Sue Adler- www.SueAdlerTeam.com

January 31st, 2009 by Sue Adler
Categories: Communities, Commuting Info, Madison, Maplewood, Millburn-Short Hills, South Orange, Sue's Picks, Summit

• Old Short Hills is the area north of the Short Hills train station off of Hobart Ave. Stewart Hartshorn originally developed this as the ideal community, and brought the train line from NYC into the magnificent rolling landscape of Short Hills, which was at the time, all countryside. Truly magnificent one of a kind homes off of quiet winding roads, its no wonder why Old Short Hills is such a sought-after area. A major attraction of Short Hills is that it is part of the Millburn School District, the highest rated school district in NJ. There are also private school options as well.
• Northside Summit - The area north of Springfield Ave between Woodland Ave and the Whittredge Green area consists of some of the most stunning homes you've ever seen. ( I really didn't mean for that to rhyme!) From tudors to Victorians, to brick manor homes, you'll pay a hefty price tag, but if you can afford it, this is truly the best of all worlds. Summit also has a very highly rated school system. There are many renowned private schools in Summit as well.
• Wyoming and Montrose Sections of South Orange were planned as a haven for wealthy New York businessmen looking for stylish large homes away from the city - the area's first commuters. The fact that the commute into Manhattan is only 25 minutes from South Orange is a big draw to commuters who aren't willing to sacrifice a short commute for their estate home. These homes of history between Ridgewood Rd and Wyoming Ave in the Wyoming Section, and between Scotland Rd and Grove Ave in the Montrose Section, have magnificent craftmanship, beautiful mature plantings, and have historic gas lights along their tree-lined streets. Prices are much less than Summit or Short Hills, but the taxes tend to be equal to ( and sometimes a little higher) what the taxes for the same house in Short Hills or Summit would be, so keep that in mind because home buyers normally compare by price range town to town, not size of home. Check out "Tulip Hill" circa 1906! Asking $1,095,000.

To see the rest of the towns, read rest of this article at http://njexperts.com/2009/01/31/luxury-homes-in-midtown-direct-walk-to-train-locations/

Sue Adler (973)464-9129

By Robin Benjamin, Sue Adler Team

When I moved to Chatham last year from Short Hills, it felt like I was moving to another country, yet it is only one town over! I was used to Millburn Ave, not Main Street! and I swear the leaves on the trees were a duller shade of green. After 25 years of living in Short Hills, I was "a woman without a neighborhood," homesick and lost.

What I've come to learn, is that the Summit, Chatham and the Short Hills areas are more closely connected than I ever realized. It just took a personal move to find out.

Why the change in attitude?

Recently I had opportunities to dine at two local Chatham restaurants; Gregorio's and Scalini Fedeli. Both are on Main St, within walking distance to everything in town, a convenience I love.

Gregorio's can get really busy, so be sure to get a reservation and bring your own wine which I always consider a plus. A few other local hot spots on Main Street and not to be missed; Seranade , fine dining to perfection. A Taste of Asia is Malaysian cuisine. For those who don't know what that is, it's a mix of Chinese and Thai food. Yum! Chatham of course has a Japanese restaurant. Mitsuba . I've been to my fair share of sushi places. This might be one my favorites of all times!

To see rest of this entry, visit: http://njexperts.com/2009/01/22/im-still-home-on-main-street-in-chatham/

Written by Deirdre Silberman, Sue Adler Team

We are fortunate enough to have found one of the very few modern Frank Lloyd Wright inspired homes on Sagamore Road in the Wyoming section of Millburn. We enjoy floor to ceiling windows with dramatic NYC skyline views, open and clean living spaces, walking distance to town and the Midtown direct train into NYC, and appreciative comments from visitors and anyone who's read Dwell Magazine. While some are not in love with modern design, we find freedom and think it's just down right cool! We love living in our tree house, or a sculpture of sorts with Eichler, Mondrian, and Calder inspirations throughout.

To view the rest of the story: http://njexperts.com/2009/01/29/living-in-a-mid-century-modern-home/

This week I attended the Inman News Global Connect Real Estate Conference in NYC, where Gary Vaynerchuk from the Wine Library's Keynote speech entertained us and inspired us.

I live in the Glenwood Section of Short Hills, so The Wine Library is around the corner from my house. Most Saturdays when I finish work, ( well, except today because its snowing), Peter and I go to for their weekly wine and cheese tastings.

After Gary Vaynerchuk's key note speech, I ran up to him during break and threw my arms around him even though we actually never met. I mean, he's my local wine guy and I'm his local realtor, right? Well, he knew me from my online presence, so that of course made my day since I think he's the most brilliant marketer around.

If you haven't listened to Gary before, he's famous for his wine library tv where he spits out wine that he thinks is awful ( yes, wine that is in his own store!) and has developed such a following for his brutal honesty. He thinks we should do this as Realtors.

Picture this - I preview a new listing at a realtor open house in Short Hills, then make a video stating how overpriced it is and how ugly the wall paper is. I tweet it out on twitter, blog it on my blog, do a blast it to the 7,000 people in my www.sueadler.com email database, and add it to my facebook profile. Then 2 days later one of my buyers wants to see it anyway- Hmmm, What are the chances of that homeowner ever letting let me in the door? - not to mention its a great way to make enemies of every listing agent along the midtown direct trainline towns.
I think what makes Gary so entertaining is the fantasy factor of what he does. I mean, I'm pretty good at coming out and just saying what I think to my clients, and doing it publically makes for great entertainment ( like winelibrary TV) , but I can't imagine pulling off what he gets away with and keeping a great reputation in the real estate world.

To see the video click here.

Sue Adler, Keller Williams Realty (973)464-9129 www.SueAdler.com

My "must have" New Years Gift for Outlook Users - XOBNI

January 1st, 2009 by Sue Adler, Keller Williams Realty - www.SueAdler.com
Comments: 1 Comment »

About a year ago I discovered XOBNI, ( inbox spelled backwards) an awesome email organizing tool that makes the S-L-O-W "find" button on outlook a thing of the past.

Recently, the XOBNI people upgraded this tool to a whole new level. Click here to continue to read story and see why this is such a great tool!

1. You start typing in any words from an email our contact that you're looking for, and the options instantly pop up.

2. When you click on the email address of the person you're looking for, the following appears:

- Every conversation thread you've ever had with this person appears

- Any attachment that has ever been sent between the two of you is categorized ( For example, when I'm on the phone with a client who is referring to an inspection report, preapproval letter, contract or attorney letter, for example, I can find it in 2 seconds, open it from that window, and reply or forward it.)

- Everyone who has ever been a part of a conversation between the two of you appears.

- Their facebook and or linkedin profile appears! ( this is the totally cool new feature I was referring to!)

3. You can then check the analytics - when you've gotten the most emails from this person. For example, if I see that someone continuously emails me around 6 PM , I know that 6 PM is the best time to try to reach this person. That is great information for anyone who is in a career that involves alot of followup.

Why has XOBNI NOT taken off? I think I know the answer. They need to work on the marketiing of their product. When you sign up, it will ask you if you want to invite your friends to use it. Here's an example of a letter that they send. ( click letter to enlarge)
Instead of selling the benefits in the first paragraph, it tells your friend their "rank", and your friend will instantly think its spam and delete it, or send you an email back asking "Did you send this or is this spam?" They're afraid to download it.

As a busy realtor who gets hundreds of emails a day, great organizational systems are a crucial part of my business. I give xobni raving reviews! Oh, and did I mention that its free?!