Retreat blends water, light, stone     

Sunday, July 15, 2007

By CAROL FLETCHER
STAFF WRITER

For centuries, spas have attracted weary visitors with natural springs and indoor pools that offer tranquility and relaxation.

A Saddle River estate built into a secluded ravine on 4.2 acres offers a modern version of both.
 
The 12-room home has a separate wing with its very own 35½-foot-long pool for swimming laps and an in-ground hot tub with spa-like ambience. Outside, two gentle streams provide a natural setting.

"You feel like you might be in the Adirondacks," said listing agent Vicki Gaily with Special Properties, a division of Brook Hollow Group Inc. in Saddle River. "Everything is very calming and soothing."

The original builder/homeowner incorporated elements used by master architect Frank Lloyd Wright, such as an atrium and walls of windows, to highlight the sloping topography, Gaily said.

Desert-colored stone in rust, coral and red is used consistently inside and out in the foundation, retaining walls, pathways, patios, verandas and surrounding a living-room fireplace.

The colorful stones lead from one of three parking areas to an entry veranda bordering a courtyard, perfect for parties, opposite the wing with the pool.

Inside, stone again appears opposite the main entry as the backdrop to a wall fountain. Wide cherry planks with amber tones give a warm, sleek look throughout the first floor.

To the left, sunlight pours into the open living room from every direction. A French door leads to one of several stone patios overlooking the picturesque streams.

The master bedroom suite offers outside views from a sunny window seat in the bedroom area or a pretty, window-walled sitting room. Built-in cabinets, a makeup mirror and marble counters with a sink line the walls of a dressing room. An office has built-in wrap-around desks and cabinets.
Just steps away, the cedar-walled pool wing is an enticing private escape with a hot tub, plasma screen television wiring, a full bath and seven French doors opening to the veranda and courtyard.

Behind the living room, a graceful serpentine wall of windows creates a unique casual eating area. The adjacent Poggenpohl kitchen features a breakfast bar, wine refrigerator and a window backsplash.

Past a full butler's pantry and wet bar, a dramatic dining room overlooks the captivating three-sided atrium and stairs to the lower level. Two doors open to stone walkways and the landscaped hillside.

Hallways lead to closets, a three-car garage, a work room with built-in desk and sink, and a stunning powder room with walls of iridescent glass mosaic tiles.

Light pours into the lower level's family room, office, two full baths and exercise room, and three bedrooms, each with large built-in armoires.

Art was the builder's other passion. He added a dark room with a developing sink on the lower level, and niches and coves to display art and sculpture on the main level.

The property is designed for exploring, with gardens, wooden and stone paths, footbridges, patios and decks with built-in benches. Wild turkeys, owls, red-tailed hawks and deer also make regular visits.

A large room underneath the home provides quick access from the front courtyard to one of the back decks, and is also an ideal storage spot for outdoor furniture and garden tools.

"It's a home for someone who truly appreciates nature," said Gaily. The four-bedroom, 4½-bath home is listed at $4,498,000.

Click here to see the video

Read the Article in the The Bergen Record

SADDLE RIVER REAL ESTATE FEATURED IN VIDEO PRESENTATION SHOWING AT CHRISTIE’S NEW YORK LOBBY

Special Properties, a division of Brook Hollow Group Inc. Realtors, is an exclusive affiliate of Christie’s Great Estates

A Saddle River estate, offered at $8,995,000 by Special Properties, was selected as one of 21 properties to appear on a Christie’s Great Estates video montage playing in the lobby of Christie’s North American Headquarters in Rockefeller Center. The continuous-loop video, shown on a flat screen monitor, showcases the most distinguished international properties represented by the affiliates of Christie’s Great Estates.

The home’s stone-and-brick exterior encompasses more than 20,000 square feet and includes an indoor pool, an indoor racquetball court, a home theater, a wine cellar, and an elevator. The estate is comprised of two private and beautifully landscaped acres. For more information on this estate log onto www.christiesgreatestates.com.

Christie’s Great Estates, the world’s largest network of real estate brokerages with expertise in high-value properties, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Christie’s, the oldest and most successful fine art auction house. The New York headquarters of Christie’s is located in Rockefeller Center, an American landmark that attracts millions of international visitors each year.

The Christie’s brand is recognized around the world and trusted by consumers of luxury goods. Properties marketed under the Christie’s name command the attention of buyers with the means to purchase multimillion-dollar homes. Unique exposure to a qualified audience, such as a video presentation in the lobby of a fine art auction house during major art sales, is important in order to successfully market high-value estates.

