Great 2 Fam Midland Park NJ____www.OurNJhouse.com

Updated duplex 2fam in a great family oriented town Midland Park NJ.  Home consists of 2brs, 1bth in each unit on an oversized lot. 

 Learn more @  After all, the process of selling a home is always complex. For assistance is selling your home in Bergen County, River Edge NJ, Oradell NJ, Paramus NJ, Emerson NJ, Fairlawn NJ. Contact Carmelo Oliveri, Coldwell Banker Realtor at (201) 618-2854. Visit our web site at www.OurNJhouse.com or www.OurBergenCountyHouse.com or www.SellWithMelNJ.com

WASHINGTON - New U.S. home sales jumped in June by the largest amount in more than eight years as buyers took advantage of bargain prices, low interest rates and a federal tax credit for first-time homeowners.

While home prices are still falling, the figures released Monday were another sign the housing market is finally bouncing back. Data out last week showed home resales rose 3.6 percent in June, the third straight monthly increase.

Shares of big homebuilders soared on the news, with Beazer Homes USA up by more than 13 percent and Hovnanian Enterprises rising 8 percent. But with home prices still falling, these companies won’t be making much money anytime soon.

Commerce Department said new home sales rose 11 percent in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 384,000, from an upwardly revised May rate of 346,000.

Buyers are rushing to tax advantage of a federal tax credit that covers 10 percent of the home price or up to $8,000 for first-time buyers. Home sales need to be completed by the end of November for buyers to take advantage.

“The window of opportunity is closing,” said Bernard Markstein, senior economist for the National Association of Home Builders

June’s results were the strongest sales pace since November 2008 and exceeded the forecasts of economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters, who expected a pace of 360,000 units. The last time sales rose so dramatically was in December 2000.

Sales have risen for three straight months. The median sales price of $206,200, however, was down 12 percent from $234,300 a year earlier and down nearly 6 percent from $219,000 in May.

There were 281,000 new homes for sale at the end of June, down more than 4 percent from May. At the current sales pace, that represents 8.8 months of supply — the lowest level since October 2007. If that number falls to just over 6 months, analysts say, builders will feel more comfortable ramping up construction.

Fallout from the housing crisis has played a central role in the U.S. recession, now the longest since World War II. Foreclosures have spiked, homebuilders have slashed construction, and financial companies have lost billions.

But it will still be a while before homebuilders turn into an engine for the economic recovery. Construction levels are still weak because builders still have too many unsold homes sitting vacant.

After all, the process of selling a home is always complex. For assistance is selling your home in Bergen County, River Edge NJ, Oradell NJ, Paramus NJ, Emerson NJ, Fairlawn NJ. Contact Carmelo Oliveri, Coldwell Banker Realtor at (201) 618-2854. Visit our web site at www.OurNJhouse.com or www.OurBergenCountyHouse.com or www.SellWithMelNJ.com

More Reason Why FSBO Don”t Sell

1. Pricing The Home Too High: Seems everyone thinks they live in a goldmine. The common misconception is that they will price it high so they can come down a little bit during negotiations. This has several problems related to it.

Here’s one. Many homebuyers are on a budget. Let’s say I’m looking for a home like yours in your neighborhood and most of the homes there that are comparable are in the 135k to 145k ranges. However, you have tile floors and stainless steel sinks along with a few other cosmetic improvements. You think your home is worth at least 147k. Tack on a few thousand more “so you can come off of the price during negotiations” and you start your home at 152k

As a homebuyer, the most I can spend is 145k. Although your home is what I’m looking for, you’re outside my price range so I won’t even bother to look at your house.

That’s just one example of how a too high price is going to hurt you. There are many, many more!

2. Letting Emotions Direct Your Actions: Many times this is the reason your home is priced too high. Remember, this is a business transaction. You have a product to sell, you need act accordingly.

3. Failing to Get Your Home Inspected Before Listing: I’ve seen FSBO’s go to great trouble and expense to get their home ready to sell only to find out from the potential Buyers Inspector that there are major structural, plumbing, electrical or mechanical issues with the home.

Depending on the severity of the problems, this probably cost you a Buyer and it means your home will be sitting on the market for a few more weeks or months.

National survey’s reveal that homes that have had pre-inspections sell faster with less hassle at closing. FSBO’s are no different.

4. Being a Jerk: I see this one more than you’d think. For some reason selling your home by yourself seems to give you a special excuse to be a jerk judging by the way some FSBO’s act.

