Ridgewood New Jersey Ranked 15th Most Affluent Town in US by Money Magazine

August 26th, 2008 categories:News and Events

Ridgewood residents may not feel rich but according to Money Magazine we are a town filled with Top Earners.

money-and-piggy-bank.jpg

In Money Magazine’s July 2008 list of the 25 Top Earning Towns in the United States, Ridgewood ranks just ahead of Manhattan Beach CA and one spot behind Greenwich CT.  Ridgewood was the only town in New Jersey mentioned on this list.

If Ridgewood truly is the 15th highest earning town in the US, I am glad to say we don’t seem to flaunt it.  In my opinion, Ridgewood is better known for its family values, it’s top notch school system, its great downtown, its excellent sports and cultural programs and its beautiful (but not over-the-top) older homes.

What do you think?  Does Ridgewood feel like one of the Top 25 Earning Towns?

Click here to view all Ridgewood Homes currently for sale.

Photo Source: Readers Digest

Written by Al Donohue | Discussion: Click here to leave a comment »

Ridgewood Front Porch Blog Video Introduction

August 22nd, 2008 categories:Ridgewood Real Estate

Ridgewood Real Estate Front Porch - Video Intro

Below is a transcript (sort of) of this Video Introduction.

Welcome to the Ridgewood Front Porch. This blog is focused on Ridgewood New Jersey with a special emphasis on real estate related topics. I would have posted this video intro sooner but it took me a while to find a wide angle video camera to accommodate my enormous head.

Ridgewood related topics are of special interest to me because I live here in Ridgewood, I work in Ridgewood and I also have two young children in the Ridgewood School System.

The Ridgewood Front Porch Blog features Ridgewood News, Ridgewood Events, Video Profiles of Ridgewood Small Businesses and detailed information about everything going on in the Ridgewood Real Estate Market.

From this site you can also view a list of featured Ridgewood Homes, search the Multiple Listing Service for homes for sale, search my trusted business directory for excellent local businesses, request an online evaluation of your home’s worth and read what some of your neighbors have to say about me.

By the way, my name is Aloysius Donohue. I am a very active realtor and a partner with Marron Gildea & Donohue Realtors here in Ridgewood. I would welcome the chance to answer any questions you may have about buying or selling a home in Ridgewood or about anything at all related to Ridgewood for that matter. I am here to help in any way I can and my help is in no way contingent on your need to buy or sell a home. So, please, if you want to know anything at all about Ridgewood just comment on one of the posts, send me an email or give me a call.

For more information about Ridgewood click below:

Official Ridgewood Village Site

Ridgewood Real Estate

Written by Al Donohue | Discussion: Click here to leave a comment »

Ridgewood High School’s Ranking Surges in NJ Monthly’s List of Top New Jersey High Schools

August 21st, 2008 categories:School Information

Ridgewood High School Ranks #7 in New Jersey Monthly’s List of NJ High Schools

Ridgewood High School Rank NJ Monthly List of Top NJ High Schools

The death of the Ridgewood School System has been greatly exaggerated. Despite Math Wars and faculty changes, Ridgewood High School moved up 17 places on NJ Monthly’s 2008 list of top New Jersey High Schools.  Ridgewood residents are so focused, and rightfully so, on making sure our children receive the best education possible sometimes they (we) can only see the problems - and we may fail to see all the great things about the Ridgewood School System.  The latest report from New Jersey Monthly proves we are still doing very well, though there is always room for improvement.

For New Jersey’s Monthly’s complete list of Top NJ High Schools please click here.

Written by Al Donohue | Discussion: Click here to leave a comment »

Top 10 Ridgewood NJ Websites - #5 and #6

August 20th, 2008 categories:Ridgewood Lists

These Great Ridgewood Websites provide comprehensive info on 2 of the best aspects of Ridgewood NJ - Ridgewood Schools and Ridgewood Businesses.

