The Bergen County Homes Blog

Haworth NJ is a wonderful town.  Small with less than 3,500 residents, it’s also gorgeous with street after street of magnificent towering trees and mature plantings that give it a beautiful, idyllic charm.  Because of it’s special ambience and great schools, Haworth homes are in high demand.  For such a tiny town, Haworth has some amazing services and chief among them is the Haworth Swim Club.

The Haworth Swim Club has 2 large pools (heated and unheated), a kiddie pool for the little ones, refreshment stand and picnic facilities too.  If you get tired of swimming, you can play basketball, ping pong, volleyball or board games. 

What’s so nice about the Haworth Swim Club is that it truly is a town facilitiy.  People form long term friendships while watching their children swim in the pool.  Open to both residents and non-residents (who are charged only $100 more), many members come back for decades where they meet old friends and make new ones.

If you own a Haworth home you’re bound to join the swim club where you really become part of the community.  Since the Haworth Swim Club opened in 1952 it’s been a large part of the fun of owning a Haworth home.  But you better join now – rates go up on May 28th!  Just click here for the application.

One of the agents in my office had an interesting experience in Englewood today.  She was inspecting an Englewood home with her customer and nearly came eye to eye with a raccoon in the attic.  Needless to say this presented a problem when trying to show the house to her buyer and I have no doubt that both real estate agent and home buyer left that Englewood home pretty quickly.

Attics seem to be favorite hiding places for raccoons and squirrels too.  One way to protect your home from a squirrel or raccoon invasion is to make sure you have a chimney cap on your chimney.  A quick Google search came up with this Draft King Chimney Cap picture:

As you can see, this is a really pretty simple item but it sure does the job.  It’s also important to periodically check where your roof meets the house structure itself.  Sometimes a squirrel will bite through the facia board just under the roof and get inside the attic.  When you’re having your gutters cleaned out it’s a good idea to check around for any signs of a raccoon or squirrel trying to bite their way into your home.

Towns like Englewood, Tenafly and Ridgewood have so many beautiful, mature trees that tower over the homes there but these gorgeous trees also have branches that make it so easy for a raccoon or squirrel to scamper up on your roof and bite their way into your attic.  It’s best to do a regular inspection of your house so you can keep on top of the raccoons and squirrels who have decided they like your house as much as you do!

Looking to take your children out on a local Easter Egg Hunt this weekend?  Here are some for you to consider.  Unfortunately rain is forecast for Saturday so it’s probably a good idea to call to see if it’s still on if it is raining:

Closter – Saturday at 10 am at Memorial Field

Old Tappan – Saturday at 10:30  Check it out at http://oldtappan.net/easter_egg_hunt.cfm

Ramsey – Saturday at 10 am at Adorno Fathers on Darlington Ave (no rain date)

Ridgefield Park – Saturday at 10 am http://www.ridgefieldpark.org/archevt/2011020822451254.htm

Ridgewood – The Ridgwood Chamber of Commerce has an all day event with picture taking with the Easter Bunny and a Bunny Express Trolley ride through downtown.  http://www.ridgewoodnj.net/event_detail.cfm?EventID=1473&EventDate=04/23/2011

River Vale -  River Vale holds it’s Easter Egg Hunt this Saturday at 9:30  Get the details at http://www.rivervalenj.org/

   One of the really terrifc advantages of living in any Bergen County town are the varied activities available to you.  From infants to senior citizens it seems that there’s something going on every week.  Now that Major League Baseball has begun and Little League is about to get underway, it’s natural to look forward to afternoons at the ball park enjoying our National Pastime with a hot dog and a soda.

Unfortunately for adult ladies watching is the operative word.  While there are plenty of men’s softball leagues, women haven’t had the same opportunities up until now.  There’s a change coming from New Milford, NJ.

New Milford is starting a new women’s softball league this year and the requirement is that you have to be 21 years of age or older.  In fact, I don’t think it matters how much over 21 you are and, best of all for many of us, any degree of talent allowed! 

This promises to be a fun league and the schedule they have in mind is for Friday nights from June through August.  So if your sister, mom or grandmother has been looking at her other half of the family from the sidelines, she doesn’t have to any longer.  

You don’t have to own a New Milford home to join; this women’s softball league is open to everyone.  The registration fee is only $55 and you have until May 26th to register – just email NewMilfordWomensSoftball@yahoo.com to get the form.  OK Ladies, New Milford and Bergen County are saying “Batter up – let’s play ball!”

Live theater is alive and well in Bergen County.  No matter where you live from Ridgewood to Fort Lee or from Bergenfield to Mahwah, every Bergen County homeowner is within a 15 minute drive to a live local theater.

Teaneck has 2 major artistic entities - The Garage Theater Group and The Puffin Foundation.  The Garage Theater Group has been presenting live theater since 1993 and is located in the Fairleigh Dickinson University Becton Theater.  A strong focus of The Garage Theater Group is nurturing young actors.  Theater classes are offered for ages 6-18 during the school year plus there’s a summer camp.  Also offered are adult classes, individualized coaching and a dance class.

At the end of each play, the cast and director get together with the audience for an open forum discussion.  This is a uniquely special part of seeing a Garage Theater production and it’s a very enriching experience.  I’ve attended plays here which I’ve enjoyed tremendously.  It’s also quite inspiring to see how talented our young local actors are.

The next 2 productions are going to be a lot of fun and both are musicals:  Narnia from March 11-13 and Seussical from  June 3-12.  Tickets are affordable and I’m sure that both productions will sell out quickly.

