$620,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1430875
495 E Saddle River Rd, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, Col
Michael Shetler, Sales Associate
Keller Williams Village Square Realty
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 2/15
25
$749,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1500976
154 Claremont Rd, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
3 Bedroom, 1 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, Col
Gina Fierro, Sales Associate
Weichert Realtors Ridgewood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 2/15
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 2/22
20
Child-porn charges in Pines Instagram case hinge on youths’ age, actions
Felony charges as severe as child pornography could be in store for a 13-year-old girl and two boys, ages 12 and 15, accused of creating an Instagram account dedicated to nude and sexually explicit photos of Broward minors, a prosecutor said Friday.
“No decisions have been made. Things are still under investigation. We are not sure what, if any, charges are going to be filed,” Assistant State Attorney Maria Schneider, head of the Broward State Attorney’s Office juvenile unit, said. “But potentially, the charges could be felonies, from child porn on down. It all depends on the age of the child depicted and what they’re doing.”
Pembroke Pines police on Thursday filed charges with state prosecutors for review. No arrests have been made and none of the youngsters has been taken into custody. Because of their ages, their identities have not been disclosed, Pembroke Pines Sgt. Carlos Corretjer said.
Police also would not say how many minors were exploited on the Instagram photo-sharing account or what schools the subjects or the alleged perpetrators attended.
Gov. Scott Walker College Dropout ,Next President of the United States , maybe its a good thing
Famous, Rich, and Successful People Who Were High School or College Dropouts
I’m a firm believer that most college students would be better off dropping out of school and investing the money they now spend on college. Then take the four years they would have spent on college and travel, work, play, and spend time with smart people talking about important things. It would be your choice on what’s important, not a professor, not a dean, not a faculty committee.
You don’t have to go to college to be a success. Even if you go for awhile, you don’t have to graduate to be a success. Here are just a few of the people who have become famous and/or successful without graduating from college and/or high school.
A survey conducted by Bloomberg in 2010 show that the school of hard knocks was the number one source (tied with the University of California) for CEOs of S&P 500 companies. Harvard was the #3 source (along with the universities of Texas, Missouri, and Wisconsin). The school of hard knocks features CEOs who never graduated from college.
Of the top 400 richest Americans in 2011, 27 graduated from high school but did not attend college. Another 36 were college dropouts.
S. Daniel Abraham, billionaire founder of Slim-Fast. Joined the Army at the age of 18 and fought in Europe during World War II. Did not attend college.
Roman Abramovich, richest man in Russia, billionaire. Dropped out of college. He studied at the Moscow State Auto Transport Institute before taking a leave of absence from academics to go into business. He later earned a correspondence degree from the Moscow State Law Academy.
Abigail Adams, U.S. first lady. Home schooled.
Ansel Adams, photographer. Dropped out of high school.
Bryan Adams, singer, songwriter. High school dropout.
Calpernia Adams, transsexual showgirl. Never attended college. As she noted, “My parents thought that college leads you away from God, so they hadn’t saved any money.”
Don Adams (born Donald James Yarmy), comedian, actor, game show host, voice talent. Most famous for his role in the Get Smart TV series, Adams dropped out of DeWitt Clinton High School in New York City to work as an usher before entering the Marine Corps during World War II. After a variety of jobs, he began working in television in 1954.
Sandy Adams, U.S. congressperson. Dropped out of high school at the age of 17 to join the Air Force. Later got her GED and attended the police academy before being hired as a deputy sheriff. She took night classes at a nearby college and finally received a college degree.
William Adams, aka Will.i.am, singer, songwriter, music producer, founder of the Black Eyed Peas, actor, entrepreneur. He formed his first group in high school. Never attended college.
Gautam Adani, commodities billionaire from India. Dropped out of college.
Adele, aka Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, singer and songwriter. Intended to go to college but got signed to a recording deal just after her high school graduation.
Sheldon Adelson, billionaire casino owner. Dropped out of City College of New York to become a court reporter. He made his first fortune doing trade shows.
Trace Adkins, country music singer and songwriter, actor. Studied at Louisiana Tech University but never officially graduated. Went to work on an oil rig instead.
Mortimer Adler, author, educator, editor. Left high school at the age of 15 to work. Later received his high school equivalency degree and attended Columbia University.
Ferran Adria, chef. Has been called the world’s greatest chef. Did not finish high school.
Miguel Adrover, fashion designer. High school dropout.
Ben Affleck, actor, screenwriter. Left the University of Vermont after one semester; then dropped out of Occidental College to pursue acting.
