The dog days of winter are here!!  But I’m thinking spring– longer days, green lawns and the first signs of budding trees and flowers.  It’s such a pretty time here in our New Jersey Midtown Direct communities.  It makes me think of all the great spring and summer resources like our fabulous farmer’s markets, summer concerts and festivals.  And come to think of it, summer is only 5 months away and many parents are now combing through the yellow pages and kids resources for the best area summer camps.

For some, camp is a way for generations of the same family to share similar memories.  And for others, camps provide kids with a chance to take a break from school and winter routines and have a few weeks of good old-fashioned fun.

There are plenty of good traditional camps in New Jersey.  I can personally speak about Stonybrook Day Camp in Randolph, NJ and Meadowbrook Day Camp in Long Valley, NJ where my daughter, Abby Seitchik, worked as a counselor for many summers and loved them.  A few other very popular area day camps include Camp Riverbend, Camp Harmony, Jeff Lake Camp, Gesher Day Camp, Willow Lake and JCC Camps.   Some favorites for toddlers include Mini Camp at Far Brook and The Connection.  I have heard hundreds of wonderful, fun-loving stories from friends, neighbors and clients about how many of these camps were monumental in the development and growth of their children.  Oh, I wish I were a kid again!!

Today, many camps specialize in one particular area like sports camps, art camps (Creative Hands Art Studio, The Messy Artist, The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, Montclair Art Museum Summer Camp) girl scouts, drama camps (Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre, New Jersey School of Dramatic Arts, Acting with Emily), computer camps and the list goes on.  Ultimately, it comes down to the right fit for your child, location, timeframe and structure.  So do a little research, take a visit and you will be amazed at the wonderful choices right here in New Jersey.

Believe it or not, many have application deadlines coming up very soon!  With so many good ones to choose from, it’s hard to know where to begin….

Hoping this provides a little help from someone who’s been there many times.  Happy camping!!

Sue Adler

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Downtown Millburn Welcomes The Salad House

If you’re like me, nothing satisfies my hunger better than a big, hearty salad with all the fixings’.   And depending on the day’s cravings, I like to mix and match toppings to suit my mood du jour.  So when I learned about The Salad House by Cioffi’s (www.createyoursalad.com), opening its doors in December right in the heart of downtown Millburn at 343 Millburn Avenue, I was thrilled.

Their story is a touching one.  In 1958, Antonio Cioffi arrived in America with his new bride and only $20.  Through lots of hard work, dedication and a passion for good Italian food, over four decades later, the family has been serving NJ in Newark, Union, Springfield and now Millburn.  Today sons Gennaro (Jerry) and Giuseppe (Joey) carry on the family legacy.  Their restaurants feature healthy and delicious Mediterranean cuisine from tapas, paninis, homemade soups and my favorite, “Make Your Own Salad.”

“I love making stomachs happy in a healthy way,” Joey Cioffi told me on my recent visit.  Stop by The Salad House and tell him Sue Adler sent you.  Your stomach will thank you!

And after you’ve satisfied your tummies, enjoy the other shops and fun boutiques in downtown Millburn – there’s a lot to do and see….

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Sometimes the greatest and most urgent need for charity is just down the block. Based on this heart-tugging reality, a wonderful New-Jersey non-profit organization is committed to helping their neighbors in need. Down the Block, Inc. has been making a great difference in the lives of Millburn and Short Hills residents during difficult times, near your own Millburn home. This charitable corporation raises funds for short-term assistance in households facing unexpected financial set-backs through fundraising within your municipality and also through additional sources. In other words, if you live in Millburn, funding collected in your Millburn Township is used to help your neighbors right here in Millburn-Short Hills. It is donated confidentially and pays for basic goods and services that some households desperately need.
This weekend, Down the Block along with other local causes will benefit from a concert sponsored by Brotherhood Concerts on Saturday, November 12th, featuring The Richie Furay Band. Richie was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 with band member Stephen Stills & Neil Young. You may want to enjoy this intimate evening with Richie’s rock band at the Sanctuary at TBJ. For more information, click here.

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Looking for a playground in New Jersey?

Sheila Sayah has created www.NJPlaygrounds.com – all from exploring New Jersey’s playgrounds as a great way to keep her 3 toddlers busy. She recently joined Amy Lamperti of www.theplaygroundguide.com and together they have provided parents a HUGE playground guide.