ABOUT CHRISTIE’S GREAT ESTATES

Christie’s Great Estates was founded as Great Estates by Kay Coughlin in 1987. The company was acquired by Christie’s in 1995, with Coughlin serving as President and CEO, the office she still holds today. Over the past 20 years, Christie’s Great Estates has continued to set the standard for the sale and marketing of important properties and is the largest network of real estate brokers specializing in luxury property sales. This carefully selected network of real estate firms includes more than 650 offices and approximately 20,000 estate agents in more than 35 countries, offering local expertise combined with worldwide reach. The network’s combined sales exceed $100 billion.

For additional information about Christie’s Great Estates, please contact Lisa Twyman Bessone at +1 505 983 8733. Visit the Christie’s Great Estates Web site: www.christiesgreatestates.com.

Thinking of selling on your own? Think again.

The ramifications of going FSBO
By Anna Spiewak
SPECIAL SECTIONS EDITOR
4/26/07

As the weather has warmed up this spring, so have the sellers, to the idea of putting their properties back on the market and trying their luck at a good sale. While several real estate agencies out there are prepared to help any homeowner with a transaction, a certain few still choose to sell on their own, also known as for-sale-by-owner, or FSBO. But given today’s complexities of a real estate transaction, and the slower-paced market that is leaning more towards the buyer’s side, most realtors and some sellers alike, advise against it.
         
“I have been in the real estate business for 28 years and there are less FSBO’s now than I can ever remember,” said Vicki Gaily, marketing director and realtor associate/co-owner at Special Properties in Saddle River. “Now more than ever a real estate broker is necessary.”
         
According to RealSource Association of Realtors, a local trade association representing nearly 3,700 Bergen County realtors, the common misconception with FSBO sellers is that they can make more money by selling without a realtor, which is not always the case. For one, while independent sellers focus on avoiding the 4 to 6 percent commission fee that comes with listing with a realtor, buyers already subtract that in their heads when negotiating the price with them.
         
“The buyer sees a for-sale-by-owner ad and says ‘I think I’ll offer 5-6 percent less and save the commission,”’ said Gaily. “Each party is operating at the opposite end of the spectrum.”
         
That concept may be one of the reasons why the National Association of Realtors (NAR) 2006 statistics show that FSBO homes sell for about 16 percent less than transactions managed by a realtor.

“By not listing a home on the multiple listing system, the seller may never really know what the top market value is of their home,” Gaily added.

While FSBOs might have been successful for sellers in the pre-Internet and limited-competition-from-realtor-agencies days, when all one had to do was put a sign, make lemonade and invite people, today the process is more strenuous and competitive, according to experts.

Most recent national statistics seem to reflect this evolution of the real estate industry. According to NAR, there’s a downtrend in the number of for-sale-by-owner transactions, currently at a record low market share of 12 percent, compared to 13 percent in 2005. The level of FSBOs has been on the decline since reaching a cyclical peak of 18 percent in 1997.

Aside from lack of access to the local market data for accurately pricing a home, there are other pitfalls that professionals list when selling on your own. Some of these drawbacks include the arduous process of the paperwork, transaction mistakes, improper disclosure about your home, lack of objectivity on the homeowners’ end when selling their own home, the buyers’ discomfort as a result, and lack of qualified buyers walking through the doors.

Renee Uhlich and her husband, George, found out about the effects of selling on their own the hard way when they put their 1970’s sugar-maple split in Harrington Park up for sale as a FSBO.

“You get to the point where you think to yourself the best way of thinking is the old way of thinking,” said Uhlich, referring to the old days of selling a home on your own.

She figured that being a retired paralegal/secretary of a real estate office would provide her with enough knowledge about the process of selling a home to do it on her own. So the Uhlichs placed an ad about the sale in the New York Times and on the Internet for a week.

The couple spent close to $3000 in advertising, baked cookies and greeted potential buyers for three full months, getting about four to five visitors per weekend.

“There were a lot of curiosity seekers, but not many of those who were ready to buy,” said Uhlich. “They were just looking. We misjudged the current generation, which has no time (to shop around on their own for a home).”

Even after they dropped their house price by $20,000 from the original of $789,000, no serious offer was made.

It was not until a realtor approached the couple about helping them that things started to change. The realtor brought people to look at the home, she advised the Uhlichs on what to emphasize inside the home for a better sale, and did a virtual tour of the home for the buyers. Renee Uhlich was impressed with the realtor’s presentation.

“We finally realized that the consumer who is ready to purchase, that person will go with a realtor,” she said.

