Nancy Chu

IT’S OUR WAY OF GIVING BACK TO OUR COMMUNITIES. JOIN US! RED (Renew, Energize and Donate) Day is a Keller Williams Realty service initiative dedicated to improving our local communities. KW associates in the US and Canada are donating their time on Thursday, May 13, 2010 to renew and energize aspects of their local communities. Help Montclair’s Keller Williams Towne Square office clean up Montclair! WHERE: Glenfield Park & The Glen behind Glenfield Middle School. WHEN: May 13th, 2-5 PM. Gloves and clean-up materials provided. MORE INFO / RSVP: Nancy Chu, 917-992-3098 or nancychu_homes@yahoo.com. KELLER WILLIAMS TOWNE SQUARE REALTY– 973-783-7400 This event generously sponsored by: Mortgage Master Inc., Wayne, NJ Esposito Insurance Group, Nutley, NJ Foundation Title, LLC, Morristown, NJ

In a market where prices have come down, home owners have a lot to gain by appealing their property assessments - especially for owners who may be looking to sell in the next year or two, higher taxes can really deter potential home buyers. If you are planning on selling your home soon, now is the time to appeal you assessment - the deadline is April 1^st, 2010 to file the appeal - don't miss it!

The best avenue of appeal is hiring a tax appeal attorney, and barring that, hiring a professional appraiser who can testify at your appeals hearing. Those solutions are all quite pricey, costing at a minimum, $1000. If you are an intrepid home owner and would like to give it a shot on your own, please note the instructions forwarded to me.

TAX APPEAL INSTRUCTIONS

The form (A-1Petition of Appeal) for an appeal to the County Board of Taxation may be downloaded from the NJACTB site. The link is: http://www.njactb.org/

At the Home/Welcome page, select "Forms" from the list near the top. At the "page not found" page that follows, type "A-1 Petition of Appeal" in the search window at the top right and click on Submit. THE FORM MUST BE PRINTED ON LEGAL SIZED PAPER.

Information needed to fill out the form may be obtained by selecting "Record Search" at the NJACTB Home/Welcome page. Form may be filled out by hand.

1. Select County
2. Select Municipality
3. Type Street address in the "Location" section, i.e. 123 Chestnut

General Information:

Property Class is "2" for 1-4 family residences.

Cite your name & contact information.

Cite attorney name and contact information as "person or attorney to be notified".

Requested Assessment can be any amount, or can be noted "appraisal to be provided", leaving the requested assessment blank.

Reason for Appeal should be "Assessment exceeds market value".

Note "Appraisal to be provided" in the COMPARABLE SALES section.

You will need 3 copies of the completed appeal form

Date and sign as petitioner.

Deliver a copy to the Municipal Tax Assessor office, noting date and name of town as indicated. Date and sign.

Deliver a copy to the Municipal Clerk's office, noting date and name of town as indicated. Date and sign.

Mail (return receipt recommended) a copy with a check in the appropriate amount (see instructions on page 2 downloaded with form) to:

Essex County Board of Taxation

50 S. Clinton Street

East Orange, NJ 07018

The forms must be filed no later than April 1, 2010. After the filing deadline the County Board will establish hearing dates. Hearings will not begin until May and may continue into August, depending upon the number of appeals received. You and your lawyer will be notified of the hearing date 10-12 days in advance. Hearings are usually scheduled in order of Block #. The appraisal is filed with the town and county 7 days before the hearing.

The eternal question for those of us who are tied to NYC through jobs and general culture is: where do I go if I choose to leave the city? How do I maintain a short commute to NYC, not only for may daily commute for work, but also to see shows, have dinner and enjoy urban life and all the enriching culture that comes with it still? We want the best of both worlds - good schools, affordable housing, space to grow our families or to retire in peace...all within a 30 minute drive to the most exciting city in the world (okay, rush hour traffic aside...).

For those of you looking to make the move, Bloomberg BusinessWeek published a recent article highlighting an often over-looked community, Clark, NJ. With a population under 14,000 and a median family income just under $100k/year, this is a town that has managed to maintain lower taxes (5k-9k/year), while still having excellent schools, relatively low crime and pollution, lots of green space in relationship to developed space as well as have a fair commute to NYC if you need it. It doesn't have its own station, but nearby stations do provide train access. There is a handful of newer construction homes that top almost $1M in home price, but there are also a large number of reasonable starter homes that range between 300k-550k. These prices, coupled with a lower tax rate, often make for more affordable living, as well as a nice community vibe (town pool, small schools, golf & tennis, parks, etc.).

Check out the article for more information: http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/best-affordable-suburbs-in-america-2010

So, every year when the holidays roll around, I get this panicked feeling - school lets out, and I have a crazed, house-bound toddler who rips apart my entire house because he can't wait for Christmas. So to kill two birds with one stone, I plan a series of local (and not so local) holiday events that I can slowly dole out to him starting the first weekend of December and going thru the new year. Here is a cross sample of the events, in case you need some ideas of what to do with your kids before they go stir crazy (by the way, I have included events in nearby by NYC and PA - things that a 2-5 year old can withstand, so no stage shows or anything):

DICKENS VILLAGE - Maplewood village center - Dec. 12^th & 19th - 1-4pm - wagon ride, book readings, reindeer, petting zoo & holiday songs (my kid loves the tiny houses)

DYKER Lights in Brooklyn - best Mid-Dec. to New Years, 7-9pm (weekends best viewing) - located 11^th-13^th Ave to 83^rd-86^th St - some of the best (gaudiest) light displays - these folks hire designers, seriously!

