PSSSSST. Here’s an insider tip on a sure-fire investment: Improve your landscape.

Homeowners often hear that kitchen upgrades yield the best return on home improvements. But Ranka Vucetic, an agent with Critelli & Kilbride Realtors in Holmdel, thinks a front landscape is more important. “If there’s no curb appeal, who cares what’s inside? Even if the homeowners have gone to considerable expense on a kitchen or other improvements like bathrooms, buyers will never see it. Having everything looking really great outside is an inducement for buyers to come inside.”

Chris Cipriano of Cipriano Landscape Design in Mahwah agrees. “Economists always rank landscaping among the top five home improvements for return on investment” as much as 258 percent, Cipriano says. Bill Dear of Dear Garden Associates in Pipersville, Penn sylvania, chimes in with a case in point. “A few years ago we installed a garden in a neighborhood where all the houses were very similar and had sterile landscapes.

There was an immediate bidding war for the house where we installed the garden. “It sold in three days for the highest amount of any house in the neighborhood, including those of the same model. The amount over the asking price that the house sold for was 21⁄2 times what the garden cost.”

Beyond the Bottom Line
Cipriano and Dear say landscaping also pays off with enjoyment. “A great garden can provide spaces to relax and unwind or to share with friends and family,” Dear says. “It can be therapeutic and relaxing to spend time cutting flowers and tending a garden.” Landscaping also can improve the quality of life for your children, Cipriano says. “A well-thought-out design will provide a safe place to play for the kids and a comfortable place to supervise for the parents.” For great entertaining, Cipriano says to balance landscaping and hardscaping, such as decks, patios, walkways, trellises and fountains. “An outdoor kitchen and grill and a dining patio surrounded by a full landscape can host year-round grilling and entertainment in a picturesque setting that will make your guests want to stay outdoors.” And plan for privacy in those outdoor rooms. “You’ll not likely want to spend time in a garden that looks great from the road but doesn’t afford privacy,” Dear cautions.

Begin the Process
When envisioning a garden, you should set priorities that are doable based on the conditions of your property. Don’t force a design that will break the bank or not fit your property, Cipriano says. If you want a waterfall and have a flat back yard, for example, you will have the added expense of building up the site. Opt for plants suited to growing conditions first; aesthetics come second. Dear says inappropriate choices can make gardens look unhealthy, kill plants and require extra effort and expense such as irrigation, fencing or spraying to deter deer, and special drainage. Another important consideration is year-round interest, Dear says. In winter, that means berries, snow on ornamental grass and its seed heads, and attractive hardscaping. In other seasons, Vucetic encourages investing in plants that bloom several months, such as certain hydrangeas (the Endless Summer Collection, for example) and roses (Knock-Outs and Oso Easy varieties are easy-care options).
Avoid headaches by choosing plants that mature to the right scale for your property and are disease-resistant and nonaggressive. “Planting bamboo to screen an unwanted view may temporarily increase property value,” Dear says, “but will likely be very costly to keep from spreading.”

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PSSSSST. Here’s an insider tip on a sure-fire investment: Improve your landscape.

Homeowners often hear that kitchen upgrades yield the best return on home improvements. But Ranka Vucetic, an agent with Critelli & Kilbride Realtors in Holmdel, thinks a front landscape is more important. “If there’s no curb appeal, who cares what’s inside? Even if the homeowners have gone to considerable expense on a kitchen or other improvements like bathrooms, buyers will never see
it. Having everything looking really great outside is an inducement for buyers to come inside.

Chris Cipriano of Cipriano Landscape Design in Mahwah agrees. “Economists always rank landscaping among the top five home improvements for return on investment” as much as 258 percent, Cipriano says. Bill Dear of Dear Garden Associates in Pipersville, Penn sylvania, chimes in with a case in point. “A few years ago we installed a garden in a neighborhood where all thehouses were very similar and had sterile landscapes.

