Why Choose Ridgewood NJ?

I think Nan Goldberg, Author of "Choosing a Hometown in NJ", put it best...

"Ridgewood is one of those suburban towns that seem just perfect, a leafy village with a self-sufficient downtown, neighborhoods of wonderful old houses, a low crime rate, no industry, one of North Jersey's best school systems, and a great recreation program".

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Why Choose Aloysius Donohue?

It's hard to answer this question myself without sounding like a complete blowhard so please click below to see what clients and local newspapers had to say.

Clients Are Saying...

Local Newspapers are Saying...

Click here to see some of my current listings.

Prior to entering the real estate field, I was a corporate and financial sales executive. My clients included many of the world's top banks and brokerage firms. The fact that I was able to compete and succeed at a very high level in the corporate world has helped me better understand and address the needs of my clients. The majority of my clients today are busy professionals and business owners and they appreciate the fact that I speak their language and understand the incredible demands on their time. I stay in constant touch with my clients not only through phone calls and face-to-face meetings but also through email, instant messaging, and web pages created specifically for my clients. Clients can view the status of the sale of their home, read feedback from agents that have shown their home and review the status of their personal marketing plan 24-hours-a-day via their personal web page.

I understand that technology is just a tool and it is really my focus on providing world class customer service that has enabled me to achieve great results for my clients.

Ridgewood Clients Are Saying...

Alicia Abdoo and Anthony Inzerillo - Ridgewood

Let me just start by saying...the only realtor you should use to sell your house is Al Donohue. We want to take him with us to our new location so that when we sell there, he could be our agent. Now let me tell you why we think Al is unsurpassable as a seller's agent.

Process: Al took us through the process of getting our home on the market - pricing, timing, marketing approach, preparation and staging with efficiency, professionalism, empathy and thoroughness beyond any realtor we have ever done business with. Al far exceeded our expectations and left no stone unturned.

Tools: Al applies technology to the greatest advantage of his clients. From his well designed websites, to his leveraging of wireless communications, to his internet statistics which give you a real time update of how many people are looking at your home via his website. With Al's use of technology nothing is overlooked and you get maximum exposure to the right buyer which is critical in the current market state.

Results: He sold our house in a "buyers" market in 3 days for well over asking price. The asking price he suggested and we agreed to was above what we originally thought the market would warrant but Al's expertise and savvy educated us and proved to be right on target.

Al Donohue is everything his marketing literature advertises. He instills confidence, integrity, expertise, honesty and sold our house in a difficult market in what we considered record time. Thanks Al.

Flavio and Andrea Paparella - Ridgewood via NYC

We can't say enough about how great it was working with you, Al. We had confidence in you from the start because it was clear you knew every inch of Ridgewood and you had honest, no-nonsense answers to all our questions. Your responsiveness was incredible. We couldn't believe how quickly you responded to our many emails and calls. I guess you must sleep with your Blackberry. Actually, what has impressed us most has been how your commitment to us, as clients, has continued long after our closing. You have been an invaluable resource for referrals and town information. And we were so grateful to be invited to your client appreciation BBQ so we can get to know some of our neighbors here in Ridgewood. If you ever need a recommendation please feel free to give out our number.

Frank Demarco - Ridgewood

My wife, Pam and I lived in our Ridgewood home for 27 years before deciding to make a move and lifestyle change. We spoke to Al Donohue about selling our house at the suggestion of a trusted friend and we were very pleased with his professionalism and recommended approach to marketing our home.

We found Al's business-like manor, straight forward outline of how he would handle our property and comprehensive marketing plan was very much to our liking. As a banker, I appraised houses early in my career. As such, Al and I decided to conduct separate appraisals of the house, then compare our findings to establish a sale price. Our appraisals were nearly the same with his coming in slightly higher than mine. We readily agreed on a listing price.

My wife and I felt good about his sincerity, professional formal proposal and his ability to manage the sale of our property. We decided to list with Al which proved to be a very important decision for us.

Since we had already contracted to purchase a new home, we wanted to sell in a timely manner. Al promised he could get the job done to our satisfaction. We believe that Al's marketing plan helped us sell our home in a very short period of time at a price higher than listed.

