Thursday, December 30, 2010
Robert Rose: Central NJ Real Estate Expert: www.bridgewaternjhomes.com: Limited time Real Estate Coupon. www.bridgewaternj...
Robert Rose: Central NJ Real Estate Expert: www.bridgewaternjhomes.com: Limited time Real Estate Coupon. www.bridgewaternj...: "REMAX PREMIER LIMITED DISCOUNTED COMMISSION COUPONCONTACT BOB FOR DETAILSBEFORE YOU LIST YOUR HOME WITH BOB908-295-1807Expires: 2/28/2011LI..."
Here are five important reasons to use a real estate professional:www.bridgewaternjhomes.com
Here are five important reasons to use a real estate professional:
1. Pricing Is Difficult
Just a few years ago, you didn’t have to worry about overpricing your home. If it was too high, all you needed to do was wait as historic appreciation was taking place. The situation is quite different today. With experts calling for another drop in home values, overpricing your property will cost you time. In this market, time costs you money. A professional real estate agent will discuss how increasing inventory could dramatically impact the value of your property in the months to come. They will help you set the right price in today’s market.
2. Negotiating Ability Is Crucial
Buyers today have an almost unlimited supply of homes from which to choose. They realize that puts them in a great negotiating position. Most buyers are now being represented by an agent. Sellers need to also be represented by a professional expert trained to negotiate real estate contracts.
3. Mortgaging Is Key to the Deal
The biggest impact of the housing market collapse is that lending standards are much stricter today than they were a few short years ago. Rules are constantly changing. Even FHA has gone through a guidelines overhaul in the last several months. You need a real estate expert who has teamed up with a knowledgeable mortgage professional to make sure that the buyer in the deal is in fact capable of obtaining a mortgage. Losing time with an unqualified buyer costs you money in a market where prices are falling.
4. Your Family’s Safety
We have always found it puzzling that the same person that will lock every door and window and set the alarm today will then allow total strangers into their house tomorrow. The real estate industry trains its practitioners to take steps to protect themselves and their clients. Take advantage of putting a person between you and the person calling on an ad or yard sign.
5. You Probably Have More Important Things to Do
Selling a home could turn into a full time job. Learning the necessary disclosures, coordinating the dates of your closings, dealing with a challenge regarding your appraisal and re-negotiating the offer after an engineer’s report are just a few of the concerns you may face. You would probably be better of spending that time with the items important to you and your family and leaving the challenges to your agent
5 Top Reasons to use an agent. By www.bridgewaternjhomes.com Your Central NJ Real Estate Source.
Top 5 Reasons to Use an Agent When Selling Your Home
1. Objectivity – You are too close to your home to see it objectively. This can prevent you from pricing it realistically, and it can also make you blind to any improvements that are needed. My selling agent pointed out several things that I never would have noticed otherwise. He helped us see the big picture and understand the current real estate market. We had the home under contract in less than two weeks.
2. Pricing — We touched on this in the previous paragraph, but it needs more attention. Overpricing is one of top three reasons why homes don’t sell. (Weak marketing and a lack of preparation are the other two.) In fact, I would argue that pricing is the most common problem for homes that stay on the market for a long time. In many cases, homeowners are simply unable to price their own homes. They attach a lot of emotional value that doesn’t translate into real value. Your agent will help you determine a price based on actual market data, including recent sales and current listings.
3. Marketing — As a homeowner, you can only do so much to promote your house. A selling agent can do much more. Your agent will put your home on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and other high-visibility websites. If your agent is a Realtor, he or she will also add the listing to Realtor.com. Most real estate agents have large networks to work with as well. This means you’ll attract more buyers, than if you had sold it on your own.
4. Negotiations — When I was selling my house, I was CC’d on a few emails between my agent and various buyers’ agents. This showed me how much price haggling can take place during the process. Over and over again! It sure was nice having someone else do this on my behalf.