There was an immediate bidding war for the house where we installed the garden. “It sold in three days for the highest amount of any house in the neighborhood, including those of the same model. The amount over the asking price that the house sold for was 21⁄2 times what the garden cost.”

Beyond the Bottom Line Cipriano and Dear say landscaping also pays off with enjoyment. “A great garden can provide spaces to relax and unwind or to share with friends and family,” Dear says. “It can be therapeutic and relaxing to spend time cutting flowers and tending a garden.” Landscaping also can improve the quality of life for your children, Cipriano says. “A well-thought-out design
will provide a safe place to play for the kids and a comfortable place to supervise for the parents.”

For great entertaining, Cipriano says to balance landlandscaping and hardscaping, such as decks, patios, walkways, trellises and fountains. “An outdoor kitchen and grill and a dining patio surrounded by a full landscape can host year-round grilling and entertainment in a picturesque setting that will make your guests want to stay outdoors.” And plan for privacy in those outdoor rooms. “You’ll not likely want to spend time in a garden that looks great from the road but doesn’t afford privacy,” Dear cautions. Begin the Process When envisioning a garden, you should set priorities that are doable based on the conditions of your property. Don’t force a design that will break the bank or not fit your property, Cipriano says. If you want a waterfall and have a flat back yard, for example, you will have the added expense of building up the site.

Opt for plants suited to growing conditions first; aesthetics come second. Dear says inappropriate choices can make gardens look unhealthy, kill plants and require extra effort and expense such as irrigation, fencing or spraying to deter deer, and special drainage. Another important consideration is year-round interest, Dear says. In winter, that means berries, snow on ornamental grass and its seed heads, and attractive hardscaping. In other seasons, Vucetic encourages investing in plants that bloom several months, such as certain hydrangeas (the Endless Summer Collection, for example) and roses (Knock-Outs and Oso Easy varieties are easy-care options).

Avoid headaches by choosing plants that mature to the right scale for your property and are disease-resistant and nonaggressive. “Planting bamboo to screen an unwanted view may temporarily increase property value,” Dear says, “but will likely be very costly to keep from spreading.”

Download The Full Article Here. 

With market experts predicting and evaluating a declining market and withlocal and national real estate offices closing in the midst of the same, Critelli & Kilbride Realtors has continued to defy market statistics.The company’s growth has been an anomaly in the industry with growth from2009 to 2010 up 26% and overall since their opening in 2005 an increase of 372%.

“We attribute our continued success in the marketplace to several factors”said Critelli, the successful recruitment and retention of only professional andknowledgeable agents, the unsurpassed commitment by the company to train andeducate these agents, and focusing on how best to meet these market changes byutilizing new technologies, marketing tools and techniques.

This year, Critelli & Kilbride engaged a nationally recognized trainer, Scott Einbinder, who assisted the agents in creating strategic pricing platforms and innovativerisk reduction programs that enable sellers to not only ensure acccurate pricing oftheir home, but to maximize their potential in obtaining the highest price possible.

When implemented Critelli & Kilbride’s “Home Ready Program” reducesthe risk of transactional failure by implementing proactive steps rather than reacting to potential issues that may result later. These strategies are progressiveand assist the seller as well as the agent in keeping transactions together despitethe challenging market.Einbinder reflects on his experience with Critelli & Kilbride by saying, “Thelevel of sophistication at Critelli & Kilbride is a huge asset to buyers and sellersin Monmouth County, especially in the luxury home market.

It is great to haveworked with a firm that is totally committed to an exceptional consumer experience. Their investment in their agents’ education is a testament to putting theircustomer’s needs first,” Einbinder added.“Since this is most families’ most valuable asset, the focus should always be onnetting the highest return on their investment in this case their home, and not onsmoke and mirrors,” said Kilbride.In 2010 Critelli & Kilbride has expanded their company by opening a larger state of the art office in Holmdel, nearly doubling the original size as well as growing the number of full time agents by 40%.“Our focus and commitment is to select and hire agents as you would inany other professional organization by hiring and retaining only the best peopleand showing our clients that we are committed to excellence in our professionand that our agents are a reflection of those standards and beliefs.

