But why?

Could be the weather. This is one of the most mild winters Northern New Jersey has seen in years. There have been only . . . → Read More: More on the New Spring Market]]> Hi there! Did you see my prior post? About the suddenly hot market we’re in – buyers are out buying homes, and it’s happening sooner than expected this year.

But why?

Could be the weather. This is one of the most mild winters Northern New Jersey has seen in years. There have been only two (yes, two) snowfalls since October, and temperatures have been in the 60s.

It could also be the low interest rates. Lots of folks who are not seeking a home to buy are refinancing – interest rates are incredibly low. The low rates, coupled with (let’s face it) painfully low home sale prices are sparking lots of action. Even Warren Buffett has been in the news advising folks to PURCHASE NOW.

Are you a part of this? I hope so! No matter what your needs, feel free to call me, email, text, whatever you like and I’ll be honored to help you realize your goals.

Enjoy your day!
-Melanie

If you have been waiting to list your home for sale – do it now. If you’ve been waiting to purchase, start your serious looking. Newer listings that . . . → Read More: The Spring Market is Here]]> Wow! This past weekend was pretty busy – it seems not only is warmer weather here sooner than expected in North Jersey, the buyers are, too!

If you have been waiting to list your home for sale – do it now. If you’ve been waiting to purchase, start your serious looking. Newer listings that are priced right are flying off the market. Interest rates are about the lowest they will be (according to the Fed) and home prices are very affordable.

You know what? Just call me and let’s get you going. There’s no time to waste!

Melanie

Why am I writing about this? Because, according to the latest news reports. these folks didn’t have working smoke detectors. The house was being renovated, and hardwired smoke . . . → Read More: Please …]]> Sad story out of Stamford, CT – you surely know it by now. On Christmas morning a house burned down, killing three children and their grandparents.

Why am I writing about this? Because, according to the latest news reports. these folks didn’t have working smoke detectors. The house was being renovated, and hardwired smoke detectors were planned. But, today’s reports say, they didn’t have interim ones.

You can buy a smoke alarm for less than $20, and a smoke/carbon monoxide combo alarm for less than $30. You need one per floor. So, for less than $100, much less depending on the types you choose, you can save the lives of those in your home. Take it out of the package, put in a battery, stick it on the ceiling, and test it. That’s it.

Get them for your home, please. And if you already have them, test them. Freshen the batteries. Be protected.

Happy holidays,
Melanie

Here’s the original link: http://melaniesdwellings.com/2010/12/page/4/

And here’s the post:

Some folks who are ready to sell their homes are . . . → Read More: Post Redux: Sell Now, Don’t Wait Until Spring]]> This post is from last December and still applies today. I proved this point with several homes listed and sold last winter. Email or call me for details.

Here’s the original link: http://melaniesdwellings.com/2010/12/page/4/

And here’s the post:

Ready to Sell? Don’t Wait Until Spring!

Some folks who are ready to sell their homes are waiting out the winter to list it with an agent. But you could sell your home faster and for more money by putting it on the market now.

Here’s why you should put your home on the market now:

We’re in a Declining Market

In an appreciating home market, with low inventory and high demand, sale prices increase over time. In a declining market, with high inventory and lower demand, sale prices decrease over time. Currently, we’re in the latter kind of market – declining – even though buyer demand is not so low. In fact, homes correctly priced in this market are selling fairly quickly! But if you wait a few months to put your home on the market, you may need to price it lower than you would have if you marketed it now.

Serious Buyers Brave the Cold

Buyers who brave the cold are generally serious. They have been house hunting for a while and are ready to find their home, needing to find their home. Or, if they are just starting to look, the homes they choose to trudge out in the snow to visit truly interest them. You want these folks seeing your home.

Grab the Attention of Buyers’ Agents

Winter is the calm before the storm for many agents. When spring comes and so many homes are put on the market, agents may not have time to personally preview each one in their area. But a good buyer’s agent will tour a home personally before recommending it to his or her clients. If your home is listed now, odds are these agents will have time to come see it and then, hopefully, urge their clients to do so as well.

Competition Will Be Fierce in the Spring

Another reason spring means pricing your home lower is … competition! All those homes will be coming on the market for the nice weather, and they will be competing with each other for buyers. If you list your home now there’s no guarantee yours will not still be in that group, but at least you will have a two-month leg up on them. Plus, your home will be known to buyers and buyers agents. And if it’s priced right to start, it could be swept up and under contract by then, if not completely sold.

