Basking Ridge Real Estate Market Activity and Tips For Selling Your Home in the Summer

While the summer months might not be the best time of year to market a home, you may find yourself in a position where you are doing just that. 

Rest assured that there are people looking for homes in the middle of the summer – maybe not as many as there are in height of the spring season, but maybe that's a good thing. If someone is out looking at houses on a June or July weekend, it's because they must really need a home, otherwise they'd be at the beach! 

So, you might get five people at your open house instead of 15 but those five will be much more serious shoppers, so be sure to do your best to make your home stand out above the competition.  Here are some tips to help your home shine during the summer:

• Go Green. There is no escaping the fact that your yard will always make the first impression. To start off right with potential buyers, keep your lawn well maintained. Make sure shrub beds are free of weeds and full of mulch.
• Let the sun shine. While keeping window coverings closed might keep energy costs down, it also creates a more depressing atmosphere. Sunlight makes a home feel bright and makes people feel happy. Open the window coverings for any window that doesn't have a bad view.
• Set the scene. Stage your yard in a way that buyers can see the potential it has as an outdoor living space. Put out a few lounge chairs. Rearrange the patio furniture. Add some potted plants. Clean up any clutter. Make your yard a place where buyers want to spend time.

Now, for the inside, I have run up against a nasty problem three times in recent months, and if you have this problem it will only be more prevalent during the long, hot days of summer – MOLD.

Mold sneaks up on you, all three of my clients who had mold had no idea that it was in their home.  In two of the homes it was in the attic, in the third it was in the basement. I have become very close with Dan from NJ Mold.

He has told me that every house in NJ should have a dehumidifier in it – period, end of discussion.  If you don't have one, go get one.  They make them bucketless now.  You can have it drain right into the slop sink or the sump pump pit (but NOT in your sewer drain – that's against the rules).  Here are a few tips to help protect your home from moisture this summer:

• Keep your thermostat at 78 degrees, the optimal setting to maximize energy efficiency and to control moisture. If you set it higher, the air conditioner won't run often enough to dehumidify your air. If you set it too low, surfaces will become cold enough to create condensation.
• Leave windows and doors closed while the air conditioner is on. Keeping them open could cause condensation, as the humid outside air is introduced into a much colder environment.

If you suspect you have a moisture problem, it is a good idea to invest in a humidity monitor that will help you get a read on any potential issues before they develop.

Basking Ridge Market Activity

There has been lots of Basking Ridge market activity since my last article in the middle of May: 51 contract sales, 68 new listings and 56 closings.  There are still 45 properties scheduled to close before the end of June. The prices listed below are list price / sale price.

105 Jamestown Rd   $259,900/$248,000 – Spring Ridge

3 Fairbanks Ln   $479,000/$465,000 – The Barons

25 S Alward Ave $529,900/$518,000 – Single Family home

22 Lexington Rd   $529,900/$497,500 – Single Family home

51 Vanderveer Dr   $1,075,000/$984,750 – Revere Hill

197 Douglas Rd   $750,000/$730,000 – Single Family home

43 Smithfield Ct   $250,000/$240,000 – Spring Ridge

25 Alder Ln   $649,999/$630,000 – Carlisle

30 Peachtree Rd   $649,000/$588,000 – Single Family home

47 Huntington Rd   $699,000/$675,000 – Carlisle

41 Mayflower Dr   $529,900/$518,000 – The Hamiltons

82 Queen Anne Dr   $1,270,000/$1,210,000 – Single Family home

73 Dorchester Dr $529,999/$528,000 – The Hamiltons

224 Potomac Dr   $309,807/$292,500 – Spring Ridge

11 Stirling Ln   $869,000/$850,000 – Single Family home

194 Jamestown Rd   $294,900/$290,000 – Spring Ridge

378 Penns Way   $299,000/$296,000 – Society Hill

47 Baldwin Ct   $265,000/$256,000 – Society Hill

2606 Hemlock Pl   $340,000/$300,000 – The Cedars

41 Smithfield Ct   $245,000/$230,000 – Spring Ridge

11 Village Dr   $379,900/$370,000 – Lord Stirling Village

10 Osborne Dr   $879,000/$860,000 – Single Family home (Prince Edward)

34 Alexandria Way   $240,000/$237,500 – Spring Ridge

253 Penns Way   $319,900/$315,000 – Society Hill

21 Harrison Brook Dr   $645,000/$610,000 – Single Family home

87 Aspen Dr   $379,990/$370,000 – The Ridge

154 Smoke Rise Rd   $799,000/$789,000 - Carlisle

62 Alder Ln   $748,800/$727,000 – Carlisle

248 Patriot Hill Dr   $580,000/$570,000 – Patriot Hill

140 Bayberry Row   $375,000/$366,000 – The Cedars

2206 Privet Way   $285,000/$275,000 – The Cedars

8 Hancock Ct   $625,000/$600,000 – The Hamiltons

8 Countryside Dr   $349,900/$335,000 – Countryside Manor

185 Smoke Rise Rd   $814,900/$800,000 - Carlisle

71 Linden Dr   $925,000/$925,000 – Single Family home (The Summit)

6 Washington Ave $805,000/$782,500 – Single Family home

323 Old Army Rd   $1,100,000/$1,250,000 – Single Family home

14 Atlas Rd   $619,000/$599,000 – Single Family home

20 Pitney Ct   $1,199,000/$1,180,000 – Single Family home (Price Edward)

281 Douglas Rd   $685,000/$660,000 – Single Family home

149 Jamestown Rd   $247,500/$235,000 – Spring Ridge

43 Chimney Ash Farm Rd   $929,000/$871,000 – Single Family home

161 Thackeray Dr   $499,000/$490,000 –Single Family home

284 Alexandria Way $489,900/$458,300 – Spring Ridge

246 Penns Way   $310,000/$295,000 – Society Hill

91 Highland Ave   $709,000/$715,000 – Single Family home

42 Old Farm Rd $1,395,000/$1,300,000 – Single Family home

146 Patriot Hill Dr   $649,000/$630,000 – Patriot Hill

400 S Maple Ave   $439,000/$430,000 – Single Family home

76 Vanderveer Dr   $1,175,000/$1,165,000 – Revere Hill

162 Patriot Hill Dr   $615,000/$600,000 – Patriot Hill

105 Landau Rd   $815,000/$815,000 - Carlisle

8 Gold Blvd   $775,000/$756,500 –Single Family home

7 Goltra Dr   $705,000/$680,000 – Single Family home

21 Raleigh Ct   $514,000/$520,000 – The Hamiltons

139 Jamestown Rd   $219,900/$212,500 – Spring Ridge