5. Stress Factor — When you’re selling a home, there are usually 50 other things you’re doing at the same time. Packing and cleaning. Having garage sales. Making trips to the Goodwill. Working on the details of your next house or apartment. And so on. It’s a lot to have on your plate at one time. By relying on a real estate agent for the selling side of things, you’ll reduce your stress considerably. It’s hard to put a price on this.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Limited time Real Estate Coupon. www.bridgewaternjhomes.com Your Local NJ Realtor
REMAX PREMIER LIMITED DISCOUNTED COMMISSION COUPON CONTACT BOB FOR DETAILS BEFORE YOU LIST YOUR HOME WITH BOB 908-295-1807 Expires: 2/28/2011 LIMITED TIME OFFERED CONTACT BOB FOR DETAILS |
Monday, December 20, 2010
www.bridgewaternjhomes.com Your Central NJ Source for Real Estate.
10 Easy Ways to Spruce Up the Kitchen
When preparing a house for sale, home sellers will do a number of things to make it more appealing for potential buyers -- especially if they want to get top dollar for their home. They may clean up the yard, apply a fresh coat of paint, get rid of the clutter, have the bathrooms at their sparkling best, and get the rugs and windows cleaned.
But as a seller, it's also important that you don't forget about the all important kitchen area, when preparing their home for sale. The home inspection professionals at WIN Home Inspection (WIN) have compiled a list of ten easy and inexpensive options to spruce up any kitchen and help you get your home ready for its big debut.
- Add Paint
Old wood tone cabinet's spray-painted glossy white or hand painted with an oil-base in creamy white provides yards of look for very little money. Many manufacturers produce easy to apply paint that glides on smoothly and leaves barely visible brush marks. - New Knobs, Handles And Hinges
When renovating cabinetry, new pulls or handles add freshness to any kitchen and can completely change the look of cabinets if you don't want to paint them. Even old exposed hinges can be updated to reflect the current design trends. - Remove The Clutter
Less is more when you're selling a home! Look at the cabinets and consider which doors could be removed to expose the shelving. Open shelving helps make a kitchen look bigger. Display your favorite items for a new look. If you'd like, paint the inside of the cabinets the same as the outside or add a splash of color. - Glass Fronts
Replace outdated colored glass cabinet doors with new panel fronts in clear, frosted or ribbed textures. - Add Lighting
Adding new lighting to any kitchen will brighten up the space immediately. Even wire suspension lights can make the space look contemporary and new. - New Countertops
Have new countertops in a day. If the counter space is not expansive, go ahead and splurge on new tile or laminate countertops. It will make the entire kitchen look more luxurious. - Quick Floors
Today there are countless self-stick tiles that can be added to quickly revamp any outdated floor. - Flashy Faucets
Here's another feature to invest in. A flashy new faucet can make even an old sink fade into the background. Great faucets are found in most home improvement stores and readily available in a variety of styles. - Window Coverings
New window coverings should replace old faded prints, making the windows and walls look updated and fresh. - Scrub It Clean
As always, it's important to give every component in your kitchen a thorough cleaning. Buyers frequently examine this area closely as a clue to the occupant's general housekeeping and maintenance practices.
Real estate professionals will agree that most home buyers inspect the kitchen carefully when previewing a house. A little time and money invested in the kitchen can help speed up the sale, increase financial returns and provide a head start on moving preparations. Contact Bob Rose at 908-295-1807 or www.bridgewaternjhomes.com for all your NJ Real Estate needs
Friday, December 17, 2010
Feng Shui the New Year in: from bridgewaternjhomes.com your Somerset County NJ Realtor.
Every object or element present in a space has its own particular energy that it radiates to everyone and everything else in its proximity.
This includes large celestial objects like planets, stars etc.—they all emit energy and have influence your life in some way or the other. But did you realize that inanimate objects and elements like metals have energy too and also affect your life? Well they do.
Feng Shui is based on a prevailing view in the East: that everything in our environment, whether living or inanimate, is imbued with movement. This is just not a belief but a reality based on the scientific fact that objects and elements are made up of tiny molecules and atoms that vibrate and stay constantly in motion. And since the atoms of these are constantly in motion they are abuzz with an energy that though not seen by the naked eye is able to influence our day-to-day life.
The Feng Shui elements have a strong role to play for balancing the Chi of a space or home. In order to implement the spiritual techniques of getting a positive Chi flow in your Feng Shui home, you must be able to see how the concepts of yin and yang, the five elements, and the overall concept of Feng Shui relate to your home and each item in your home—things like your computer, your potted plant, your fish tank, your favorite pillow, your orange vase, and so on—are all made of the Feng Shui elements and have either yin or yang energies contained in them.
