Here are the raw numbers for February 2008 in Cranford NJ Real EstateNumber of Closed Sales: 10 (this includes those that went under contract before February)Number of Listings that Went Under Contract: 23 (wow)Average Sales Price: $536,500Average Days on Market of Sold Homes: 95List to Sale Price Ratio: 95%Number of New Listings: 32That is a LOT of homes going under contract in February which was fueled likely by those record low interest rates in the early part of the month, combined with a few very nice weather weekends. Last February there were only 11 that went under contract.Also, it is becoming apparent to us that sellers who need to sell are starting to list their homes at prices that are in line with market demand. This sparked buyer activity, and if rates remain competitive, I... 03/10/2008

This market is active...at least it is in my world. :) Our biggest challenge today at Team Carroll is to try to coordinate closings from listing to purchase, to listing to purchase, etc. We have a first time buyer, whose funds are the start of a chain of closings which will ultimately end up with at least 3 property closings in Cranford alone. That is a lot of stress for my clients of course, and for everyone involved..On the market side however, it is a good sign in that the real estate food chain in Cranford seems to be showing many signs of life. Check back early next week for my monthly Cranford NJ Real Estate Market report, which will breakdown the numbers for February, and give you an idea of where we are trending going forward. Until then...thanks for reading as always....Sean Ca... 03/07/2008

1. How long have you been in the business?            2. What is your ratio of sales price to listed price? How does this compare to the rest of the market?3. What is the average number of days your listings are on the market before selling? How does this compare to the market average?4. Would you please show me a copy of your marketing plan?5. Could I have a copy of your standard listing agreement?6. How many buyers do you have in your personal database? 7.  What is your commission rate? What is included with that? How much of that is paid out to the buyer's agent?  8.  What is the length of your listing agreement? 9. What if I am unhappy with your service during the course of the listing? Can I cancel at any time? Are there cancellation fees?10. At what price would you recommend marke... 02/22/2008

Today marks just about the midway point to February, especially with this being a leap year, so I wanted to post an interim real estate report for Cranford NJ.As of today, there are 79 Active Listings in Cranford NJ, and there have been 7 homes that have gone under contract this month. That is a good pace for sales in February, and I anticipate that we will see at least a handful more, as there are several properties currently in attorney review. Check back in 15 days for the February Real Estate report for Cranford, which will include pricing information, comparisons to 2007, and projections for the quarterly report of the 1st quarter 2008.For the January report: Click HereThanks for reading!Sean Carroll - Realtor, Team Leader"Team Carroll" - Real Estate Professionals Specializing in C... 02/15/2008

            CRANFORDKnown at the turn of the century as the Venice of New Jersey, the Union County Township of Cranford grew up around the meandering Rahway River. In 1720, John Crane of nearby Elizabeth Towne (now Elizabeth) built a grist mill on the north side of a ford in the river and a sawmill on the south side. That mill at Crane's Ford provided grain for Washington's troops during the Revolution. Cranford remained a small village until 1838, when the Elizabethtown & Somerville Railroad made it accessible to New York City. The railroad and river led to Cranford's development, first as a recreation area and later as a commuter suburb to New York. In 1871 Cranford was incorporated as a township and, within 15 years, about 76 residents were commuting daily to the city. The most impor... 02/07/2008

This is an addendum to my post about the Cranford NJ Real Estate Market summary for January 2008.After studying the numbers for a period of 3 months ending January 2008, and comparing them to that same period from January 2007, it confirms what I said in my earlier blog. We are flatlined in terms of prices and sales activity from one year ago with no heavy change in either direction . While there were less closed and pending sales by a few percentage points, there were also slightly less new listings. Less new listings is a good thing for selling off inventory, and for sparking buyer activity. Keep in mind that these figures do not reflect any offers that may have been written in the last few weeks of January, and were still in attorney review as of January 31. I noticed a big boost in ... 02/06/2008

****Drumroll Please*****I know I gave you all that great teaser yesterday saying I was prepared to maybe to call the bottom of this housing market in Cranford NJ and tell you that sales activity might indicate that we were starting to pull away from the slower pace of the past 2 years. Well...unfortunately the data doesn't indicate a movement upward in sales activity, but the good news is that there was not a movement down in sales activity either, which could mean we are surfing around on the bottom part of the housing cycle, ready to make a move upwards in activity.If history is a guide, corrections usually last in the neighborhood of 3 years, and we are approaching that 3 year mark here in this area. So, I would tend to believe that we may start to see some motion to the upside in pe... 02/01/2008