Our buyer was on assignment overseas when we listed and he was able to view Al's excellent web-based virtual tour of our home from the other side of the world and decide to make us an offer right away. He had lived in Bergen County before his overseas assignment and was familiar with the area. Al's virtual tour and marketing plan made the deal happen! Without it, a sale to this buyer was most unlikely.

Al did everything he proposed and his marketing plan was followed to the letter. We could not have been happier with Al as our realtor and now as our friend.

We are very pleased to recommend Al Donohue to manage the sale and/or purchase of your home. He is a very honest man and will work hard to sell or purchase your home.

Talk with Al and look at his formal proposal to market your home. We're sure you will be as impressed as we were and will be happy to have him manage your property.

Bill and Susan Horne - Ridgewood via London

Al's sales approach demonstrates his integrity - he provides detailed and balanced information to his clients and allows them to make the decisions, without being pushed. This is such a rare skill and was much appreciated during our home purchase. He is a professional who knows how to work with other professionals.

Our relocation from overseas seemed daunting until we started working with Al. He provided constant information on listings that met our criteria, followed it up with pertinent details that would help our decision making, and always followed through (no matter what the hour!) on the dozens of questions we threw at him. By the time we arrived in the USA, we were so prepared with information in advance that we made our housing decision within a matter of days. The transaction flowed seamlessly thanks to Al's diligence and his ownership of the process from end to end.

Not only did I get a great house and neighborhood as a result of meeting Al, I've also come away with a great friend. Al has continued to support our family with friendship, information and advice long after the sale. He is a true gem and I can offer my highest recommendation without hesitation."

Adam and Alison Bloomfield - Glen Rock

Al Donohue is like a dolphin. He keeps things light with perfectly timed splashes of humor and will do backflips to please his clients. He is genuine in his determination to treat all parties with respect and honesty. This sincerity and professionalism shines through to everyone's satisfaction during the negotiation process (and along the way). He returns phone calls and emails immediately, his virtual tour is beautiful, his approach refreshing and result-oriented, and his energy is unceasing. It has truly been a pleasure working with Al. Go ahead and test the waters with other agents but personally I'd choose to swim with Aloysius "The Dolphin" Donohue again!

Tom and Paul O'Connor - Ridgewood via London

We are very happy we chose Al Donohue as our realtor for our recent transatlantic move to Ridgewood.

Al's efforts far exceeded our expectations and in our opinion went well beyond the call of duty. Al assisted us in finding a town, a neighborhood, a house and friends - all of which made our big move very easy. Our move was not typical in any sense; we required individual attention and Al more than delivered against our needs on every step of the process. Al enabled us to quickly recognize how well every available property fit or matched with what we were looking for; through Al we could clearly see the pros and cons of each property across a wide range of factors, resulting in the purchase of a home that is perfect for us.

I can't say enough about the quality of Al's work, I recommend him to anyone considering a move in the Bergen County area.

We now consider Al to be a friend and enjoy spending time with his family, he is a fantastic guy.

John and Ginny Fitzgerald - Ridgewood

In recently selling our house in Ridgewood, New Jersey, we were extremely fortunate in finding Al Donohue as our Realtor.

Al has been a real pleasure to work with. Not only is he a consummate professional, but he went out of his way to make what is usually a painful process quite the reverse. He is industrious, knows his business, innovative, totally honest, and keeps you fully informed. I can't imagine that anyone does it better than Al does. On top of all this he has a great sense of humor !!!

Al gave us great advice in how to prepare our home for sale and as a result the house sold in 17 days for the price we wanted...what more can you ask?

We would be more than happy to provide more information and to verify the above in person or by telephone.

This is one recommendation for which we can be totally honest.....Al is a great guy who does his job just the way it should be done......a true professional.

Richard and Jill Eichen - Ramsey

"Hey Al - It was good to hear from you today. Your ears must have been ringing this weekend - I took your travel mug to our flag football game and mentioned to several people how great it was working with you. We couldn't have been happier with your handling of the sale of our old home and the purchase of our new home. You are the best. Keep in touch.

