If you will be around Union County on September 5 and 6, you MUST check out the Union County Music Fest. It will feature a list of great bands, with the 2 headliners of Everclear, and B 52s. What a great event, held right in our backyard of beautiful Cranford, NJ. Here is what the music fest website has to say about the event. To see the full info, logon to www.UCMUSICFEST.com OVERVIEW:Across two glorious late-summer days, MusicFest will bring together the Union County community for a free event consisting of non-stop musical entertainment and fun for the entire family. Located in beautiful Nomahegan Park in Cranford -- one of the region's most scenic destinations -- three stages will host an exciting line-up of popular national and local musical acts. (MusicFest '07 performers included... 08/26/2008

Many of our clients ask us every day "Just how much is the market down in Cranford" We read newspaper reports every day, and hear TV reporters tell us that the sky is falling with real estate everywhere, and that just isn't true. So, what's happening in Cranford??? Here are the facts. These are not opinions, these are not guesstimates, these are facts. The average sales price in Cranford NJ for the year to date ending July 2008 is $435,665 The average sales price in Cranford NJ for the year to date ending July 2006 is $464,578 That equates to about a 6.3% decline in average sales price. Keep in mind the average is not the whole story. This does not take into account particular price ranges having a larger decline than others. What we are finding is that the starter homes under $500,000 ... 08/22/2008

Here are the raw numbers for Cranford, NJ Real Estate for the Month Ending July 31, 2008. Average Sales Price: $422,940 Average Days on Market: 78 Average List to Sale Price Ratio: 96.9% Closed Transactions: 25 The sales activity remained consistent with June's numbers, as this has been overall a very healthy summer for Cranford, NJ real estate sales. Check back for year over year comparisons, as well as quarterly comparisons, so we can see where we are in the market trends. Buyers: Opportunities to buy into this great town of Cranford are many. But you have to act quickly on the well priced homes, as motivated sellers are already building in the market correction to their list prices!!! Sellers: Get good, honest pricing advice from your Realtor, and let us guide you to position your ho... 08/22/2008

For a complete list (INCLUDING ADDRESSES) of homes in Cranford, NJ under $400,000, logon to: http://www.NJAreaRealEstate.com No calls...no hassles...just the information you want. Property lists and updates emailed to you daily, with no calls from any agents until you ask us...REALLY!! Now is a great time to buy in Cranford.   A Free service provided by Team Carroll of RE/MAX Classic Group 08/04/2008

Team Carroll is renewing its commitment to helping homeowners in the Cranford area who may be facing foreclosure, pre-foreclosure, or simply are just behind on payments and don't see a way out. If you are struggling in your home, and want help, please give us a chance to help you. 7 out of 10 foreclosed properties don't show any evidence of visible intervention. Don't be one of those 7. We can show you some possible solutions to help avoid foreclosure, and help you do what's best for your family. Don't be embarassed, don't be ashamed. There are lots of good people who are in tough situations right now. Let Team Carroll help! We are passionate about real estate, and passionate about helping others. Sean Carroll - Realtor, Team Leader "Team Carroll" - Real Estate Professionals www.TeamCar... 07/31/2008

Cranford NJ Market Report As promised, here is a comparison of the Cranford NJ Real Estate Market for the 12 month periods ending June 2008 compared to June 2007. As you will see below, and as I have discussed in several blog articles the past few months, and shared on consultations with both buyers and sellers, the prices, inventory levels, and sales activity has remained constant (or flat) in the past year. You will notice an increase in the total number of listings (1464, up from 1343), but there was also an uptick in the number of sales (211 up from 205) and a decrease in the number of new listings (197 down from 216). The average price dropped only $15,000 which amounts to a little over 3%, and probably within the margin of error for any statistical study, thus I called it "flat". ... 07/14/2008

The Cranford Chamber is hosting its 6th networking event of the year this Wednesday July 16th at 12:00 noon, at "A Toute Heure" on Centennial Ave. Of course Sean will be there to represent Team Carroll as we grow our referral relationships, and help local Cranford business grow theirs. For more information, check out our website: www.TeamCarrollNJ.com Thanks for reading, and happy networking! Sean Carroll - Realtor, Team Leader "Team Carroll" of RE/MAX Classic Group   07/12/2008