Here are links to playgrounds in our New Jersey towns:

Chatham which is known for Castle Playground and Memorial Park.

Livingston Community Center, Littell People’s Park by Livingston High School

Maplewood has Memorial Park, which is in a centralized location to Maplewood Village and Maplewood Train Station.

Millburn – There’s Gero Park, right by the Millburn pool, and Taylor Park, located in town.

Madison – Visit Dodge Field, walking distance to Madison Train station.

South Orange – Farrell Field

Summit – Wilson Park, Mabie Playground, and my favorite – Memorial Field.

New Providence – Morris-Union Joint Venture Playground

Westfield – Tamaques Park, Memorial Park, and Mindowaskin Park

Berkeley Heights – Snyder Ave Park, Columbia Park

Click here for an Indoor Playgrounds!

Go ahead… “like” NJ Playgrounds on facebook and stay up to date on New Jersey Playground News!

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Every year in our NJ Midtown Direct Town neighborhoods we can count on certain houses  getting decked out for Halloween. I live in the Glenwood Section of Short Hills and our neighborhood refer to the house in the video as “The Halloween House”. That home is for sale now and when I went on the listing appointment, we even said, ” Oh, it’s the Halloween house!”.  Now The Glenwood Section, much like the South Mountain Section, is a haven for trick or treaters because you can cover alot of houses in a short period of time. The kids quickly figure that out.  When the weather is nice, we go through as many as 12 bags of candy! But the parents are all outside drinking wine, so no one’s really counting.

One year, the day AFTER Halloween, my daughter and her friend decided to visit every house in Glenwood with their emptied pillowcases, telling the unsuspecting homeowners, ” We were sick on Halloween and couldn’t go out. Do you have any extra candy?”…. and of course – this is the day after Halloween when homeowners were anxious to get rid of their excess candy,  people emptied entire bags of candy into their pillowcases.  Pretty smart 4th graders, eh?

So witch Halloween stories come to mind for you?

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Do you know what you’re doing this Sunday? I do! I will be having a great time visiting and meeting neighbors who live in Millburn and Short Hills! The annual Millburn Street Fair and Art Festival is on Sunday, Oct. 2nd, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. between Millburn Avenue and Spring Street. This is a must-do community event and admission and parking are free, although it’s only a short walk from your Millburn home.

Over 150 crafters, artists and other vendors bring you the best Millburn has to offer on this special day and cars will not be allowed on Millburn Avenue or Spring Street for the event. A wide variety of food, some international, along with pony rides, a petting zoo, and other circus type entertainers will be available, too. Be sure to stop by municipal parking lot 5 between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. You may discover an outdoor dance party by DJ John or a live performance by the Flying Dogs of Jupiter Band. The Millburn-Short Hills Chamber of Commerce host the annual festival and this year’s Premier Sponsor is Investors Savings Bank. To find out more, click here.

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I’ve been fortunate to speak at several major real estate conventions over the years, but this time, I was lucky to have the King of Video, Kenn Renner, on stage with me because he filmed our whole panel!

Ben Kinney and Cary Sylvester interviewed us about how we have dominated our local markets with our web strategy and use of videos. I discussed my community videos and how they attract relocation buyers who will be working in NYC, want an easy commute to work and great schools. The reason buyers stay on sueadler.com typically more than 5 minutes,  is because the site gives the real estate buyers and sellers the information they are typically researching –   commute, schools, home sale stats, restaurants and shops, recreation, community blog posts, seller blog posts with staging and pricing tips, and of course listings with floorplans and tons of photos. But it’s the community videos that make our buyers fall in love with our towns and make them want to come in and see it all in person. Do you agree?

We also discussed SEO and the fact that only after a couple of months, my new website is at the top of google for most of my towns, which is pretty cool considering how new it is.  BTW, if you’re on google plus, go ahead +1 the site if you like it. Thanks  I also do pay per click advertising for my www.LatestNJlistings.com site, which is my NJ home search site. I made a point to the Realtors in the audience that they need to make sure not to just throw money at pay per click advertising unless they have a website that has “stickiness” with great content that people won’t just click out of. Also, they need to have a great long term follow up system in place or they are just throwing money out the window.

