“Jersey Shore” house most viewed in 2011
Zillow last month released a list of the Top 10 Most Viewed Homes on its site for 2011. Topping the list was the “Jersey Shore” house — a six-bedroom home in Seaside Heights that famously hosted the hard-partying cast of the popular MTV reality show. The 1209 Ocean Terrace home, which rents for $6,500 per night in the summer, beat out even the White House: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue placed eighth on Zillow’s list. Another high-ranking New Jersey property was the Montville mansion of “Real Housewives” star Melissa Gorga, which came in at No. 7. The custom-built home was briefly listed for sale in 2010 for $4.1 million. Also in the Top 10: Rapper 50 Cent’s home in Farmington, Conn., and the Woolworth Mansion on 80th Street in Manhattan, which is currently listed for sale at $90 million. New Jersey is also faring well when it comes to commercial real estate. The state’s Class A office space posted its lowest vacancy and highest net absorption rates since before the economic meltdown, according to Jones Lang LaSalle’s fourth-quarter market report. Class A vacancy fell for the third straight quarter to 23.3 percent, the lowest level since mid-2008, while net absorption for the year totaled more than 1.5 million square feet, the highest yearly total since 2007. Submarkets experiencing strong leasing activity in the fourth quarter included the Parkway Corridor, Route 78 and Central Bergen County, the report said. Asking rents throughout the state averaged $23.85 per square foot, up slightly from the third quarter.
Eastern CT home prices lowest in a decade
The median home price in Eastern Connecticut dropped below $200,000 for the first time in nearly a decade, the New London Day reported. According to statistics released last month by the Eastern Connecticut Association of Realtors, the 2011 median single-family home price in Windham and New London counties was just $192,000, down from $210,000 the year before and the lowest since 2003’s median of $174,000. Meanwhile, sales of homes priced over $350,000 saw a sharp decrease, according to Eastern Connecticut Association of Realtors CEO John Bolduc, who told the Day that “2011 was a difficult year.” He added: “I think we still have maybe another year of foreclosure and short-sale issues.”
Downtown New Rochelle to get revamp
The Albanese Organization, a Long Island-based real estate firm, has proposed an ambitious redevelopment plan that could transform downtown New Rochelle, the Journal News reported. Albanese presented its plan to the New Rochelle city council last month, proposing to build 550 new residential units, 25,000 square feet of retail space and 1,200 new parking spaces on a pair of city-owned parking lots. The first phase of the project would include an eight-story, 106-unit apartment building with a parking garage. New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson has already expressed his support for the project. “If done correctly, I would think residents of downtown would be the chief beneficiaries,” he said. Once the two sides agree on a memorandum of understanding, there will be a yearlong review process before construction can begin. If all goes well, construction could start in early 2015, according to Albanese executive vice president George Aridas.