Property Perspectives Local Insight
Insights, Trends, and Strategies for Today's Home Buyers and Sellers. Page 8 of 27.
What Happens at Closing When an Estate Sells a House, and When Do Heirs Get Paid?
At an estate closing in New Jersey, the executor or administrator signs the deed for the estate, the state's inheritance tax waiver clears the way for the transfer, and the sale proceeds go to the estate, not straight…
Estate Sale or Clean-Out First? Emptying a Loved One's House Before Selling in NJ
In most estates the order is: confirm who has authority over the contents, set aside anything the will leaves to a named person, hold the estate sale, donate what's left, and then bring in the clean-out crew. The house…
Hiring a Contractor After Storm or Fire Damage in New Jersey: Registration, Contracts and Permits
Hire a home improvement contractor who is registered with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, get a written contract with the registration number, the price and the dates, make sure the permits the work needs…
HOA and Condo Fees in New Jersey: What They Cover and What to Read Before You Buy
HOA and condo fees in New Jersey pay for whatever the association is responsible for, and that changes from one community to the next. In a condominium, the fee covers the common expenses, including the association's…
A Home Owned Before the Marriage: Separate vs. Marital Property Basics in New Jersey
A home you owned before the wedding isn't automatically shared in a New Jersey divorce, and it isn't automatically protected either. New Jersey's equitable distribution law reaches property acquired during the…
Home Sale Contingency in New Jersey: Can You Buy the Next Home Before Yours Sells?
Yes, you can make an offer on your next home that depends on selling your current one. It's called a home sale contingency, and in New Jersey its exact terms are written into the contract and finalized during attorney…
Homeowners Insurance on a High-Value Shore Home: What to Ask Before You Buy
Get insurance quotes before you make an offer, or at the latest while the contract is in attorney review, and ask about five things: replacement cost, the hurricane and windstorm deductibles, flood coverage as a…
How Long Do You Have to Transfer a House After Death in New Jersey?
None of the official New Jersey sources I checked sets a deadline for selling or transferring a house after someone dies. What they do set are other dates that shape the timeline, from the 10-day wait before a will can…
How Long Does Probate Take in New Jersey?
Probate in New Jersey has a fast first step and a longer tail: with a will, the county Surrogate can appoint the executor as soon as the 11th day after death, but settling the whole estate usually takes many months.…
How to Buy a Home in New Jersey When You Live Out of State
Yes, you can buy a home in New Jersey while you still live in another state. You narrow the towns from home, let a local agent preview houses and walk you through them on video, line up a New Jersey real estate…
How Do You Downsize Your Home in New Jersey? A Step-by-Step Plan
Downsizing in New Jersey comes down to five decisions made in the right order: what your home will sell for, what the next home needs, whether you sell or buy first, what the move does to your taxes and property tax…
How Do You Get a VA Certificate of Eligibility (COE)?
You can request a VA Certificate of Eligibility (COE) three ways: online at VA.gov, through your lender, or by mail on VA Form 26-1880. What you need to send depends on your service: a Veteran needs a DD214, someone on…
How Do You Market a Luxury Home in Monmouth and Ocean County?
You market a luxury home in Monmouth or Ocean County by getting the price and the plan right first, preparing the home before anyone photographs it, and then launching everything at once: professional photos, video and…
How Do You Sell an Inherited House in New Jersey?
To sell an inherited house in New Jersey, someone has to have legal authority to sign for the estate, and the sale closes once the estate has the state's inheritance tax waiver for the real estate. Usually that person…
How to Set Up Electric, Gas and Water When You Move to Monmouth or Ocean County
Give the gas company the most lead time: New Jersey Natural Gas asks for at least 10 business days before your move-in date. In most of Monmouth and Ocean County, electric comes from JCP&L, gas from New Jersey Natural…
How to Transfer an Out-of-State Driver's License to New Jersey
Book an out-of-state transfer appointment with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and bring your current license, documents that add up to 6 Points of ID, proof of your New Jersey address and your Social Security…
Inspecting an Older Home in a 55+ Community: What a Former Builder Checks
When you buy an older home in a 55+ community, the home inspection tells you the condition of what an inspector can see that day, but not how long the roof, furnace or water heater will last, whether past work had…
Inspections for a Luxury Home: Pool, Elevator, Generator and the Systems Buyers Forget
A licensed New Jersey home inspector covers the house's core systems, but the State's standards leave out much of what makes a luxury home a luxury home: the pool and spa, the standby generator, the bulkhead and dock,…
Is Downsizing Worth It? How to Run the Numbers on a Smaller Home in NJ
Downsizing is worth it when the next home fits how you live and the numbers hold up on paper: what your current home nets after the sale, set next to the full cost of owning the next one. A smaller home doesn't always…
How Do You Get Letters Testamentary or a Short Certificate in Monmouth or Ocean County?
Letters Testamentary are the county Surrogate's appointment of the executor named in a will (Letters of Administration when there's no will), and short certificates are the proof of that authority you hand to the bank,…
Your Right to the Appraisal, and What Happens When a Jumbo Appraisal Comes in Low
If you're getting a first mortgage, your lender has to give you a free copy of every appraisal and written valuation, promptly once it's complete or three business days before closing, whichever comes first. If a jumbo…
Monmouth County vs. Ocean County, NJ: How to Choose Where to Look
Monmouth County and Ocean County are neighbors on the Jersey Shore, and near the coast the Manasquan River runs between them. Monmouth has 53 towns and most of the shore's train stations to New York; Ocean has 33…
Monmouth vs. Ocean County 55+ Communities: How Homes Compare
Ocean County has more large, older communities of smaller ranch homes and co-ops, while Monmouth has more newer, larger single-family homes and townhouses. Price any specific home against its own community's sales. I'm…
Moving to New Jersey From New York: What Changes for Your Taxes, Car and Commute
Moving from New York to the Jersey Shore changes four things right away: your license and car move to New Jersey within 60 days, you become a New Jersey taxpayer on the day you move, your commute runs on NJ TRANSIT or…