Being unreasonable in your actions will drive away Buyers. No one likes a jerk!

I’ve seen FSBO’s make some of the most stupid request of Buyers like; one guy would only show his home on Sunday afternoons between 4 and 6 p.m. and you had to RSVP so he’d have you on his “list”. He wondered why no one was showing up at this home. I saw another FSBO that would not allow his home to be inspected without him, his attorney and his inspector being present. He also required each item to be brought up to him and his group before telling the Buyer. Needless to say, we didn’t inspect this home. Note: many state SOP’s require that you do not divulge information to anyone other than the Client.

It’s a fact of life, being a jerk cost you money. Not only in real life, but also when you go to sell your home!

5. Not Pre-qualifying Your Buyers: Letting any old Moe and Joe lock up your home while they try and get qualified can cost you Buyers if they fail to qualify for a loan. Require that all potential Buyers be pre-qualified!

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After all, the process of selling a home is always complex. For assistance is selling your home in Bergen County, River Edge NJ, Oradell NJ, Paramus NJ, Emerson NJ, Fairlawn NJ. Contact Carmelo Oliveri, Coldwell Banker Realtor at (201) 618-2854. Visit our web site at www.OurNJhouse.com or www.OurBergenCountyHouse.com or www.SellWithMelNJ.com

Real Estate Sales Growth up Last 3 Months!!!

 The National Association of Home Builders is reporting that Nationwide housing starts and permits posted substantial gains in June as home builders responded to improved market conditions and the impending expiration of the first-time buyer tax credit. These stats comes from the U.S. Commerce Department.

“The upcoming expiration of the first-time home buyer tax credit on December 1st is encouraging some builders to get homes started now so that they can be completed in time for clients to take advantage of this attractive buying incentive,” said NAHB Chairman Joe Robson, a home builder from Tulsa, Okla. “However, there is still much concern about the difficulty of financing new-home production and continuing weakness in the job market.”  

Commerce reported a 3.6 percent gain in overall housing starts to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 582,000 units and an 8.7 percent gain in permit issuance to 563,000 units.

“Today’s report was in keeping with our forecasts for some glimmers of improvement on the single-family side in the second quarter, and also with the results of our latest builder surveys,” said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. “Many remain very cautious, however, in the face of the severe tightening of credit for acquisition, development and construction financing and increased instances of low appraisals tied to improper use of distressed properties as comps, both of which threaten to derail a housing and economic recovery going forward.”

 Read More @ www.RealtyTimes.com

After all, the process of selling a home is always complex. For assistance is selling your home in Bergen County, River Edge NJ, Oradell NJ, Paramus NJ, Emerson NJ, Fairlawn NJ. Contact Carmelo Oliveri, Coldwell Banker Realtor at (201) 618-2854. Visit our web site at www.OurNJhouse.com or www.OurBergenCountyHouse.com or www.SellWithMelNJ.com

Why 9 Out of 10 FSBO end up using a Realtor

My Number one FSBO Tip? Don’t sell it yourself! A “FSBO,” or house “for sale by owner” can sell fast, and for as much as it would have if listed with a real estate agent. Sometimes - but not normally. Consider the following ten points.

1. Buyers work with agents. Most look at MLS listings. Sell it yourself, and they won’t see or hear about your home. How do you find that “right” buyer or get top dollar when you’re invisible to most of the market?

2. Your FSBO will get lower offers. Naturally, the buyer thinks you’ll take less because you’re saving the commission! Save a $10,000 commission, get $10,000 less - where’s the advantage in that?

3. Advertising is expensive. The costs the real estate office normally pays are yours if you sell it yourself. How much could you spend on ads if it takes a a year to sell?4. They have the resources. And you don’t. Agents have books of sold properties to look at, for example, to determine the best price for your home. You can dig through county records, but you do have to value your time too, right?

5. They know the market. What’s the target market for your house? Young couples, retirees? What features do they want? You should know these things before you write your ads. An experienced real estate salesperson will know.

6. They know the laws. What about written disclosures, and who pays for the real estate transfer tax? When you sell it yourself you don’t get to ignore the laws.

7. Are you a good salesperson? Can you develop rapport and properly answer objections? Could your defensiveness scare off a buyer who criticizes your home? Think back on your own purchases, and you’ll realize that a good salesperson makes a difference.

8. Paperwork. Will you help the buyer properly fill out an offer to purchase? An agent would. Do you have the other closing documents ready?