NYC HOLIDAY WINDOW/LIGHT/TREE TOUR - Dec. thru New Years - Macy's, Lord & Taylor, Rockerfeller Center, Saks, Bergdorf, Barney's Bloomies, Lincoln Center Tree & Park Avenue (bewteen 48^th-97^th Streets)

TURTLEBACK ZOO Holiday Festival of Lights in West Orange - Dec. 5^th thru Jan. 2^nd - 5-9pm - w/ train & carousel - Adults: $7/Children: $3 - 973-731-5800

HOLIDAY LIGHT SHOW - Schaefer Farms - 1051 Route 523, Flemington, NJ - 908-782-2705 - Thanksgiving to New Years (Mon-Fri 5:30-9pm / Sat-Sun 5:30-10pm) - $12/car (Santa visits 6-8pm on 12/11, 12/12, 12/18, 12/19)

GINGERBREAD CONTEST - Essex County Enviromental Center - 621B Eagle Rock Avenue, Roseland - 973-228-8776 - Dec. 1^st-18^th (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm / Sat 10am-2pm) - Awards Sat. Dec. 19^th at 9:30am

GINGERBREAD WONDERLAND at FRELINGHUYSEN ARBORETUM - 53 East Hanover Avenue, Morristown/Whippany - 973-326-7601 - Dec 5^th- 13^th (10:00a-5:00p daily, Friday until 8:00p) - Arboretum & Haggerty Education Center open 9am-dusk

AMERICA ON WHEELS - 5 North Front Street, Allentown, PA - 610-432-4200 (closed select holidays) - Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12-5pm - Adults $7, under 5 free (tix by 4pm) - OKAY, SO THIS ISN'T REALLY A HOLIDAY EVENT, BUT MY SON IS OBSSESSED WITH CARS! ISN'T YOURS?

KOZIER CHRISTMAS VILLAGE - 782 Christmas Village Road, Bernville, PA - 610-488-1110 - Dec. 1st-Jan. 3^rd - Mon-Fri 6-9pm, Sat-Sun 5-9:30pm - Adults $8, under 5 free (6-9 on holiday & eves)

CAMDEN AQUARIUM FISHMAS - 1 Riverside Dr., Camden - 856-365-3300 - Nov. 27^th-Jan. 3^rd - 9:30am-5pm, Adults $19.95, Children (2-12) $15.95 - Santa scuba dives, mascot dance party, Polar Express 4D ride, Rudolph

GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL in NYC - 42^nd bet. Vanderbilt & Lexington - Light show - 11/30 - 1/11 - Main Terminal - 11am-9pm, every half hour on the half hour & Holiday Train Show- 11/25-1/16 - shuttle passage next to station manager's office, Mon-Fri 8am-8pm; Sat-Sun 10am-6pm - 718-694-1600

CAMDEN CHILDRENS GARDEN Holiday Festival of Lights - 3 Riverside Drive, Camden - 856-365-8733 - Fri. & Sat. 12/11, 12/12, 12/18, 12/19, 12/26, 1/2 - 5:30pm-8pm all Dec. - $6 Adults, $5 ($4 extra for festival of lights) - 4.5 acres along waterfront, 100K lights, Santa, 3Kings, Day, butterfly house, rides, Santa

he Monmouth Museum @ Brookdale Community College - 765 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft, NJ 07738 - 732-747-2266, $7/person or $8 (includes planetarium show) - Tues-Sat. 10am-4:30pm, Sun. 1-5pm (Planetarium Tues-Fri @ 4pm, Sat/Sun @ 1:30pm & 3pm (always call for availability of Wonder Wing & Becker Gallery), model railroad & tree display, Sundays best.

And of course, evey town pretty much has its own First Night Celebration for New Years - check your local town website for details - how much, when and where....

If I have time to compile more events, I will do so and send them out before the holidays are over - promise!

With dozens of condos and co-ops on the market in the Montclair area, area realtors are uniting to market them in a new way. Some two dozen agents will participate in the first-ever local "Condo Crawl," from 1 to 4 pm on Sunday, Nov. 1. Sponsored by Baristanet.com, the rain or shine event will present more than 30 units currently on the market in Montclair, Glen Ridge, and Bloomfield. Agents from Coldwell-Banker, Weichert, RE/MAX, Prudential, Stanton, and Zingali Realtors will open the doors to their listings that day.

Roberta Baldwin, a Realtor® at RE/MAX Village Square in Upper Montclair, organized the event, and coordinated sponsorship with local news and current events site, Baristanet.com. "Agents today are trying to think outside the box to get their listings sold in a difficult market. We believe prospective buyers will appreciate the ease with which they can spend the afternoon seeing what's out there, on their own terms."

Buyers will be able to print out the list of open units by going to www.baristanet.com/crawl or find it in the Star-Ledger's Friday and Saturday Homefinders Section. On event day, "Condo Crawl" signs will identify those units available to be seen.

Included in the Crawl are a range of styles and locations: Montclair units at the new Commons at Bay St. Station, The Dorchester House, 101 Gates Ave. garden condos and the hi-rise Bellaire House; units at Whitestone Gardens in Bloomfield, and surprises such as a single carriage house condo conversion on Belleville Ave. in Glen Ridge - and many others.

Liz George, editor, Baristanet.com, was excited to partner as a media sponsor for the Condo Crawl. "We've followed developments in the condo market in Montclair and the surrounding areas, so the Crawl offers a great way to experience those unique offerings in person, in an efficient and fun way."

From the organizer Roberta Baldwin's point of view, the "Condo Crawl" definitely makes selling sense. "Open houses are generally too scattered to make an impression on buyers who want to use their time wisely and see the most and best available. But on Nov. 1, in just 3 hours, someone who wants to purchase in our area right now can get a really good idea of what's out there. Grab a coffee and a local newspaper or go to Baristanet to make your plans for Sunday, Nov 1!"

For a complete list of open house condos, please go to www.baristanet.com/crawl