as well as owners of large companies that do their business in NYC. The size of the part of Millburn that is known as Short Hills is 1552 acres in size, while the entire town encompasses 9.4 square miles. The average cost of a new home in the township of Millburn is $549,000 – and this figure has been inflated by the many “McMansions” built in the Short Hills area.
There are several special locations and monuments within Short Hills that make this area different from the surrounding township. The Arboretum at Short Hills was developed by the daughter of the founder of Short Hills, Stuart Hartshorn. There is also a memorial tree (planted in 2002) for those who perished in the September 11, 2001 attacks, and in 2001 the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center was opened in Short Hills.
As with the rest of Millburn, New Jersey, a relocate to Short Hills will get you into a climate that is alternately cold in the winter (with lows around 20ºF) and hot in the summer (highs around 85ºF). The sunshine here is less than the norm throughout the US, and there is more precipitation. The ratios of men to women (48.5% male, 51.5% female) are just slightly off of the country's average, and the religious preference in the area is Judaism.
Short Hills, New Jersey is also an area of many cultural heritages – with those of Italian descent (13.5%) being the most prevalent. About 14.7% of the population of Millburn, New Jersey, is foreign born. More than 70% of the population here is married (out of those above the age of 15) and 30.3% of the town commutes out of the area for work. A definite bedroom community, Short Hills (within Millburn township) is a good place to live if you want to spend your time working in one of the large cities nearby (such as Newark or NYC).
Lou Ross is with MovingCompaniesforYou.com - information on moving to New Jersey.
The Value of The Open House
One of the most visible and recognizable aspects of selling a home is the open house. As long as homes have been sold, the open house has been part of the sellers repertoire. And for good reason. However in today's real estate market, the concept of the open house has changed rather dramatically. In years past the open house was a major selling tool for owners and realtors. It was used to showcase the home and draw prospective buyers in so that they could experience the home for themselves.
But, the real estate market has changed quite dramatically. I will say that the same things still happen with open houses. It is still used to showcase homes however, the target market has evolved. In a day and age where marketing has become ever more critical to home sales, the open house has evolved into more of a marketing tool. Homes are typically showcased more on the internet on the realtor's own site and local area's MLS listings page, whereas the open house has become a good way to market a given home to other agents. Often there are two different kinds of open houses that are held, one for the public, and one exclusively for buyer's agents.
One of the largest problems with open houses is that not all who look are qualified buyers. Most of the people who attend the classic open house are merely "having a look." There is also the fact that it can be a real hit and miss situation with viewers who are actually planning on buying. Far more progress is usually made at the open house held for buyer's agents.
That being said there is still quite a bit of positives that come from the open house. It helps to gain attention for the home and the more agents that are aware of the listing, the more potential customers will have access to it. Also, of buyers ave searched the local MLS listings, then they may have already seen the home and the open house is a great opportunity to have a closer look.
VIP Realty is an experienced team of professional real estate experts serving Dallas Texas, and the surrounding areas. For more info on real estate in the Lone Star State come and visit VIP Realty.
The Comparative Market Analysis
When preparing for the sale of your home, one of the most useful tools in the repertoire of the real estate agent is the CMA. A comparative market analysis. This is the best way to approximate the selling price of your home, and is dependant on several factors. A typical CMA will begin by looking at homes that have been sold in your area in the past months. Many aspects of these sales are carefully evaluated such as the closing price, improvements that were made, number of rooms, bathrooms, square footage and property size. Also considered are comparable homes that are currently listed in your area. In doing this, it allows your agent to price your home competitively in the market so that it will garner the attention that it deserves.
In pricing your home it is always a good idea to defer to someone who is not emotionally attached to the home in question. The value that you associate with your home is based in a worth that cannot be easily translated into a number. You have years of memories and history in your home that to you is no doubt, priceless. A good agent will realize this fact, but will also be able to look at your home with a sense of detachment that you will not be able to achieve. One of the major downfalls of homes priced by the owners is that they are priced too high. Homes that are priced out of their appropriate market tend to sell much slower than homes that have been priced correctly. Remember, it is vital to utilize the services of a professional Realtor in order to ensure that your home is properly priced so that it can sell quickly and without issue.
Adeal is a member of the REW Writers Team. A collective publication network facilitated by Real Estate Webmasters. Each article is contributed by a member of our real estate community. This particular article was submitted on behalf of Adeal Benhayoun, your choice for Austin Texas Real Estate.
