Nena Colligan joined Marron Gildea & Donohue's rapidly expanding Ridgewood office, a company spokesperson announced today.   "We are very excited to have Nena on board", said Aloysius Donohue, a managing partner at Marron Gildea & Donohue.  "Nena is already a very successful real estate agent and we expect great things from her.  She recently earned her ‘e-Pro® Internet Professional' certification which means she has a thorough knowledge of technology and online marketing. Nena will be a perfect fit in our tech-savvy environment." Colligan is a Bergen County native who grew up in Tenafly. She has resided in Glen Rock for the past 19 years where she currently lives with her husband Mark and their three children.  After graduating from Rutgers University, Colligan held senior sales and m... 11/21/2008

I am proud to announce that sales in the Ridgewood Office of Marron Gildea & Donohue Realtors have increased by 162% through October 23rd of this year.   During the same time period, all of our main competitors here in Ridgewood saw their sales decline significantly.   We have our Ridgewood real estate agents and our use of cutting edge technology to thank for our position as the fastest growing real estate firm in Ridgewood, New Jersey. Obviously, first and foremost, we have to thank our Ridgewood real estate agents for enabling us to grow so rapidly in the midst of a very challenging real estate market.  We were able hire 12 top quality agents over the past 12 months and they have really shaken up the Ridgewood Real Estate world.  Our new Ridgewood agents have flourished because we h... 11/10/2008

Ridgewood Median Home Prices Actually Rose in the 3rd Quarter when Compared to Q3 2007   Despite the gloom and doom heard round the water cooler concerning both the real estate and stock markets - Ridgewood NJ Median Home Values actually increased in the 3rd Quarter year-over-year. The median sale price of a Ridgewood Home stood at $692,500 in the 3rd Quarter of 2007 and rose to $695,000 in 2008's 3rd quarter.  Admittedly, this is a modest increase but when compared to other real estate markets around the country that are seeing double digit declines an increase of any sort should be seen as a sign of relative strength. Ridgewood Average Home Prices Decline Yes, you read this correctly.  Despite the rise in the median sale price of Ridgewood Homes in the 3rd quarter the Average sale pr... 11/07/2008

I am a Geek, a Self-Improvement Junkie and an Eternal Optimist... I read every business, real estate, motivational, self-help and success oriented book I can get my hands on and I take some flak for it from family and friends.  However, there are certain threads that run through almost all self-improvement books and these are the ones we should really pay attention to.  One of the most common themes is that "you become what you focus on". If you can stay positive, you will kick butt even in this challenging market. If you focus on the positive, and associate with positive people, you will be happy, successful and yes...positive.  And, of course, the opposite is also true.  Every great motivational and self-improvement speaker/writer covers some variation of this theme including some of ... 11/01/2008

  The Lizard Guys will be in Ridgewood NJ on November 6th with a whole host of creepy crawlers. This event promises to be fun and educational.  The Lizard Guys will be bringing rare bugs, turtles, lizards, frogs, snakes and other cuddly creatures.  The event will take place at the Ridgewood Community Center and will begin promptly at 10:30 am.   Tickets are available at The Stable at 259 North Maple Avenue in Ridgewood.  The Stable phone number is 201.670.556.  The entrance fee is $5.00 and seats are limited so get movin’ or risk missing this great show. About The Lizard Guys The Lizard Guys is a New Jersey based educational entertainment group that provides live animal presentations with lizards, snakes, turtles, frogs & various bugs. A Typical presentation lasts approximately 60 minut... 10/28/2008

There are some incredible deals on Ridgewood Homes in today’s market. Everyone knows you are supposed to buy low and sell high.  It seems to be a simple enough premise but why then are there so few people that are willing or able to pull the trigger today?   The main reason is that when the market is “low” folks are understandably afraid to make big decisions of any kind.  They prefer to buy when everyone else is buying (aka herd mentality) which is usually at, or near, a market top.  This is precisely the wrong time to buy Ridgewood Real Estate and the same goes for stocks. Buy low-Sell High is easier said than done.  This strategy has been proven to work time and time again, but it takes some serious intestinal fortitude coupled with a high risk tolerance. Jeffrey Otteau, the renowned... 10/19/2008

The annual tree lighting in Ridgewood is the highlight of our Christmas season. Here is a blog I wrote last year about how much fun we had. I was lucky enough to capture my daughter on video singing Jingle Bells at the local Starbucks. Here is the schedule: Please notice that the day has changed. This year it will be on Friday December 5th. Not the typical Saturday that we have become used to. Ridgewood is beginning a wonderful new tradition by planting a live tree in Van Neste Memorial Square. There will be no need to chop down a live tree, we will be able to decorate the same tree each year. The new tree is projected to grow one foot per year and will be able to be admired all year long. Tree Lighting Program will start at 7pmThe actual tree lighting will be at 7:30pm The Ridgewood Ch... 10/14/2008

