‘Tis the season to be with family and friends and get out and enjoy some great day trips close to home.  Every spot on this list is well within a few hours allowing you to visit with a day trip:   Cape May, NJ - Touted as the oldest seaside town, Cape May distinguishes herself in many more ways…quiet pristine beaches to walk in the off season, lovely promenade, shopping and dining…and that does not even get into all the activities and gorgeous holiday decor.  Dining spots abound, from simple stands to world-class oceanfront dining.  Heading there at the holidays, brings a w ..read more

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) annually profiles home buyers and sellers to better understand how the industry can continually meet the needs of each demographic.  Baby boomers, for example, have held the greatest hold on real estate for two decades now.  Their move decisions will determine the availability of housing inventory for years to come.  On the other end of the spectrum, we are in the middle of the five-year period during which the largest chunk of millennials, those born between 1989 and 1993, are hitting their thirties—the age when first-time home buying ..read more

The second half of 2022 has been flooded with news of a correction in the real estate market.  Indeed, 2022 has brought a leveling to the market…but let’s be honest…it needed to happen!  The years 2020, 2021 and even into the first half of 2022, there has been a real estate boom.  Mortgage rates and inventory were astronomically low making for a seller’s market. People were bidding well above market price and still getting shut out by the competition. We all know that type of market is not sustainable and indeed, the second half of 2022 has seen a much needed change.  Amid ..read more

As the influx of millennials into the real estate market has become a large topic among real estate advisors and the media, the latest National Association of Realtors (NAR) annual profile of Buyers and Sellers found some monumental shifts in who and how people are buying and selling homes.  According to NAR, the proportion of first time buyers nationwide hit an all time low, dropping 8% from last year while the age of both homebuyers and sellers spiked to historic highs.  It is clear that the boomer market is still quite influential in our economy and may impact the real estate mark ..read more

Are Home Prices Dropping in NJ? This question has frequently come up recently as our sales professionals speak with buyers and sellers.   The simple answer is no, home prices are not dropping this fall.  However, they do seem to be cooling off.  Home prices across the state rose 12% in 2020 and another 15% in 2021.  They are expected to finish the year with an increase of 5% in 2022…still significant and faster than the inflation rate, yet not as dramatic in comparison to the previous two years.  As we look statewide into Moody Analytics’ latest housing data, home pric ..read more

Time To Make The Doughnuts… Or pancakes, omelets and french toast!  What better thing to do on the weekend than go out and splurge on a great breakfast or brunch.  Don’t miss these extraordinary meals to start your day: Brownstone Pancake Factory, 860 River Road, Edgewater, NJ - This eatery is just so special, it can’t be missed.  A celeb favorite, it might just be your new favorite. Brownstone Pancake Factory has won countless awards and received recognition from food critics across the web for their amazing pancakes. The food is fantastic and the atmosphere can’t be beat. But ..read more

In a highly anticipated move, the Federal Reserve hiked its benchmark interest rate by 0.75 percentage points in September after raising it a similar amount at its prior two meetings.  While the Fed does not set mortgage rates (and the central bank’s decisions don’t drive mortgage rates as directly as they do other products, like savings accounts and CD rates), key players in the mortgage industry keep a close eye on the Fed, and the mortgage market’s attempts to interpret the Fed’s actions affects how much you pay for your home loan. The central bank’s latest aggressive move will sway tr ..read more

This is a question we have continually looked at over the past months.  According to CNET, recessions are historically marked by a period of widespread layoffs, bankruptcies, higher borrowing costs and turbulence in the stock market.  Technically, the country is in a recession when the value of all goods and services produced during a specific period, falls two quarters in a row.  While recent results released in early September proved this was the case, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), who is responsible for making such a declaration, has not called a recession ..read more

Whether you were raised on technology, or just hyper diligent, you probably think you’re pretty cyber savvy. But most of us have unknowingly had our cyber safety threatened.  Did you know that in 2020 alone more than 330 million people were victims of some sort of cybercrime? In the real estate industry, we are particularly vigilant about protecting our clients’ personal information.  But there are things you should be doing to beat scammers at their antics. Follow these quick, easy steps recommended by the experts at Norton, Kaspersky and more. Protect yourself today: Do not use s ..read more

Our local area is filled with history…dating back as far as the Revolutionary War.  Fall is the perfect time of year to get out and explore the areas where you live!   Allaire Village at Farmingdale, NJ - Allaire Village is centered around the former Howell Iron Works Company and recreates life as it was in the community during the 19th century. Enjoy tours of well preserved buildings, historic exhibits and living history demonstrations. Cornwall, NY - Records exist of the MacGregorie party who came in 1685 to settle in New Windsor and the building of a trading post on Sloop Hill tha ..read more