New construction is a hot commodity in the luxury Westfield marketplace. To keep up with newly built homes, many homeowners opt to renovate their older home before they sell. Tearing down walls to create a more open floor plan and updating the kitchen for today's modern lifestyle may be a great idea. But don't get rid of everything. Today's Westfield home renovation tip is important for owners of older homes. Some of the features original to your house should never be thrown out, covered up or replaced unless they are absolutely beyond repair.Westfield Home Renovation Tip: "Must Keep" Original FeaturesHardwood Floors Buyers love to see these two words when looking at a Westfield home: original hardwoods. Modern construction rarely incorporates traditional hardwood flooring anymore. When... 06/15/2018

The Westfield Area Market Report showed a lot of activity in the luxury market last month. A significant amount of active listings entered the market in just the last 30 days alone. Garden State MLS (GSMLS) stated that inventory levels rose 55% from last year. In spite of the influx of active listings, prices continue to go up. Learn all about what's been happening in the Westfield real estate market below.Westfield Area Market ReportActive Westfield Luxury Homes for Sale The GSMLS reported a total of 50 active luxury Westfield homes for sale in May 2018. This included a lovely split-level home located at 834 Fairacres. Contact me for a personal tour. Nineteen of these properties are new construction. Twenty-three homes just went up for sale in the last 30 days. Nine of them hit the mar... 06/08/2018

This Monday, we honor all the brave men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice in service of our country. Memorial Day goes back to Civil War times, when it was known as Decoration Day. However, it didn't become an official holiday until 1971. Come show your respect for our service members at the 2018 Westfield Memorial Day parade and service this year.What: 2018 Westfield Memorial Day Parade & Service Where: Veterans Memorial Monument (service), E Broad St to Fairview Cemetery (parade) When: Monday, May 28th, 9 am Contact: Stan Cuba (908) 233-27672018 Westfield Memorial Day Parade & Service The day's events start out at the Veteran's Memorial Monument promptly at 9 am. Here, Chaplain Bob D'Arecca opens the ceremony with a prayer and benediction. Local singer Kerry Stubbs sings "God ... 05/25/2018

As you are probably aware, buyers love new luxury construction. If you own an older home, you'll be competing with newer homes for buyers' attention. To attract these buyers, you may need to make a few updates. But that doesn't always mean digging deep into your pockets or spending weeks to renovate. Here are a few quick Westfield home improvement projects that will make your older home look new again.Quick and Easy Westfield Home Improvement ProjectsBathtubsOne area that can date your bathrooms is the caulking in your tub. Yellowed, cracked, and peeling caulking makes tubs look dingy. Luckily, this is one of the Westfield home improvement projects that take little time or money to fix. Visit your local home improvement store for tips on how to update the look of your bathroom in about ... 05/25/2018

Spring is here in beautiful Westfield. Sunny skies overhead (a high of 92F yesterday). Flowers in full bloom. Mother's Day is right around the corner (it's on May 13th this year). I'd say it's perfect weather for the Westfield Girls' Day and Night Out 2018.What: Westfield Girls' Day and Night Out 2018 Where: Various Businesses in Downtown Westfield When: Thursday, May 10th, 11 am to 9 pm Contact: Downtown Westfield Corp. (908) 789-9444 or via emailWestfield Girls' Day and Night Out 2018 Next Thursday, May 10th, women of all ages are invited to participate in the Westfield Girls' Day and Night Out 2018 event. Dozens of Downtown Westfield boutiques offer event specials. Some businesses even provide free cocktails, non-alcoholic drinks, and appetizers. Watch live demonstrations of various ... 05/04/2018

Designers of the newly constructed colonial at 817 Willow Grove in Westfield, NJ partnered an elegant style with smart technology. Dual Nest thermostats regulate the temperatures on multiple levels. Over time, Nest systems adapt to your family's day-to-day lifestyle patterns. It adjusts the temperature accordingly, making it an incredibly efficient heating and cooling system. The motion-activated alarm system includes three keypads. Never go to the movie theater again. With a five-speaker surround sound system set up in the Great Room, you'll enjoy high-quality sound without the annoyance of noisy strangers. Set the right mood for any dinner party courtesy of the surround sound system included in the dining room as well.817 Willow Grove Quick FactsBedrooms: 5 Bathrooms: 6.5 Garage: 2 Ye... 04/27/2018

