New Jersey’s safest community touches the state’s border with New York.

That’s according to a ranking published by security organization SafeWise, which has determined Mahwah is the Garden State’s safest place.

Mahwah, a township of about 26,000 in northern Bergen County, edged Sparta in Sussex County for top honors.

SafeWise determined its rankings by combining 2011 FBI crime data with other factors such as unique safety initiatives and security programs, the company said in a release.

A municipality must have a population of at least 15,000 to qualify for the list.

SafeWise said it was impressed with the Mahwah police’s Stay Connected app in which citizens can report zoning violations, service requests and other concerns. Mahwah police didn’t report any murders, rapes, robberies or arson in 2011.

Two other Bergen communities also made SafeWise’s top 10: No. 6 Dumont and No. 8 Bergenfield.

Sparta got high marks for its low poverty rate (1.5 percent). Sparta cops reported fewer than 20 burglaries in 2011.

“From relaxed rural countrysides to fast-paced city living, the 50 safest communities in New Jersey share one critical, crime stopping characteristic: community cohesiveness” SafeWise security analyst Alexia Chianis said.


Here is SafeWise’s Top 50:

Making the decision to sell your home begins a journey of a thousand steps. From hiring a real estate agent to getting the home ready for the market, there is a lot to do.

Luckily, homeowners have a tool belt full of items that make the job easier. The most powerful tool of them all is decorating – better known as staging.   Done right, staging your home will help it sell faster and for more money.

Before you hire a decorator, or decide to do it yourself, you’ll need an appropriate backdrop – a clean, uncluttered space. Otherwise, staging the home is like putting lipstick on a pig.

Why Declutter?

There are several reasons homeowners should clear their homes of the clutter accumulated from daily living. First, clutter makes people anxious.

The results of a nine-year long UCLA study show that there is “real psychological stress associated with clutter.”

The last thing you want a potential buyer to feel is stress or anxiety when touring your home.

Since most clutter in a home is a collection of personal items, depersonalizing the home goes hand-in-hand with clearing clutter. Sure, all those personal items are what makes your house a home, but too many of them may hinder its sale.

Buyers need to be able to imagine what it would be like living in your home, surrounded by their belongings. Your stuff detracts from their ability to do that.  Besides, you will have to move all that stuff once your home sells, so you might as well do it sooner rather than later.

Depersonalizing: What’s Involved?

Depersonalizing is the act of removing most items of a personal nature. Family photographs, souvenirs, collections, DVD and CD collections and framed diplomas, degrees and awards are a few examples of items to pack up and store.

Getting Started

Since you’ll need boxes for the move, buying them now saves work later on. Buy several boxes for each room in the house, and don’t forget newspaper or other packing material to protect breakables.

The best way to go about depersonalizing the home is to do it one room at a time.

Living Room and Family Room

Since this is where families spend most of their time, these rooms will most likely take the longest. Items to remove include:

• Toy bins or boxes
• Toys (including pet toys)
• Family photos
• DVDs, video games and CDs
• Excess magazines and catalogs
• Newspapers
• Craft items
• Clothing

Kitchen
Now we move from the most challenging room to the easiest room to depersonalize – the kitchen.  The biggest clutter catcher in this room is the refrigerator. Remove the magnets, sticky note reminders, kids’ artwork and personal photographs. In fact, remove everything from the front, sides and top of the refrigerator. Unless it’s decorative, pack it all up.

Many families use the kitchen counter as a mail drop. There’s nothing particularly wrong with that, but mail is highly personal and needs to be put away, out of sight.

Bedrooms
Since bedrooms are the most personal of all the spaces in a home, they can be challenging to depersonalize. Remove family photos, of course, but you may need to go beyond that. Imagine a posh hotel room and remove anything from the bedrooms that you wouldn’t find in one.

Bathrooms
Bathrooms tend to become cluttered with personal products. While it isn’t necessary to pack these items up, it is crucial that they be put out of sight in cupboards and drawers.

Don’t forget the shower stall or bathtub. Buyers will pull back the shower curtain. Would you want to be greeted by pumice stones, shampoo bottles or kids’ water toys? Again, think of a posh hotel bathroom and try to imitate that look.

Home Office
The home office is typically one of the most cluttered rooms in the home and also a hot selling feature, so it’s important to create a vignette that appeals to the target market for the home.

Attack the walls first, taking down awards, diplomas and degrees, and photos.

Clear the desk of mail, work papers and professional journals and magazines.

As you work on depersonalizing each room in the home, don’t just throw the items in the boxes. Wrap and pack for the move and then take the boxes to a storage facility.

Don’t forget to organize what’s left in the room – it puts you one step closer to staging the home.

Should You Hire a Stager?

Everyone’s situation is different.  Some homes don’t need staging.  Of those that will benefit from staging, the extent of what needs to be done will vary from one home to another.

As part of my listing service, I offer a consultation with a stager, at no charge to the homeowner.  During the initial consultation, the stager will offer suggestions.  If the homeowner feels that they need more help in getting the house ready for sale, they can then hire the stager at an hourly rate.

If you’re thinking of selling your home, it’s never too early to call in a real estate agent to talk about the entire home-selling process, including staging.  Give yourself plenty of time to get your home ready, to maximize your sale.

Call me if you want to talk about getting ready to sell.  551-427-6343.

Source:  The KCM Blog

The SuperBowl comes to MetLife Stadium on February 2 and some North Jersey some homeowners are looking to make a few dollars by renting out their homes/apartments for the week.   According to www.vrbo.com, the North Caldwell, NJ home pictured  here is being offered for rent for a mere $119,500 during Super Bowl week!