You can know about each element in detail in the specific articles for each of the element but a brief introduction to each element helps you to understand the basic concept of The Spiritual Feng ShuiTM.
Each Feng Shui element has unique properties. Take water , for instance. Water as in trickling fountain, can signal networking, communication, professional opportunities and wealth, while running sink or toilet water that is just wasting water may signal loss of money or poor health.
Wood promotes development and creative energies. You can use wooden objects to promote motivation, inspiration and passion without overwhelming your home.
Since metal elements are transmitters or conduct energy, introduction of metal can generate attention and transmit energy to that area.
Various types of metals are considered very precious for their associations with health—for example, many people wear copper bracelets. But if one uses too much metal in a space, it may attract too much energy which can be quite destructive.
The Earth itself has solidity and permanence to it, and the element of earth appropriately represents these qualities of stability, permanence, and home. This can be necessary in a space that is too full of movement.
The element of Fire is considered the most powerful of all five elements and represents energy and passion.
Though the properties of Feng Shui elements individually are important, what is more important is the positive or destructive effect that each element can have on one another. If you have a room that lacks the wood element, for example, only using a wooden Feng Shui decorating would not suffice. You will have to supply some water element as well, because water is what enables wood to grow. Why? Because the compatibility of elements depends upon the Cycles of elements.
The overall Chi (ie. the total balance of Chi that is the sum of all the things in your living space) of the Feng Shui elements can either be harmonious and unified, or it can be ridden with conflict, creating a kind of war. You will know if your home’s Chi is conflicted because you will feel uneasy, anxious, lethargic, unsatisfied, depressed, nervous, worried, sad, selfish, jealous, angry, frightened or empty.
When you attain “ideal” Chi (not too fast, and not too slow) the balance and harmony to your life will return. There are many different ways to achieve that optimal Chi, and it is different for everyone. It will soothe your nerves without depriving you of much-needed excitement and stimulation.
Energy is not solid or concrete; it is fluid and transferable, and that goes for all objects and people, too. Something that is yin can become more yang. Something that is yang today can turn around to become more yin tomorrow.
Both yin and yang are essential. Y ng energy is essential because it helps you stay motivated and gives you the push you need to get things done. But too much yang energy can drive you nuts! It can make you feel chaotic, frenzied and over-stimulated. It can make you feel too passionate, so that you can never just sit back and relax. Feng Shui elements have the power to balance the Yin and Yang energies of a sapce.
This includes large celestial objects like planets, stars etc.—they all emit energy and have influence your life in some way or the other. But did you realize that inanimate objects and elements like metals have energy too and also affect your life? Well they do.
Fen Shui Considers Elements to Have Energy
Feng Shui is based on a prevailing view in the East: that everything in our environment, whether living or inanimate, is imbued with movement. This is just not a belief but a reality based on the scientific fact that objects and elements are made up of tiny molecules and atoms that vibrate and stay constantly in motion. And since the atoms of these are constantly in motion they are abuzz with an energy that though not seen by the naked eye is able to influence our day-to-day life.
Under the Feng Shui discipline, there are a number of unique tools that assist us with tapping into the invisible energies of these inanimate objects. Feng Shui elements can help us to regain control over our lives and boost our creativity. Through proper Feng Shui practice you can have every single household object or Feng Shui decorating object in your home to emit positive life energy for you! But for that to happen you first have to remove all the negativity from your mind and then strongly and positively believe in Feng Shui!
Chi,, or the energy an object, person or place has, is very important in Feng Shui . Since Chi relates to whatever is in a space, the flow of Chi is unique to every home and space. You will need to look carefully and thoroughly around your own house to assess where Chi is flowing freely and where it needs to be helped out a little (or a lot!).
