Property Perspectives Local Insight
Insights, Trends, and Strategies for Today's Home Buyers and Sellers. Page 10 of 27.
What Divorce Attorneys and Mediators Want From Your Realtor in New Jersey
Divorce attorneys and mediators want three things from the realtor: a neutral market value they can rely on, numbers they can build a settlement around, and a sale that follows the agreement or court order without…
What Happens to a House When Someone Dies Without a Will in New Jersey?
When someone dies without a will in New Jersey, the house passes to their heirs under the state's intestacy law, and the county Surrogate appoints an administrator who has authority to manage the estate, including…
What Happens to the Mortgage When You Inherit a House in New Jersey?
When you inherit a house in New Jersey that still has a mortgage, the loan doesn't go away: it stays attached to the house, and if the house is sold, it's usually paid off from the sale at closing. Federal law…
What Is an Elevation Certificate, and How Do You Get One in New Jersey?
An elevation certificate is a FEMA form that shows how high a building sits compared with how high local floodwaters are expected to get. In New Jersey, a seller who has one must share it with the buyer, and the buyer…
What Is Attorney Review in New Jersey? A Guide for Buyers Moving From Out of State
Attorney review is a three-business-day window after a New Jersey home sale contract is signed and delivered, when an attorney for the buyer or the seller can review the contract and disapprove it. If no attorney…
What Is CAFRA, and Does Your Shore Project Need a Permit?
CAFRA is New Jersey's Coastal Area Facility Review Act, the law that requires a permit from the Department of Environmental Protection for certain development in the State's coastal area. Whether a home project needs…
What Makes a Home Low-Maintenance? A Former Builder's Checklist for Your Next NJ Home
A low-maintenance home is one where the expensive parts, the roof, siding, windows, heating and cooling, and water heater, have plenty of life left, and the lot doesn't need constant work. Listing photos can't show you…
What Should White-Glove Service Look Like When You Sell a Luxury Home?
White-glove service, when you sell a luxury home, means you never have to chase anyone. You get a written plan before you sign, someone who handles the details from repairs to closing, feedback after every showing, and…
Can You Get a Mortgage in a 55+ Community? Condo Approval, Co-op Loans and Cash in NJ
Yes. An age restriction by itself doesn't stop a mortgage: Fannie Mae's Selling Guide says age-restricted projects are eligible as long as they don't require a lifetime care contract. What decides your financing is the…
Can You Sell Your House if You're Behind on Mortgage Payments in New Jersey?
Yes. You can sell your home in New Jersey while you're behind on your mortgage, and the loan, including what's past due, is paid off from the sale at closing. The earlier you start, the more time you have to sell well…
Cash Offers and Foreclosure Rescue Scams: How to Protect Your Equity in New Jersey
A cash offer can be a fair way to sell, but when you're under financial pressure, compare it with what the home would bring on the open market, have your own attorney read the contract, and never sign over your deed or…
Decluttering Before Selling a Home in New Jersey: Getting a Long-Lived-In Home Ready for Photos
Declutter before the photographer comes, because the listing photos are the first showing. Clear the surfaces, thin out closets and furniture until each room shows its real size, and get the things that can't go in the…
How Do You Sell a Luxury Home Privately in New Jersey?
You sell a luxury home privately by deciding, before it goes live, what the marketing shows, who gets inside and how widely the listing is shared. Under the National Association of REALTORS® MLS policy, a seller can…
How Do You Plan a Move Around a Big Life Change in New Jersey?
Start with the house, not the calendar: what it's worth today, what it costs to sell, what the next place costs, and the one date you can't move. Then put two or three options side by side, with the numbers for each,…
Proof of Funds and Cash Offers on a Luxury Home
Before a seller of mine signs a cash offer, I ask to see proof of funds: a recent statement or letter from the buyer's bank or brokerage showing the money to close is there. On a financed offer, the matching document…
SCRA Protections for Homeowners: The 6% Cap and Foreclosure Protection
If you took out your mortgage before you entered active-duty service, the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) can cap its interest rate at 6% while you serve and for one year after, and it bars your lender from…
Selling a Divorce Home With an Underwater Mortgage or Little Equity in New Jersey
You can sell a home in a divorce even when you owe close to what it's worth, or more, but you need the real numbers before anyone signs a listing agreement. The options usually come down to selling and covering the…
Free Housing Counseling: What a HUD-Approved Counselor Does Before You Sell
A HUD-approved housing counselor reviews your mortgage, your budget and the options your servicer may offer, and helps you build a plan, at no cost when the help is about avoiding foreclosure. Talking to one before you…
Who Gets the House in a New Jersey Divorce?
In a New Jersey divorce, nobody gets the house automatically. Either the two of you agree on what happens to it, usually in a written settlement, or a judge decides as part of equitable distribution, weighing the…
Buying a Home in New Jersey? Your 6–12 Month Roadmap to Homeownership
Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions you'll ever make, but the process doesn't have to start with browsing listings or attending open houses. In fact, some of the most successful homebuyers begin…
After the Closing: How Much Savings Should New Jersey Homebuyers Keep?
Buying a home in New Jersey is an exciting milestone, but there's one important financial question many buyers overlook: How much money should you have left in your bank account after closing on your home? Most…
Can You Change Jobs While Buying a Home? What New Jersey Homebuyers Need to Know
Buying a home is already a major life transition. But what happens when another big change happens at the same time, like accepting a new job? For New Jersey homebuyers, changing jobs while you’re under contract does…
Hole-in-the-Wall Diners and Cheesesteak Spots in Monmouth and Ocean County
Some of the best food at the Jersey Shore comes off a flat-top grill in a room with a counter and a handful of booths. I'm Dennis Mark Interdonato, REALTOR® and Lifestyle Connector with Keller Williams Realty Ocean…
Top 5 Date-Night Spots in Brick, NJ
Brick has a lot of restaurants. Picking one for a night out is the hard part. I'm Dennis Mark Interdonato, REALTOR® and Lifestyle Connector with Keller Williams Realty Ocean Living, and I spend my days showing homes…