The Fine Grind - Little Falls NJ premier Coffee Bar Cafe' - opened it's second location today! The Fine Grind.... downtown Located at 7A Paterson Avenue, this is a slightly smaller version of the new Fine Grind on Newark Pompton Turnpike. Here are some photos of the new location       And here's The Fine Grind's number one employee...my daughter Julianne. She loves her Daddy!   This Little Falls business spotlight brought to you by your Community Sponsors and Little Falls Real Estate Team  Jim Albano and Jean-Marie Vantuno www.yourhomenorthjersey.com   39 E. Main St. Little Falls, NJ 07424 973-256-0303 ext 218    03/11/2009

Officials in three Passaic County towns are considering sharing such services as recycling, garbage collection and daytime ambulances for better efficiency and money savings. They were brought together by an invitation from Little Falls Mayor Mike DeFrancisci. The mayors of Totowa, Woodland Park and Little Falls, along with administrators and department heads, met Tuesday at the Little Falls municipal building to discuss ways the towns could share municipal services, purchases and equipment. The mayors said that they will continue meet informally to gradually implement shared services. While no policies have been finalized, officials talked about possibly joining a garbage collection contract, using Little Falls' two recycling trucks for pickups in all three towns and sharing daytime am... 03/05/2009

The Passaic Valley Office of Emergency Management is weighing automated mass call system or reverse 911. The Passaic County Office of Emergency Management (PVOEM) is exploring getting an automated mass calling system. The computerized network would broadcast important messages, both emergency and non-emergency, to the local population as needed.The proposal is being weighed by Passaic Valley emergency management heads and government leaders.Alfred Batelli, PVOEM's coordinator for Little Falls, said the organization has been made inquiries to vendors Global Connect of Mays Landing and Swiftreach of Mahwah. Batelli said the innovation would be affordable, since it would be split between the three municipalities of Little Falls, Woodland Park, and Totowa. The dollar amount for each town, f... 02/19/2009

The brand new Piazza Farnese shopping center located at 101 Newark Pompton Tpk in Little Falls NJ is nearly complete. The leasing of this new complex has been handled by the professionals at Prudential Damiano Realty. The first business to open shop is the Fine Grind Coffee House which moved to this location from their former spot on Main St. The owners, Rhonda and Jon Mallek, have done a wonderful job designing this upscale Coffee House and have managed to establish a homey and welcoming atmosphere. Do yourself a favor...make a point to visit the Fine Grind. You'll be glad you did.      Jon and Rhonda Mallek in their new digs with their favorite Realtor   This local news brought to you by your Community Sponsors and Little Falls Real Estate Team  Jim Albano and Jean-Marie Vantuno www.y... 02/18/2009

Announcing a Film Forum Series at Montclair State University  Free and Open to the Public   Montclair, New Jersey --- Every Tuesday evening from 7-10 p.m., beginning February 2 and concluding April 21, some of the industry's most innovative and award-winning filmmakers will appear at Montclair State University's Film Forum Series, which is free and open to the public. Notable filmmakers will screen their films and speak about their work and the profession. They include: Henry Bean, writer of Internal Affairs, award-winning writer/director of The Believer; Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, producers of the award-winning film, Trouble The Water, as well as Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 911 and Bowling For Columbine; Emily Kunstler, daughter of self-described radical lawyer, William Kunstler, who has... 02/17/2009

The Mayor of Little FallsWill be Hosting a TOWN HALL MEETINGat the LITTLE FALLS CIVIC CENTERTuesday, February 17, 2009at 7:30 PMCome speak with our Township Mayor, as well as Supervisors of our various Departments on:Township Issues.The Community Rating System.Natural Hazard Mitigation.Our Office of Emergency Management.Assemblyman Scott T. Rumana and his 15 point floodrecommendation proposal.We will have various other guests like Assemblymen Scott Rumanaand representatives from Congressmen Pascrell's office. All residents are welcome to attend and voice any concerns, questions and suggestions to our council members and mayor.   Your Community Sponsors and Little Falls Real Estate Team  Jim Albano and Jean-Marie Vantuno www.yourhomenorthjersey.com 39 E. Main St. Little Falls, NJ 07424 9... 02/11/2009