Happy FRIDAY Cranford!!! Just a quick observation about inventory levels in Cranford this morning. We have currently 84 homes listed for sale, including those in attorney review. A few months back we had close to 100 listings. This drop in inventory can be attributed to a few things. First, there has been a very active sales market lately in Cranford, thus selling off the properly priced homes quickly. Second, the summer is here, and less sellers seasonally list in the summer, as vacations and preparations for the following school year keep a lot of listings on the sidelines until fall. Nonetheless, Team Carroll is watching the inventory carefully, and my best advice is that if you see a home you really like, make a competetive offer, because with less inventory and a similar amount of ... 07/11/2008

Once again, I had the pleasure of meeting a new client through my blog. Team Carroll is pleased to announce its new listing at 18 Springfield Ave, Unit 5G in the Cranford Towers in downtown Cranford, NJ. The full listing will be included in my blog by the weekend, but I wanted to take this time to share with all your bloggers that we can help our clients by posting good relevant local information on our blogs. I also wanted to thank you, the readers, for helping make blogging so much fun, and a great tool to help grow business for Team Carroll. Thanks for reading! Sean Carroll - Realtor, Team Leader "Team Carroll" of RE/MAX Classic Group www.TeamCarrollNJ.com   07/10/2008

Here are the raw numbers for Cranford, NJ Real Estate for the Month Ending June 30, 2008. Average Sales Price: $485,528 Average Days on Market: 44!!! Average List to Sale Price Ratio: 95.6% Closed Transactions: 23 There were 10 more closed transactions in June than in May, so as I predicted last month in the May report, the closed sales in June were higher, because the pending sales in May were higher Check back at the end of next week for my deeper analysis of the numbers, and a yearly comparison, to see how the Cranford NJ market is faring compared to a year ago or even 2 years ago. Thanks for reading! Sean Carroll - Realtor, Team Leader "Team Carroll" - Real Estate Professionals RE/MAX Classic Group www.TeamCarrollNJ.com   07/05/2008

Another month of real estate is in the books for Cranford, NJ, and that means another round of "What's Happening Out There" in Real Estate will be posted to the blog this week. My goal is to get the June numbers out to you all before this holiday weekend, in case you want to discuss real estate at the family barbecue. :) On another positive note, I received a call yesterday from someone in Cranford who found me here on Active Rain through reading my blog. I am meeting with her today to discuss possibly listing her condo for sale, and I was thrilled to hear that yet again, blogging proves to be a great way for the consumer to get to know me, and how I do business with Team Carroll. Check back in a day or so for the new numbers! Thanks for reading as always. Sean Carroll - Realtor, Team L... 07/02/2008

One of the services we provide at Team Carroll is a business referral directory, that will be going online in the next 3 weeks. Once per month, we will feature a local Cranford NJ area business, and a short description about what they do in our monthly mailings that you've been receiving. This referral directory will be online and available to our clients, and businesses, because we would much rather refer you to quality businesses locally who have been referred to us, than have you open the yellow pages, or google someone, only to not receive excellent service. Right now, we are pleased to feature Dave Weichert of Magical Travel. For those of you who love Disney, or want to take a Disney Vacation anytime soon, I HIGHLY recommend speaking with Dave, and letting him take the stress out o... 06/20/2008

The media would have you believe that NO ONE is buying a home anywhere, and that the sky is not only falling, but falling on your house. So why is it then that properly priced homes are FLYING off the market??? Why???? Because DEMAND is still here in the Cranford NJ area. The demand means that there are still plenty of buyers who want to live here, and need to live here, because of the location, schools, transportation, and all of the other great qualities of our communities. So why then in a supposed "bad market" are buyers getting outbid on homes, and some homes selling in less than a week, including most of our listings we've had this year? Well, even though prices are down from their highs in 2005, there are sellers who are aware of this, and who are pricing their homes properly, an... 06/13/2008

