Gil and I are always on the lookout for fun and unique things to do, and the upcoming week is chock-full of excitement! We lucked out by visiting the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission, and here's what we found:
On Saturday, March 10, come out for Pysanky, a traditional Ukrainian egg decorating workshop. Two sessions are planned, one from 10am to noon and the second from 1:30-3:30pm. Space is limited so register early. Participants will learn to design and create their own patterned egg, using beeswax, a stylus and dyes, following the centuries old traditions of the Ukraine. Master artist Olga Kobryn will lead the session at the East Jersey Olde Towne Village in Piscataway. There is a mandatory $15 fee for supply materials that must be paid in advance in order for your supplies to be ordered. Participants must be at least 13 years of age. Call the Commission for a brochure and registration form at 732.745.4489.
Take a Celtic music journey with Heather Mulvey, on Sunday, March 11 at 2:00pm, East Jersey Olde Towne Village (free of charge but prior registration is a must). Call the Commission at 732.745.4489. Performing the traditional songs of her homeland such as Wild Mountain Thyme, Ms. Mulvey will usher in the Spring Celebration at the Village, with song and acoustic guitar. She performs ancient Irish folk songs, having learned her craft from generations of storytellers and musicians in her family.
Finally, on March 14, join Mick Moloney forIrish Music, Song and Dance, at 7:00pm, in the South Amboy High School, located on John T. O'Leary Blvd., 200 Governor Harold Hoffman Plaza, South Amboy. Mick Moloney's extraordinary talents and recognized expertise were called upon by PBS Television when they were making the documentary Out of Ireland and again for their 1998 special entitled The Irish in America: Long Journey Home. Mick will sing and perform on the mandolin and banjo. Mr. Moloney is the recipient of the National Heritage Award from National Endowment for the Arts - the highest accolade conferred by America to its master folk artists. The concert is free of charge, but registration is required, as this is one of the most popular programs the Commission offers. Call the Commission at 732.745.4489.
Do you know of a special (or just FUN) event taking place in central New Jersey? Leave your comments and let us know! After you've enjoyed the fun, be sure to come back and tell us about your experiences – we want to hear what YOU think!
The Marchany Team KNOWS central New Jersey. We're right where you are, whether you're in South Brunswick or Monroe (Middlesex County). If you're looking for a terrific new home in Mercer County, we're prepared to search for your place in the sun in Princeton Junction, East Windsor, West Windsor, and Robbinsville. And if you're ready to put your Franklin Park or Hillsborough (Somerset County) home on the market, we're prepared to find the buyers who are looking for your home. Call The Marchany Team today at (732) 997-0019, and don't forget to “Like” us on Facebook! We are dedicated to helping you in every way possible.
If you're like Gil and me, you're already calculating your tax return and considering the deductions and credits to which we may or may not be entitled. HouseLogic offers several mistakes that home owners tend to make, and we wanted to share them to help you avoid running afoul of the IRS. They are:
Deducting the wrong year for property taxes: On your federal forms, enter the amount you actually paid in 2011, regardless of the date is on your tax bill.
Confusing escrow amount for actual taxes paid: The regular amount you pay into your escrow account each month to cover property taxes is probably a little more or a little less than your property tax bill. Your lender will adjust the amount every year or so to realign the two. Don’t just add up 12 months of escrow property tax payments.
Deducting points paid to refinance: If you paid $2,000 in points to refinance into a 15-year mortgage, your tax deduction is $133 per year.
Failing to deduct private mortgage insurance: The deduction begins to phase out once your adjusted gross income reaches $100,000 and disappears entirely when your AGI surpasses $109,000.
Misjudging the home office tax deduction: It’s complicated, often doesn’t amount to much of a deduction, has to be recaptured if you turn a profit when you sell your home, and can pique the IRS’s interest in your return.
Failing to track home-related expenses: File documents as you go. For example, save each manufacturer’s certification statement for energy tax credits, insurance company statements for PMI, and lender or government statements to confirm property taxes paid.
