The Greatest Game Never Played

On April 3rd, 2010, the 1989 NJ State Ice Hockey Championship game between Delbarton School in Morris Township and St Joseph’s School of Montvale will finally be played at Mennen Arena in Morristown. In 1989 these two powerhouse high school hockey teams were set to face off in what was one of the most highly anticipated local sports events of the era, but unfortunately fate intervened. An outbreak of measles caused officials at the NJSIAA to cancel the game. Both teams were declared “co-champions” and there was to be no rescheduling, until now!

After all the hard work the members of each team put into that season it is no surprise that more than 20 years after the canceled championship game the players are anxious to finally determine a winner. This time, however, the game will be played as a benefit for NHL’s Hockey Fights Cancer, a joint charitable initiative founded by the National Hockey League and NHL Players Association.

The puck drops at Mennen Arena Saturday, April 3rd at 2pm. In addition to supporting a very good cause, attendees are sure to enjoy what promises to be spirited game between two capable adversaries.

Visit the Frozen Flashback Home Page

Buy Tickets

Among the many well-priced homes currently for sale in our area, there is occasionally one that stands out as a particularly good value. 8 Roxiticus Road in Mendham Township, set high above one of the more scenic roads in New Jersey, is just such a home.

8 Roxiticus Rd, Mendham

This beautifully renovated 4 bedroom, 3 ½ bath home is very attractively priced at $799,000. Keenly aware of the significant depreciation our state has suffered since they purchased this home in 2007, the owners have competitively priced this home at 22% below the price they paid for it!

With a stunning great room, versatile and stylish kitchen and countless sophisticated touches throughout, this home offers a wonderful setting for both entertaining and day-to-day living. Located near the quaint village of Mendham, 8 Roxiticus is also convenient to shopping, restaurants and major highways.

Having just opened our Chatham office a few weeks ago, we could not be happier to report that sales in both the Borough and Township of Chatham are very strong. Last month there were 18 homes that went under contract in the two municipalities, 10 in the Borough and 8 in the Township. The average list price was $922,581, with a very impressive average of 48 days on the market.

Months Supply of Inventory in Chatham

Sales in the Chathams during February 2010 outpaced February 2009 by 17%, and ran 37% ahead of January 2010. Additionally, February was the strongest month since July in terms of number of homes sold. The fact that this very cold and snowy month performed better than the traditionally strong fall months of September and October is also significant, and bodes well for the spring real estate market in general.

Indeed, so far in March Chatham Borough has racked up another 13 transactions and the Township has seen 8. The same 22 day period in 2009 recorded just 9 sales between the two towns. To top off the good news, the months supply of inventory, that is the number of months it would take to sell all of the town’s active listings at the current sales pace, has dropped 79% from last February and currently stands at 5.9 months.

The Chathams are some of the best performing towns in the state, which is due in no small part to the near-perfect package of great schools, a vibrant downtown, charming neighborhoods, proximity to a variety of shopping and activities  and the convenience to New York City via the mid-town direct train.

In his recent biannual lecture on the state of the New Jersey Real Estate market, appraiser and well known scholar of NJ real estate trends, Jeff Otteau, was more optimistic than I have seen him in several years. Pointing to monthly contract activity levels that have been running ahead of the previous year’s every month since June, 2009, Jeff espoused his opinion that we are at last on our way to recovery in New Jersey.

Particularly bright spots are occurring in areas located along train lines in the northeastern part of the state, with several counties including Morris, Somerset, Union and Essex showing signs of a balanced market with less than eight months inventory on the books. Even with the apparent stabilization he cautioned that there is likely a large contingent of “shadow inventory” with potential to flood the market- sellers who got fed up with the difficult market and are awaiting signs of improvement before relisting.

For those of us involved in Madison or Chatham real estate the news was especially good. Chatham is the state’s most improved market, moving from an average 56.88 months of supply in 2009 to just 5.7 months so far in 2010. Even more impressive is Madison’s 2.12 months supply, the third lowest in the state and down from an average of 11.44 in 2009.

With all this good news one may be inclined to celebrate, but there are still plenty of hurdles for the New Jersey real estate market. Inventory levels are generally still out of proportion, our state faces many financial woes and we are losing high paying jobs at an alarming rate. Furthermore, it is unclear whether the current increase in activity will be sustainable beyond the spring, when interest rates are forecast to rise and the first time/move up home buyers credit expires. Perhaps this is why Mr. Otteau suggested that buyers should hit the gas and take advantage of the unique convergence of still low interest rates and low home prices. Conversely he said that sellers should hit the brakes; resist the urge to raise prices as buyer activity picks up. After all, we are still very definitely in a buyer’s market!

Turpin Real Estate Chatham office

Turpin Celebrates Grand Opening of Chatham Office 

We would like to thank everyone who attended our grand opening celebration on Friday, March 5th. We were thrilled at the overwhelming support we received from the community for this momentous occasion for Turpin Real Estate. Local professionals, fellow Realtors, clients and friends made for a wonderful party, and a jam-packed real estate office at 186 Main Street in downtown Chatham.