Andre Agassi, tennis player, winner of 8 Grand Slam titles. Quit school in the ninth grade and turned tennis pro at the age of 16. His father would drive the kids to school but, instead, actually took them to local tennis courts to practice.
Dianna Agron, singer, dancer, actress. “I didn’t take the typical path and go to college after high school. Instead, I saved up money from teaching dance classes and moved to L.A.”
Christina Aguilera, singer, songwriter. Never finished high school.
Danni Ahse, multimillionaire businesswoman, adult entertainment website operator, model, producer, dancer. High school dropout who later earned an equivalency degree.
Danny Aiello, actor. Dropped out of high school at the age of 16 to join the army. Later received a high school equivalency degree.
Troy Aikman, Superbowl-winning football quarterback, TV sports commentator. In 2009, he finally graduated from UCLA, 20 years after leaving college to play in the National Football League. Aikman had promised his mother, when he left school just two courses shy of a degree, that he would return and finish. In 2009, at the age of 42, he finally fulfilled that commitment, earning A’s in his last two courses, thus earning a bachelor’s degree in sociology.
Malin Akerman, model, actress. Enrolled in York University (Toronto) but left after about a year to see what else was out there. She moved to Los Angeles to become an actress.
Dennis Albaugh, billionaire founder of pesticide company Albaugh Inc. Earned a 2-year agriculture business degree from Des Moines Community College. Did not continue on to a 4-year degree.
Edward Albee, playwright. Dropped out of Trinity College after three semesters.
Jack Albertson, Oscar-winning actor. High school dropout.
Chuck Allen, banker, co-founder of the National Scholastic Surfing Association, and founder of the U.S. Amateur Snowboard Association. At the age of 19, he moved from Oklahoma to California and began working odd jobs until he was established enough to move on to a banking career.
Paul Allen, billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, founder of Xiant software, owner of Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trailblazers. Dropped out of the University of Washington to work for Honeywell. A year later he convinced Bill Gates to drop out of Harvard and move to Albuquerque, New Mexico to start up Microsoft.
Peter Allen, singer, songwriter, composer. High school dropout.
Rick Allen, rock star member of Def Leppard. High school dropout.
Woody Allen, screenwriter, actor, director, and producer. Was thrown out of New York University after one semester for poor grades. Also dropped out of City College of New York. As he admitted, “I was thrown out of college for cheating on the metaphysics final. I looked within the soul of the boy sitting next to me.”
Glen Allsopp, Internet marketer, founder of ViperChill. Dropped out of college at the age of 18 to move to Cape Town, South Africa to work as a social media manager.
Steven-Elliot Altman, author. Left school at the beginning of the 10th grade and ran away from home. Entered college at the age of 16 and earned a degree at 19.
Joy Alukkas, billionaire jeweler. Never attended college. Immediately after high school, he moved to the Gulf to open a jewelry store.
Dhirubhai Ambani, billionaire Indian businessman. High school dropout.
Wally “Famous” Amos, multimillionaire cookie entrepreneur, author, talent agent. Dropped out of high school at the age of 17 to join the U.S. Air Force.
Hans Christian Andersen, short story author, fairy tales. Left home at the age of 14 to find work. Later attended Copenhagen Univesity.
George “Sparky” Anderson, baseball player and manager. Did not attend college.
Paul Thomas Anderson, director of such movies as “Boogie Nights” and “Magnolia.” He attended film school at New York University but quit after two days because one professor dissed “Terminator 2” and another gave him a C for a writing assignment.
Tom Anderson, co-founder of MySpace. A high school dropout.
Walter Anderson, publisher, editor. High school dropout who later earned an equivalency degree.
André 3000, see André Benjamin.
Mario Andretti, race-car driver, author. High school dropout who later earned an equivalency degree.
Anthony Andrews, actor. High school dropout.
Julie Andrews, Oscar-winning actress, singer, author. The dropped out of high school.
Jennifer Aniston, actress. She never attended college. Instead she moved to Los Angeles to become an actress.
“Jennifer Aniston says getting a nose job was the best thing she ever did. But keep in mind, she didn’t go to college, her marriage failed, her mom hates her, and she was in that Kevin Costner movie.” — Danielle Fishel, The Dish
Carmelo Anthony, basketball player. Left college after his freshman year to play in the NBA.
Shiri Appleby, actress. Went to the University of Southern California for a year and a half before acting in Roswell TV show. In 2010, she is working on her associate degree via the University of Phoenix and then intends to transfer to UCLA.