Forgetting to keep track of capital gains: If you sold your main home last year, don’t forget to pay capital gains taxes on any profit. However, you can exclude $250,000 (or $500,000 if you’re a married couple) of any profits from taxes.
Filing incorrectly for energy tax credits: If you made eligible improvements, complete Form 5695. Read the instructions carefully.
Claiming too much for the mortgage interest tax deduction: You can deduct mortgage interest only up to $1 million of mortgage debt.
Please note that this is NOT tax or legal adviceapplicable to particular transactions or circumstances. Consult a tax professional for such advice; tax laws may vary by jurisdiction.
The Marchany Team KNOWS central New Jersey. We're right where you are, whether you're in South Brunswick or Monroe (Middlesex County). If you're looking for a terrific new home in Mercer County, we're prepared to search for your place in the sun in Princeton Junction, East Windsor, West Windsor, and Robbinsville. And if you're ready to put your Franklin Park or Hillsborough (Somerset County) home on the market, we're prepared to find the buyers who are looking for your home. Call The Marchany Team today at (732) 997-0019, and don't forget to “Like” us on Facebook! We are dedicated to helping you in every way possible.
You may believe that selling your central New Jersey home is impossible in today’s market. Like Keeping Current Matters, we know that you're asking yourself what you could possibly do to turn this housing market around. You need to know that around the country, thousands of homes sold yesterday, thousands will sell today and thousands will sell each and every day from now until the end of the year.
It is totally within your power to guarantee that your house will sell even in the current market. You're probably looking at the screen, wondering if Gil and I are crazy to say that. Let’s look at the simplicity of the famous Serenity Prayer and apply it to selling a home in today’s real estate market.
“Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.”
First, accept the things you cannot change. The two main reasons that the housing prices have softened:
the current economy
the inventory of distressed properties (foreclosures and short sales)
As an individual homeowner, there is no way for you to impact either of those two situations. The best think-tanks in the country are struggling to discover solutions.
Then, have the courage to change the things you can. There is not a vacuum of buyers in the market. There is a vacuum of homes a buyer in today’s market will purchase. Could you sell your home today for $1? … $1,000 … $10,000? Of course you could. There are plenty of buyers in the market for a home they consider priced “right.” You have to decide what the correct price is for your home if you truly want to sell. If you want your house sold, you must list it at a price a buyer will pay for it. Not a buyer from 2006, but today’s buyer who has plenty of homes from which to choose.
It will take courage to sit down with us and honestly decipher the true value of your home. If you want to sell, you must have that courage.
Finally, have the wisdom to know the difference. We all realize that the economic situation will take some time to correct. If we want to wait for prices to return to 2006 levels, we will probably have to wait for at least five years.
Look at the reason you decided to sell in the first place, and decide whether the extra money you would get from the sale is worth that wait. Is money more important than being with family? Is money more important than your health? Is money more important than having the freedom to go on with your life the way you think you should?
This is where your wisdom must kick in. You already know the answers to the questions we just asked. You have the power to take control of the situation by pricing your home to guarantee it sells. The time has come for you and your family to move on and start living the life you desire.
The Marchany Team KNOWS central New Jersey. We're right where you are, whether you're in South Brunswick or Monroe (Middlesex County). If you're looking for a terrific new home in Mercer County, we're prepared to search for your place in the sun in Princeton Junction, East Windsor, West Windsor, and Robbinsville. And if you're ready to put your Franklin Park or Hillsborough (Somerset County) home on the market, we're prepared to find the buyers who are looking for your home. Call The Marchany Team today at (732) 997-0019, and don't forget to “Like” us on Facebook! We are dedicated to helping you in every way possible.
We're wondering if central New Jersey home owners have noticed abandoned patches of land in their community suddenly springing to life? It could be the work of an underground movement called guerrilla gardening — the practice of taking unused land and planting it with flowers and shrubs, just to beautify the area a bit.
