Archive for the ‘Information for sellers’ Category

I wanted to provide an update to an earlier post about Hidden Pond in Raritan, NJ. I’m currently at an open house for the 2nd time and I can tell you this is a place worth checking out. As soon as you walk it you will be stunned by the natural lighting you can expect in your living room.

The lighting in the Hidden Pond living room

I think this is an excellent townhouse that should not be overlooked. Give me a call to get more specifics 732-595-8721

Everyone of my co-workers tells me, “December really slows down because of the holidays.” Now on one hand I can understand this, people are extremely busy with everything that needs to be done before the 25th. The other side of the equation is that there is a wasted month where moves can be made. If you’re listing your home for example, it takes time to get your place good enough for showings. If you get in contact with your Realtor now (hopefully me) then you can get on the right track and know what you need to do. This way in January you’re ready to get your place sold. It goes without saying but it takes time to sell your place and to let a month go by will not help anything.

The home-buyers credit everyone keeps talking about is over by the 2nd quarter of 2010 so every day counts in order to increase the buyer pool. When selling your home it’s important to appeal to a large variety of people in order to move things along. This is why it’s so important to price your place correctly, stage it to look great on showings, and take advantage of macro level programs like the home-buyers credit.

The moral of the story, don’t fall into the December black hole mentality. You can get a lot done this month without a bunch of work. All your work will pay off by being ready to go for 2010!

Give me a call and we’ll get started.

Well the answer is simple… it’s in Raritan township! It’s a little known fact that the Hidden Pond Townhouse community is in fact NOT in Bridgewater. If your up and down Vanderveer Road you will see a large sign for the community on your left. If you take a drive in you’ll see a bunch of beautiful townhouses that are tucked away on their own private street. The one thing that people sometimes confused by the Raritan mailing address. I still feel these townhomes are wonderful and are worth checking out if you have the chance. You’re on a private street in a community much smaller than those in the general area. Each townhouse backs up to the “hidden pond” for a great neighborhood feel.

Check my previous post about taxes in Bridgewater to understand the differences the mailing address can have on your tax bill. The great thing is all Raritan students attend Bridgewater-Raritan High school, one of the best in the state. I figured I would address this interesting situation and give you all the information I have so you can make the best decision possible.

I will be conducting an open house in Hidden Pond this Sunday from 12-4 so stop on by and see for yourself.

It’s time again for, what I feel, is one of the best condo communities in Bridgewater NJ: Glenbrooke. This is the one of the two communities located on Milltown Road and is about 2 min from Route 22. I think the pictures speak for themselves but if you’re in the market for a traditional townhouse unit in Bridgewater you should see something you like. You have the options of Townhouses with garages, without garages, with a deck, and with a walk-out basement. Without further delay check out some of the pictures I took and tell me what you think. Give me a call and I’ll take you out to see some of these properties in person.

It’s that time of the week to feature yet another great condo / townhouse community in Bridgewater, NJ. This will be the last condo community to be featured that is onVanderveer Road. Vanderveer Road is right of Route 28 and The Bridle Club, Beacon Hill, and Vanderhaven Farms are all along the road. Every community has it’s own style so I’m sure you can find something you like. Vanderhaven Farms is tucked into the back of Vanderveer and Milltown Road which creates a higher level of privacy for those who live there. Without further delay lets get right to it:

Well after many weeks of debate and speculation the tax credit for homebuyers has been extended to April 30th, 2010. This means you need to be under contract by that time in order to take advantage of the program. This is basic stuff that has been part of every conversation about first time home buyers this year. The new part of the program that is getting everyone talking is the $6500 credit for trading up and buying a new property.

No one can put it better than the New York Times:

“If you’re an existing homeowner, you qualify for the new tax credit of up to $6,500 if you have lived in your current residence for five years or more out of the previous eight years and purchase a home or sign a sales contract for one from Nov. 7 to the end of April of next year.”