Christina Applegate, actress. High school dropout.
Edwin Apps, British artist. High school dropout.
Micky Arison, billionaire chairman of Carnival Cruise Line. Dropped out of the University of Miami.
Joan Armatrading, singer, songwriter. High school dropout.
Billie Joe Armstrong, front man for Green Day punk rock band. High school dropout. As he noted, “I finally realized that high school didn’t make any sense for me then. So I quit.”
Louis Armstrong, jazz musician, singer. Dropped out of high school.
Peter Arnell, advertising executive. Never attended college. Talked his way into the advertising business after graduating from high school.
Eddy Arnold, country music singer and member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. He was 11 when his father died, so he turned to singing at church picnics and other venues to support his family. By the age of 17, he was singing in nearby honky-tonks and made his first radio appearance. He debuted at the Grand Ole Opry in 1943. Between 1945 and 1983, 145 of his songs made the country charts, with 28 of them at #1. He sold more than 85 million records.
Cliff Arquette, aka Charlie Weaver. Comedian, entertainer. High school dropout.
Mathangi Arulpragasam, aka M.I.A., rapper. Did not attend college.
Julian Assange, Wikileaks founder, software programmer. Studied mathematics at the University of Melbourne but dropped out because other students were doing research for the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
Brooke Astor, wealthy socialite, author, philanthropist. Dropped out of high school.
John Jacob Astor, multimillionaire businessman. America’s first multimillionaire. He dropped out of high school.
Chet Atkins, country singer, author. He was a high school dropout.
Efva Attling, musician, jewelry designer. She dropped out of silversmith school to become a model. She later joined a band called X Models. She finally returned to designing her own jewelry.
Jane Austen, novelist. She and her sister attended schools in Oxford, Southampton, and Reading until the age of 11. After that time, their father taught them at home. She did not attend college.
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin, WWE champion wrestler, actor. He dropped out of the University of North Texas a few credits shy of a physical education degree. The then took a job as a freight dockworker. And then enrolled in the Dallas Sportatorium wrestling school.
Gene Autry, singing cowboy, actor, songwriter, producer, businessman, author, baseball team owner. He was a high school dropout.
Richard Avedon, photographer. High school dropout.
Willy Aybar, baseball player. High school dropout.
Dan Aykroyd, actor, comedian. He dropped out of Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.
FEBRUARY 9, 2015, 9:59 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2015, 10:02 PM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
A movement to get parents to keep their children from taking new state exams next month — fueled by protests on social media and encouragement from the teachers union — is gaining steam.
New Jersey requires all students to take the tests, but they do not need to sit for the exams to go on to the next grade or graduate.
State Education Commissioner David Hespe has urged school leaders to respond to the growing opt-out movement by explaining to parents the merits of the tests. In meetings, letters and online communications, school leaders say the tests will provide detailed information about what each student knows, better prepare teens for college entrance exams and build critical thinking skills.
But they are also trying to address parents’ complaints that the tests cut into instruction time, hamper creativity and fail to adequately measure learning. Some parents have delivered heartfelt pleas to school officials about the stress their children feel.
“We try to provide a balanced approach and let parents know there are benefits to taking the test. All they hear about is negative,” said Mark Toback, superintendent of Wayne schools.
A false friend :Why governments should stay out of the mortgage business
Feb 1st 2015 | Business and finance
IN THIS week’s print edition, we explore how mortgage subsidies have encouraged banks to lend more to homeowners and less to firms, with pernicious economic consequences. The Economist has long been a critic of such handouts. Back in 2000, we pointed out that implicit state guarantees for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, mortgage insurance giants, may do serious damage to the American economy if they take on too much risk. The federal takeover of the two firms in September 2008 as a result of the subprime mortgage crisis suggests we were right to be worried.
Fannie, Freddie
America’s government should get out of the mortgage business
Apr 15th 2000
FANNIE and Freddie sound like a sweet couple living down the street. But in America they are more likely to own the mortgage on your and your neighbours’ house. For Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are two of America’s biggest financial institutions—and also two of its most indebted, with around $1 trillion of debt between them. Fannie Mae is the Federal National Mortgage Association, Freddie Mac the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation. They dominate America’s mortgage market, a pre-eminence that is becoming controversial because these “federal agencies” are assumed (despite official denials) to be guaranteed by the government (see article).
Fannie and Freddie stand accused of using their “government guarantees” to steal business from unambiguously private lenders. One think-tank, the American Enterprise Institute, says they are on course to “nationalise” the mortgage market. Some congressmen now wish to change the law to tame these monsters before they stick the taxpayer with a bill reminiscent of the savings-and-loan bust in the 1980s.