According to HouseLogic, a group of British women are bringing the same concept to light — except their aim is not only to beautify, but to feed their neighborhood. Pam Warhurst and Mary Clear of Todmorden, West Yorkshire, believe flowers are well and good, but planting vegetables in public spaces would benefit their town much more. Incredible Edible Todmorden replaces flowers in public gardens with vegetables, then invites local residents to help themselves to ripe veggies whenever they like, free of charge. This means food has to travel much fewer miles to get to hungry mouths, reducing impact on the environment.
Within 10 years, they aim to have their town producing their own fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy products.
Norah Hamill, who runs a similar project in the nearby town of Huddersfield, encourages her neighbors to plant vegetables wherever possible — back yards, public gardens, schools, even cemeteries. Shopkeepers and café owners are invited to put container gardens outside their establishments, and passersby can pick at will.
Occasional acts of vandalism, or people taking more than their fair share, can be expected, but organizers still say the educational and environmental benefits outweigh this risk.
Incredible Edible Todmorden and Incredible Edible Huddersfield have already been inundated with donated seeds, tools, and volunteers. Other nearby towns, such as Wilmslow and Wakefield, are following suit with their own community agriculture.
Do you think Americans would be open to adopting this practice?
The Marchany Team KNOWS central New Jersey. We're right where you are, whether you're in South Brunswick or Monroe (Middlesex County). If you're looking for a terrific new home in Mercer County, we're prepared to search for your place in the sun in Princeton Junction, East Windsor, West Windsor, and Robbinsville. And if you're ready to put your Franklin Park or Hillsborough (Somerset County) home on the market, we're prepared to find the buyers who are looking for your home. Call The Marchany Team today at (732) 997-0019, and don't forget to “Like” us on Facebook! We are dedicated to helping you in every way possible.
Winters on the eastern seaboard can be rough, as any central New Jersey home owner will tell you. Everyone spends more time indoors, and the family room more than lives up to its name! We turned to our friends at HouseLogic for information about how to save energy in the family gathering place where fun—a video game console, TV, DVR, DVD, and stereo system—comes at a cost reflected monthly in your energy bill. Good news! You can save up to $130 a year in energy costs by recharging, reducing, and replacing energy-sapping electronics. Let's look at ways to have family fun, and save money, too.
Select Energy Star-rated electronics. The three biggest energy hogs in the family room are the plasma television, DVR/TiVo box, and digital cable box, says the nonprofit American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, which promotes energy efficiency to consumers and government policymakers.
A typical plasma TV (less than 40 inches) consumes 441 kilowatt hours of electricity per year. That translates into about $50 (based on 11.3 cents per kilowatt hour). Next up are TiVo devices at $41 annually, followed by digital cable boxes at $27. Both devices are always on because they constantly receive and download data. Opting for an LCD (liquid crystal display) TV, which costs $8 per year to operate, saves you about $42/year.
Reduce standby power. The energy that’s wasted when electronic devices are plugged in, but not in use—represents about $100 per year in the average household’s electricity costs, says Energy Star. Assuming the family room represents about 15% of your electricity bill, you could save about $15 per year with smart standby practices.
Unplug rarely-used electronics (like that karaoke machine), and cluster other appliances, even adapters for cell phones and digital cameras, onto power strips ($3 to $12 for a six-outlet strip). Power strips allow you to turn off all attached electronics with one switch. Unfortunately, some family room electronics, such as set-top boxes and downloading devices like TiVo, can’t be turned off, because that would disrupt the digital data-gathering you’ve programmed them to do. But with a smart power strip ($20 to $40), you can turn off your TV while leaving the DVR plugged in.
Become computer efficient. Your computer eats energy, too. To reduce consumption: Turn off monitors when not in use; put your computer in sleep mode when you sleep; use LCD flat screen monitors, rather than CRT monitors, and switch from a desktop to a battery-powered laptop, which uses less energy.
Invest in rechargeable batteries. They won’t reduce your electric bill, but you’ll save on batteries for your video game system and other entertainment remotes. You’ll help the environment, too. For every rechargeable battery you buy, you prevent at least 500 single-use batteries from entering the waste stream, according to PJ Stafford, founder of Green Irene, an eco-consulting company that provides energy and environmental makeovers to home owners.
