The extravaganza will begin today at the Wanaque Grammar School. Marie Episale, Livia Venezia Deak and I (Tere Episale) will be hosting a fun filled table to represent Century 21 Crest Real Estate and get reacquainted with our friends and neighbors. Marie, Livia and I consider the towns of Haskell and Wanaque our area of expertise since we all grew up here and love to introduce new buyers to the area.
The event will include games, educational activities, a health fair, live music, contests and prizes. Admission at the event is free and open to all.
Please stop by our table to say hi and to pick up your free pumpkin (while they last)!
HOW I (YOUR REAL ESTATE AGENT) CAN HELP YOU QUALIFY FOR A LOW DOWN PAYMENT MORTGAGE
For many renters, the first step in buying a home is becoming educated about the process. If you're like many people considering a home purchase, you've spent nights and weekends poring over your local real estate section. You've talked to friends and relatives about their experiences. Maybe you've even purchased a book or tow to help you become more familiar with real estate terminology and the various types of mortgages commonly used today.
(Please contact me for a complimentary detailed home buyer's package which will include forms, information and service company recommendations to greatly assist you during your home search.)
Coming up with a down payment and finding a loan that meets your needs are the greatest hurdles faced by first-time homebuyers. So, you may even have leafed through stacks of brochures and flyers from lenders offering down payments that are far less than the 20 percent you'd always thought you'd need to save before you could buy. With so many excellent first-time buyer programs to choose from these days, you practically need to be an expert to sort through them all. Remember too, the deadline for the $8,000 credit to first time homeowners is November 30,2009.
That's why if you're a first-time homebuyer seeking a low down payment loan, you'll save time by selecting a professional real estate agent like myself who is experienced in working with people just like you in the area where you plan to buy. I frequently assist first-time buyers and know from experience which lenders in your area offer a low down payment program that will most closely match your needs.
As a professional real estate agent, I can help you determine whether you are likely to qualify for these special programs, since participation in some may be limited to buyers under a certain income level or for the purchase of homes below a certain purchase price. I will also be able to tell you whether there are other requirements you must fulfill in order to be considered. With some programs, for example, you must attend an educational seminar before you can be considered for one of these low down payment loans.
`It's important that I, as your agent become familiar with your current financial situation. Before you meet with me to discuss your financial situation and housing needs, you'll want to collect some basic information to make the process easier. Be prepared to show recent paycheck stubs or pay vouchers to certify sources of income; a complete list of current credit card, auto and other consumer credit payments you make each month; and recent bank and savings statements. These documents will help you and your agent determine how much home you can afford. It's also important that you disclose any prior credit problems or late payments. I may be able to suggest ways to remedy any negative remarks on your credit report that could disqualify you from a low down payment loan program.
In addition, because most lenders will require that you have several months of house payments in the bank as a reserve, I may be able to suggest ways you can increase your savings in the weeks and months leading up to your home purchase. Don't forget that some programs allow you to apply a cash gift from a family member to cover the required down payment and losing costs.
I will explain to you how we can ask the seller if they may be willing to pay your closing costs, which will reduce the amount of cash you need to have on hand up-front.
With interest rates edging up, innovative mortgage financing programs that require a low down payment are even more important than ever to first-time buyers. As a professional real estate agent, I can help you sift through the countless programs that are available and help find the one that's mortgage can eliminate the need for private mortgage insurance, which is added to your right for you.
Remarks:
Original Model Unit! Best Location in Complex!! Borders (Back Beach) town park. This spacious 2 bedroom (plus a large loft) unit offers kitchen with Corian countertops and breakfast bar and beautiful cabinetry! The 2nd level loft/family room overlooks the living room and offers a marble surround gas fplc with custom shelving/console area. Oversized windows throughout offers a bright and welcoming ambience. Intercom/CD/Radio wired to both levels. Master Bedroom offers sliding glass doors to a very private deck, a large w-i closet and a master bath with a jetted soaking tub and separate stall shower. Conveniently located within minutes to new downtown center and Route 287. Adjacent town park offers hiking and dog trails, tennis courts, kiddie playground, picnic and barbeque area with tables, baseball and soccer fields and basketball courts...NOTHING COMPARES!
Remarks:
REDUCED FOR QUICK SALE! NOTHING COMPARES! A whole lot of house just lookin' for some love! Wonderfully Spacious 4 Bedroom Colonial with Natural Oak Hardwood Floors Thru-Out! Country Kitchen with Separate Dining Area, Plus Formal Dining Room! 2 Pantry Closets in Kitchen Plus Movable Center Island! Large Daylight Basement with Interior and Exterior Entrance! Oversized Detached Garage with Above Storage and Attached Cabana or Great Professional Office Space! In-Ground Pool with New Liner! Close to Town, Rt 287 or NYC Bus at Curb! 1 Bedroom Has No Closet, But Has Room For One. 4 Bedroom, 1.5 Bath Colonial Home on .27 Acres!