The original idea behind Fannie and Freddie was innocuous enough. It was to provide liquidity to mortgage lenders, and so help people to buy homes, at a time when private markets could not stump up enough money. But today the financial markets are more than able to deliver. What the federal mortgage agencies do now is to distort the private market. This is a perfect example of what people mean when they talk of moral hazard caused by government intervention.
FEBRUARY 6, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Over the course of two evenings, Ridgewood residents had the chance to speak their minds about the proposed amendment to the master plan currently being sought by three developers who wish to build apartment complexes in the village’s downtown.
Citizens brought a variety of concerns before the Planning Board, with some favoring the high-density development and others calling for a scaled-back proposal decreasing the amount of units per acre currently being entertained.
Three separate developments are being proposed: the Dayton, a 106-unit luxury development in the old Brogan Cadillac lot; Chestnut Village, a 52-unit luxury development slated for Chestnut Street near the village’s central garage; and the 52-unit Enclave proposed for the intersection of East Ridgewood and North Maple avenues (the site of the old Sealfons building).
While very few of the more than 50 residents who spoke at the two meetings were completely against development, the idea of tripling or quadrupling the housing density in the Central Business District did not sit well with the majority of those who came to the podium to oppose the changes.
“It’s time for a compromise,” said resident Frank Schott. “Going from 12 units per acre to 50 is not a compromise, it is a surrender. Let’s make a generous offer of settling for doubling the permitted density to 24 units per acre.”
FEBRUARY 2, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015, 7:57 AM
BY KATHLEEN LYNN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Buying a home in North Jersey is expensive, and we’re not just talking about the purchase price.
Closing costs top $10,000 in Bergen County – the highest in the state – and $8,000 in Passaic County, according to a new survey by a personal finance website, SmartAsset.com. This is the first year SmartAsset has studied closing costs.
Those costs include “every possible fee you could be charged,” SmartAsset.com said, including inspection fees, title insurance premiums, appraisal costs and attorney’s fees, the website said. It also includes prepaid property taxes and prepaid home insurance premiums.
Annekee Brahver-Keely, an agent with Russo Real Estate in Teaneck, said that closing costs can vary depending on such factors as how high a town’s property taxes are and how much the lawyer charges.
“There are a lot of variables,” she said.
AJ Smith, managing editor for SmartAsset.com, agreed that while some closing costs are fixed, home buyers can shop around to reduce their costs – for example, comparison-shopping for a lawyer, homeowners insurance and other costs.
Bergen and Passaic county closing costs come in at about 2.2 percent of the median home price in each county – about the same percentage as statewide and nationally, Smith said.
FEBRUARY 1, 2015, 10:45 PM LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2015, 10:46 PM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
In an effort to cut down on rising costs, the state is capping a program that allows students to attend schools outside their own district at no extra cost, limiting some Bergen and Passaic schools to just a handful of open spots for the coming school year.
“It’s fiscally unsustainable,” state Education Commissioner David Hespe said in an interview. “The program has increased fivefold. The cost has increased fivefold.”
The education commissioner is also considering preventing additional students from high-performing schools, which would include many in Bergen County, from participating. The program was meant to give students access to better schools, but many of the students who took advantage already had good schools in their hometown, Hespe said.
State officials say they need to stop the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program’s growth because it has ballooned to about 5,000 students at a cost of $50 million a year. But supporters of the program say the decision to cap it seems to contradict the Christie administration’s stated policy of creating more taxpayer-financed options for students who don’t want to attend struggling local schools.
How did Camden, N.J. come to have one of the highest spending AND worst performing school districts in the nation?
The recent history of Camden, New Jersey, which is the poorest small city in America, provides a case study of the tragic ineffectiveness of government programs at ameliorating poverty. State and federal taxpayers have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on various redevelopment programs in Camden over the years, but the money never ended up where it was supposed to and the promised revival of this fallen manufacturing town never happened.
By far, the largest initiative to combat poverty with government largess has been directed at Camden’s public schools. New Jersey spends about 60% more on education per pupil than the national average according to 2012 census figures, or about $19,000 in 2013. In Camden, per pupil spending was more than $25,000 in 2013, making it one of the highest spending districts in the nation.
But all that extra money hasn’t changed the fact that Camden’s public schools are among in the worst in the nation, notorious for their abysmal test scores, the frequent occurrence of in-school violence, dilapidated buildings, and an on-time graduation rate of just 61 percent.