Ridgewood Public Schools Website - #5 on the Ridgewood Front Porch list.

ridgewood-school-site-screen-shot-small.jpg

The Ridgewood Public Schools site is a great resource for parents of current Ridgewood students and for folks considering a move to Ridgewood NJ  alike.  The site is pack with info on school events, curriculum, faculty and much more.

The Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce Site - #6 on the Ridgewood Front Porch list.

ridgewood-chamber-of-commerce-screen-shot-small.jpg

The Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce website is great for Ridgewood Business Owners and even better for Ridgewood residents and folks in the surrounding area.  You can find everything you need on the Chamber Site from a list of restaurants, shops, professional services and much more.  

You can also click here for my list of trusted local businesses in the Ridgewood Area.

If you would like more information on anything related to Ridgewood NJ please leave a comment here or click here to contact me.

To view all homes currently for sale in Ridgewood NJ click here Ridgewood NJ Homes for Sale.

Written by Al Donohue | Discussion: Click here to leave a comment »

Top 10 Ridgewood NJ Websites - The Blogs

August 16th, 2008 categories:Ridgewood Lists

The Ridgewood Blog and Ridgewood Views are 2 Ridgewood “Must Reads”.

The Ridgewood Blog - #3 on our Top Ten List.

ridgewood-blog-screen-shot-small.jpg

There are many great websites and blogs focused on Ridgewood NJ so it was hard to pick just 10.  Below are two of my favorite Ridgewood Sites.  The Ridgewood Blog and Ridgewood Views are actually blogs, not websites, but that distinction is mostly for geeks like me.

Reading these two Ridgewood Blogs keep you up to date on everything going on in Ridgewood.  They will also usually give you opposing, but equally insightful, viewpoints on every issue.  Reading The Ridgewood Blog and Ridgewood Views is like having our very own version of Point-Counterpoint or Hannity and Colmes right here in Ridgewood.

Below are a few sample links that are representative of what you can find at these excellent Ridgewood Blogs.

Ridgewood Views #4 on our Top Ten List.

ridgewood-views-screenshot-small.jpg

Ridgewood Views

Recent post that shows the lively banter between the two Ridgewood Blogs.

The Ridgewood Parking Garage Debate.

The Ridgewood Blog

Investigative post (complete with photos) on the baseball field that is Not being built at Citizens Park.

Valley Hospital Poll.

Look for the remainder of Ridgewood’s Top Sites coming soon.

Editors Note - The Ridgewood Front Porch will not be part of this top 10 list since we are the ones creating the lists.  There just might be the suggestion of a bias had we ranked our own Blog.

Written by Al Donohue | Discussion: 2 Comments »

Is Brett Favre, the newest NY Jet, Moving to Ridgewood NJ?

August 10th, 2008 categories:News and Events

brett-favre-moving-to-nj-rumor.jpg

The Ridgewood Real Estate market is buzzing with a rumor that Green Bay Packer Legend Brett Favre, now with the NY Jets, is house hunting in Ridgewood NJ.  Will he become the latest in a long line of famous Ridgewood residents or will this rumor prove false just like the “Johnny Damon is moving to Ridgewood” rumor of a few years back?  At the time of this post, I can neither confirm or deny this rumor but it sure would make things in Ridgewood interesting - if it were true. 

Below is a partial list of famous Ridgewood residents (past and present) from Wikipedia.

For a more complete list click here -  Ridgewood NJ page on Wikipedia.

  • Bowie Kuhn - Commission of Baseball from 1969 - 1984.
  • Lawrence Frank - New Jersey Nets Coach.
  • Jeff Feagles - Member of Super Bowl Champion NY Giants.
  • Harlan Coben - Best Selling Author.
  • Tabatha Coffey - TV Personality.
  • Jay Feely - NFL Kicker.
  • Jordin Sparks - American Idol.
  • Casper Van Dien - Actor.  Wikipedia reports that Van Dien Avenue is named for his great-great-grandfather.