Rechargeable AA and AAA batteries cost $3 to $3.50 each, versus 75 cents to $1 for disposables; a charger costs $25 to $30. That investment, in lieu of 500 batteries over four years, adds up to $310 to $445 in savings.
The Marchany Team KNOWS central New Jersey. We're right where you are, whether you're in South Brunswick or Monroe (Middlesex County). If you're looking for a terrific new home in Mercer County, we're prepared to search for your place in the sun in Princeton Junction, East Windsor, West Windsor, and Robbinsville. And if you're ready to put your Franklin Park or Hillsborough (Somerset County) home on the market, we're prepared to find the buyers who are looking for your home. Call The Marchany Team today at (732) 997-0019, and don't forget to “Like” us on Facebook! We are dedicated to helping you in every way possible.
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The Marchany Home Team specializes in residential resale, new construction, investment properties, short sales and foreclosures. We're prepared to meet all of your central NJ real estate needs.
The Marchany Home Selling Team has just one priority – YOUR SATISFACTION!We believe that buying and selling real estate is one of the most important activities you'll ever undertake, and we're committed to making your transaction as pleasant as possible. Through their complementary skill sets, Lorraine and Gil have developed a strong reputation among clients for delivering results based on experience, success, and service.
Lorraine Marchany's referring clients speak highly of her character, integrity, and commitment to service.Lorraine is a seasoned real estate professional with nearly 20 years of combined commercial and residential experience. She holds a certificate in Real Estate from Baruch College, City University of New York. Lorraine's broad 
background includes oversight of prime New York City commercial and retail space, client service management, sales support and lease administration. Lorraine's unique experiences provide her with a different perspective, as well as the skill set necessary to represent clients from a position of knowledge and strength when negotiating price and terms.
Additionally, Lorraine is an accredited Home Stager, who enjoys providing guidance and counsel to home sellers, to best position their homes in the marketplace.
Gilbert Marchanyis a proven senior sales and marketing manager who has hired and trained over 1,000 salespersons. Gil has spent over 20 years learning the necessary skills to achieve stellar success in direct sales.
Gil's background in sales, marketing and strategy has strongly empowered him as a real estate professional. He is able to provide the research and analysis required to help both home sellers and buyers to better understand current market conditions affecting their real estate purchase; and provide home sellers with property specific marketing plans that are truly customized.
The Marchany Home Selling Team knows and understands the New Jersey market.Whether you're selling or buying, contact Lorraine and Gil for a real estate transaction tailored to meet all of your unique needs.
The Marchany Home Selling Team is everywhere you want to be in central New Jersey! Lorraine and Gil's primary focus is in South Brunswick (Middlesex County). They also serve Monroe in Middlesex County. If you're in Mercer 
County, The Marchany Team will help you find your perfect home in Princeton Junction, East Windsor, West Windsor, and Robbinsville. If you need to sell a home in Franklin Park or Hillsborough (Somerset County), Lorraine and Gil are ready and willing to find the buyers looking for your home!
In the twentieth century, South Brunswick saw extensive transformation as a result of American industrial technology. The New Jersey Turnpike opened in 1951 on the eastern edge of the Township. One notable effect of the Turnpike was the transformation of the agricultural area on the southeast corner of South Brunswick to that of a burgeoning industrial development.
With increased mobility and a growing population, suburban residential development began after the Second World War. Since the early 1900's, the town has matured from a tranquil and rustic farming community to a vibrant, diverse and active suburban town. While South Brunswick has been growing rapidly, much of the town's 42 square miles remain undeveloped, and there are still significant amounts of wetlands, woodlands and open space within the community. There are presently over 2,000 acres of municipal, county and state park land within South Brunswick, and the town is committed to pursuing the purchase of additional open space lands to maintain the quality of life within the community. 