Chi can be broken up into several components. The two main categories are: (1) Yin and Yang, and (2) the Five Elements. Feng Shui utilizes the concepts of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements to help rebalance the competing energies in your home. Yin and yang is representative of the opposite forces.. As for the second category of Chi energy, five elements in Feng Shui are: water, wood, fire, metal, and earth. Like people, each element has its own unique personality that either enables it to “get along with” the other elements, or to “fight against” the other elements if the balance is not right. The Five Feng Shui Elements
The Feng Shui elements have a strong role to play for balancing the Chi of a space or home. In order to implement the spiritual techniques of getting a positive Chi flow in your Feng Shui home, you must be able to see how the concepts of yin and yang, the five elements, and the overall concept of Feng Shui relate to your home and each item in your home—things like your computer, your potted plant, your fish tank, your favorite pillow, your orange vase, and so on—are all made of the Feng Shui elements and have either yin or yang energies contained in them.
You can know about each element in detail in the specific articles for each of the element but a brief introduction to each element helps you to understand the basic concept of The Spiritual Feng ShuiTM.
An Introduction to Feng Shui Elements
Each Feng Shui element has unique properties. Take water , for instance. Water as in trickling fountain, can signal networking, communication, professional opportunities and wealth, while running sink or toilet water that is just wasting water may signal loss of money or poor health.
Wood promotes development and creative energies. You can use wooden objects to promote motivation, inspiration and passion without overwhelming your home.
Since metal elements are transmitters or conduct energy, introduction of metal can generate attention and transmit energy to that area.
Various types of metals are considered very precious for their associations with health—for example, many people wear copper bracelets. But if one uses too much metal in a space, it may attract too much energy which can be quite destructive.
The Earth itself has solidity and permanence to it, and the element of earth appropriately represents these qualities of stability, permanence, and home. This can be necessary in a space that is too full of movement.
The element of Fire is considered the most powerful of all five elements and represents energy and passion.
Though the properties of Feng Shui elements individually are important, what is more important is the positive or destructive effect that each element can have on one another. If you have a room that lacks the wood element, for example, only using a wooden Feng Shui decorating would not suffice. You will have to supply some water element as well, because water is what enables wood to grow. Why? Because the compatibility of elements depends upon the Cycles of elements.
The overall Chi (ie. the total balance of Chi that is the sum of all the things in your living space) of the Feng Shui elements can either be harmonious and unified, or it can be ridden with conflict, creating a kind of war. You will know if your home’s Chi is conflicted because you will feel uneasy, anxious, lethargic, unsatisfied, depressed, nervous, worried, sad, selfish, jealous, angry, frightened or empty.
When you attain “ideal” Chi (not too fast, and not too slow) the balance and harmony to your life will return. There are many different ways to achieve that optimal Chi, and it is different for everyone. It will soothe your nerves without depriving you of much-needed excitement and stimulation. Energy is not solid or concrete; it is fluid and transferable, and that goes for all objects and people, too. Something that is yin can become more yang. Something that is yang today can turn around to become more yin tomorrow.
Both yin and yang are essential. Y ng energy is essential because it helps you stay motivated and gives you the push you need to get things done. But too much yang energy can drive you nuts! It can make you feel chaotic, frenzied and over-stimulated. It can make you feel too passionate, so that you can never just sit back and relax. Feng Shui elements have the power to balance the Yin and Yang energies of a sapce.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
22 QUESTIONS FOR YOUR REALTOR FOR HIRE: BRIDGEWATERNJHOMES.COM
- How long have you been selling real estate?
- What is the percent of Sellers compared to Buyers that you serve?
- Can we cancel the listing if we're not happy?
- Do you have a licensed personal assistant?
- Do you recommend that I hire an attorney?
- May I see your resume or personal brochure?
- What systems do you have in place that will keep you in constant contact with me during the listing and the transaction?
- Are you fully automated with your own personal computer, fax machine, copier, pager, mobile phone, etc.?
- May I see all the paperwork that you are going to ask me to sign?
- What professional designations do you have?
- I want to give my home the advantage of the latest marketing strategies. How much time and money do you invest each month in professional training?
- Why are you personally motivated to sell my house?
- Why should I list with you rather than any other REALTOR who is calling on me?
- What kind of experience and training do you have in negotiations?
- How many homes do you sell in a year?
- Will you personally be there when contracts are presented and handle all the negotiations?
- Do you have a web site?
- Will you directly market the property on the Internet?
- Do you follow-up on all showings on the house and report the comments back to me?
- Do you have an assistant to make sure no details are overlooked?
- What part of your business is from referrals/past clients?