50 years ago today - February 3, 1959 - the day the music died.... An American icon, Rock N' Roll pioneer and legend, Buddy Holly, was tragically killed in an airplane crash along with fellow musical stars of his era - Ritchie Valens and JP "The Big Bopper" Richardson - while on a  winter tour. The small single engine aircraft that carried the entertainers crashed in a snow covered corn field outside of Clear Lake, Iowa. Fortunately Holly's music didn't die that day...in fact his music had a great influence on many musical artists who followed. Here's a video of Holly and his group "The Crickets" performing live in NYC....enjoy!   This moment in Rock N' Roll history brought to you by Your North Jersey Real Estate Team  Jim Albano and Jean-Marie Vantuno www.yourhomenorthjersey.com 39 E. ... 02/03/2009

The Little Falls NJ School #1 - located on Stevens Avenue - is having their Book Fair with the theme of Jazz Cafe on:   Wednesday evening February 4th  from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm   and again on   Thursday evening February  from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm.   The Little Falls School #1 Jazz Band will be playing both evenings for your listening enjoyment.    Refreshments will be served in the Cafe.    Please come browse amongst the books and listen to our very own Jazz Band.   Should be a fun evening.   Contests and prizes for younger family members too.   All are invited.   Please spread the word. Come out and support the school while having some fun! Brought to you by your Community Sponsors and Little Falls Real Estate Team:  Jim Albano and Jean-Marie Vantuno www.yourhomenorthjersey.com   39 E Mai... 02/02/2009

On Friday January 30th the Passaic County Board of Realtors celebrated it's Centennial Anniversary at a Gala Event at the Westmont Country Club in Woodland Park NJ. Prudential Damiano Realty's own Jo-Anne Mitchell was installed as President of the board. Here is a video of Jo-Anne's speech taken by my colleague Lucia Gagnon. Congratulations Jo-Anne, I'm sure you'll do a terrific job as President!! Here's the text of Jo-Anne's speech....filled with encouragement and hope for the future. The Passaic County Board of REALTORS® is constantly improving on the solid foundation that has been built for us and we will continue to expand our knowledge and options into our next century. We have such a unique local board and the benefits we offer our members are outstanding. We go above and beyond w... 02/01/2009

Wilmore Park Little Falls New Jersey - January 28th 2008 Brought to you by your Community Sponsors and Little Falls Real Estate Team  Jim Albano and Jean-Marie Vantuno www.yourhomenorthjersey.com   39 E. Main St. Little Falls, NJ 07424 973-256-0303 ext 218     01/28/2009

 Last year in Little Falls NJ a Police Department personnel crunch caused overtime expenses to soar and this has prompted new the new Mayor - Mike DeFrancisci - to establish a committee to look into a shift schedule format along with offering a Police Exam on February 5th. Both of these actions are geared toward alleviating the towns police shortage. Currently the Township's Police Department is staffed with 21 officers - 3 below it's normal strength of 24 officers. Even if the Township is able to hire 1 new officer along with some shift modifications, it should help with cutting down on overtime expenses.   www.yourhomenorthjersey.com 973-256-0303 ext 218   01/25/2009

The Northern New Jersey Real estate market is very different these days - inventory is at an all time high and therefore buyers can afford to be really choosy. To say that buyers are in the drivers seat is an understatement.  With that in mind, sellers and sellers agents need to use every tool at their disposal to market - of course yard signs, Multiple Listing Service, Brochures, Internet exposure, staging, and.... Professional Photographs. It's on that last point that I'd like to promote the photographer who I use for my listings. The difference between his photos and the ones I or any other agent can take is incredible. If agents aren't using a professional photographer for their listings - they should. And sellers should insist upon it. In a market such as the one we are experienci... 01/19/2009

www.designnewjersey.com      If your in the market to update-decorate or renovate- this wesite could be just what your looking for. This is a site from Design NJ-New Jersey's Home and Garden magazine. I had never been on it before -but they are saying it has been updated with a feature called "Find It Fast". This feature allows you to locate interior design-remodeling-landscaping and building suppliers. Listings are complete with company name-address-phone and web address. The web addresses are linked, which provides the user easy access to more info.    Take it for a spin-you will find some real interesting companys. April Patrick Please visit me at : aprilpatrick.net northjerseycondos.com   01/17/2009