Bill and Denise Burniston, - Ramsey

"Al Donohue is the best Realtor I have ever worked with - full stop. I say this for two reasons. 1) You can always trust that Al has your best interests in mind and 2) Al does not waste your time. Of the two, the trust factor is most important to me. There were times when Al pointed out issues that I knew would hurt his chances of closing the deal, but he did it anyway, because he was most concerned with doing what was right for me and my family."

Maurice and Mona Vort, Ho Ho Kus

"Al, we can't thank you enough for all of your help during this very trying process. You delivered as promised and sold our home quickly and got us the price we wanted. However, what I really wanted to thank you most for was your caring attention to detail. You really went the extra mile for us and we will not forget it. You promptly returned every phone call and took care of every minor detail from taking photos of our home to looking into our flood insurance to giving us a ride to the closing. This took so much pressure off our shoulders. We knew from the outset that you had everything under control. I won't say that leaving Ho Ho Kus was easy after over 20 years here but I will say working with you did make the transition much easier. I wish you all the best and please have your prospective clients give us a call. We would love to tell them all about you. "

Jennifer Pollinger - Ridgewood

"Al - I really wanted to thank you for everything....especially for restoring my faith in Realtors...well maybe just you!

I also wanted to ask you if you ever get involved in relocation services. We have a few employees who are moving south but I know you are not licensed there. If you send me some of your cards too, I will put them at the front desk since people here move all the time, I would like to throw all the business your way!

Hope you are enjoying your summer....take care and stay in touch!

Patrick and Peg Borrelli - Fair Lawn

"Al - Just wanted to thank you for all your hard work and help in providing for a thoroughly painless move and for your thoughtful housewarming gift. Still getting settled here but we are loving it. Hope to unpack sometime this year.

Tom and Debra Curley - Ridgewood via New York City

"We feel very fortunate to have had Al as our realtor. He is a true professional in every sense of the word. He was extremely attentive to detail, always available at a moment's notice and kept us on an even keel throughout a rather trying process.

My wife and I spent time with various agents, and until we met Al, lost faith that we would meet a "professional" realtor. Al is all that and more. He is always available with terrific advice for anything you could imagine and he made our transition to Ridgewood as smooth as possible.

Simply put, he exceeded all expectations and I would not hesitate for a moment to refer him to family and friends considering the move to Bergen County. "

Joe Maturo, Hilray Properties General Contracting - Wyckoff

I have been building homes in Bergen County for a number of years and have worked with various real estate representatives to both purchase properties and sell the homes we build. In 2005, a trusted business associate told me that I should speak to a very professional and effective real estate representative named Al Donohue. At our first meeting, it was clear that Al's work was clearly superior to the many real estate professionals with whom I have worked in the past. Not only did Al present market comparables to the home I was selling, but he also presented an extremely comprehensive marketing program, analytical reports of results and follow-up protocol for realtors and prospective purchasers. It was clear through the professionalism of his presentation that Al had utilized his Wall Street sales experience to take real estate sales representation to a much higher level. From that point, I knew that I had aligned my business with a professional who would work with my interests as if they were his own.

As our initial home sale project moved forward, I believe that Al did a great job in positioning the home and presenting it to interested parties. At every point during that process I felt I was very well informed and confident that Al was doing everything that could be done to sell the home. Once an offer was received, Al worked diligently to bring the transaction to a successful conclusion.

My initial impression of Al was fulfilled throughout the sales process and successful conclusion of the home sale. As a result of that experience, Al now handles all of my home sale assignments. I really appreciate working with such a diligent, hard-working professional.

Matt and Keri Donofrio - Ridgewood

"Al, you have been absolutely amazing to work with. What else can I say? We didn't have much luck selling our home on our own and yet you came in and sold it in 16 days for substantially more than we had been advertising it for. I have to be honest and say that when you told us you understood the internet better than any other Realtor, I thought you were tooting your own horn a bit too much. But in hindsight, I would now say your claim was an understatement. You really did have some very innovative marketing ideas. However, it was the amount of feedback you provided on the showings, your knowledge of the market and the high degree of personalized service that made you, without question, the best Realtor we have ever worked with. The bottom line is, you saved us time and money during this process. We would be happy to speak to any of your prospective clients on your behalf."