....well if I had the answer to that, I would be a very rich man! Instead, all I can do is help buyers and sellers accomplish their goals. What I can say is that tomorrow, Feb 1, 2008, don't miss the latest Cranford NJ Real Estate Market Report, which will show the key statistics of pending home sales for January, and number of new listings. This will go a long way in determining which way the 2008 market is trending.I can tell you from first hand experience, that just this month alone, I have seen or been involved with a few multiple offer situations, and a listing that sold in less than 10 days. I have seen interest rates drop to incredible levels, and more first time buyers jumping into the market than in the past 3 years. These are signs that point to the light at the end of the tun... 01/31/2008

            CRANFORD NEW JERSEYKnown at the turn of the century as the Venice of New Jersey, the Union County Township of Cranford grew up around the meandering Rahway River. In 1720, John Crane of nearby Elizabeth Towne (now Elizabeth) built a grist mill on the north side of a ford in the river and a sawmill on the south side. That mill at Crane's Ford provided grain for Washington's troops during the Revolution. Cranford remained a small village until 1838, when the Elizabethtown & Somerville Railroad made it accessible to New York City. The railroad and river led to Cranford's development, first as a recreation area and later as a commuter suburb to New York. In 1871 Cranford was incorporated as a township and, within 15 years, about 76 residents were commuting daily to the city. The... 12/28/2007

The Celebration Singers (www.Celebration-Singers.org) have their final performance of the winter season this evening at 8:15 at the Harvest Training Center on Myrtle Ave in Cranford NJ. I will be singing Tenor, as usual, and last night's performance went wonderfully. Thanks to all of you who came. We had over 400 people in the audience.Tickets are $15.00 and can be purchased at the door, but try to arrive early for preferred seating. Happy Holidays everyone!Sean Carroll - Realtor, Team Leader"Team Carroll" - Real Estate ProfessionalsServing Berkeley Heights, Scotch Plains, New Providence, Cranford, Westfield, and Surrounding Areaswww.GoCarrollTeam.com  12/15/2007

For the month ending November 30, 2007, there were 18 closed sales in Cranford, with an average sales price of 526,666. This is an increase in sales activity, and when combined with few active listings, the absorption rate dropped to about a 5 month supply - near term. However, I expect this to be short lived, as traditionally, December and January are slower sales months, and January there should be more new listings. Check back after the holidays for another Cranford NJ Real Estate Market Update.Sean Carroll - Realtor, Team Leader"Team Carroll" - Real Estate ProfessionalsServing Berkeley Heights, Scotch Plains, New Providence, Cranford, Westfield and Surrounding Areaswww.GoCarrollTeam.com  12/06/2007

See if you can find your local Realtor in this video! This is straight from our rehearsal last night for the Celebration Singers Holiday Concert - Next Friday and Saturday at 8:15 in Cranford NJ. Hope you enjoy this version of Jingle Bells. This is arranged by Ray Charles, and I think you will hear the jazz style coming through. (If you are looking for me, I am in a grey sweatshirt towards the left side of your screen. Enjoy, and Thanks for watching! 12/05/2007

The annual holiday concert of the Celebration Singers (www.Celebration-Singers.org) children's chorus and adult chorus will be Friday and Saturday December 14 and 15 at 8:15 PM. The cost is $15.00 per person. The concert will be held at the Harvest Training Center on Mrytle Ave. on the south side of Cranford NJI will be a soloist this year and am excited about the opportunity. I hope you can attend. E-mail for any additional details! Sean Carroll - Realtor, Team LeaderTeam Carroll - Real Estate Professionalswww.GoCarrollTeam.com 12/03/2007