Pretty simple rules and many people fall into this group. This allows for a whole new group of buyers and sellers to enter the market. Many of you who live in a condo are looking to expand your space due to many of lifes changes. This tax credit program is a perfect way to make that happen. The time for speculation has ended and we’re not that far away from the deadline of April 30th. Get the ball moving now and see if this program can work for you. Please read the full New York Times article to gain further insight on the situation.

http://ow.ly/ASCZ

Well I just pulled down all the newly sold October properties from the Multiple Listing Service and the answer is…. TREAT! Yes indeed, October was a good month for people looking to sell in Bridgewater. Not only did newly listed properties sell, some things that have been on the market forever found some buyers. This is a great sign. Take a look at the list and you will see that everything sold to pretty close to the asking price and some others around 5% less.

Take a look at the link below to look at each condo community:

http://www.bridgewater-condos.com/bridgewater-condos-sold.htm

Glenbrooke seems to have a lot of activity in both properties with high and low days on market. Also Glenbrooke had a properties sold on all ends of the price spectrum. There were properties ranging from $150,000 to $440,000. If I were someone looking to list and sell my place these numbers and prices are whats moving. People are attracted to value and a lot of these deals in Bridgewater are just that. If you have someone who knows the market and helps you come up with the right price to list then you will accomplish your goals.

To you buyers out there. With both the deals present in the market and extremely low mortgage rates what are you waiting for?

Let me know what your goals are and we’ll make a plan to get there.

I’ve posted before about condo fees and the benefits of living in a condo community. I hear from some people that they “heard” that every year the communities raise the monthly fees and theres nothing that can be done about it. Well I can say first hand this is certainly not the case. I serve as Secretary on the Bridle Club condo board in Bridgewater. I’ve been in my position for roughly 2 years and I get to see what goes into making these decisions. We just passed our 2010 budget last Weds and we didn’t raise the rates one penny. You know why? We spend a lot of time looking through the budget to make sure every dollar is where it should be. This attention to detail from both the condo management firm and the condo board hopefully allow rates to stay the same. They were raised by 5 dollars a month the first year I was on board but it had not moved before that for years. We still pride ourselves with having some of the best amenities with some of the lowest rates.

Whats the point anyway? As your Realtor to check into these things. If a condo community is constantly every year raising rates, thats a RED  flag. Do your homework and if you do it will pay off big time.  I can help you with this homework because of my background on such boards. Give me a call and lets get you moving.

Lets get this out of the way first, I don’t have kids but when I bought my place I made sure I looked into the school system. The bottom line when you selling your place down the road, you want to attract as many buyers as possible. Having a town with a great reputation is extremely important in reaching that goal. With there being so many towns to choose from in NJ there has to be a few thing that set town apart from each other. In many cases this the school system. Rest assured the schools in Bridgewater is top notch. They’ve won many awards and a lot of the graduates go to top schools.

With this being said, do your homework. I’ve attached the link below so you can read all about the schools and draw your own conclusions. Ask around, and I’m sure you’ll hear good things about the system and in turn about the town in general. Enjoy the reading and after your done give me a call and I can get you moving on either buying a new condo or selling your current condo.

http://www.brrsd.k12.nj.us/

I had a meeting at my Weichert office today and we went over the benefits of a home warranty and I wanted to share my thoughts on the issue. For those who don’t know if you purchase a home warranty it provides a safety net so that if any appliances break you should be covered. If the dish washer breaks then you call your policy holder and they send someone out for 100 bucks and they hopefully fix the issue. It’s a decent deal but the real beauty of the deal comes in when you’re selling.

If you’re listing your place, you pick up a home warranty policy and it will cover you while you’re living there. Something breaks during the selling process it will pick up the tab. The real draw to the policy is when you sell the place the policy is then transferred to the buyer for another FULL YEAR. Never want to hear from a buyer 3 months down the line because the refrigerator broke? This is a great way to make that happen.

In the practice of full disclosure the policy is not a cure all. There are things that are exempt from any policy and it’s important to read the fine print. If you’re informed and know what you’re covered for then you should be in great shape. A potential buyer may be put at ease by the warranty and you in turn sell your place.

With that being said lets get moving on selling your place.