FORE!!!!! This Monday, the Cranford NJ Chamber of Commerce will be holding its annual golf outing at Hyatt Hills Golf Club. I will be making my 2008 golf season debut, so if you are in my foresome, please be patient! :) The Cranford NJ Chamber of Commerce is a great organization where you can network with your fellow professionals, learn about each other's businesses, and just meet some great people! For more information, click on any of the links above. Sean Carroll - Realtor, Team Leader "Team Carroll" of RE/MAX Classic Group www.TeamCarrollNJ.com 06/05/2008

Here are the raw numbers for Cranford, NJ Real Estate for the Month Ending May 31, 2008. Average Sales Price: $503,769 Average Days on Market: 67 Average List to Sale Price Ratio: 97.1% Closed Transactions: 13 There were 5 less closed transactions in May than in April, but I have seen more go under contract, that will likely appear in the June numbers. Check back at the end of this week for a year over year comparison to 2007, to see how the Cranford NJ market is faring compared to a year ago. Thanks for reading! Sean Carroll - Realtor, Team Leader "Team Carroll" - Real Estate Professionals RE/MAX Classic Group www.TeamCarrollNJ.com   06/04/2008

Another month has passed, and we are winding down the second quarter of 2008. With that, comes the Monthly "Cranford NJ Real Estate Summary" that we like to share with you, so you have an idea of what's happening in the market. This week, we will be releasing the monthly sales numbers for May, 2008, and next week, we will be comparing those figures to the same timeframe last year, so we can see what the market is doing year over year. For up to date Cranford NJ Real estate information, check out our website at www.TeamCarrollNJ.com Tune in Thursday for those numbers! 06/03/2008

Now is a great time to buy into this quality community of Cranford NJ. Prices are good, rates are low, and there are some excellent opportunities. For a complete list of Cranford NJ homes for sale, and homes for sale in other towns surrounding Cranford, logon to: http://www.NjAreaRealEstate.com No calls....no hassles....just the information you want! INCLUDING PROPERTY ADDRESSES!!!!   A free service provided by: RE/MAX Classic Group 908-898-0800 05/28/2008

If you are thinking of buying a home, it is certainly a great time to do so! Just because the media tells you not to buy, doesn't mean they are right! In fact, if everyone else is not buying, NOW is the time to buck the trend and get in. This means that you may be nearing a bottom in the market. Once everyone gets excited about buying again, guess what?? You have missed the bottom, and prices will likely already be on their way up. Before making an offer, however, be sure to ask your agent to do a Comparative Market Analysis on the home you are considering. This will be a guide you can use to determine what homes like the one you are considering have sold for in the area. Then, you will be in a stronger negotiating position, or will know if you need to act more quickly if the home is pr... 05/19/2008

Here are the raw numbers for Cranford, NJ Real Estate for the Month Ending April 2008.Average Sales Price: $374,605Average Days on Market: 65Average List to Sale Price Ratio: 96.6%Closed Transactions: 18Next week, I will issue the comparison analysis for Cranford compared to last year, so you can see the trends, and how things are holding up. Overall, Cranford has done brisk sales activity in the $550K and under price range, as many first time buyers, and second time "moving up" buyers are capitalizing on low mortgage rates, and favorable pricing. Lots of multiple offers if the home is priced correctly.Thanks for reading!Sean Carroll - Realtor, Team Leader"Team Carroll" - Real Estate ProfessionalsRE/MAX Classic Groupwww.TeamCarrollNJ.com  05/08/2008

For those of you who haven't yet given "Java's Brewin" in Cranford, NJ a try, I Highly recommend it! We meet there once per week for our team meetings and training, and always start the meeting with a cup of their fresh coffee, and a delicious pastry or sandwich.The location is great if you are walking downtown, work downtown, or want to grab a quick bite to eat before getting on the train, as the NJ Transit Station is just next door. Prices are reasonable, the staff is friendly, and the atmosphere is perfect for relaxing, checking your email, or catching up on the news.Check out their website at www.JavasBrewinCranford.comThanks for reading, and see you at the coffee shop!Sean Carroll - Realtor, Team Leader"Team Carroll" - Real Estate ProfessionalsRE/MAX Classic Groupwww.TeamCarrollNJ.... 05/05/2008