Spring is a great time to buy a Westfield home. Over two dozen luxury homes are currently active. Several of them entered the Westfield marketplace within the last 30 days. If you're interested in purchasing a new property, now's the time. Find out what's going on in our neighborhood by reading the Westfield Area Market Report for March 2018 below.Westfield Area Market Report - March 2018Active Westfield Luxury Homes for Sale According to the Garden State MLS, a total of 25 luxury Westfield homes are currently on the market. Twelve of these are newly constructed homes, with 11 properties coming up for sale in the last 30 days. These include a custom North Side colonial, a new Tower Homes colonial, and a center hall colonial to name a few. Most recently, I had three sellers list their pr... 04/20/2018

The deadline to file your income taxes in 2018 is April 17th. Did you sell a home in 2017? You might be able to take advantage of certain Westfield home sale tax deductions when filing this year. If you haven't filed yet, it's not too late to discuss these with your tax attorney or accountant.Westfield Home Sale Tax DeductionsMortgage Interest and Property Taxes Two of the Westfield home sale tax deductions you can take advantage of right now are mortgage interest and property taxes. Anything you paid for either one of these in 2017 can be deducted on your taxes. The new tax code caps mortgage interest at anything paid up for up to $750,000 in mortgage debt and $10,000 in property taxes. However, the old limits (interest paid on up to $1,000,000 in mortgage debt and unlimited for proper... 04/06/2018

For a successful home sale, you need to market it correctly. This includes staging your home to appeal to as many buyers as possible. One area that needs your attention the most when staging is the exterior of your home. Poor curb appeal might turn potential buyers away. If you increase your Westfield curb appeal, then you'll increase your appeal to Westfield buyers. How to Increase Your Westfield Curb AppealPaint Unless your home's exterior is completely rundown, you won't have to spend the time or money involved with painting the entire house. Instead, concentrate on the trim, shutters, front porch railing, and mailbox. A fresh coat in a color that coordinates with the main house color makes a world of difference in the appearance of your property. And this chore can be done in one we... 03/30/2018

As the deadline to file taxes looms near, Westfield homeowners look for ways to alleviate some of their tax burdens. Westfield home values have steadily risen over the last few years. Many Westfield homeowners took out a home equity loan for various projects and expenses. Did you? If so, you might be able to write off the interest paid on that loan. However, you'll need to know the difference between home equity debt and acquisition debt first. The IRS treats these loans very differently. Home Equity Debt vs Acquisition DebtHome Equity Debt When home values go up, Westfield homeowners utilize their newfound equity for a wide variety of reasons. One of your kids started college. Another one's getting married. You want to take a once-in-a-lifetime vacation. You're interested in starting a... 03/23/2018

The national ranking company Niche recently released their "Best" lists for each state across the country. Westfield made their Top 10 List of "Best Places to Live in New Jersey". Our great schools, extremely low crime rate, entertainment options, and family-friendly atmosphere helped us rank in the upper echelon. Why Westfield Made the Top 10 List of Best Places to Live in New JerseyNiche gathers data from trusted sites like the Department of Education, FBI, and the US Census Bureau. They also send out millions of questionnaires to local residents around the US. Then, they analyze the answers to these questions as well as the data gathered from official sources. This helps them determine each city's rankings. Westfield ranked #10 on Niche's "Best Places to Live in New Jersey" list base... 03/16/2018

There are many pre-listing tasks every seller should undertake before putting their home on the market. Decluttering, packing up, and staging, are just a few of the chores on the list. If you want to make your Westfield home sale a success, follow these simple steps. How to Make Your Westfield Home Sale a SuccessPrice Your Home According to the Current Market First, let's talk money. Pricing tops the list of importance for most buyers. Price it too low, you risk losing money. However, price it too high and you risk losing buyers' interest. It's imperative that you price it according to how the market currently values it. How do you know what that magic number is? That's where your Westfield REALTOR's@ knowledge and expertise comes in to play. Not only can they run a Comparative Market A... 03/09/2018

After some deliberation, you've decided to sell your Westfield home. When marketing to today's buyers, you need to make sure they can picture your home as their home. To do so, you're going to need to stage it properly. That's where a professional staging company comes in handy. They know how to arrange each room of your house to maximize the positives and minimize the negatives. But, not all home stagers are created equal. To find the right one, ask your Westfield home stager these five questions. What to Ask Your Westfield Home StagerHow Long Do Your Westfield Area Homes Typically Stay on the Market? Ideally, you want a Westfield home stager whose homes typically sell in 30 days or less. If your home is still on the market after 30 days, you may need to reduce your price to drive up i... 03/02/2018