9. Agents negotiate for you. When did you last learn a new negotiating technique? Can you counter-offer without scaring off a buyer? A good salesperson is trained in these skills.

10. You may not save anything. The documents, newspaper advertising, signs for the yard - it’s all your expense when you sell it yourself. After your hard work, you may get low offers and negotiate poorly. Honestly, sellers often net less money from the sale when they try to save the commission.

After all, the process of selling a home is always complex. For assistance is selling your home in Bergen County, River Edge NJ, Oradell NJ, Paramus NJ, Emerson NJ, Fairlawn NJ. Contact Carmelo Oliveri, Coldwell Banker Realtor at (201) 618-2854. Visit our web site at www.OurNJhouse.com or www.OurBergenCountyHouse.com or www.SellWithMelNJ.com

First-Time Buyers: Hurry for $8,000 Tax Credit
It’s time to remind first-time home buyers that in order to qualify for the government’s $8,000 gift in the form of a tax credit, the deal must close by Dec. 1.

Buyers should have a purchase contract signed by early October, so they have 45 to 60 days to arrange financing and safely close the deal.

“There’s not as much sand in the hourglass as we may think,” said Jim Merrion, regional director at RE/MAX Northern Illinois.

Bergen County Foreclosure Trends

Bergen County Foreclosure Trends - April 2009

Posted by PAULA CLARK @ 6:29 am, May 31st, 2009

Bergen County foreclosure homes have remained relatively steady in 2009 after a spike in October 2008 with 398 new foreclosure filings in April compared to 925 filings last October, according to RealtyTrac.com.

Bergen County Foreclosure Activity and Home Price Index

Bergen County foreclosure activity is based on the total number of properties that receive foreclosure filings - default notice, foreclosure auction notice or repossession notice - each month. Home price appreciation is based on month-over-month percentage change of the Home Price Index. The Home Price Index is calculated from home sales records.

Bergen County Foreclosure Geographical Comparison

The Bergen County foreclosure rate is .03% below the state of New Jersey and .16% below national statistics.

Are you or someone you know behind on your mortgage payments and facing a Bergen County foreclosure? You do have options. A short sale may be the answer to saving you, your family and your home. Give me a call for a private consultation.

After all, the process of selling a home is always complex. For assistance is selling your home in Bergen County, River Edge NJ, Oradell NJ, Paramus NJ, Emerson NJ, Fairlawn NJ. Contact Carmelo Oliveri, Coldwell Banker Realtor at (201) 618-2854. Visit our web site at www.OurNJhouse.com or www.OurBergenCountyHouse.com or www.SellWithMelNJ.com

Bergen County NJ, Creating Curb Appeal

In today’s housing market, home owners need to be more proactive than ever before when it comes to selling their homes.

Whereas the real estate boom at the turn of the century made things easy on sellers, the current real estate climate is not so seller-friendly.

To make their homes more attractive to prospective buyers, these are small and easy projects, but if neglected, they’ll give buyers the impression that other, bigger things might have been neglected as well.

If your home has a front porch or stoop, be sure to inspect it for cracks. An older porch or stoop should be replaced, and any chips or cracks in the steps should be fixed.

• Ready the roof. A new roof is very expensive, and buyers understandably often run from homes that need a new roof.

Sellers should hire their own home inspector to determine the condition of the roof before putting the home up for sale, it will likely take more time to sell the home, and buyers will wonder why the home was listed for so long.

Know the home’s ups and downs before putting it up for sale to minimize any potential concerns from buyers.

• Perfect the paint job.  For homes without siding, be sure that the paint job is up to snuff. Any areas with peeling or chipping paint should receive a fresh coat of paint, and this is another job that should be handled will before listing the home.

• Lavish the lawn with attencion. Buyers love a lush green lawn, and that lawn goes a long way to creating a solid first impression. The first thing buyers will see once they pull up curbside is the lawn. If the grass is dry with brown spots or appears neglected, many buyers will find that hard to over look.

Homeowners preparing to sell their home in the fall should lavish attention on their lawn throughout the summer, keeping it watered and possibly hiring a landscaping service to make it more appealing. Consider planting flowers or other decorative foliage.