Today, Middlesex County is a thriving part of New Jersey. It's close to New York, and an easy trip to Philadelphia, yet retains small-town warmth and personality. The area had a 2009 population of nearly 800,000; South Brunswick's population was close to 40,000. The estimated median household income in 2009 was $75,531, and the estimated median house or condominium value at that time was $348,100. Median monthly housing costs for homes and condos with a mortgage are $2,348. The primary employers in the area are Rutgers University, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Merrill Lynch and Company.
Lorraine and Gil Marchany perform constant research to ensure that your home is effectively priced from day one. Once it's listed, they use cutting edge advertising and marketing techniques to attract potential buyers. Work with the area's ultimate professionals – The Marchany Home Selling Team has the professional experience and expertise – as well as the personal integrity – to make your next central New Jersey real estate transaction completely smooth and hassle-free.
"Gil encouraged us to discuss [each] property, gave us some supporting research and kept us focused on our goal. From the beginning of our working together, we never felt rushed, and Lorraine and Gil demonstrated care and concern for our needs and specific home search criteria. They were knowledgeable about the marketplace, current conditions and property value, and always willing to discuss.
"They made it very clear that it was not their job to sell us a house, but to help us find the right home...at the right price for our family no matter how long it may take. Their honesty and integrity in that respect was displayed throughout our home search. They were diligent and patience.
"The home buying process, even for those like us who have purchased previously, can seem at times a stressful experience with many unknowns. However, we found those times easier to bear as a result of Lorraine and Gil's positive outlook, negotiation and problem solving skills, and accessibility. They were persistent in helping us achieve our goal of finding the right home and provided high level of commitment and service. We would certainly feel comfortable in recommending them to our family, friends and neighbors who maybe thinking about buying or selling a property.” Rajiv Mallick
"Lorraine did an excellent job matching me to my first home. She was always accessible and went out of her way to make sure my first home purchase went well. I'll always remember her positive attitude, staunch determination and great personality during our house hunting time together." John Magliula
“Brian and I just wanted to thank you for all of your help throughout this process. It has been great working with you and we will be sure to refer to any friends we have selling/buying houses in the area.” Joanie Layden
“I'm writing to thank you...for all your help in selling my home. I appreciate you and Gil coming over to show my home when I wasn't available. I also appreciate all the open house days at my home and the innovative marketing plan you implemented to sell my home. Obviously it worked. I will recommend the professional Marchany Team to all my friends.” John Casullo
“The Marchany Team has an excellent knowledge of the market, new regulations relating to HUD and made a very precise assessment of the price at which we would be able to sell our home. In these tough times when the housing market is in the dumps and homes remain on the market for an average period of 2 to 4 months they were able to help us sell our home in 3 weeks. They understood exactly what our requirements for our new home were and were very proactive in the entire process. They had an excellent follow up too. We will definitely recommend them to any person we know who are in the process of buying and selling their homes.” Arshad and Sameena Kallagawa
"Thank you very much for the hard work you both have done in selling our home. We greatly appreciated your determination and patience, and most importantly, the fact that you managed to sell our property within the given time frame. Because of that, we were able to close on the sale of our "old" house and the buy of our new home on the same day. And all this during a time of an economic crisis in which the real estate market was in a down turn. We doubt that we would have gotten those kind of results from any other agent.
When we talked to both of you, we knew that we had found the right partners. Your marketing plan made sense, you presented the best package of real estate selling tools, and you immediately had a calm and realistic approach which put us at ease during this difficult time of recession and financial instability.
Within a few days after you started to market our house we had our first offer already and after three months you found us a buyer. Lorraine, [you] were the calm voice in times when unreasonable buyers dropped their bids after we had started the attorney review and left us with major uncertainty. Gil always provided us with all the financial information and backed up Lorraine perfectly when needed.
You both kept an active communication approach during the whole marketing process and we always had the feeling that you both are on top of things, even during difficult times. We felt that we could always trust your judgment and the final result speaks for itself. We will definitely be back should we ever need to buy or sell a home again, and we will certainly recommend your services to our friends and business partners if needed." Rainer & Lisa Schwam
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