If you own a Teaneck home, you’re only a hop, skip and a jump away but no matter where you live in Bergen County, the Garage Theater Group is conveniently located.  At the same time, The Garage Theater Group is a positive for Teaneck real estate.  Being able to tell Teaneck home buyers that we have live theater in town adds value to Teaneck homes.

  Trees and nature have always been important in Tenafly NJ.  When I bought my Tenafly home I was amazed to learn how important trees were to the Tenafly Planning Board.  The builder had to agree to plant fast growing maple trees along the building line in Walnut Manor, where I bought my Tenafly home, so that in only 7 years the area would have tall trees throughout.

Today Tenafly has over 400 acres of municipal parks and open space.  Preserving natural woodland is so important here that in 1972 a 4 year campaign was begun to save 194 acres on the East Hill from development.  Along with grant money were hundreds of donations from individual Tenafly residents. 

Today that 194 acre purchase is part of the total 330 acre Lost Brook Preserve that so many Tenafly residents enjoy bordering on the 52 acre Tenafly Nature Center for a spectacular nature preserve.

Following Tenafly’s tradition of preserving woodland and trees, the Tenafly Public Works Department is hosting a free tree planting this spring.  Every Tenafly homeowner can call 201-568-4134 to be put on the list of homes that will be checked out to see if there is enough room in the borough right of way to plant a tree. If there is, the Public Works Department will come back in the spring and plant a tree there for free.

When you buy a Tenafly home, you’re buying more than Tenafly real estate.  You’re buying the Tenafly lifestyle and a big part of that is respect for trees and nature.

Englewood, NJ, is a vibrant community in no small part because of the diversity of it’s population. A walk along Palisade Avenue through the Englewood business district is almost like a walk through the United Nations.  In fact, a large advantage of owning an Englewood home is the diversity of it’s people.  One of the largest enthnic groups in this area of Bergen County is the Korean community and this week’s club meeting at The Woman’s Club of Englewood featured a most special program – senior Korean women performing traditional Korean dances with Korean music including live drum music.

 The dancers were extremely graceful and seemed to glow with happiness and  pride as they performed their dances.   What was quite impressive was to learn that their average age is 67.  Many different dances were performed some of which used beautiful, brightly colored fans and one used drums which was very exciting. 

  After the program was a tea and dessert reception where the Korean dancers joined the club members which gave everyone a chance to meet one on one.  It’s not every day that you can meet the performing artists you’ve just seen.   

 The Woman’s Club of Englewood is a century old organization that is a progressive force in the Englewood community and an important philanthropic force as well granting hundreds of college scholarships over the years.   I have to say that as a guest of one of their members, I was extremely impressed by not only this special program of Korean dances but also by all the good works done by The Woman’s Club of Englewood.  Organizations such as this help to make Englewood the special place it is which only serves to make Englewood homes among the most sought after in the New York City area.

  Have a home in Bergen County?  If so, take   advantage of the coming thaw next week and get your gutters cleaned if you haven’t already.  We’ve just had a few warm days but the deep freeze is going to be with us for the week ahead but then the weather pattern’s changing and temperatures will be up for a short while.  After all, it’s still winter; snow and ice will be back soon.

Most of us don’t realize how much damage clogged gutters can do to a house.  Let’s face it – gutters aren’t the most glamorous part of anyone’s home but they’re sure one of the most important.

Gutters keep water away from your home which is critical to maintaining the structure.  When they become clogged with leaves and grit they can do tremendous damage to exterior walls, cause inside wall leaks, start foundation leaks and even help to create the perfect setting for ice dams which seriously damages your roof.  Having a gutter guard system doesn’t eliminate the need for cleaning because while these systems keep out leaves, grit can still build up.

Getting your gutters cleaned is one of the least expensive maintenance items and, if you know how, you can do this yourself.  I’m not that adventurous so I always hired someone to do it.  If you’re in Bergen County and need a recommendation, just let me know.

Take advantage of our milder temperatures next week, get your gutters cleaned and avoid thousands in repair bills.

When you are buying a home, part of the process involves a home inspection.  Home inspections are usually done in 3 sections – structural, termites and wood destroying insects and radon.  Radon is a gas that occurs when uranium and radium breaks down in the soil or in rock formations.  When this gas is released, it can build up to dangerous levels in a house.  Radon is a leading cause of lung cancer. 

Not only is it dangerous, it’s clear and odorless.  The only way to discover if the radon level in your house is unsafe is to test for it.  Home buyers rarely re-test after they’ve moved in and most people who bought their home before radon became a known issue have never tested to see if their home is safe from this dangerous gas.  The good news is that you can solve a radon problem through contacting a licensed radon mitigation contractor; this often involves a simple ventilation system in your basement.

Bergen County Executive, Kathleen Donovan, announced that there will be a limited number of free radon testing kits for Bergen County residents on a first come first served basis this month.  Just call the Bergen County Department of Health Services at 201-634-2803 or stop by Room 103A, 327 E. Ridgewood Ave in Paramus to pick up your free testing kit.  Do this today to protect yourself and your family!

This has been some January!  It seems that every week brings a new snow storm and now they’re predicting the entire month to be filled with storms.  I went to school in upstate New York and New Jersey is beginning to resemble my experience there.

What we’re used to is a snow storm of 2-3 inches and we’re getting 5-9 inches so far and now we are increasing this to 10 inches and more.  It’s really been an amazing month.

We have had so much snow, fire hydrants were nearly covered