Dana Whitfield Weichert, Realtors® · Morristown 973-555-0147  ·  dana.whitfield@weichert-morristown.com

Hi Ellen,

Long weekend ahead. Before you go anywhere, here's the week in Morristown.

Inside: what the market's doing, two of ours with an open house tonight, four more I'd walk through if I were looking, and the calendar.

There are 100 homes for sale in Morristown right now, four of them just listed. That's a real choice of inventory for a town this size. Here's the part I find interesting: 21 of those 100 have already dropped their price at least once. One in five.

A price cut isn't a distress signal. It's a seller telling you they'd rather sell than wait. If you're buying, that list of 21 is where I'd start, and I can send it to you. If you're thinking about selling, it's the best argument I know for pricing it right on day one instead of testing the market and joining the list.

The average asking price in town is $715,600. Morris County as a whole is $893,700. Before you take that as "Morristown is the affordable one," remember what's on our list: everything from a $299,900 condo on South Street up to a $1,549,000 house on Hamilton Road. An average across that range tells you about the mix of what's for sale, not what your house is worth. Average taxes on what's listed are $10,400 in town against $12,500 countywide, and the average home for sale here was built in 1954, so nearly two decades older than the county's 1972. That's Morristown. We have the old houses.

And the listings in town have been on our site an average of 31 days, against 52 for the county.

Here's the question all of that raises, and it's the one I get asked most: what would my house go for right now? Not a national estimate, and not last year's number. If you want to know, write back with your address and I'll run it against what's actually selling around you. It takes me an afternoon and it costs you nothing.

These two are listed with our office. The first one is open this evening, Thursday, 4 to 6, and I'll be there.

$1,600,000 40 W Park Place, Unit 513, Morristown 2 BD · 2.5 BA · 1,681 SF · built 2010  ·  MLS #4049916 Listed by Weichert, Realtors

Open house tonight, 4 to 6 PM. A two-bedroom at 40 Park Place with the building's full concierge, garage, fitness center and clubroom. Brazilian cherry floors and nine-foot ceilings. The listing calls it in-town living at its finest, and for once I'll let a listing have the last word. Come up and see it tonight. With 20% down at 6.49%, principal and interest run about $8,082 a month, before taxes and the building.

$1,200,000 35 Colles Ave, Morristown 3 BD · 2.5 BA · 2,431 SF · built 1926 · 0.16 acres  ·  MLS #4031687 Listed by Weichert, Realtors

A carriage house in the Historic District with an open kitchen, living and dining room that looks out on its own private garden. Not many of these come up. This one is $1,200,000.

The top of the market and three under a million, all listed by other offices. Tap any of them to see the whole listing, or hit the button and I'll get you in the door.

$1,549,000 35 Hamilton Rd, Morristown 3 BD · 2 BA · built 1930 · 0.27 acres  ·  MLS #4047015 Listed by Prominent Properties SIR

The most expensive house in town this week. A 1930 house on a quarter acre on Hamilton Road, a street where, as the listing itself puts it, homes rarely trade.

$850,000 8 Tuxedo Pl, Morristown 3 BD · 1.5 BA · built 1935  ·  MLS #4048550 Listed by Keller Williams Towne Square

Three bedrooms, a bath and a half, built in 1935. Worth a look if you'd rather have character than square footage.

$763,000 31 Frederick St, Morristown 3 BD · 1.5 BA · 1,444 SF · built 1936  ·  MLS #4045814 Listed by Driscoll Real Estate LLC

1,444 square feet on Frederick Street, in town. If you've been waiting for a house under $800,000 that isn't a condo, this is the one to see first.

$649,000 11 Gregory Ter, Morristown 4 BD · 2 BA · built 1960 · 0.22 acres  ·  MLS #4027169 Listed by Coldwell Banker Realty

Four bedrooms, two full baths, a yard, and taxes of $8,206 last year. It came on in May at $689,000 and dropped to $649,000 in June, so this is one of the 21 I mentioned. It's the only four-bedroom in this group, and it's the least expensive. With 20% down at 6.49%, principal and interest run about $3,278 a month.

One small thing for the sharp-eyed: 23 Erskine Drive shows up twice on the search page this week, once from Garden State MLS and once from New Jersey MLS. Same house, same $1,450,000. It's one listing, not two.

"We're thinking about selling in the spring. Is it worth finishing the basement first?" That came in from a reader on Western Avenue last week, and it's a good one, because in my experience the honest answer is usually no. A finished basement rarely gets back what it costs, and a buyer who wants one will price it in either way. What does move the needle here is cheaper: paint, the front walk, and getting the price right on day one. If you're a spring seller, the time to talk is October, not March. Ask me and I'll come look.

Have a question about your house, the block, or the numbers? Send it. I'll answer one here every week, first name only.

Sundays, 8:30 to 1: the Farmers Market. Lot 10J at Spring and Morris, behind the post office, every Sunday through November 22. Live music every week and the parking's free. If you haven't been yet this season, you've got until Thanksgiving week.

Thursday, September 10: jazz on the Morris Museum's Back Deck. Mike Davis and the New Wonders play the Roaring Twenties songbook at 7:30, gates at 6:30, up on the museum's parking deck at 6 Normandy Heights Road. Bring your own chairs. It's $63 for a block for two or $33 for one, and it's one of the nicer evenings the town puts on.

Saturday, September 12 and Sunday, September 13: two nights at MPAC. The Australian Pink Floyd Show on Saturday at 8, $67 to $124, and Herman's Hermits starring Peter Noone on Sunday at 7, $45 to $101. One show for the kids who grew up on The Wall, one for their parents.

September 25 to 27: Living History Weekend. History trivia at Glenbrook Brewery on Friday night, then a Revolutionary-era encampment and open houses at the historic sites on Saturday. Times are still being announced, so watch the tourism bureau's page.

Sunday, September 27: the Festival on the Green. Noon to 5, rain or shine, and it's the whole town. Music on several stages, rides and games for the kids, a beer tent, and more than 165 booths. If you're new to Morristown, this is the day you meet it.

Save the date, October 4: the History in Motion car show for the Morris County Historical Society, in the lot at 12 DeHart Street. It's on the Partnership's calendar; I'll have details here the week the Historical Society posts them.

That's the week. If one of these houses caught your eye, or you've been wondering what the price cuts mean for your own street, write back. I read every reply myself, and I answer them. Enjoy the long weekend.

See you at the Green.