January and February are precious months. List your home now and, hopefully, reap the benefits.

The experts say that cooking your meals can help this happen. . . . → Read More: What Makes a House a Home]]> Have you ever noticed that you can live somewhere for a week and never want to leave, or live somewhere for a decade and never feel quite right? It’s not about luxury, or location, or anything discernable. Some places just feel like home.

The experts say that cooking your meals can help this happen. Something about the scent of your favorite foods permeating the walls, making rooms feel more friendly. Wall colors and patterns apparently affect coziness, too. They either jive with you, or they don’t. Lighting, temperature, sounds, and pets contribute as well.

But there is another, more elusive component. I lived in my New York City apartment for more than 20 years. It took 10 of those years to feel like home. I’ve lived here, in our house, for less than four. But as soon as I walked through the doors the first time, I knew I was home. The scent of my cooking was not yet in the walls. The lighting was not mine, and the temperature was comfortable for the sellers, not for me. The wall colors were pretty, but not applied by my hand. Our dogs were not here, they were waiting for us to return to another place.

So, what was it? I’ll never know. But I never want to live anyplace else. Despite our 1960s-era kitchen with original formica counters. Our steeply sloped driveway, treacherous in ice and snow. The raised part of our yard that sprouts the world’s tallest weeds, even in winter. Week-long power outages whenever a strong breeze hits. And if we ever do put our home up for sale, I will scowl as potential purchasers walk through it. How dare they not fall in love with this place at first glance, just as I did. If they don’t have that “look,” they need to look elsewhere. Right now.

If you are searching for your home, your special place, I can help you. Because it’s not about the sinks, or the marble, or the doors. It’s something else … something more … and a house either has it, or it doesn’t. If you feel this way about your home and need to sell it, I can help capture that essence in your marketing. And minimize your inconveniences along the way.

Have a good weekend, and enjoy your home.

For me, it means full steam ahead.

If you are willing to put . . . → Read More: Winter Market]]> North Jersey has had its share of storms this year. We’ve even had a snowstorm already, what a way to break into winter! But now, the winter market is upon us, which for many means a time of hibernation and regrouping.

For me, it means full steam ahead.

If you are willing to put your home up for sale during the holidays, you must REALLY want to sell it. And if you’re willing to trudge out in the cold and snow to view houses, you must REALLY want to buy one. Either way, you’re my kind of client. You know what you want and go get it. And I want to be the one to help you.

So, sellers, get those shovels and salt bags ready. You want the walkway cleared for home viewings. And buyers, break out those weatherized boots. I’m going to be walking your preapproved buns off.

Talk soon!
Melanie

I just heard a story about a home seller in Central Jersey who, to get his buyers to close on his house, had to remove and fill with cement his gorgeous inground pool to the tune of $20,000.

Quite frankly? I would not have done it.

This may be . . . → Read More: To Pool or Not to Pool]]>

Image by ahmet guler

I just heard a story about a home seller in Central Jersey who, to get his buyers to close on his house, had to remove and fill with cement his gorgeous inground pool to the tune of $20,000.

Quite frankly? I would not have done it.

This may be shocking for an agent to say, and perhaps there were extenuating circumstances I’m unaware of. Like, his home was on the market for a long time and these folks were the only ones who showed interest. Or maybe he considered this possibility when he put the pool in, and had come to terms with it back then. Anyone who installs an inground pool or buys a home with one should know that its existence cuts your buyer group in half. That means half of the buyers who would otherwise be seriously interested in your home are not, just due to the presence of the pool. They might want the yard space for something else, or they might have children or young relatives for whom it would be a danger. Or maybe, they just don’t like pools. For the other half of the buyer group, however, it’s a definite plus.

I can see removing an aboveground pool, it’s a few hundred dollars to do. But an inground pool? What if, goodness forbid, the transaction doesn’t close. This seller has spent a whole lot of money perhaps for no reason, when another buyer may have wanted the pool. I would have advised a seller concession at closing, if anything, so the buyers could remove it themselves after the transaction closed.

If you want a pool, by all means jump in! (No pun intended.) I love them. Just know that, come selling time, it could make things a bit more challenging. Additionally, check with your tax assessor to see about any tax implications of aboveground versus inground, and be sure to get your necessary permits.

Happy Summer!

