About Bergen County, NJ

New Trails at Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve

The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference has agreed to blaze and maintain trails at the Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve, located on Ewing Avenue and High Mountain Road. The Trail Conference has already cleared and blazed the two main trails: the Preserve Shoreline Loop, a 1.5 mile loop trail that circles the entire upper basin of the Nature Preserve; and the Island Bridges trail, a .5 mile trail which starts at the Preserve Shoreline Loop trail and extends into the scenic island areas. Another new feature is the informational kiosk which is located adjacent to the dam and parking area. The kiosk will exhibit maps and other Nature Preserve information.

John Moran, chair of the North Jersey Trails Committee of the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, who was instrumental in blazing the new trails, commented on the new trail network: "Helping to build the trails at Franklin Lake Nature Preserve has been a wonderful experience, with more improvements to follow. The Preserve is truly an amazing crown jewel amid attractive surrounding suburbs. The big beautiful lake is an eye catcher--with fishing, birding, and picnic opportunities along with plenty of scenery for photography. The forests, islands, dikes, dams and smaller ponds provide a wide variety of terrain and habitat to amble along with family and friends."

Since 1920, the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference has partnered with parks to create, protect, and promote a network of 1,800 miles of public trails in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan region. The Trail Conference main office is located in Mahwah, New Jersey.

The Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve, formerly known as the Haledon Reservoir, was acquired by the Borough of Franklin Lakes in 2006 from the Borough of Haledon, and was opened to the public in June 2011. It is a 120 acre site dedicated to hiking, fishing and birdwatching, which is open dawn to dusk every day. The entrance to the Nature Preserve is located on High Mountain Road.

Franklin Lakes Councilman Bill Smith encourages the public to experience the new trails, "When one considers the potential alternative uses of this property by private developers I believe the permanent preservation of these beautiful 120 acres in Franklin Lakes was essential to maintain the character of this community. I am thankful for the foresight of former Mayor Donch and the public officials who negotiated the purchase and obtained the State and County grants which financed the majority of the cost. I encourage everyone, especially anyone who still questions the decision, to spend a few hours on one of the trails now available to the public."

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/10/opinion/design-a-fix-for-the-housing-market.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

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Camelot 245 Prospect Avenue Hackensack NJ Condos

I am always fascinated to hear how much money desperate Sellers are willing to spend "Staging" their homes. It can run into the thousands of dollars, but for some reason, they are almost anxious to try it. These are the same Sellers who won't consider any kind of price reduction, but will throw away thousands of dollars, and hope their Realtor has good taste. If you are determined to go in that direction, I would encourage you, no, beg you, to visit your Realtor's own home before you make that commitment. Keep in mind that just because Realtors are supposed to know good homes from not-so-good-homes doesn't imbue us with decorating expertise. AND, even if a reasonably good result is achieved, I can assure you it won't be ever Buyer's taste, and that they would much rather have the money (reduction in price) so they can prioritize what they think the home needs.

Staging is great for the company doing the job, but it will never bring you a return on your investment. It's why so many people/companies who were in the staging business, five years ago, are long gone.

Don't wait to talk about these things until your home has been sitting for months on the market --- talk to the Realtors you interview before you sign a listing agreement. Among the important things to ask her/him is how and where they see your home among the homes in the price range their suggesting. Trust me --- pretty sells, and Buyers will talk themselves into living on a busy street if they fall in love with the house. But, you don't need a professional stager to accomplish that. As your Realtor how she feels about the way your home currently looks, and if she has any suggestions to inprove the first impression Buyers will have when they see it.

Fresh flowers, beautiful bowls of fruit (please don't put it in an old plastic bowl), hide all the clutter (only keep out the best of what you own), sinks and counters sparkling clean, kids' rooms and basement free of clutter (go to IKEA and get some colorful storage bins --- very cheap and pretty). Wash the windows, even the basement, scrub the front door and all the siding --- as Buyers wait to get it, their eyes are scanning the door and porch, and you want it to look great.

If you need some ideas, email me at lkate@kateconover.com, and I'll send you some info.