We discuss my new chat feature that we just  added for everyone who is browsing the site. If  my team and I can be there to answer someone’s questions while they are on my site, I’ve found that people are so appreciative, especially in this day and age where everyone has ADD  and would also like to stay anonymous.

If you have any suggestions for the site, I’d love to hear. Are we missing anything?

Aside from all of the  national and international referral business I get from speaking ( which amounts to 4 or 5 new clients a week) , this is what makes it all worthwhile: My favorite tweet:

Want to follow all of the other twitter chatter?  Enter #kwmc in the search bar.

Thanks Keller Williams for allowing me the opportunity to share, and learn from the other top agents in our amazing company. Believe it or not, when I spoke at my first Mega Camp back in 2006, I was so terrified of public speaking that I would have rather jumped out of a plane, but now I really look forward to it!

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Whether you are buying or selling real estate in New Jersey, you can benefit from having an understanding of the local market.  The average listed sales price of a Millburn/Short Hills, New Jersey home for the month of August, 2011 was $1,250,000, with a median sales price of $947,926 for sold Millburn/Short Hills homes.  Housing inventory has decreased in Millburn/Short Hills when compared with August of 2010, with 94 active listings being reported for the last day of August for Millburn/Short Hills versus 107 in August of 2010.

The average listed sales price of a Summit, New Jersey home for the month of August, 2011 was $740,000, with a median sales price of $860,000 for sold Summit homes.  Housing inventory has increased in Summit when compared with August of 2010, with 96 active listings being reported for the last day of August for Summit versus 100 in August of 2010. The big complaint of most buyers right now is the lack of inventory in these towns which are in such high demand, with their top schools and easy commute into Manhattan.

The number of closed listings for both areas combined in August was 64. The average number of days a home was on the market was 42 days in Millburn/Short Hills and 56 in Summit. If you would like to learn more these statistics, please click here for Millburn/Short Hills and click here for Summit. These statistics only include the current listing information gathered from GSMLS, so this report does not represent a full history of the property listings.  If you need information about the history of a specific listing, please call us at 973.552.2419.

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Our New Jersey Midtown Direct Towns know how to celebrate the Fourth of July! If you live in Millburn/Short Hills or a home in Chatham, you know what I am talking about. Red, white, and blue is the name of the game as we express our love for our country, family, friends, and fireworks on Independence Day! The following are some great ways to spend your holiday weekend and share some special time with your family and neighbors throughout our midtown direct towns of Chatham, Livingston, Maplewood, Millburn, Summit, and South Orange.

• If you live in Chatham, you’ll be happy to hear that the Chatham Borough Volunteer Fire Department will celebrate its 57th Annual Fourth of July Celebration on July 4th. Following a flag raising at the Chatham Borough Firehouse, a parade with Grand Marshal firefighter and Vietnam War veteran John Clark will kick off the event at 10:30 a.m. The parade starts at Main Street and Hillside Avenue will continue to Chatham Middle School on Main Street. That night the Middle School field will come alive with performances by Magic Moments featuring Gina and Pepe from 7 to 9 p.m. The World Champion Santore Brothers of Garden State Fireworks Company of Millington will produce an amazing fireworks show beginning at 9pm.
• Maplewood residents have special events planned near their Maplewood homes, as well! At 7:45 a.m. Ricalton Square will come alive for the Annual 109th 4th of July Opening Ceremonies, complete with flag salute & a performance of the national anthem. Following that, Maplewood residents can enjoy a true community parade at 8:15 a.m. where anything that can move and be decorated in red, white, and blue participates and competes for awards. The parade will conclude at Memorial Park and a party, complete with circus, music, food, fireworks, and fun can be had for $10 per person.
• Near your Millburn -Short Hills home, you will find an exciting display of fireworks offered at Millburn High School, located at 462 Millburn Avenue. Beginning at 7 p.m., you can gather to experience Krazy Kat DJ and the 50-50 raffle, along with refreshments and glow in the dark items for sale. The fireworks will begin after a performance of God Bless America by Millburn’s Patty Hetherington at 9 p.m. Be sure to bring your blankets and chairs and dress warmly. Advance tickets can be purchased at Town Hall or various Millburn town shops for $10 and tickets at the gate are $12. You can also purchase tickets to just see the fireworks for $5 that night at the gate. Click here to get more information.
• At Flood’s Hill, located at 70 N Ridgewood Rd, near your South Orange home, you will be delighted by the Village Parade. Beginning at 9:30, South Orange residents will gather to create a safe bicycle course and give instructions prior to the 11:30 a.m. Village Parade. Bike, strollers, wagons, skaters and skateboarders will roll from Floods Hill to the South Orange Community Pool where prizes will be awarded. This event is free and more information can be found here.