  We've all seen examples of natural disasters that can strike at any time. Whether it be forest fires wreaking havoc in California or the flooding problems that we experience in North Jersey, it's important to have a plan of action for the family of course, but it's also important to include the family pet(s) in that plan. Knowing ahead of time what is needed and where you can take your pet should the need arise can prevent potential heartache in the future. Liz Gruen, owner of Kamp Kanine in Little Falls  NJ has offered some helpful tips to pet owners helping them plan for any emergency situations. 1) Make sure your pets carry proper identification. Tags on collars are useful but having your pet micro chipped is better. 2) Contact your towns police or fire department to find out abou... 01/17/2009

On Monday January 5, 2009 Mike DeFrancisci made his first official speech as Mayor of Little Falls NJ at the Township re-organization meeting. Here is the video of Mayor Mike's speech Brought to you by your Community Sponsors and Little Falls Real Estate Team  Jim Albano and Jean-Marie Vantuno www.yourhomenorthjersey.com 39 E. Main St. Little Falls, NJ 07424 973-256-0303 ext 218   01/07/2009

Here's some real information about the Real Estate Market in New Jersey provided By the NJ Association of Realtors ® :   You can't open up your morning newspaper or turn on the nightly news without being inundated with information and reports about the condition of the housing market. Despite the often generalized and negative news about the national real estate market, New Jersey's continues to offer a number of tremendous opportunities. In fact, the 2007 New Jersey Home Buyer and Seller Profile found that the typical seller has lived in their home 7 years. A June 2008 report issued by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (NAR) found that within those seven years the typical New Jersey homeowner will have accumulated nearly $156,300 in housing equity. It's time to read beyond the hea... 01/06/2009

As I got involved with helping my friend Mike DeFrancisci with his campaign for Mayor of Little Falls NJ, I had the pleasure of meeting Lou Fontana who was running for a Town Council seat along side Mike. Both Mike and Lou were victorious in November and took the oath of office on January 5, 2009. Lou is a long time resident of Little Falls and having spent some time with him, I can say that he will be an asset to the town as Councilman. I wish Lou all the best in his upcoming term and salute his dedication to serving his community. Here's the video I took of Lou's swearing-in Brought to you by your Community Sponsors and Little Falls Real Estate Team  Jim Albano and Jean-Marie Vantuno  www.yourhomenorthjersey.com 39 E. Main St. Little Falls, NJ 07424 973-256-0303 ext 218     01/06/2009

As a long time resident of Little Falls NJ, I am proud to say that my good friend - Mike DeFrancisci was elected and took the oath of office for Mayor on January 5, 2009. Mike is a good man who has raised his family here, been a great citizen, served his community in many capacities, and is highly qualified to serve in this position. I know that he will give his all to serve the Township of Little Falls, because he knows no other way. So I wish to pledge my continued support to the new Mayor in his upcoming term. The job won't always be easy, but things that are worthwhile seldom are. All the best Mike! Here is the video I took of the official swearing-in. Brought to you by your Community Sponsors and Little Falls Real Estate Team Jim Albano and Jean-Marie Vantuno Prudential Damiano Rea... 01/06/2009

What to do with that broken down computer and electronic equipment? You can't just toss it away in the trash. And what about things like household chemicals, paints, or even motor oils? Throwing out any of these things that may contain toxic substances is a definite no no. Well if you're a resident of Passaic County NJ, you do have a way to dispose of these items safely. Passaic County will be accepting items at the Para Transit Facility located at 1310 Route 23 north in Wayne on specific dates in 2009. Listed below are the items being accepted and the dates for those items. Computers and Electronics Computers contain heavy metals like lead and arsenic that can be harmful if released into the air through incineration or leaked from a landfill. Motherboards, monitors, laptops, printers,... 01/04/2009

Radon Gas is a subject that comes up with almost every Real Estate transaction in North Jersey. Many consumers are clueless however about what radon gas is, where it comes from, how it can affect you, and what it means to your Real Estate transaction.   Radon gas occurs naturally in the earth and can move through soil and rock entering buildings through cracks and openings. Once radon is inside a building, it will tend to remain indoors because most structures are designed to keep heated or cooled air from escaping. Also, lower air pressure inside buildings can create a vacuum, drawing radon into the home. Several factors can affect the concentration of radon in a home including: soil characteristics, building type, foundation condition, occupant lifestyle, and even weather.   Being exp... 12/29/2008