On October 29^th and 30^th the Picatinny Arsenal will have its annual Halloween Haunted House.  This is a great event that my family enjoys every year and apparently many people agree with me because more than 2,000 visitors attend from the North New Jersey area each season.

There is lots of fun to be had such as witches, goons and goblins but there is also a 40 x 18 ft high inflatable obstacle course. The dun begins at 6:30 pm and tickets are reasonably prices. Children 12 and under must be accompanied by a parent. If you work up an appetite feel free to stop by the Cemetery Café for graveside dining.

Hope to see you there!

Please visit the link below for more information:

http://www.pica.army.mil/mwr/CYS/CYShomepage.htm

Coccia Real Estate Group in Whippany participated in the North Central Jersey Assoc. of Realtors food drive. The food drive was sponsored by the Young Professional’s Network. Participants from the office were Ashley McKellar, Lois DeCaro and Christopher Coccia. The drive lasted about 3 weeks and we are very pleased with the generosity of the area’s Realtors. “Heading into the Holiday Season it is more important than ever to help those less fortunate.”., Said Ashley McKellar, Realtor at Coccia Real Estate Group in Whippany.  

If you missed the food drive dates but were still interested in donating your nonperishable food please feel free to drop it by either of Coccia Real Estate Groups offices.

434 Ridgedale Avenue, East Hanover or

831 Rt 10 East, Whippany (Pine Plaza shopping center)

On Sunday, October 10^th East Hanover hosted the 6^th annual Morris County Columbus Day Parade. The parade began at 2 pm and featured the Jets Cheerleading squad, the US Marine Corps Reserve Band, and a special appearance by Buddy Valastro, THE CAKE BOSS!  Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi was the Grand Marshall joined by the Entrepreneurs of the year, the Villani Family of the Villani Bus Company.

Coccia Real Estate Group is very proud of our favorite client and East Hanover’s own Buddy Valastro and family. It was great to hear from such a down to earth fellow who still is very close and humbled by his family.

Congratulations Buddy!

Every since we started to place color pictures in newspaper ads I always knew that it was important to take the best picture I could. Now, with the internet allowing you to put 20+ pictures of the exterior and interior of home it is more important than ever!

According to a company called Redfin Corp., a Seattle-area real estate firm, Sales listings taken by higher-end single-lens-reflex cameras (SLR), preferred by professionals, garner higher prices than those properties whose sellers use point-and-shoot cameras.

Redfin analyzed listings in their market area and it was easily determined that houses with better photos sold from $934 to $116,000 more. The study directly compared point and shoot cameras to digital SLR camera’s. SLR cameras with their high quality lenses were a clear winner. The study also showed that properties with better photos (the more the better) got more online clicks.

Only about 25% of the photos in the mls are shot with high quality SLR cameras.

All Coccia Real Estate Group’s photos are taken with Olympus SLR camera with a wide angle lens.

On Sunday, October 3^rd my son and I attended the semiannual pancake breakfast held at the fire house on Brooklake Road in Florham Park. It was a great event and seemed  to get more crowded as the day went on. Before sitting down to breakfast, my son and I were treated to a tour of the old firehouse which was moved from Ridgedale Avenue a few years ago. The 1^st floor has an old fire truck on display complete with all the original brass, hoses and antique equipment. The 2nd floor was a display of old fire suits, protective gear, extinguishers, and pictures. A very impressive collection from the last 50 years all within the borders of the town I have lived in for last ten years.

After spending about a ½ hour looking through the museum it was time to get down to the real business of eating pancakes! I was happy to say that breakfast was delicious! We were treated to pancakes and sausage from the fire department served with juice and coffee and my son was even given his very own fire helmet.

The Florham Park Volunteer Fire Department holds two annual pancake breakfast fundraising events each year.  Check their website frequently for current information. www.florhamparkfiredepartment.org.

In 2009, the National Association of Realtors began establishing YPN chapters throughout the country. In August of 2010, the North Central Jersey Board of Realtors established their chapter and named Christopher Coccia of Coccia Real Estate Group, LLC as the Chairperson.

“The Young Professionals Network (YPN) is Open to all ages, YPN serves a growing group of young, career-minded real estate professionals who want to serve the community, educate themselves on the latest technology and industry practices, and network with fellow REALTORS®. “, says Chris, “ I am proud to be a part of this new organization and look forward to meeting many great, new agents!”

Created from NAR's REALTOR® magazine annual issue of "30 under 30", NAR has recognized the need to reach out to the younger real estate professionals who want to stay abreast of the latest tools and resources.