FARMERS MARKET

If you have never visited the Farmers Market in Morristown plan on fitting it in to your week-end schedule. There is a charisma all its' own - combination of County Fair and Farm stand.

Trucks come in from farms hither and yon and set up shop with free standing tents. You wander from one to the other comparing prices and products which might appeal to you and your family.

I haven't been there this year, but last year there was an excellent fish monger, an artisan cheese purveyor, and a pickle specialist. There is a different assortment of offerings each week or you can return to the stands which you especially like.

You can find flowers ,herbs and of course lots of vegetables. Often there is music by a guitarist or a visiting singing entertainer.

To find out more go to www.morristown-nj.org under "Things to Do ". It is located back of the Post Office on the Green in a parking lot on Sundays.

Real Estate Advertising.

There is nothing like starting Sunday morning with a cup of coffee and the newspaper. This morning I was happy to open the paper and see a beautiful home I have listed in Randolph on the front page of the real estate section of the Daily Record. Though they tell us 70% of the buyers start their search on the internet, it is no reason to discount the power of seeing a home in print can have to some sellers and buyers. As selling agents we need to use all the tools available to us in this market.

If you'd like to know more about this beautiful Randolph home, just give us a call.

Brookside Community Club

Have you ever wondered about the pretty white building with the red door in the middle of Brookside? The Brookside Community Club is operated by a non profit and is run by membership dues and rental fees. If your looking for great place to hold your next event, you might want to consider renting the Community Club. The club has large main room, full kitchen and a nice deck. It is air conditioned for the summer and has a fireplace for winter events. You don't need to rent tables and chairs either, they are already there.

The Brookside Community Club also sponsors the upcoming Brookside 4th of July parage - "The greatest little small town parade in America."

www.brooksideclub.org

Selling a home in Mendham

If you plan on selling your home in the Mendhams, each town has different requirements. As Realtors, these are details we usually walk you through. In Mendham Township they include smoke and septic certification. In Mendham Borough they include a smoke and sewer connection inspection. The newest requirement is a fire extinguisher be mounted on the kitchen wall in a specific area. Only certain extinguishers are accepted. The state of New Jersey also requires your well be tested if your property has one. The links for each town regarding requirements are listed below.

http://mendhamtownship.org/resale_of_home.htm

http://mendhamnj.org/mendham/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=46&Itemid=58

Summer Reading

I just learned about something great that the West Morris High School District is planning. It's called "ONE BOOK, ONE DISTRICT" and the goal is to have the whole community read the same book. Here's a little excerpt from the website:

THE WMRHSD LAUNCHES “ONE BOOK, ONE DISTRICT - WEST MORRIS”
Everyone in the community is invited to join students in reading the same book at the same time.
CHESTER, NJ -- The West Morris Regional High School District (WMRHSD) is launching an educational, community-wide reading initiative designed to encourage its students to become life-long readers. The initiative, “One Book, One District - West Morris,” is based on a popular program initiated in 1998 by the Seattle Public Library to encourage an appreciation of literature through reading and discussion on a community-wide basis.
One Book, One District - West Morris builds on a successful initiative spearheaded last year by the district’s media specialists in which all grades in all course levels were to read and discuss Elie Wiesel’s evocative holocaust memoir, Night. For the 2008-2009 school year, the WMRHSD has selected Rocket Boys by Homer H. Hickam, Jr. Also known as October Sky, the award-winning bestseller is the true, coming-of-age account of a group of boys who live in a poor West Virginia coal mining town and are determined to go to college despite their limited prospects. They are inspired to break away from the confines of their environments after watching Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, orbit past Coalwood in October 1957 (hence, the alternate title). They design and build increasingly sophisticated rockets from scrap metal and go on to fulfill their personal dreams, including those of the author, who eventually worked as a NASA engineer.
Highlights of the One Book, One District - West Morris program for the 2008-2009 school year include:
- All WMRSHD students, faculty members and administrators will read Rocket Boys.
- The book is included as required summer reading for all high school students enrolled at West Morris Central and at West Morris Mendham High Schools. Rocket Boys will play a key role in the roll-out of the WMRHSD’s program, The Freshman Learning Experience.
- All WMRHSD high school teachers will develop at least one lesson plan that centers on a theme(s) and subject(s) central to the book. For example, a science teacher might teach a class on rocketry or metallurgy, a math teacher on graphing the positions of satellites and a music teacher, West Virginia mountain music. Teachers can also partner with teachers in other curricula to develop an activity that involves multiple academic disciplines. For example, an art and computer-assisted design teacher could get involved in the design aspects of a science fair.
- Lesson plans will be supplemented with homework assignments, class projects, guest speakers and possibly, field trips. Roy Lee Cooke, one of the original Rocket Boys, has already agreed to speak to WMRHSD teachers as part of a special professional development session. If anyone in the community knows of someone who can speak to students / faculty about early aviation history with a focus on NASA or knows of someone who worked for the Agency in the 1960’s and might be willing to share their experiences, contact Barbara McClurken at the WMRHSD Board of Education office (908-879-6404 x1283).
- All parents and guardians are invited to read the book and join their children, neighbors and friends in discussing the book’s universal themes of hope, fortitude and triumph over adversity and loss. The WMRHSD has plans to involve extended communities in various One Book, One District - West Morris activities as part of fulfilling its Long Range Plan 2007-2012 goal to partner more regularly with the communities it serves.