These agentsare experts in their respective market areas,” said Critelli.In recognition of the changing demographics of the area and the continued relocation of families from the Greater New York area, Critelli & Kilbride has retainedagents proficient in Spanish, Italian, Russian, Hebrew, Greek, French, Serbian/Croatinand Hindi.

With over 60 million dollars in active listings at an average list price of$1,376,000, and one of the highest average closed sales prices in Monmouth andOcean Counties, Critelli & Kilbride has proven to be a company to be recognized.In a time of rapid business change Realtors have been given the choice to either move with that change or become one of its casualties, Critelli and Kilbridehas chosen to accept and embrace these changes and use them as a means to advance their company by providing the highest level of customer service possible.

Their offices are located in the Holmdel Executive Center at 960 HolmdelRoad Holmdel NJ. For additional information you can visit them on the web atwww.Critelliandkilbride.com or on the Critelli & Kilbride Fanpage on Facebook.

Sometimes, it’s good not to followthe crowd!In a down economy, most realtors arehurting big-time as money is scarce andhome sales tank. However, Lou Critelliand Bill Kilbride, owners of Critelli andKilbride Realtors, have spent the last fouryears growing their business.Just two months ago, they moved tobigger offices, nearly doubling theirsquare footage of office space. After starting with just three agents, now 30 agentswork under the Critelli and Kilbride banner. Overall sales from year one to yearfour are up 400 percent. And, the businesscontinues to grow.

Lou Critelli and Bill Kilbride stand in the welcoming lobby of their new office, located in the Holmdel NJ

They are — quite simply — today’sreal estate version of the determinedsalmon swimming upstream. While thecrush and the rush is heading in one direction, they’re heading the other way —toward success, progressiveness, and profitability!“When we opened in January 2006,” said Lou, from Holmdel, “I’lladmit we probably could not have picked a worse time to open a realtyoffice. But Bill and I saw the market as an opportunity for a change.Four years later, the business has grown by leaps and bounds.”“We were able to grow the business for a number of reasons,”said Bill, from Colts Neck.

“While larger companies emphasized expansion and mass recruiting, we focused instead on a controlledgrowth and a selective recruiting process.

We treated the businesslike one might treat a law firm or an accounting firm. We took ourtime to make sure the people we hired were dedicated and committed, techno-savvy and personable. Every one of them is a go-getterwho does this as a job and their profession.”“And,” added Lou, “we paid attention to the business that we knowbest — that is, real estate. We kept our focus on what real estate office should be — experts in real estate with anemphasis on customer service.”Lou said that he and Bill also paidclose attention to — and recognized theshift in — how people look for and buy ahome today.

“A full 85 percent of buyers are pastcustomers and people who saw the housethey wanted on the internet,” said Lou, “sowe hired internet-friendly realtors who arevery comfortable with the computer.”“We’ve successfully stayed ahead ofthe curve,” said Bill. “It’s what we’ve beengood at — and we’ll continue to do that.”The success of Critelli and KilbrideRealtors has caught the eye of some bigfish in the realty pond.“We have been approached by national franchises to buy us out or to ask usto become one of the offices under theirflag,” said Lou, “but we don’t want to dothat for a number of reasons.

We’re building a brand here — and welike that!”In addition to owning Critelli and Kilbride Realtors, Lou andBill still sell real estate themselves. Between them, they bring over30 years of real estate experience to the local market.Their ever-growing following continues to beat the drum inpraise of the service that Critelli and Kilbride provide.“A high percentage of our customers are return clients,” saidLou.

“Our goal is simple: to delight the customer, and to gain theirrepeat business by delivering a more satisfying service experiencebefore, during, and after the sale.”The new office for Critelli and Kilbride Realtors is located inbuilding I of the Holmdel Executive Center at 960 Holmdel Road.Their website is www.critelliandkilbride.com. The office phone is(732) 332-9100.