You’ve lived in your home for what seems like forever. You know every nook and cranny, every creak and shadow, every angle of light according to the time of day. You know the most comfy places to sit, and to nap. The sounds of play, and the scents . . . → Read More: For Sellers with Pets]]>

Rory, Alfie, and Charlie Scarpati

You’ve lived in your home for what seems like forever. You know every nook and cranny, every creak and shadow, every angle of light according to the time of day. You know the most comfy places to sit, and to nap. The sounds of play, and the scents of dinner. When to sit near a window, and when to curl up near a heat source. You know just about everyone who comes in and out of your home, family schedules and guests, and when there’s a new person, of course they do their best to get on your good side. They better, unless they want to be chased away, right?

Suddenly, one day, things change, and it’s a surprise. The furniture has been moved around and things don’t feel as comfortable. If you sit on the couch and make a dent, you get yelled at. Maybe you’re not even allowed on the couch anymore. And the rug, if you walk or run on it and it moves, you get yelled at again. Your best friends, stuffed of course, are put away in a box, not scattered around at easy reach the way you like them. That big noisy thing is being pushed around the floor more, getting in your way. Plus people’s schedules have changed, they are home at different times and sometimes there are strangers stomping about, looking at all your stuff, even opening doors to closets and basements, places you’re not allowed to go. These people don’t even try to win your approval, either. They might say hi when they walk in, if they feel like it, then they ignore you. Sometimes they just give you a dirty look. In your very own home! You suspect they’re all trying to see past you, as if they are imagining you are not even there.

Imagine how stressed you would be in this situation. Now, imagine your pet. While us humans cannot know for sure, this might be similar to what he or she experiences when your home is on the market. It is, after all, their home too. So it’s important to keep them in mind, and make the new activity as safe and fun for them as possible.

How do you do this? From the very start, make it clear to your real estate agent that your pets are a priority. You want them indicated in the agent remarks of your MLS listings and considered during showings. Try to have a family member home whenever possible during showings, to make sure your pets are kept calm, away from the new folks, and far from open doors. If this is not possible, make sure you have enough notice to secure them in a room or a crate, with enough water, pads, and whatever else they need. And make sure the showing agent knows that room or area is off limits. When you come home to them after a showing, be sure to give them extra attention, treats, and play, so they associate such stressful events with happiness and good things after. If the weather is nice and you have a dog, take him for a long walk if you can while your home is being shown. Or, perhaps it’s time for a trip to the groomer. During inspections, definitely relocate or comfortably crate your pet during those hours, as the inspector and buyers will need to be in and out of rooms and crevices, potentially multiple times.

Keep an eye on your pet’s eating, drinking, and bathroom habits while your home is on the market. If anything changes, consult your vet right away. And really, try to keep this time as short as possible, for them and for you. Price your home right, make it appealing, and get it sold. Because then you have a whole new adventure in store for them – the new house! To come, in a future post.

For more tips, as always feel free to contact me.

You did everything right. You searched high and low for your new home, had great credit, and, when you found it, you put 20% down. You knew your home purchase was a great investment for your family and future … after all, a house can only increase in value, . . . → Read More: When You Want to Sell … But Can’t]]>

Image Courtesy of scottchan

You did everything right. You searched high and low for your new home, had great credit, and, when you found it, you put 20% down. You knew your home purchase was a great investment for your family and future … after all, a house can only increase in value, right?

That was 2006. And now, five years later, you need to sell. Perhaps you’ve had your home listed, without success. Or perhaps you’re meeting with agent after agent who suggest what seem like ridiculously low prices, not even enough to cover your home loan let alone commissions, fees, and all the other home sale expenses.

What now?

There are options. For one, you could rent out your home for a few years until, hopefully, values increase enough to cover expenses or bring a selling profit. You could try to sell your home yourself, but there are pitfalls, legal and otherwise, and you’ll still have to pay the buyer’s agent’s commission and probably higher attorney fees, as they will be doing much more of the work. Or you could sell and bring cash to closing, to cover expenses.

There’s another option, too – a short sale – and, at least until the end of 2012 you possibly might not be on the hook for taxes on the canceled amount of the home loan debt if you qualify for The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act and Debt Cancellation. A short sale, in which the bank  accepts a lower payoff of your home loan, can be a better option to explore than foreclosure. There is a lot to know about this option, and specific qualifications. Ask your real estate agent about it or, if you don’t yet have an agent, ask me. I’m happy to help.

In the meantime, happy Passover and happy Easter and happy happy!

Melanie