Here's the link if you want to learn more:

http://www.wmmhs.org/General/OneReadPressRelease.htm

You just might want to join in and ad "Rocket Boys" to your summer reading list.

You know you're a real estate investor when...

I think it's a good sign that we are seeing investors come back into the real estate market. After the prices declined, the investors were sitting tight for a while. Many of them had inventory they wanted to sell before starting in a new project and this was taking longer and the profits were smaller. Those who've done it know that it is hard work but also exciting, creative and can be very profitable.
If you've ever tried it, you'll appreciate the funny link below titled "You know you're a real estate investor when..."

http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2008/06/13/you-know-that-youre-a-real-estate-investor-when/

Homes are selling in Mendham!

Despite what you read about the housing market, houses in Mendham are still selling if they are priced right. As a matter of fact as of today there are actually 29 houses under contract in the Mendhams. Here's the list:

http://newmls.gsmls.com/public/show_public_report_rpt.do?report=client2up&Id=33793289_14859

Want to know more? Give us a call or send us an email at mendhamhomes@gmail.com

Summer Knitting Camp

There are some great things happening at a little shop in Mendham called Collective Yarns. This summer they are offering a kids knitting camp along with some classes in the lost art of sewing. They also have Thursday evening drop in knitting (wine, too!)

Trust me...it's a perfect place to spend some of the lazy days of summer and learn something that you'll take with you the rest of your life.

Collective Yarns is located at 6 Hilltop Road in Mendham Borough.

Check out the link with the schedule of classes attached.

http://collectiveyarns.com/classes.htm

Hiking in Mendham

Now that summer is here it's time to get outside and enjoy the beautiful town we live in. The Mendham Township Open Space committee has put together a great website to make it easy for everyone. You can find the right hike to fit your time frame and ability level. Just print a map and get going!





Check out the website at http://www.hikemendham.org/.





The photo is from a recent Daily Record article with some more information about the website and Mendham Township Open Space. You can read the article by clicking on the link below.



http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008806180305

TAKE A HIKE!

~Diane (Disclaimer - I am a proud member of the Mendham Township Open Space committee)

Mendham High School class of 2008

I was lucky enough to attend the graduation of the Mendham High School class of 2008. Since in the past there have been problems holding it outside due to rain, this year it was held at the County College of Morris auditorium.

Here's a couple of pictures of some of my favorite graduates - Chrissy and Dana

Check out this link with an impressive list of colleges the Mendham High School class of 2008 will be attending.

http://www.wmmhs.org/Guidance/CollegeAcceptances.htm

Congratulations to the class of West Morris Mendham High School class of 2008!!

A lttle bit about the authors...

Welcome! We're so glad you're here!
First, let's start by telling you a little bit about ourselves...

All three of us are full time, very active Realtors in the Coldwell Banker Mendham office located at 21 East Main Street in downtown Mendham Borough. We are passionate aboutt real estate and feel lucky to live and work in such a beautiful part of the country.

Diane Tolley and her husband Sam have 5 children between the ages of 11 and 26. They reside in a 200 year old home in the quaint Brookside section of Mendham Township. Along with working full time in real estate, she is fully involved with her community and schools. If you need to know about sports teams, fields, music programs, parks or schools, she’s the one to ask!

Betty Kiser grew up in Brookside and is tied to the early history of Mendham through marriage to George Kiser whose family arrived here in the 1700’s. Betty knows the history of most homes in town and has sold many of them more then once! She currently resides in the Ralston area of Mendham Township where acreage, parks and horse farms still linger.

Joe Rhodes resides in the heart of the historic area in an old carriage house know for it beautiful gardens and charm. He’s a great photographer, so you can look forward to some great photos to be posted on this site. Joe is an expert on all that is happening in the heart of Mendham Borough.