Within two weeks, the realtor got the Uhlichs an offer close to what they wanted, and their home was officially sold in mid-July 2006.

“It’s natural for a seller to assume that they can put an ad in the paper, sell their home themselves, save the commission and move on,” said Gaily, of Special Properties. “If it were that simple, there wouldn’t be as many real estate firms and real estate agents as there are.”

According to Gaily, qualified buyers understand the importance of realtor representation, which brings expertise and ethics necessary to make the sale.

Some sellers, such as Janusz and Merenza Janisiewicz, who are selling their home in Norwood, understand the need of realtor representation, that’s why they went with a broker from the get-go to avoid some of these pitfalls and are happy with the results.

“It’s the only way to get people to the house, we don’t have the experience,” said Janusz Janisiewicz. “It’s difficult selling on your own.”

Janusz Janisiewicz says he’s seen for-sale-by-owner signs around his neighborhood, which eventually had turned into for-sale-by-realtor signs.

By MARY AMOROSO
SPECIAL TO THE RECORD
Sunday, March 4, 2007

The people who buy multimillion-dollar homes are a different breed of buyer. They send members of their entourage to preview homes for sale. They like space, lots of space, and multi-car garages for their collections. They want all the bells and whistles, including "wired" homes, media rooms and wine cellars. They put down gobs of cash -- hundreds of thousands of dollars -- unless their financial manager advises them differently….

Vicki Gaily, director of marketing for Special Properties, said: "These buyers want home theaters, elaborate wine cellars and wine-tasting rooms, sometimes an indoor pool, whether full size or lap, sometimes an indoor basketball or racquetball court."

Four in 10 surveyed agents said these buyers put down 20 percent to 30 percent in cash, and one-quarter said their buyers put down 30 percent to 50 percent in cash.

"Sometimes these buyers will bring a money manager in after they've found a house," said Gaily, "The money manager will want to see substantiated comparables for the price."

"How much these buyers put down depends on their money managers," she added. "Sometimes they will pay all cash, and sometimes management wants the least amount down, and the highest amount to mortgage." Above all, what these exclusive buyers want is to be shielded from prying eyes.

"Privacy is key," said Gaily. "This doesn't necessarily mean a secluded lot, but they want their information kept private."

Read Full Article in NorthJersey.com

On October 28th, 2005, the Octoberwoman Foundation hosted its annual black-tie event, “The Pink Ribbon Ball” at the Westmount Country Club located in West Paterson, NJ with over 700 guests in attendance. The proceeds of the event were presented to Columbia University Medical Center to further breast cancer research at the Laboratory funded by the Octoberwoman Foundation.

James Gandolfini, star of HBO’s “The Sopranos”, attended for the fourth time as Octoberwoman’s Special Guest of Honor. Other cast members who graciously attended from “The Sopranos” were: Lorraine Bracco, Vince Curatola, Tony Sirico, Aida Turturro, Sharon Angela and Carl Capotorto.

Honorees for the evening included Dr. J. Gregory Mears, Clinical Professor of Medicine at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University Medical Center in New York and Vicki Gaily recipient of the Foundation’s annual “Hope for the Future Award”.

Dr. Gregory Mears was introduced by colleague Dr. Charles Hesdorffer. Both doctors have worked closely with The Octoberwoman Foundation over the last decade. Through their hard work and efforts, the Octoberwoman Foundation’s lab has doubled in size over the last eleven years. Today, there are more scientists working on a cutting edge vaccine that will help in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer. Dr. Mears has been recognized seven times by New York Magazine as one of New York’s Best Doctors and this year he has received the accolade of one of “America’s Top Cancer Doctors”.

The “Hope for the Future” Award was presented to breast cancer survivor and activist, Vicki Gaily. Vicki has been successful in her struggle against breast cancer and helps the Octoberwoman Foundation by volunteering and sharing her own personal experiences with others in need. When Vicki achieved her 5-year survival in 1992, she marked the milestone by creating Special Properties Division of Brook Hollow Group, Inc., which is now one of the top-producing single office Real Estate companies in the tri-state area. Vicki hopes that she can send a message to all cancer survivors that life can go on productively after a serious and frightening illness.

Honorary Chairwomen for this year’s event were Judy DiBella of Park Ridge and Stephanie Weber of Ramsey. Event Co-Chairwomen included Linda Hanlon of Saddle Brook, Donna Mancinelli of Waldwick, and Tracie Truncellito of Westwood.

http://www.octoberwoman.org/2005_pink_ribbon.htm