In our 50 year history this is just the fifth office we have opened, a fact which highlights our long commitment of putting quality before quantity. We have always opted for a smaller but more professional sales staff dedicated to serving a relatively small geographical area. This approach has allowed us to remain experts in the markets we serve while giving our management team the opportunity to oversee and maintain a level of quality that so often gets lost in larger firms.

While our recent move into the Chatham real estate market represents growth, we are still fiercely committed to the philosophy: Bigger is not better; Better is better.  We have long noticed that many of our clients originate in the Chatham area, and as our business with Chatham homes for sale, Madison and Summit real estate markets has steadily increased over recent years we began to see what a perfect fit we were for this community.

If you missed the party we welcome you to stop by and see us whenever you find yourself in the neighborhood.

Turpin Real Estate is proud to announce the launch of our brand new website. Created and maintained by Active Website in Lakewood, CO, the TurpinRealtors.com is now the area’s most advanced, user-friendly and, in our opinion, attractive website!

Regardless of what your New Jersey Real Estate needs may be, our new site can help, whether you’re searching for Chatham homes for sale, Far Hills real estate, by school district or by keyword. We even have a revolutionary map search which allows visitors to hand-draw boundaries in Google Maps to indicate areas in which they are interested in living.

Save your favorites to your own account, set up auto emails to alert you when a new listing that fits your criteria comes on the market, research our communities or even check to see which utility company will serve your new home.

Our strong local knowledge and identity, coupled with our unwavering commitment to leading the industry in technology, gives us a tremendous edge over the competition. Because our competitors serve such a large geographical area their sites must remain general and vague when it comes to content. It is not possible for them to offer the kind of rich local information that we provide.  This is one reason why our new site is so appealing!

We are so pleased to have partnered with a web firm as skilled, savvy, and accomplished as activewebsite.com.  It is their comprehensive approach to merging web development with real estate that has kept us focused on creating a user-friendly experience for our visitors.  The Turpin Team has a wonderful set of tools for keeping clients up to the minute on the local market. In this day and age, when over 90% of home buyers are online, it is imperative that we do everything we can to facilitate an easy and rewarding online experience for our clientele, and with our new site we have accomplished that goal!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Denver, CO – Active Website is pleased to announce the newest addition to the Enterprise Network, Turpin Real Estate out of New Jersey. As a family-owned business, Turpin has served the Northern New Jersey area from Chatham homes for sale to Far Hills real estate, for the past five decades.

Turpin Real Estate is a proud member of Leading Real Estate companies of the World and an affiliate of Christies Great Estates, granting Turpin access to the largest international networks for real estate brokerages. With a global reach and local expertise, this company of qualified professionals is dedicated to providing the highest quality of service to its clients. With an emphasis on maintaining their local identity, Turpin has established themselves as the premier real estate company in the luxury market.

By joining Active Website and the Enterprise Network, Turpin Real Estate will now have additional resources at their disposal to increase technology for recruiting purposes.

As the 15^th Member of the Network, Turpin will have access to the following software and technology solutions:

1. Advanced Mapping Technology through Google™ Maps
2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Techniques
3. Individual Property Websites (IPWs)
4. A Personalized Individual Agent Website Program
5. Customer LifeCycle Management
6. Advanced Reporting Tools
7. Access to Tobii Technology’s Usability Eye Tracking Software

“As leaders in our market area for half a century we knew a strong technology platform was essential to our continued success in the new millennium, and—of the several proposals we received—Active was by far the most impressive. Additionally, the opportunity to be a part of such an innovative network of the nation’s best independent agencies was very enticing. In our short time with Active, not only have they delivered on all promises, but exceeded our expectations at every turn. We look forward to a long and profitable relationship with this wonderful group,” states John Turpin, President of Turpin Real Estate.

Turpin joins fellow Enterprise Network Member, N.T. Callaway, in representing New Jersey’s high-end luxury market. With an experienced user-base already established, Turpin is a valuable addition to the Network and brings a level of sophistication to the platform. As Enterprise Network Members strive to be the market leaders in their respective regions, they have set the standard for all independent real estate companies in the country. With the inclusion of Turpin Real Estate into this tight knit group of innovators, 2010 promises to be a great year for Active Website and the Enterprise Network.

About the Enterprise Network

The Enterprise Network member base is by invitation only. Comprised solely of private real estate firms, the Enterprise Network does not accept national brands and only works with one company per marketplace. This exclusivity allows for open collaboration and sharing of information within the Network, free from any conflict of interest. The goal for members under the Enterprise Network umbrella is to address the technology demands that are emerging in today’s changing real estate market. Together, Enterprise Network members can make the best decisions concerning implementation of systems and solutions, ultimately leveraging everyone to higher levels of business.

About Active Website

Active Website is a Colorado-based company specializing in web design and development. Founded in 1998, the company has rapidly become an industry leader with major clients including Ebby Halliday Real Estate, Inc., The Group, Inc., Helen Adams Realty, The Kentwood Company, LandVest, Milestone Realty Consultants, N.T. Callaway Real Estate, Windermere Tri-Cities, Wright Kingdom Real Estate, Residential Properties Ltd., Charles Reinhart Company Realtors, Smith & Associates Real Estate, Danberry Realtors, Skogman Realty, Turpin Real Estate, as well as several new members to be announced soon.