Garage: 2 Car Oversized Detached Garage, 5/2 Car Width Additional Blacktop Parking. Level Lot is 89 x 131 or .27 Acres. In-Ground Pool with Newer Liner. Country Kitchen with Movable Island.
Remarks:
Picture Perfect! Almost everything is new(2008)..Top to Bottom...In and out! Gorgeous Kitchen with Plenty of Maple cabinetry, Granite Countetops and Stainless Steel Appliances. Two New Full Baths, Beautiful Hardwood Floors throughout main level. Spacious, light and bright! Custom paint pallet, Crown Moldings, Recessed Lighting and Rear Dormer. Top of the Line construction features through-out! french doors in dining Room lead to a wonderfully large, level fenced yard with two storage sheds and a patio in the side yard off the kitchen..perfect for summer or winter Barbeques. Basement has high ceilings and is newly sheetrocked offering a large Rec Room and a separate laundry, utility and craft or excercise room. Updates include new furnace, central air, electrical system, wiring and circuit box, and Roof(2005).
Remarks: LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! Probate/Estate property! Don't miss this wonderful opportunity! Spacious and Gracious..."One Floor Living"! Located in a most desirable section of Wayne near the Golf Course. Formal Living Room, Formal Dining Room and Three Bedrooms with Beautiful with Hardwood Floors Through-out! Large Eat-in Kitchen offers Corian Countertops, Ceramic Tile Floors, 2 Pantry Closets and Fireplace. 3 Season Room off Kitchen looks out to the large level back yard and is surrounded by mature trees and shrubs. Easy drive to Routes 23,46,3,287 and BUS and TRAINS yet located in a quiet family neighborhood. The full unfinished basement has high ceilings and is ready for you to finish for whatever you desire! A Truly Exciting Home and a Wonderful Once in a Lifetime Golden Opportunity to purchase your new home at an incredibly great price and low interest rate! Call Tere Episale Today! 973-646-7423 TEpisale@aol.com
What the heck is going on? I don't mean what "they" are telling us on every news channel with thier own slant but what is going on ....really? Maybe the crisis is worse than the news indicates. Or, maybe it isn't nearly as bad as they say. Whether the news is right or not, the real question is:
What are you (we) going to do about it? The emphasis is on "ME/YOU!"
Depending on what's "between our ears - our BRAIN," it's is either a horrible time to be in Real Estate, or it's a great time. The bottom line is - whether it is horrible or great is...ULTIMATELY up to us, individually, not the news.
In every crisis, there is OPPORTUNITY waiting to be born. Despite the negative news, the world isn't going to stop spinning. The sun is going to rise in the East tomorrow, and another day "will" unfold and certainly wonderful people everywhere will be buying a home for the first time or maybe "moving up" or moving down" but no matter....home sales will happen!
I am a full time Real Estate (Realtor) REPRESENTATIVE SINCE 1987 and I LOVE WHAT I DO!
Am I going to be controlled by circumstances that I don't like, or am I going to take advantage of the opportunities that I have in front of me, now?
I will not become paralyzed with fear and I know I just have to remain focused!
Fear isn't something that is planted in the ground. It isn't in the water we drink, or in the air we breathe - it is in one's mind only. So, the choice is ours/mine; we can either eliminate fearful thoughts, or we can let fear control us. No matter how bad the ECONOMY may or may not get, people still have "problems that need to be solved." And, lucky for me, they need and want the help and understanding of a professional "more today" than ever before.
Business is not going to stop. The PROACTIVE Realtor with experience, skill and knowledge," healthy work habits and with "impeccable" business ethics will PROSPER, and those "without" will struggle and fail...in any economy.
Listening and understanding our client's goals is more important than ever.
.STOP the "soap" about the economy being bad; its old news already!
Keep our ATTITUDE - UP. A "positive attitude" is contagious!
EXERCISE. Get out and walk, run, jog, stretch, swim, bike, practice yoga or anything else that gets our bodies moving!
FOCUS ON THE SOLUTION, not on the problem. If we focus on the solution, we will find the answer.
How the current economic situation plays out for each of us, and our business, is up to us! The government is not going to solve our problems. In every crisis, there will be people who fall by the wayside, and there will be people who PROSPER. The only thing that matters is:
What home improvements really pay off when the time comes to sell your house?