William Kilbride, Owner Critelli & Kilbride Realtors 963 Holmdel Road Holmdel, NJ 07733 (732) 332-9100

Living In Media, Ask The Experts: William Kilbride, Owner Critelli & Kilbride Realtors

Bill Kilbride is co-owner of Critelli & Kilbride Realtors, a dynamic, customer-focused, residential real estate company serving Monmouth, Ocean, and Middlesex Counties dedicated to helping their clients achieve their real estate dreams. Bill’s (and his firm’s) goal is to put customer service back into the real estate experience. Since 2005 they have grown quickly in a challenging market – by 300% in 2007 and by another 100% in 2008. Critelli & Kilbride’s core principles are customer service, a job well done, and the complete satisfaction of the clients.

As real estate professionals, what are you doing differently in the current real estate climate, and why?

There is no question that the current climate is challenging. You have two choices – give up or get going. We try to take a positive approach to the market and set realistic expectations with our clients on pricing, timeframes, and realities of the market. The key to selling your home now is to price it right, know your competition, and have your home show its best. We help our sellers make their homes look their best and the most attractive to potential buyers. As far as marketing…we do all of the traditional marketing. Where the real advantage is today is being on the cutting edge – in the online world – having our customers’ homes where they will be seen by the most potential buyers. When we built our office we had this in mind in every facet of our space and systems. Probably the most important thing we can offer is our agents. We are very selective about who we hire to represent the company. If you have great agents, you will have a great business. What things are you doing the same, and why? There are some things in every industry that are tried and true and will result in success. I would say that being hard-working, reliable, customer-focused, and delivering a good service or product is the basis of any great business, no matter what the industry. I will work tirelessly for my clients and go the extra steps to exceed their expectations. Unfortunately, in the business world today the expectations of most consumers are very low. We want to change that and raise the bar for what people expect from realtors and what is delivered. It is most important to be professional, courteous, and put forth our best effort to make sure the home is sold at the best price in the shortest amount of time, while making it a great experience for all parties involved. Life is all about experiences – you remember the good ones.

In Holmdel and the rest of Monmouth County do you see the market as being as severe as the rest of the state or the rest of the country?

All real estate is localized. One town can be very different from the next. I can’t speak much
to the state of our industry in other areas, except for some that I’ve heard have gotten hit extraordinarily hard, such as Florida, California, and Las Vegas. Most of this is a result of wide speculation, overbuilding, and getting away from the core customers/buyers that make up their local populations. For our area, I think prices and sales have held pretty well. Due to our proximity to several large cities, a well-educated workforce, and generally higher paying jobs, I think our area will always be okay. There’s still a lot of demand for housing in Monmouth County, and it’s a great place to live. As everywhere, home prices are down from the highs of 2005, but look at it in context. From 2000 to 2007, the average sold price of a single family home in Holmdel went from $484,750 to $1,010,273. That’s up 208%. From 2007 to the present, the average sold home price went from $1,010,273 to $866,352 (year-to-date)…down approximately 15%. Everything goes through cycles, and we are in a bit of a correction phase caused by many factors, such as unsustainable appreciation, speculation, irresponsible lending, and low interest rates.

What would you say if you were to advise future sellers and buyers on what to expect in the next year or so?

I would advise sellers to be a bit patient with the market and not to get frustrated. If you have a good product, and it’s priced accordingly, you’ll find a buyer. Buyers should know that this is a great time to buy. Interest rates are low, prices are favorable, and there is no way to perfectly time the market. If you need or want a home, now is the time. In general, most reports [I’ve read] call for the bottom of the market (nationally) to be at the end of 2008. As I said, all real estate is extremely local, so don’t rely too much on what they say in the news about the national outlook. I do think – for the local market – we will see the bottom this year, followed by a slow growth or flat phase over the next couple of years; the financial system will work out its issues and salaries to catch up to real estate prices.

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