If you have a home in Livingston, you can participate is an extensive, all day celebration at The Oval, located at 10 Robert H Harp Drive, starting at 9 a.m. This 75th Annual Livingston 4th of July Celebration includes a car show, baseball game, fair, rides, and games will occur alongside patriotic readings and ceremonies. Various bands will perform throughout the day and a spectacular fireworks show is planned at 9:15 p.m. To find out more, click here.

Soldier’s Memorial Field is the place to be if you live in Summit!  The Flag Raising Ceremony begins at 9:45 a.m., followed immediately by the Children’s Decorated Bicycle Parade where children ages four through ten compete for trophies by decorating their bikes in red, white, and blue. Following the awards, Polka Dot will entertain the children with music and the day will continue with carnival rides, ponies, crafts, games of attractions will run until 1 p.m.  The Kootz will perform at 11:30 a.m. to liven up the event and encourage Summit’s Emergency Services as they hit Memorial’s Softball Field at noon for a very competitive game.  The Cameos will entertain that evening, beginning at 7:45 p.m. until the Grand Fireworks Display at 9:15 p.m. in the sky over Summit’s Memorial Field. This event is a highlight to families who live in Summit, and more information can be found here.

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Each spring, families and friends who live in Millburn/Short Hills gather for some of the most anticipated events of the school year, one of the Millburn School District Elementary School Strawberry Festivals. Children from all five of the township elementary schools gather at these exciting events, as do their friends and families.  

Onlookers may refer to it as simply a school carnival, but Millburn/Short Hills home owners know that this is THE event of the year!  Glenwood, Hartshorn, Deerfield, Wyoming and South Mountain elementary schools are materially involved and a committee of Strawberry Festival Chairpeople are selected to plan for this huge event attracting volunteers, vendors, parents and teachers who work and live in Millburn/Short Hills.  Everyone works hard to the ensure the success of the popular Strawberry Festival!

Each year, the night before the Strawberry Festival, my kids run through our Millburn/Short Hills home, preparing endlessly, too excited to sleep.   They have a tradition of getting their t-shirts autographed by all their friends and can’t wait for the morning of the festival.   The excitement continues throughout the school day until at last, the dismissal bell rings. 

The children rush out to view the Strawberry Festival, in all its glory, with plenty of volunteer Millburn/Short Hills residents waiting for the kids to arrive!   With strings of tickets and colorful wristbands, the children race outside to enjoy all the rides, games, food and fun. Groups of achool-aged friends enjoy their independence at the festival, since all the parents act as volunteers, as the Millburn/Short Hills community rallies together to form a productive team for this four hour event.

At Glenwood Elementary School, one of the most popular areas, is the goldfish station. Children are given a net and try to scoop out the “most beautiful” goldfish from the pool.  Their prized pet is then placed in a bag of water where it can join its proud owner and enjoy the festival, and hopefully a new home in Millburn/Short Hills!  As a family, we have lost many goldfish in our past nine years as members of the Glenwood Elementary School community!

Most people wonder as to the origins of the name of the Strawberry Festivals.  While we know that the festival dates back forty years, noone has been able to confirm the reason behind the name.  Could it maybe correlate to strawberry season?  Maybe it stems from the fact that the volunteers are so sweet?  Perhaps at one time, strawberry vendors coursed through the festival?

No matter what the reason, there is plenty of food to be enjoyed at the festival, from  pizza, cotton candy and snow cones to burgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken sandwiches, salads, and lastly…..STRAWBERRIES and CREAM!  Maybe the reason it is known as the Strawberry Festival is because just the thought of the festival makes the people who live in Millburn/Short Hills smile, as do freshly picked strawberries.  The Strawberry Festival brings together all of Millburn/Short Hills, the students, graduates, and grown ups in a 100% happy experience – don’t miss out on your chance to be a part Millburn/Short Hills history!

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