This is the story of how Camden became one of the nation’s best funded and worst performing school districts, which is the first in a three-part video series on Camden public school system.
MICHAEL SHETLER HONORED WITH 4TH NJAR® CIRCLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARD®
February 1, 2015
2014 NJAR® Circle of Excellence Sales Award®
Michael Shetler, a top-producing agent with Keller Williams Village Square Realty in Ridgewood, NJ, was honored with the Silver level 2014 NJAR® Circle of Excellence Award®, presented by the New Jersey Association of REALTORS® for his sales achievements.
This is the 4th time Michael has received the award, having been a recipient in 2009, 2011 and 2013.
In 2014, he earned the Silver Level award, which has requirements of generating at least $6.5 million in sales volume and closing a minimum of 20 units during the calendar year.
Michael Shetler, Real Estate Agent, Keller Williams Realty
The NJAR® Circle of Excellence Sales Award® recognizes those members who have demonstrated excellence in the field of salesmanship.
“I am honored to receive this award and thank my buyers andsellers in 2014,” said Shetler. “I also thank my clients from previous years who referred them to me. The true indicator of success in this business is to have happy clients.”
SEARCH HOMES IN ALLENDALE
SEARCH HOMES IN GLEN ROCK
SEARCH HOMES IN RIDGEWOOD
SEARCH HOMES IN UPPER SADDLE RIVER
Mr. Shetler has been with Keller Williams in Ridgewood (Keller Williams Village Square Realty) since it opened its doors in 2012. He covers the Bergen County area including Ridgewood, Glen Rock, Ho-Ho-Kus, Allendale, Fair Lawn, Wyckoff, Paramus, Saddle, River, Upper Saddle River, Ramsey, Mahwah, Oakland, Woodcliff Lake, Montvale, Park Ridge, Hillsdale, Westwood, Oradell and River Edge. Michael specializes in relocation services, first time home buyers, luxury homes and top notch selling services.
To learn more about how Michael Shetler can help you with your home buying or selling needs or if you are a real estate professional interested in joining his team, contact Michael at 201-421-0506 or [email protected]. Information is also available at https://BuyingInBergen.com.
Another round of ‘school report cards’ released; include new career, tech info
January 30, 2015, 7:58 PM Last updated: Friday, January 30, 2015, 7:58 PM
By HANNAN ADELY
Staff Writer | The Record
New Jersey school report cards released Friday show how well schools are educating children and include for the first time a breakdown of how many students take career and technical courses.
The School Performance Reports, searchable online, give a school-by-school picture on measures including test scores, graduation rates and absenteeism and offer comparisons among schools that have similar demographics.
“Each year, the school performance reports present information designed to give local districts a more complete snapshot of where their schools stand in terms of how well their students are moving toward college and career readiness,” said state Education Commissioner David Hespe.
Participation in career and technical education was added as a school measure under a package of bills that Governor Christie signed in December to boost vocational education.
Local Realtor Adds International Marketing To Repertoire
January 30, 2015
Michael Shetler has become a KW Global Property Specialist (GPS), allowing him to leverage specialized knowledge and technology to more effectively work with international buyers and sellers.
In its 2012 National Association of REALTORS® Profile of International Home Buying Activity, the National Association of REALTORS® estimated the volume of international sales for the period April 2011-March 2012 at $ 82.5 billion. And in Bergen County, the area Mr. Shetler serves, about 28% of the population is foreign born (U. S. Census Bureau, 2006-2010).
“It’s important for me to be able to understand the wants, needs and customs of international clients,” says Shetler. “KW GPS helps me do that.”
KW GPS is an exclusive group of Keller Williams agents who recognize the importance of their international clientele. Members receive regular training on topics as diverse as legal issues, cultural fluency and financing hurdles. In addition, KW GPS provides a bundle of international marketing tools including Proxio, a marketing platform which gives international visibility to US property listings.
SEARCH BERGEN COUNTY HOMES FOR SALE
“With so many buyers in NJ coming from other parts of the world, it’s critical that my listings be marketed outside the US,” continues Shetler. “And home sellers in Bergen County recognize the importance of international marketing.”
Proxio also enables local real estate agents to network with agents from around the world.
About Michael Shetler: Michael Shetler is a real estate agent in Bergen County recognized for patiently, skillfully and diligently helping residential buyers and sellers in Bergen County. Since 2005, Michael has been a full-time REALTOR® based in Ridgewood. He earned the NJAR® Circle of Excellence Sales Award in 2009, 2011 and 2013 and ranks in the top 7% of the 200+ agents in his office. Michael is a Glen Rock, NJ resident.