Ridgewood New Jersey Home Sales - September Report This month's Ridgewood Real Estate report may not look great when comparing August to September.  However, the numbers look much better when comparing year-over-year stats which are probably more of an "apples to apples" comparison - as they take seasonal patterns into account.  For instance, Days-on-Market stats look pretty bad when comparing August of 2008 to September of 2008.  However, when you compare September 2007 (homes took 68 days on average to sell) to September of 2008 (homes took 63 days on average to sell) you see that the numbers have actually improved. This report will focus strictly on a month to month comparison.  I will be posting a year-over-year quarterly comparison shortly. See Below for the 3 Key Ridgewood Real Es... 10/14/2008

Ridgewood's Heavily Debated Elementary Math Program Takes a Step in the Right Direction According to their website, The Ridgewood Public Schools has made a commitment to select an elementary mathematics textbook and/or program for use in all Ridgewood schools.  A professional development and implementation roll-out is planned for 2009-2010. Ridgewood Math is more of a Hot Button Topic than the Upcoming Obama-McCain Debate. Just mentioning the words TERC ,  Everyday Math or Connected Math will surely illicit a strong opinion - either pro or con.  There are not many Ridgewood Residents sitting on the fence when it comes to what has become known as the "Ridgewood Math Wars".  This new announcement seems to address what I see as a major issue and that is that there are several different Mat... 10/14/2008

Ridgewood School District Advocacy Notes Courtesy of Sheila Brogan Ridgewood Board of Education Member Last month the Assembly went back to work in Trenton and below are four bills Ridgewood Residents should be watching: A930/S655 directs the NJSIAA to establish interscholastic adapted athletic programs for students who are participating in adapted athletic programs developed by their school district. This bill was passed by the Assembly on a vote of 79 to 0. It has now been sent to the Senate Education Committee for consideration by the Senate. A1943 establishes a three year pilot program to provide instruction in personal finance to high school seniors. On September 22, 2008 this bill passed the Assembly by a vote of 77 to 2. It has now been referred to the Senate for consideration. T... 10/09/2008

Aloysius Donohue is Ridgewood's #1 listing agent for the second consecutive quarter, a Marron Gildea & Donohue spokesperson announced recently. "It's quite a feat to be ranked at, or very near, the top month after month and year after year. Especially when you consider that there are 330+ licensed realtors in Ridgewood, plus all the agents based in neighboring towns that also work the Ridgewood market aggressively. That's a lot of competition," said Peter Marron, a partner with the firm. Marron Gildea & Donohue's Culture Donohue chalks up much of his success to the culture at Marron Gildea & Donohue. "We are hyper-focused on the Ridgewood market and we are small enough, and nimble enough, that we can respond to market trends and market opportunities more quickly than some of the larger ... 10/07/2008

Do Not Make These Mistakes When Selling Your Home by Guest Blogger - Ridgewood Real Estate Attorney Robin Gronsky It can very difficult selling your house in today's market.  To increase your chances for a quick sale, you need to avoid these mistakes: 1.  Buying a new house before selling your existing home- three or four years ago, many Ridgewood homeowners went looking at houses just for fun.  Many times, they fell in love with a house and wound up buying it first and then putting their house up for sale.  At that time, it was fairly easy to find a buyer for their house and getting a bridge loan to pay the mortgage on the old house until the sale went to closing.  In these days of slow sales and tight credit, you might take several months to sell your house.  And you may not be able t... 10/05/2008

Business week had a very interesting article on Towns that could be hit hardest by the financial crisis on Wall Street. Here is a link to the whole article as well as a link to our very own Ridgewood, NJ. This article is clearly pointing to what we all know. There is a crisis on Wall Street and now on Main Street. We are fortunate to be so close to Manhattan and have such highly rated schools. Ridgewood Schools were ranked #7 of 316 public schools in New Jersey (Number 1 in Bergen County).   10/03/2008

Van Dyke's Ice Cream, on Ackerman Avenue in Ridgewood, Named Bergen County's Best Ice Cream. This is another Bergen Health & Life review I can agree with.  I'd give Van Dyke's "A" for it's great handmade ice cream and it's "throwback" charm.  However, if I had to choose, I would still go with  Maggie Moo's on Maple Avenue in Ridgewood - but you really can't go wrong either way. The magazine cites the Bailey's Irish Cream, Amaretto and Chunky Strawberry as the best flavors to try.  I will have to take the family there and give it a try.  I reserve the right to change my vote from Maggie Moo's to Van Dyke's pending the results of my new field research. Other related must reads: Brooklyn's Brick Oven Pizzeria, in Ridgewood NJ, Named Best Pizza in Bergen County 4 Great Things to do in Ridg... 10/02/2008

