Welcome to My Blog! Please feel free to email me @ karinaabadnj@gmail.com

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Fire Victims Of 300 Washington St Hoboken Bake Sale

A Bake Sale for the Fire Victims of 300 Washington St - help raise money!

Dear friends and residents,
 

on February 19th, 2012 a fire erupted at 300 Washington Street in Hoboken that grew so large, so quickly, that all occupants had to be evacuated from the building. Some escaped by climbing up to the roofs and being rescued by firefighters, others were able to leave early enough to use the stairs, and others, were out of town not knowing their entire lives were burning away. Thankfully they all survived, it was quite a site, and a reminder at the sacrifice our fire fighters make.

Residents of Hoboken and neighboring cities have showed a wonderful presence and desire to help the victims; several fundraisers are being organized, and there are many people working to collect items for them. 

We would like to help! As soon as news hit, the next morning my office was brainstorming and making calls to see how we could participate..

On March 7th, RE/MAX Gold Coast Realty will host a Bake Sale to raise additional funds to help the victims. 100% of all proceeds will be donated to them.

I hope that you will stop by my office to pick up a few sweets and leave a donation in return! In addition, my office will be collecting supplies for them. Currently they are still seeking clothing, electronic items, outerwear, gift cards and more.

If you are a baker and would like to donate some items for us to offer please let me know.

  

Thank you for considering to help us raise money for the victims of the 300 Washington St fire by donating or visiting our Hoboken bake sale!



Friday, February 24, 2012

Blvd East Weehawken NJ

Blvd East is one of the most beautiful drives in the area. A lovely
stretch along the Hudson River with incredible views of Manhattan.
Condos and co-ops range from $170,000 up to >$800,000 and homes on
Blvd East range between $900,000 and <$3million

Monday, February 20, 2012

Hoboken Charter School Proposal Seeks Your Input

Hoboken Charter School Seeks Community Input

A client and friend of mine, and Hoboken resident, Laura Siegel is spearheading this project that is near to her heart. She is working with a team of educators to open a science themed Charter School. Having children of her own, and seeing how Charter Schools help enrich the educational and developmental lives of children in the area, her team made up of teachers and parents have started working towards seeking funding and permits to open the school.

Not an easy process by any means but one that they are prepared for.

In 2011, the NJ Department of Education reported that Hoboken Charter schools were outperforming their public counter parts,  showing that "third-graders at Hoboken Charter School and Elysian Charter School in Hoboken had 90% and higher passing rates while the Hoboken school district (67.8%) faltered 10% below the state average (78.8%)." - Reported on NJ.com
  
As part of this process, the group is reaching out to the community to gauge interest and seek input.
The survey is available online at http://davincicharter.wordpress.com/community-survey/.  All Hoboken residents are encouraged to fill it out.

Some brief information about the proposed school:

(1) If approved, DaVinci Charter School of Hoboken will open in September 2013 with Kindergarten - 2nd grade, and will expand to K-5.

(2) DaVinci will be a S.T.E.M.-focused school – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. In addition to receiving high-quality instruction in reading and writing and all core subjects, students will participate several times a week in hands-on science experiments and engineering projects.

(3) DaVinci will offer a small, nurturing, and personal community where every child is known.

(4) DaVinci believes in adapting our teaching to the individual child – not the other way around.

(5) The curriculum will be Project Based. This means that students will learn largely through working on real-life-related, engaging, and often interdisciplinary projects that are connected to rigorous academic standards.

More information is available at davincicharter.wordpress.com. Any questions can be directed to davincicharterschool@gmail.com


Hoboken Pulls Together To Help Victims Of Fire At 300 Washington St

If you live in Hoboken then no doubt by now you are aware of the tragic fire that engulfed the building at 300 Washington Street displacing it's residents and taking almost everything they own leaving the building uninhabitable.

You also probably have come across the overwhelming support that residents of the city are pulling together to create for these victims.

Hoboken, sadly, is no stranger to fires. With one this past December at 1st and Jackson streets, a large fire at 12th and Washington Streets, and countless others over the years, unfortunately part of the beauty of our community of historic homes and the walkable streets of the city, probably also contribute to these fires.

Many buildings are of wood construction or framing, and many buildings are attached to each other...

Even knowing this, residents love living here and don't want to live anywhere else... and they also want to help.

Just moments after the blaze, groups and residents started teaming together to create a support web for the victims.

One of them is owner of Midtown Authentic who has arranged for a benefit to take place at Room 84 on Washington and Newark Street, this March 2nd. A donation will be collected at the door to be given to the victims.

In addition, several businesses in town have opened their doors to collect donations and other items.

Party With Purpose, a charity group that arranges events for charity, has announced that the remainder of their ticket sales for their party this Thursday February 23rd will be donated to the victims.

This Thursday, 7-8:30p.m. a meeting will be held at The Village Poorhouse on First Street in Hoboken for anyone interested in learning how they can help.

Hoboken411 wrote today that there are some people that seek opportunities to scam and fraud people in times like this, I truly hope that is not the case, and having been involved in many charity events from different groups including my own office fundraising can say confidently, and thankfully that I have never run into this.

Hoping the city will always continue to be so giving and kind.

Jwoww and Snooki Set To Start Filming in Downtown Jersey City Tomorrow



The Jersey Shore spinoff series starring reality stars Jwoww and Snooki will being filming tomorrow for their six week run in downtown Jersey City.