About Keller Williams Ridgewood, NJ: Keller Williams Village Square Realty is the number one ranked real estate office in the New Jersey MLS (NJMLS) based on both sales volume and sales units (2013, 2014). Located at 257 E. Ridgewood Ave in Ridgewood, NJ, the office has more than 200 real estate agents.
About KWRI: Keller Williams Realty, Inc. is the largest real estate franchise company in North America, with 700 offices and 107,000 associates in more than a dozen countries around the world. In 2014, Keller Williams was named the No. 1 training organization in real estate and No. 2 training organization across all industries in the world by Training magazine. The company has grown exponentially since the opening of the first Keller Williams Realty office in 1983, and continues to cultivate an agent-centric, education-based, technology-driven culture that rewards associates as stakeholders. The company also provides specialized agents in luxury homes and commercial real estate properties. For more information or to search for homes for sale visit Keller Williams Realty online at (www.kw.com). For more information about KWWorldwide, please visit kwworldwide.com.
About Michael Shetler
Michael Shetler is a real estate marketing professional and Bergen County Market Master. He has a particular expertise in internet marketing and real estate video. Michael is a full-time Realtor® residing in Glen Rock, NJ and recipient of the NJAR® Circle of Excellence Sales Award in 2009 , 2011 and 2013.
Multifamily rental construction in New Jersey is on the rise
JANUARY 29, 2015, 11:28 PM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 2015, 11:33 PM
BY KATHLEEN LYNN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
As homeownership rates continue to drop, multifamily construction is surging in New Jersey — making 2014 the busiest year for home building since the prerecession year of 2006, and perhaps signaling an end to the age of sprawling single-family construction in the state.
Builders started more than 28,000 housing units in New Jersey last year, up 16 percent from 2013 and more than double the deep lows seen during the worst years of the housing bust, the U.S. Census Bureau reported.
Multifamily activity — primarily rentals, led by the Bergen and Hudson Gold Coast — made up more than 61 percent of home construction last year, evidence of new development patterns in the state that are expected to continue into 2015 and beyond. Nationally, multifamily construction accounted for about a third of housing starts in December, a share that also has risen in recent years.
Boosting rental construction has been the demand from young people, who find it difficult to buy single-family homes because they are facing high student debt and tight mortgage standards, and who are drawn to urban, pedestrian-friendly settings.
“Multifamily in 2014 set an all-time record in terms of its share of residential construction undertaken, in records going back to 1960,” said Patrick O’Keefe, an economist with CohnReznick, an accounting firm with offices in Roseland.
Pressure builds for fresh look at N.J. building codes in wake of Edgewater fire
JANUARY 29, 2015, 5:39 PM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 2015, 8:31 PM
BY JEAN RIMBACH AND LINH TAT
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD
Pressure is mounting for a review of state building codes — and even a potential construction moratorium — in the aftermath of a fast-moving fire that destroyed more than half of an Edgewater apartment complex last week and left hundreds homeless.
Officials in Mercer County on Thursday called for an emergency review of state construction codes before a residential community planned by the same developer for Princeton gets evaluated by the state. And Assemblyman Scott Rumana, R-Wayne, said he is working on legislation that will put a moratorium of up to two years on the approval and construction of multi-family housing developments until the state’s building code is revised.
“The goal is not have any New Jersey residents’ lives at stake. But equally as important, it’s to not put our first responders into these buildings, which I would call fire traps,” said Rumana. “I have too much experience in seeing the failures of these types of facilities — if this fire happened seven or 10 hours later, who knows how many people could have died?”
A five-alarm blaze at the Avalon at Edgewater destroyed much of the 408-unit complex, shut schools and roadways, temporarily displaced nearby residents and brought to the surface long-standing issues in the firefighting community about lightweight wood construction — a cheaper, faster and legal style of building that is common in New Jersey and elsewhere.
Ridgewood’s Lincoln Building sold for $3.9 million
JANUARY 30, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2015, 1:21 AM
THE RECORD
Saxum Real Estate Partners has bought the Lincoln Building, one of Ridgewood’s oldest office properties, for $3.9 million, according to the broker in the deal.
The five-story, 24,000-square-foot building, in Ridgewood’s shopping district across from the train station, was built in 1927, according to town records.
The former owner, The Lincoln Building LLC, an affiliate of Sedler Realty, had purchased the property in 2006 for $3 million, according to property records.