Even if you aren’t famous, I’d be happy to help you buy or sell a home in Ridgewood so please call me at 201.906.3287 or just leave a comment here.

Photo Credit - Photo courtesy of recent NY Daily News article .

Written by Al Donohue | Discussion: Click here to leave a comment »

Ridgewood School Picnic and Back to School Coffee

August 8th, 2008 categories:School Information

somerville-banner-small.jpg

 

 

 

The Somerville Elementary Back to School Picnic…

is scheduled for September 5th at 5:30pm.  This event is always a lot of fun. If you are new to the Ridgewood School System it is a great place to meet the other parents.  If you are a Somerville veteran, it’s a great time to catch up with old friends that you may not have seen over the summer. Be sure to bring a blanket, whatever food you would like to eat, a dessert to share and a change of clothes for your children because they may wind up in the Dunk Tank. The picnic usually features music, a dunk tank, a bounce house, some fun races and lots of other fun stuff.

 

full-coffee-cup.jpg

Somerville will also be hosting a “Back to School Coffee”…

on September 3rd (1st Day of School) from 8:30am to 9:30am.   Stop by, grab a cup ‘o joe and have a chat with your Somerville friends.

For more info click here Somerville Elementary School.

Written by Al Donohue | Discussion: 2 Comments »

Ridgewood Real Estate June Market Report - Average Sale Price and Days on Market

August 5th, 2008 categories:Ridgewood Sales and Stats

ridgewood_home_sales_-_june_vs_july.png

The average price of a home in Ridgewood NJ decreased from June to July of this year but fluctuations in Ridgewood Home Sales from month-to-month are very common given the small sample size (25 homes sold in July).  For better gauge of Ridgewood Home Price Trends click here to view a Comparison of Ridgewood Home Sales year-over-year.

Ridgewood Homes - Days on Market Report

The average “Days on Market” or DOM for Ridgewood Homes rose in July.  However, given that both months saw an average DOM under 55 days I take this as a positive sign.  In many parts of the country homes are taking an average of 6 months or more to sell.   50 or 60 “days on market” is not a bad number by historical standards.

If you would like more information on Ridgewood Real Estate please call me at 201.906.3287 or simply leave a comment here.

- Information herein deemed reliable but not guaranteed. 8/4/2008 11:24:27 PM -
- Copyright: 2008 by New Jersey MLS, Inc. -

Written by Al Donohue | Discussion: Click here to leave a comment »

Ridgewood Pool Project Sparks Lively Debate

August 5th, 2008 categories:News and Events

Ridgewood NJ Graydon Pool 

I was going to write a post last night about the Graydon Pool Project but as I searched the web for info I found that there was already a lively debate going on at the Ridgewood Blog and there was already a post there with some good stats and info so I decided it didn’t make sense to try to reinvent the wheel. 

So…click here to see what folks are saying about the Ridgewood Pool Project.

Written by Al Donohue | Discussion: Click here to leave a comment »

Ridgewood Real Estate June Market Report - Total Homes Sold

August 4th, 2008 categories:Ridgewood Sales and Stats

ridgewood-homes-sold-june-versus-july-2008.png

The Ridgewood NJ Real Estate market continues to hold up pretty well as compared to the broader U.S. real estate market.  A total of 25 Ridgewood residential homes were sold in July versus 35 for June.  It is not uncommon to see this type of seasonal drop off.

If you look at the year over year numbers for the Ridgewood Real Estate Market you will see that home prices actually increased in the 2nd Quarter of 2008 versus 2007’s second quarter.  Click here to see a comparison of Ridgewood Home Sales for 2007 vs 2008.

If you would like more information on Ridgewood Real Estate please call me at 201.906.3287 or simply leave a comment here.

— Information herein deemed reliable but not guaranteed. 8/4/2008 11:24:27 PM —
— Copyright: 2008 by New Jersey MLS, Inc. —

Written by Al Donohue | Discussion: Click here to leave a comment »

« Previous Entries