Apparently, so far, it seems the film crews are well received by some residents being quoted as saying that they have been respectful so far, but they aren't sure what to expect once filming actually starts. The crew themselves have been quoted as saying that they love Jersey City and are having a great time.

The crew will provide the city's residents with a taping schedule according to NJ.com and Hudson Now.


Meanwhile, neighboring Hoboken New Jersey, was given an award on February 15th, by the Italian-American One Voice Coalition for Mayor Zimmer's decision to decline all filming permits for the same show to shoot in Hoboken.
The President of the Coalition, Andre DiMino, presented the Mayor with the award at a city council meeting and was quoted saying that she should be commended for making the right decision.


Downtown Jersey City officials however think the show will bring their city millions in revenue..


How do you think the filming in Jersey City will affect residents and businesses? Many think it will help bring a spot light to the city, benefitting local businesses, while some residents continue to worry that it will bring a bad stereo type to their neighborhood continuing with the themes of shows like Jersey Shore and Jersey-licious which actually star people that do not live in New Jersey.

Will you be looking for Jwoww and Snooki filming in downtown Jersey City?

Thursday, February 16, 2012

First Irish Cultural Festival To Kick Off This March

It looks like Hoboken will be green after all on March 14th - even if the St Patricks Day Parade was cancelled!!

The city of Hoboken reported today that on March 14th, 2012 starting at 4p.m., the city will host the first of what is to be an annual Irish Cultural Festival.

In a press release it was cited that after the cancellation of the parade, a number of residents contacted the city to volunteer and organize a grassroots celebration of Irish culture while providing entertainment for the entire community to enjoy.

The Irish Cultural Festival is free and will be held from 4p.m.-10p.m. at Frank Sinatra Park. There will be music performances and food plus sports and dance and it is open to all ages.

Proceeds will benefit the Hoboken Shelter for the Homeless and the Hoboken American Legion which delivers care packages to our armed forces overseas via the Adopt A Soldier Program.

The schedule is below:
4p.m. Little League Field - Gaelic Hurling and scrimmage
6p.m. Performance by the Traditional Irish Step Dancers
Music Guests: Will O'Connor, George Murphy and Paddy and the Pale Boys




Thursday, February 9, 2012

Day 1 Of Operation Save Plant

Today I brought in this little guy from my dark kitchen to rescue it.
My new desk has a window and gets great sunlight so I am hoping it's
just what this little guy needs.. I'll be snapping a pic of it weekly
to see how it does.

It looks so little now :)

Friday, February 3, 2012

Real Estate - Back To The Good Old Days?

Hoboken and Jersey City real estate agents are all too familiar with multiple offers these days. Despite popular pessimistic consumer sentiment, it is obvious to us that there is pent up demand in the housing market.

Here are just some recent addresses that have received multiple offers:

1100 Adams St #611 Hoboken, NJ - List $509,000 - Multiple Bidders 6 days on market
708 Willow Ave #3B Hoboken, NJ - List $279,000 - Multiple Bidders 5 days on market
1034 Clinton St #416 & #106 Hoboken, NJ List $599,000 and $489,000
- Multiple Bidders 1 day and 10 days on market
15 Warren St #410 Jersey City NJ - List $949,000
- Multiple Bidders 7 days on market

One caveat, there are 70+ listings for sale that have been on the market 99 days or more and there are 30+ listings that have been on the market longer than 150 days when the median days on market has been under 60 days, showing that there are still over priced listings that are not selling.



Keep in mind inventory is still very low in Hoboken with just over 200 units for sale.


So, if a home is priced appropriately it will sell in today's market in less than 60 days according to the latest figures.

This is true in any market, buyer's, seller's or balanced. Homes that are priced appropriately for their condition and location will always sell compared with those that are priced out of their appropriate range.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Hoboken Condo Sales and Brownstone Update - January Report

Hoboken Real Estate Market Update 
Harborside Lofts 3 Bedroom

January Sales

For the month Hoboken saw a total of 33 units sell. Down from 57 sales in December. A drop off in sales volume is typical for this time of year.

The lowest price sale was a 1 bedroom at 422 Madison with a list price of $198,500 and a sale price of $198,500.

The highest price sale was a 4 bedroom 3 bath duplex with deck and backyard with a list price of $875,000 and a sale price of $790,000. (Someone got a great deal...)

The Median List Price was $475,000 and the Median Sale Price was $465,000 up from the Median Sale Price of December of $417,000.

January Pending

For the month there are 48 units pending waiting to close. Up from 32 units in December.

The lowest priced unit was 815 Willow Ave, a one bedroom unit needing full renovations and with a tenant in place, with an asking price of $149,500.

The highest priced unit was 1500 Garden Street, a 1842 square foot 2 bedroom plus den, 2.5 bath with parking at Harborside Lofts, with an asking price of $1.295 Million.

The Median List Price for the month is $462,500, down from $482,950 from December.


The Median Days on Market for both pending sales and closed sales is just 42 days. This is a sign that there are buyers ready to buy and that the market is showing very promising, healthy signs.



Current inventory is staying low showing just 213 units on the market today.


HOBOKEN BROWNSTONES AND SINGLE FAMILY SALESThere were zero sales for the month of January, however 4 single family homes listed under contract for the month.

They are:
12 Willow Terrace - Asking $474,900
1300 Bloomfield - $899,900
945 Bloomfield - $1.400 Million
929 Bloomfield - $1.825 Million