- Do you market with direct mailings on my property?
How to get your house sold without giving it away?! bridgewaternjhomes.com
When working with potential sellers we hear the words "I don't want to give my house away". I think people feel that because it is considered a buyers market right now the only way they will sell there house is if "they give it away". This is not necessarily true.
There are four factors that go into selling a house:
1. Location
2. Price
3. Condition
4. Marketing
There is only one factor that you cannot change - Location. With respect to condition, is your house in the best possible shape it can be? With so much competition out there, your house needs to show like a model. In regard to Price, there is a very fine line between over priced and priced just right. We recommend to our sellers that they price their house at what we call a “Worry Price”. The worry price is essentially a price that when a potential buyer looks at your house they’re afraid that if they don’t immediately go back to their office and write an offer that someone else is going to get the house before them. The worry price is generally pricing it just in front of where the market indicates it should be priced. One of the things that we all have to remember is that the market is constantly changing. That needs to be factored in when pricing your house.
And last but not least is marketing your house. Do you have an experienced professional marketing your home? IF you don’t, you need to. Professional’s can get you more money when it comes to negotiating and putting more money in your pocket.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
The Pros and Cons to owing a timeshare provided by www.bridgewaternjhomes.com your Central NJ Real Estate source.
Pros-
Timeshares are economical. Instead of buying a property and only using it for a couple of weeks out of the year (while paying for it 52 weeks of year) you only pay for time that you actually use it.
A timeshare takes care of itself. You don't have to deal with the upkeep of the property as you pay annual maintenance fees that take care of that. Also someone always has an eye on your property if anything goes wrong which is not always true if you own a cottage or a similar vacation property.
A time share is a guaranteed vacation. If you are bad at organizing your vacation days then a timeshare is a vacation destination that is guaranteed to be there one week a year. This can make it easier for you to save for and make plans for your annual vacation.
A timeshare suits large families. If you have a large family then you will suffer less financial and mental stress by simply housing them in a timeshare. You do not have to worry about booking hotels or extra rooms. Most timeshares also have kitchens so you can save on food bills and not have to eat out all of the time.
You can rent it out for a profit. Many individuals make money by renting out their timeshares if they are not able to make their time slot. Some rent out extra times slots and then profit by renting them out to others instead. Many timeshares are also auctioned off on places like ebay.
You can exchange your timeshare for another. Most timeshares have an exchange program that will allow you to trade your timeshare with another timeshare owner's unit of time. This allows you to experience different exotic locations and not be stuck in just visiting your time share every year.
You can trade renting opportunities like a market share. Some people invest in timeshares so that they can make a profit by trading it with another time share that is more profitable to rent out. This is true if you are savvy about where the next vacation hotspot is going to be in the world.
Cons -
Timeshares have high maintenance fees. Many people who buy a time share forget to figure in the cost of the maintenance fees for the place. These fees are anywhere from $200 to $500 a month depending on the location and type of property. They have also been known to rise at a rate of 4% per month.
Timeshares can be bad investments. If you invest in a timeshare that is hit by a hurricane then of course it will depreciate in value. Most retail (new) timeshares depreciate in value by thousands of dollars the minute you buy them as a lot of what is factored in their price are inflationary dollars such as taxes, closing fees and price of agent's fees. Often they are resold for pennies on the dollar by people desperate to dump a timeshare they can't get to.
You might be locked into a limiting time share contract. Timeshare resorts do not want you selling or renting your deed too much. Some time share contracts may stipulate that you can't rent, exchange or sell your place for a certain period of the year or for a number of years.
Your vacation schedule is not flexible. If you do not have a popular time of year or location then you may not be able to exchange your timeshare and be stuck having to visit it every year.
A timeshare involves financial commitment. The concept of timesharing is like a prepaid vacation. If you can't prepay then you will lose your opportunity to vacation. Timesharing needs a commitment from the owner to pay upfront and also to pay fees on time.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
NJ SPORTS: www.bridgewaternjhomes.com your Central NJ source for Real Estate and more.
Sports Venues
Find out more about sports in the state that hosts the Giants and Jets, the Nets and the Devils as well as many other professional teams. From the stadium to the speedway, when it comes to sports, New Jersey is a winner.
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