After all, the process of selling a home is always complex. For assistance is selling your home in Bergen County, River Edge NJ, Oradell NJ, Paramus NJ, Emerson NJ, Fairlawn NJ. Contact Carmelo Oliveri, Coldwell Banker Realtor at (201) 618-2854. Visit our web site at www.OurNJhouse.com or www.OurBergenCountyHouse.com or www.SellWithMelNJ.com

Building Green Homes in New Jersey

There many never be a better time to get into green building than right now, particularly as a way to hedge your business against the slowing housing market.

“There is no slow down for my company,” says Matt Belcher of Belcher Homes in St. Louis. “Last year we did 15 green homes, and this next year we’ll do 25. I don’t build anything but green homes.”

Belcher says that a confluence of green products, how-to-build-green information, and customers easily sold on the concept have greatly reduced the obstacles builders used to face in getting started. By using the resources now readily available from nation and local home builders associations and other organizations, any builder can establish an individual plan to go green and execute it.

Emily English, director of the National Association of Home Builders’ Green Building Program, says the NAHB’s green Green Building Guidelines publication lays it all out in phased steps.

Step-By-Step Break Down

“There is a learning curve to switching to green practices,” says Emily. “So we have different thresholds of building green, starting with bronze, then silver and gold. The first part of the Guidelines is a checklist for what level of green you are building to. The second part of the Guidelines is how to do it, and a source of resources.”

The process of going green is broken into seven guiding principles (Resource Efficiency, Lot Design, Preparation, and Development, etc.) which each specific element in a principle section given a numerical value. By adopting elements from each of the seven sections into your building program, you move into green building step by step.

“Its easier to go green this year than it was last year,” says Belcher, who will chair the NAHB Green Building Conference March 25-27, 2007 in St. Louis. “There is so much more information out there. Our local HBA of Greater St. Louis and Easter Missouri just adopted the NAHB’s Guidelines. We tweak them for our area, but there isn’t much tweaking needed.

“On the product side, all the manufactures of building components saw the writing on the wall, Belcher adds. “Green products are about all they’re pushing.”

Selling the Green Bling

Belcher said the two largest potential stumbling blocks to going green have been selling the green concept to dubious customers and turning concepts into practice on the job site. Although these are the most crucial aspects a builder needs to get right when switching over to green practices, Belcher doesn’t view them as obstacles any longer.

“I sell the customers with what I call ‘green bling.’ I tell them about things like photovoltaic, structural insulated panels, and the fact that lenders are raising the value of green homes by as much as 18%,” says Belcher. “And when I tell them we are going to build a 3,500 square-foot home and their electric bill won’t be more than $125 a month, it gets them going pretty quick.”

English and Belcher offer a couple of tips for builders to keep in mind as they go green:

• Getting the trades on board was more of an issue in the past than it is today, as the green trend generates infomation, products, workshops and buzz. Still, English says, builders switching to green should plan on spending extra time training the trades and supervising crews on site.

• Belcher advises builders to tell their trade contractors from the very start exactly what they are doing -and why. “These guys pride themselves on being craftsmen, and they appreciate being involved in these advanced building techniques.”

“I can say that using the Green Building Guidelines has improved my bottom line dramatically. I am not wasting a thing,” says Belcher. “After my first few green houses, I was thinking. ‘Why haven’t I been doing this all along?’”

After all, the process of selling a home is always complex. For assistance is selling your home in Bergen County, River Edge NJ, Oradell NJ, Paramus NJ, Emerson NJ, Fairlawn NJ. Contact Carmelo Oliveri, Coldwell Banker Realtor at (201) 618-2854. Visit our web site at www.OurNJhouse.com or www.OurBergenCountyHouse.com or www.SellWithMelNJ.com

Should you buy or rent in today Economy? Bergen County NJ Real Estate Tips

With an “iffy economy and the recent changes in first time home buyer incentives, figuring out if you should rent or buy can be tricky. Can you afford the down payment? Or, is it cheaper to rent? Luckily, here are two awesome tools to help you make that hefty decision. First, find a home you like. Then, try the Rent vs. Buy Calculator to find out how much you can save by renting or buying. Or, use the Mortgage calculator to get an idea of what your monthly payments would be. What do you have to lose?

After all, the process of selling a home is always complex. For assistance is selling your home in Bergen County, River Edge NJ, Oradell NJ, Paramus NJ, Emerson NJ, Fairlawn NJ. Contact Carmelo Oliveri, Coldwell Banker Realtor at (201) 618-2854. Visit our web site at www.OurNJhouse.com or www.OurBergenCountyHouse.com or www.SellWithMelNJ.com