How's The Commute? So Glad You Asked! Aside from schools and town life, there's nothing more important to prospective buyers in Essex County, NJ than their daily commute. NJ TRANSIT is New Jersey's public transportation corporation. Its mission is to provide safe, reliable, convenient and cost-effective transit service. Covering a service area of 5,325 square miles, NJ TRANSIT is the nation's third largest provider of bus, rail and light rail transit, linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia. Here are the links to NJTRANSIT to help you get started:  
The agency operates a fleet of 2,027 buses, 711 trains and 45 light rail vehicles. On 236 bus routes and 11 rail lines statewide, NJ TRANSIT provides nearly 223 million passenger trips each year.
NJ TRANSIT also administers several publicly funded transit programs for people with disabilities, senior citizens and people living in the state's rural areas who have no other means of transportation. In addition, the agency provides support and equipment to privately-owned contract bus carriers. "Train" towns in the county include Montclair, Glen Ridge and Bloomfield on the Montclair-Boonton Line; South Orange, Maplewood, Millburn/Sort Hills and Orange on the Morris & Essex Line. Many towns offer jitney service to train stations during commuter hours to and from some neighborhoods. Montclair alone has 6 New York Direct train stations, with an additional station and adjacent parking at Montclair State University. Millburn/Short Hills -- one town with two business districts -- has a New York Direct station attached to each. In South Orange, the main station, located on South Orange Ave. in the downtown area (around the corner from the new SO Performing Arts Center (SOPAC), is direct to the City, while the satellite Mountain Station in the West Montrose section of South Orange provides a convenient link to Newark and Secaucus Junction service. Residents of West Orange's Gregory and St. Cloud sections provide jitney service to trains in Orange and South Orange, as well. West Orange has one of the area's most sophisticated Park & Ride facilities for those who prefer the bus, located on Northfield Ave. Community Coach services this line. (www.coachusa.com/community/). In Montclair, bus service is provided by DeCamp Bus Company, which also services Glen Ridge, The Caldwells, Verona, Cedar Grove, Bloomfield, East Orange, parts of West Orange and other towns. (www.decamp.com/about.htm) New Jersey Transit buses also run through Verona and Cedar Grove. Additional train options not far from Essex County are located in Clifton (Delawanna Station; Bergen & Main Line); and from Frank E. Rodgers Blvd. & New Jersey Railroad Ave. in Harrison, NJ, where the convenient PATH line runs every 5 minutes, 24 hours a day and parking is accessible. (See http://www.answers.com/topic/harrison-path-station).
Home Inspections >If It Is Broken Fix It
Most houses have a few "little" problems, like leaking faucets, a stove burner that won't light, or electrical outlets with too much "spark". These defects may not seem very important--unless your house is about to go on the market.
We rarely have difficulty getting sellers to agree to paint, replace worn carpets or plant a few flowers in the front yard. These kinds of repairs obviously increase the overall appeal of the property. However, if any of the major systems in your home need maintenance, it is also prudent to have the necessary repairs made. Have your furnace, central air-conditioning system, plumbing and wiring checked as part of your pre-marketing efforts. The best rule is--if it's broken, fix it!
The purchase agreement requires that a house be conveyed with all the systems in working order, and most buyers will bring in a home inspector to identify any potential problems. During the period of time between the "meeting of the minds" and the removal of the inspection contingencies, the buyers are the most vulnerable to an attack of buyer's remorse. This is also the time when anything that hasn't been repaired could become a major issue.
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| Q |
What little-known folk remedy is said to help keep bats away from your home?
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According to some rural homeowners, if you tar and feather a two-by-four board and place it in your yard, it will ward off bats! |
 See More Real Estate Trivia > |
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Roberta Plutzik Baldwin, Realtor
Keller Williams NJ Metro Group
Glenmont Square
15 Bloomfield Avenue
Montclair, New Jersey
Office: 973-783-7400
Cell: 973-420-9043
Fax: 973-842-0745
robertabaldwinteam@gmail.com
Over the past 16 years, Roberta Baldwin has become one of Essex County, NJ's most respected real estate professionals, often quoted in the national media and featured for 2 seasons on the HGTV's hit show "Bought & Sold." A recipient of the New Jersey Association of Realtors Circle of Excellence Sales Award for 15 consecutive years, Roberta brings a myriad of talents to the job of helping her clients buy and sell homes. Before buying the franchise for the new, fast-growing Keller Williams Realty NJ Metro Group Market Center in 2010, Roberta was honored to be inducted into the RE/MAX International Hall of Fame after a string of accolades as one of the top-producing RE/MAX agents in the world. An award-winning former journalist, author, newspaper editor, marketing and publishing executive, her well-honed organizational, creative, and people skills are brought to bear on every deal she negotiates. Her flagship website, NJDreamHouses.com, is the anchor for the "What's New in Essex County Real Estate" newsletter she writes regularly for thousands of people interested in buying and selling in the North Jersey marketplace. Her super search site, www.FindBestNJHomes.com, is used by countless active NJ buyers and sellers. Roberta offers sellers a sophisticated mix of high technology marketing and sensitive interpretation their personal needs, while offering buyers she works with the expert advice and knowledge of local towns, schools and commutes. Her insightful blog, SuburbanDigs.typepad.com, simply said, tells it like it is! Considered an expert on pricing, buyer and and seller psychology and staging homes to maximize value, she is often interviewed by New York Times, NJ's Star Ledger, on ABC's "Nightline" and CBS's "Early Morning," as well as appearing frequently on MSNBC. In 2011, Roberta launched and is featured in a new docu-video series (YouTube.com/TheBaldwinTeam) supporting The Baldwin Dream Team listings. Roberta and her energetic and knowledgeable team of agents, The Baldwin Dream Team -- Nancy Chu, Sidney Simon, Nick Baldwin and Juliet Bowen -- are unmatched in their marketplace, stressing service and integtrity in every deal they do!
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