Selling your Westfield home involves several crucial steps. First, you need to find the right Westfield REALTOR@. Then, you need to determine an appropriate list price. After you hold open houses and/or private viewings, you'll accept an offer from a buyer and open escrow. At some point, an appraisal will be performed. This determines your home's fair market value and can make or break a home's sale. Here's what you need to know about the Westfield home appraisal process.The Westfield Home Appraisal ProcessAppraisal vs Inspection First things first, a Westfield home appraisal is not the same thing as a home inspection. An inspector physically assesses your home and its systems to make sure everything is in good working order. They look for possible maintenance issues and point out poten... 02/23/2018

The Westfield luxury real estate market started the year off with a flurry of activity. Whisperings of interest rate hikes could influence more buyers to look for homes earlier in the year. So, putting your Westfield home on the market now could be more profitable than waiting. But today's buyers differ from those of yesterday. Marketing your Westfield home in 2018 means catering to specific types of buyers and their tastes.Marketing Your Westfield Home in 2018Showcase Your Home's "Smart" Features Most of today's buyers search out "smart homes". When marketing your Westfield home in 2018, you should showcase any "smart" features you have. Do you utilize an Amazon Echo ("Alexa") or Google Home system ("Hey, Google.")? Good. If not, you might want to invest in one. Buyers want to know tha... 02/16/2018

There's been a flurry of activity in the Westfield luxury home market since the beginning of the year. Several newly constructed homes entered the market in the last 30 days. A few more are under contract. If you're in the market for a new home, now's the time to buy. Read on for a breakdown of the Westfield Area Market Report for January 2018.Westfield Area Market Report for January 2018Active Westfield Luxury Homes for Sale in January 2018 The Garden State MLS reported a total of 21 active Westfield luxury home listings. New construction made up more than 70%. Eleven of these entered the market within the last 30 days. NCN Properties has a custom colonial currently under construction that hit the market 15 days ago. Thirteen days ago, two custom colonials by Villane Construction were ... 02/09/2018

After the boom and subsequent bust of the mid-2000s, the US real estate market hit hard times. Banks tightened their lending standards, making it more difficult for buyers to receive funding for a home purchase. But that all seems to be behind us. A stronger economy, low unemployment, and high consumer confidence have rallied the market. If you've been on the fence about selling your house, 2018 might be the year to make it happen. But don't wait too long. You're going to want to sell your Westfield home sooner rather than later. Why Sell Your Westfield Home Now?Rates Remain Low...for Now While 3% may be a thing of the past, rates remain historically low. Currently, they're in the low 4% range for a 30-year fixed-rate loan. Some financial experts believe we will see rates hit 5% and abo... 02/02/2018

You've decided to sell your Westfield home. One of the tips I previously wrote about to sell it quickly is to let it show. By that, I mean that you need to be willing to let people come look at it at any time. This could take the form of a scheduled open house or private showings. If you prepare for your Westfield open house or a private tour now, it could help alleviate any last-minute stress they might cause.How to Prepare for Your Westfield Open HouseA Clean Home is a Sold HomeIt should go without saying, but the first step in preparing for your Westfield open house is to make sure everything is spotless. Carpets, upholstery, drapes, etc. should be deep cleaned, especially if smokers or pets reside in your home. Clear off the countertops in your kitchen and bathroom. Empty all your t... 01/26/2018

The usual rule of thinking is to lower your asking price when your Westfield home isn't seeing much traffic. But that isn't necessarily the right thing to do in all situations. Several factors help determine how to price your home appropriately for the market. Sometimes, that may mean actually raising your price even after you've had it on the market for a little while. When should you think about increasing your Westfield asking price after listing? When the following scenarios arise.Increasing Your Westfield Asking Price After ListingChanges in the Local Market The real estate market is in constant flux. Sometimes it's up. Sometimes it's down. But, rarely does it stand still. If the Westfield real estate market in your neighborhood has changed since you first listed your property, you... 01/19/2018

The Westfield tax assessment appeal season is coming soon. In fact, the first quarter is when Westfield homeowners can file their appeals. I've seen so many people whose own homes would be more attractive to buyers if the property taxes were lower. By the same token, I've also seen many buyers who would be able to afford more "home" if the property taxes were lower. That peaked my interest in the whole tax appeal process. I've even appealed my own taxes and currently benefit from that. Since the Westfield tax assessment appeal season opens up on Monday, I wanted to share with you what I've learned about the process. Helpful Westfield Tax Assessment Appeal Info Back in February of this year, I hosted a free Westfield tax appeal seminar featuring Jennifer Jacobus, Esq. She handles these k... 01/05/2018