Brian and Dianne Belski - Ridgewood via Minnesota

To Whom It May Concern: Namely, those looking for a realtor in Bergen County, New Jersey, USA

Subject: The Move from Minnesota to "Jersey."

From: The Belski Family

ife has its interesting twists and turns, and the Belski Family has certainly experienced our fair share. While the majority of our family's existence has taken place in Minnesota, we are relative veterans of relocating, including the ownership of five different homes and prior stops in Los Angeles and Kansas City. But a move to Jersey? come on!

After one year of commuting between New York and Minneapolis for job purposes, we decided to take the plunge. We initially focused our search on Essex County, when another realtor there referred us to Aloysius. We decided to meet at Starbucks in Ridgewood on a cloudy Saturday in June. As we pondered aloud whether or not we would ever see the sun in New Jersey, Al calmed our fears.

Al came prepared - including an itinerary for the day and literature on each scheduled showing, as well as Ridgewood propaganda and sports information for our kids that we requested. However, we pre-warned Al that we were "speedy house reviewers - even with our children along." Al "claimed" he shortened the time between showings, but we were quickly ahead of schedule. He was shocked, so I snapped-back an obligatory "told you so." Al immediately went into "Jersey Mode" and felt comfortable enough to chide me right back. We loved it, especially the "Jersey Talk" accent and all! The next time we got together for showings, Al was even more prepared. He shortened the duration of showings (we still ran ahead of schedule) and increased his "comedy output."

Al quickly discerned what we were looking for and tailored the search accordingly. As we narrowed down our choices, Al only interjected when prompted, and was very respectful to our ongoing family dialogue about each property and all associated details. In between, Al did his best impression of the mayor, city councilperson, goodwill ambassador of Ridgewood, by showing us the sites and providing us with data, background and propaganda. As a result, Ridgewood quickly surpassed Essex County.

After an exhaustive search of over 40 homes, we made an offer, rescinded an offer, and found ourselves back in Minnesota with limited visibility on our future. It was Al's care and concern that helped us weather the storm. Al put Plan B together and Dianne flew back out to New York to spend a day in Ridgewood and one in Essex County. Needless to say, we never made it back to Essex County. Al flexed his Ridgewood muscle and mystic and we ultimately found the right property for us. However, we can not over-emphasize Al's care and patience (especially during the late stages of our house-hunting). We have encountered several realtors during our nomadic existence, and Aloysius is by far the most consistently caring and proficient.

Contrary to the majority of other realty professionals, Mr. Donohue's relationship does not end once the transaction ceases. That is where the value add begins! Al has been increasingly gracious toward our family and incredibly helpful in topics ranging from doctors to shopping to insurance to restaurants. This speaks to his commitment to you as a client, and ultimately as a friend (whether you like it or not).

So, if you are looking to move to "Joizee" - look no further than Aloysius Donohue. He exemplifies the "Four C's" of any good realtor, let alone person: Calm, Comfort, Competent and Caring.

Pat Brawley and Joanne Chase - Ridgewood

Al Donohue is truly the role model for all real estate agents. Al genuinelycares for the clients he works for and cares for the community. Whether you are selling your house or buying a house, I would not want any other agent working for me. Al is an expert in knowing the community and prepared an honest and realistic approach when it came to pricing our house for sale, as well as giving sound advice throughout the entire process knowing what was in our best interest.

Our personal experience with Al started with a visit to our home to explain in detail every aspect of his services; Al viewed the house to give an accurate assessment of the property, and gave an honest price range that the house would probably sell for. This part of the service is crucial, too many agents tell their customers what they want to hear, and it is not always in the client's ultimate best interest. Al has the best marketing plan I have ever seen, and I have worked with many agents in the past.

Al gave recommendations to prepare the house for sale and set the date. After one open house, and one agent tour, we had an offer on the house. Al set the pace for the marketing and selling price, which was right on the mark. This is what you want in an agent, who truly has your best interest in mind.

If you are looking for the full package with an honest approach and excellent communication, then Al Donohue is,in my opinion the most qualified agent in Bergen County.