Ridgewood's very own "Brooklyn's Brick Oven Pizzeria" rated best pizza in Bergen County in Bergen Health & Life Magazine's October issue. For once, a review I can agree with.  My family gets take out from Brooklyn's Pizza in Ridgewood all the time.  They have a great menu and the pizza and fresh toppings are excellent.  They also make a great garlic bread that actually comes in the shape of a pizza pie, as opposed to a loaf of Italian Bread with butter and garlic salt that you get in most pizzerias.  My 2 boys love the mozzarella sticks which also have a unique shape.  In fact, they are not "sticks" at all.  They are triangle shaped and they are the best mozzarella sticks triangles I have ever tasted. I do agree that Brooklyn's is the best pizza in Bergen County but they do have one fat... 09/29/2008

Real Estate Sales is ranked as one of the least respected professions year-after-year - and it is our own fault.   There are a lot more than 4 reasons for this,  but let's start here. By the way, the profession depicted below is ranked ahead of us... PROBLEM ONE - Our industry is filled with Usta-Be's.   As in, I "usta be" an Investment Banker or I "usta be" be a School Teacher.  Solution: Be proud to be a Realtor or go back to whatever you usta do.  We handle large, complex financial transactions on a daily basis.  And our job requires that we be proficient in many different skills if we are going to compete at a high level.  Those of you who do it well are compensated better than top doctors and lawyers.  So do don't ever apologize for being a Realtor. Editor's Note -I am a reformed "... 09/29/2008

Bobble Heads are nice...but owning New York Giant and Super Bowl Champion Jeff Feagles' former Ridgewood Home is a real Super Bowl memento. Just think, you could own the home where Tiki Barber was first introduced to his future wife and Eli and Peyton Manning once had a heated argument over who had the best pizza in Ridgewood.   And who could forget the familiar sight of Michael Strahan shuffling out to get the morning paper in his bathrobe when he was staying with the Feagles during his very public divorce.  OK, none of this ever happened but it would still be pretty cool to own a Super Bowl Champ's former home. Wouldn't it?   Just watch out for those Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders.  Legend has it they still turn up at the home late at night when they are in town. The added bonus here is t... 09/26/2008

This is part two of our series on Ridgewood Home Styles. The Colonial Home is probably the most common, and most sought after, type of home here in Ridgewood.  However, there are many different types of Colonial Homes and this is where the confusion begins.  To start, here are some very broad characteristics that apply to most Ridgewood Colonial Homes. Basic Characteristics of Ridgewood Colonial Homes  All/most bedrooms are on the 2nd and 3rd floors.  The Architecture is very symmetrical and square.  Homes usually include double hung windows with shutters or decorative trim.  Front door is often framed with a portico, pediment and/or pillars.  Doors are often paneled and flanked by sidelights. As mentioned above, there are many different types of Colonial Homes here in Ridgewood.  In fa... 09/16/2008

The Official Village of Ridgewood Website comes in at #2 on the Ridgewood Front Porch List of Top Websites The Ridgewood Village Site is not your typical town site.  All town sites provide info on community events along with public notices, etc.  However, it is the extremely useful tools on this Ridgewood Site that set it apart and make it a favorite of Ridgewood Residents.  Below are just few of the things you can do on the Official Ridgewood Village Site. Download Ridgewood Permit and Application Forms - Click Here Find out what day the recycling goes out or when the "big curbside garbage" is picked up - Click Here Request Ridgewood Government record - Click Here Pay a Ridgewood Parking Ticket - Click Here View a Calendar of Ridgewood Events -  Click Here Look up phone numbers for key... 09/09/2008

Ridgewood NJ Real Estate Market - Strong August Numbers The Ridgewood real estate market showed improvement in 3 key benchmarks in August. 1.  The average sale price of a Ridgewood Home increased by roughly 10% from July to August. 2. The number of homes sold in Ridgewood increased from 26 in July to 36 in August. 3.  The average number of days it took a home to sell in Ridgewood decreased from a July average of 54 days to an August average of 48 days. Obviously, one good month does not mean Ridgewood housing prices are about to head for the stratosphere again.  However, the Ridgewood real estate market has held up very well compared to the rest of the nation and these strong August numbers could mean that we have hit bottom and prices are now on their way back up.  Don't forget that Ri... 09/03/2008