In October 2007, there were 12 closed sales in Berkeley Heights. The average sales price for these homes was $431,708, and the average days on the market was 32, which shows that properly priced listings are the ONLY units that are selling right now. Although active listings have remained fairly constant with 90 on the market right now, this has caused the absorption rate to increase to 7.5 months supply, with only 12 closed sales. The absorption rate had been holding steady in the 5-6 month range until we got to September and October. This is just further evidence that sellers need to be realistic with their pricing. Properly priced homes will still sell...just listen to your Realtor's recommendation carefully.Sean Carroll - Realtor, Team LeaderTeam Carrollhttp://www.gocarrollteam.com/... 11/08/2007

Well it's happened, we are over the century mark in active listings for Cranford NJ homes for sale. As of this morning, there were 101 active listings. This may not seem like a lot for those of you in other markets, but to give you some perspective, at the height of the seller's market of 2004, there were no more than 40 listings for sale. Stay tuned next week for the full Cranford NJ update. The good news for sellers is that buyers STILL want to live in Cranford NJ. We just need to position your home correctly so that it becomes the BEST option for buyers in that price range/neighborhood. For buyers, the good news is that I can show you more choices than you've seen in recent years. Thanks for reading!Sean Carroll - Realtorwww.GoCarrollTeam.com  10/13/2007

CRANFORDCalvary Chapel of the Deaf37 South Avenue West,Cranford, NJ 07016(908) 276-5528Calvary Lutheran Church108 Eastman Street,Cranford, NJ 07016(908) 276-2418Calvary Tabernacle69 Myrtle Street,Cranford, NJ 07016(908) 709-9600Cranford Alliance Church7 Cherry Street,Cranford, NJ 07016(908) 276-1617Cranford United Methodist Church201 Lincoln Ave East,Cranford, NJ 07016(908) 276-0936First Baptist Church of Cranford100 High Street,Cranford, NJ 07016(908) 276-2760First Presbyterian Church of Cranford11 Springfield Avenue,Cranford, NJ 07016(908) 276-8440Grace and Peace Fellowship Church and Portugese Ministries950 Raritan Road,Cranford, NJ 07016(908) 276-8740Greater Mount Zion Holy Church43 Johnson Avenue,Cranford, NJ 07016(908) 276-0380Jehovah's Witnesses77 Chestnut Street,Cranford, NJ 070... 08/25/2007

Cranford, NJ Real Estate Update There are currently 106 single family homes and 4 multi family homes on the market for sale. These numbers have risen substantially in the past month as the spring market picked up with a flood of new inventory. Last month, there were 95 listings for sale at this time. Inventory levels are much higher than before, giving buyers more options when selecting a home. Although prices have trended lower or flatlined, Cranford still remains an appealing option for many buyers, which has enabled homes to sell quickly if they are priced properly. Multiple offers are still a possiblity for competetively priced homes. However, with so many new listings, I expect days on market to rise for homes that are priced too high.There were 31 properties that closed in July in... 08/24/2007

      CRANFORD, NJKnown at the turn of the century as the Venice of New Jersey, the Union County Township of Cranford grew up around the meandering Rahway River. In 1720, John Crane of nearby Elizabeth Towne (now Elizabeth) built a grist mill on the north side of a ford in the river and a sawmill on the south side. That mill at Crane's Ford provided grain for Washington's troops during the Revolution. Cranford remained a small village until 1838, when the Elizabethtown & Somerville Railroad made it accessible to New York City. General Information Incorporated:Population:Area:County:Websites:Worship 187122,6335.0 Sq. Mi.Unionhttp://www.cranford.com/http://www.unioncountynj.org/PlacesSchool Report Cards New Report Cards available soonCranford Schools WebsiteDemographics Cranford 07016 The... 08/19/2007

 Cranford, NJ Real Estate Update There are currently 97 single family homes and 4 multi family homes on the market for sale. These numbers have risen substantially in the past month as the spring market picked up with a flood of new inventory. Last month, there were 79 listings for sale at this time. Inventory levels are much higher than before, giving buyers more options when selecting a home. Although prices have trended lower, Cranford still remains an appealing option for many buyers, which has enabled homes to sell quickly if they are priced properly. Multiple offers are still a possiblity for competetively priced homes. However, with so many new listings, I expect days on market to rise for homes that are priced too high.There were 14 properties that closed in May in Cranford, the... 07/18/2007

$2.9 Million was released to complete the restoration of the old Staten Island Railroad for Linden to Cranford.  The line should be working by January. 06/21/2007