Good news to share – Sales are UP, interest rates are DOWN
Mortgage Rates Fall to New Record Lows Mortgage rates continue to go down. In fact, according to Freddie Mac, during the last week of September, the average rate on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage reached the lowest point since long-term mortgages began in the 1950s. “The markets are responding to the recent decision by the […]
Radon Kits Offered by Bernards Health Department
The Bernards Township Health Department, located at 262 South Finley Avenue and servicing Basking Ridge, Bernardsville, Chester, Long Hill Mendham and Peapack-Gladstone, is offering radon kits for $10.00. January is Radon Action Month. Radon is a clear, odorless gas that occurs naturally in soil. There is only one known health effect – and that is the risk […]
Basking Ridge Real Estate Q and A
Basking Ridge Real Estate – Questions and Answers Submit questions here, I will do my best to answer them here on the blog or via email. Q. If my house is listed with a realtor and someone calls me directly and I show them the house and they make an offer, do […]
What’s a good offer in Basking Ridge?
I had a client ask how high over the top of their price range should they be looking when searching for a home. If their range tops out in the $700,000s is it worth it to look into the mid-$800,000s? My opinion is this: If you don’t want to go over $800 then looking up to […]
Do not hold your appraisal hostage…keep the deal moving…
What happens first, what can wait for what? Appraisals, inspections, second deposits, oh my!! Here’s how it goes: you make an offer, accompanied by a $1000 good faith initial deposit. Your Realtor will likely hold this check until the offer is negotiated and you will get it back if the deal doesn’t get agreed on. […]
Yahoo! Real Estate Study
A new study by Yahoo! Real Estate shows that people still value homeownership. In fact, 81 percent of the current and prospective homeowners surveyed said that owning a home is still a part of the American dream. In addition, buyers are now more confident that their dream home is within reach due to today’s low […]
Mold found during home inspections
This is a repeat of an old post – – because, well, because it’s come up again. Twice for me in recent transactions: M O L D has reared it’s ugly head. This disappoints buyers and often blindsides sellers. The inspection part of any real estate transaction can be very stressful. It is hard enough […]
Why are people buying houses?
Findings from a Weichert, Realtors survey of more than 1,200 homebuyers who bought a house between July 1 and Dec. 31, 2010, were recently featured on the Wall Street Journal “Developments” blog. The key takeaway from the survey is that affordability — low interest rates and lower home prices — was the main motivating factor […]
How to Sell in a Buyer’s Market
This morning my latest article was posted over at Basking Ridge Patch. I think the key points are the bullets in the middle of the article – it’s not easy to sell a house in today’s market. I do whatever I can to increase the chances that your home will sell but I need some […]
What is UP with home inspectors?
I have been dealing with some interesting inspection issues… home inspectors are making me crazy! In one instance, a hot water heater had been called out as follows: “An orphaned water heater is vented into an exterior masonry flue. Backdrafting was noted at the top of the water heater as evidenced by the melted plastic caps. The chimney flue […]