That's an important question for any homeowner contemplating moving or remodeling. And the only possible answer is a somewhat complicated one.
That answer starts with the fact that really major improvements - room additions, total replacements of kitchens and baths, etc., -- rarely pay off fully in the near term. It ends with the fact that small and relatively inexpensive changes can pay off in a big way in making your home attractive to buyers if your decision is to move now.
It's a simple fact, consistently confirmed across America over a very long period of time, that even the most appropriate major improvements are unlikely to return their full cost if a house is sold within two or three years.
Does that mean that major home improvements are always a bad idea? Absolutely not. It does mean, though, that if your present house falls seriously short of meeting your family's needs you need to think twice - and think carefully - before deciding to undertake a major renovation. Viewed strictly in investment terms, major improvements rarely make as much sense as selling your present home and buying one that's carefully selected to provide you with what you want.
Even if you have a special and strong attachment to the house you're in and feel certain that you could be happy in it for a long time if only it had more bedrooms and baths, for example, there are a few basic rules that you ought to keep in mind.
Probably the most basic rule of all, in this regard, is the one that says you should never -unless you absolutely don't care at all about eventual resale value - improve a house to the point where its desired sales price would be more than 20 percent higher than the most expensive of the other houses in the immediate neighborhood.
Try to raise the value of your house too high, that is, and surrounding properties will pull it down.
Here are some other rules worth remembering:
Never rearrange the interior of your house in a way that reduces the total number of bedrooms to less than three.
Never add a third bathroom to a two-bath house unless you don't care about ever recouping your investment.
Swimming pools rarely return what you spend to install them. Ditto for sun rooms - and finished basements.
If you decide to do what's usually the smart thing and move rather than improve, it's often the smaller, relatively inexpensive improvements that turn out to be most worth doing.
The cost of replacing a discolored toilet bow, making sure all the windows work or getting rid of dead trees and shrubs in trivial compared with adding a bathroom, but such things can have a big and very positive impact on prospective buyers. A good broker can help you decide which expenditures make sense and which don't, and can save you a lot of money in the process.
Your boss has just given you the career opportunity of a lifetime, but the job is in another state.
Soon you discover that moving your family to another city may be one of life's hardest tasks. The thought of leaving behind old friends and schools for a strange town can be frightening. The biggest challenge of all, however, it to preserve the equity in your housing investment so you will be able to purchase a similar home in the new location.
Not to worry. Even in these uncertain times homeowners can sell at very satisfactory prices in a reasonable period of time. The secret? Pay attention to details, utilize marketing savvy and price the home to sell quickly.
The following tips can help you get that "sold" sign up fast.
SELECT A SAVVY REAL ESTATE AGENT...one with a successful track record in your neighborhood, backed by resources that extend into outside housing markets. Make sure the agent prepares an effective listing of your property -on that outlines all the features that make your home unique. Also, it's smart to prepare a separate fact sheet that can be distributed freely to all interested buyers. In soft time, offering the agent a bonus if the house sells within 60 days can work to the homeowner's advantage.
OFFER THE RIGHT PRICE. Start with a price that is reasonable for your neighborhood and the size of your home. Comparing the price of your home with similar nearby listings is an easy way to be sure you are offering the right price. Comparing the opinions of two independent appraisers will also help you avoid over-pricing.
PAY PART OF THE CLOSING COSTS...usually 3 to 5 percent of the loan amount. This will attract those first-time buyers who are short on cash for down-payment and closing costs. Offering to turn over personal property such as washing machines and dryers, refrigerators and flower boxes can also attract buyers looking for the best deal.
ACCEPT CONTINGENCY AGREEMENTS. Make your sale contingent upon the sale of the buyer's home. This takes away buyers' fears of juggling two properties and mortgages at the same time.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CORPORATE RELOCATION TRADE. Be sure that your broker is connected to a relocation network - one capable of brining in buyers from distant places. And, of course, try to get your employer to provide you with relocation assistance, too.
MAKE YOUR HOME STAND OUT. Fresh paint and flowers can go a long way in impressing buyers. Tend to such details as moving the lawn, fixing stubborn door knobs and sliding doors, and straightening up the basement. Remember, your home's appearance on the day it's shown can make or break a sale.
The bottom line is that sellers should take the time to make their home as attractive as possible. Compiling helpful tips for the buyer about school districts, utility bills and directions to the nearest shopping mall can go a long way in selling your house quickly.
With a little work and an active real estate agent, chances are good that your house will sell fast in today's buyer's market.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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