Several websites have been posting Super Bowl Rentals, among them:  craigslist, vrbo.com, super-bowl-rentalz.com, and eventhomes.com.

New York Giants’  rookie Cooper Taylor is offering his 2-bedroom, 2-bath apartment, which is less than a mile from the stadium, for $9,000 for the week.  According to ESPN, Taylor told the New York Post that he and Susan Carlson, his girlfriend and a real-estate broker, wanted to escape the stress of the event.

“We thought it would be the best time to get out of the city and go on vacation because that week will be a madhouse,” Taylor told the Post. “I am definitely disappointed that we are not playing in it. It would make it a lot more fun.”

If you’re thinking of buying a new home this year, I strongly recommend you do it sooner rather than later.  Here is another article predicting interest rates will increase this year:

Predictions for 2014: Interest Rates Will Increase Significantly | Keeping Current Matters.

Happy New Year!  I hope your 2014 is filled with peace, happiness and good health.

What will happen in the real estate market this year?  Many pundits are predicting slightly better sales in 2014 than in 2013.  But the KCM Blog‘s headline today took a different view:

Housing Predictions for 2014: Sales Will Surge

Among the reasons cited are (1) the number of first time home buyers are expected to rise, and (2) many move-up buyers, who have been trapped in their homes because of negative equity, will finally be able to make that move because of rising property values.

So you've decided to take the plunge and buy a new house!  How much can you afford? 

Here's something to think about:
Your lender decides what you can borrow but you decide what you can afford.

Lenders are careful, but they make qualification decisions based on averages and formulas. They won't understand the nuances of your lifestyle and spending patterns quite as well as you do. So, leave a little room for the unexpected --  for all the new opportunities your home will give you to spend money, from furnishings, to landscaping, to repairs.

Historically, banks use a ratio called 28/36 to decide how much borrowers could borrow. An approved housing payment couldn't be more than 28 percent of the buyer's gross monthly income, and his or her total debt load, including car payments, student loans, and credit card payments, couldn't be more than 36 percent.

That's how much you can borrow.  Deciding how much you can afford should involve some careful attention to how your financial profile will change in the upcoming years. In the long run, your own peace of mind and security will matter most.

Many buyers and sellers think that with the holidays and winter approaching, they should wait until spring to make a move.  Au contraire!  
There are good reasons, if you are thinking of buying or selling, to do it NOW rather than waiting for spring.  Here are some of them, recently published in the KCM Blog:

5 Reasons to Buy A Home Now Instead of Spring
by The KCM Crew on November 25, 2013 in For Buyers

Based on prices, mortgage rates and soaring rents, there may have never been a better time in real estate history to purchase a home than right now. Here are five major reasons purchasers should consider buying:

Supply Is Shrinking  With inventory declining in many regions, finding a home of your dreams may become more difficult going forward. There are buyers in more and more markets surprised that there is no longer a large assortment of houses to choose from. The best homes in the best locations sell first. Don’t miss the opportunity to get that ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ buy.

Price Increases Are on the Horizon  Prices are projected to appreciate by over 25% from now to 2018. First home buyers will probably pay more both in price and interest rate if they wait until the spring. Even if you are a move-up buyer, it will wind-up costing you more in net dollars as the home you will buy will appreciate at approximately the same rate as the house you are in now.

Owning a Home Helps Create Family Wealth  Whether you are rent or you own the home you are leaving in, you are paying a mortgage. Either you are paying your mortgage or your landlord’s. The Fed, in a recent study, revealed that the net worth of the average homeowner is 30 times greater than that of a renter.

Interest Rates Are Projected to Rise  The Mortgage Bankers Association, the National Association of Realtors, Freddie Macand Fannie Mae have all projected that the 30-year mortgage interest rate will be over 5% by the end of 2014. That is an increase of almost one full point over current rates.

Buy Low, Sell High   We would all agree that, when investing, we want to buy at the lowest price possible and hope to sell at the highest price. Housing can create family wealth as long as we follow this simple principle. Today, real estate is selling ‘low’ compared to where it will be next year. It’s time to buy.

5 Reasons to Sell Before Spring
by The KCM Crew on November 19, 2013 in For Sellers

Many sellers feel that the spring is the best time to place their home on the market as buyer demand increases at that time of year. However, the fall and winter have their own advantages. Here are five reasons to sell now.

Only Serious Buyers Are Out  At this time of year, only those purchasers who are serious about buying a home will be in the marketplace. You and your family will not be bothered and inconvenienced by mere 'lookers'. The lookers are at the mall or online doing their holiday shopping.

There Is Far Less Competition  Housing supply always shrinks dramatically at this time of year. The choices for buyers will be limited. Don't wait until the spring when all the other potential sellers in your market will put their homes up for sale.

The Process Will Be Quicker  One of the biggest challenges of the 2013 housing market has been the length of time it takes from contract to closing. Banks have been inundated with both purchase and refinancing loan requests. Both of these will slow in the winter cutting timelines and the frustration these delays cause both buyers and sellers.

There Will Never Be a Better Time to Move-Up  If you are moving up to a larger, more expensive home, consider doing it now. Prices are projected to appreciate by over 25% from now to 2018. If you are moving to a higher priced home, it will wind-up costing you more in raw dollars (both in down payment and mortgage payment) if you wait. You can also lock-in your 30 year housing expense with historically low interest rates right now. There is no guarantee rates will remain at these levels in years to come.

It's Time to Move On with Your Life  Look at the reason you decided to sell in the first place and decide whether it is worth waiting. Is money more important than being with family? Is money more important than your health? Is money more important than having the freedom to go on with your life the way you think you should?

You already know the answers to the questions we just asked. You have the power to take back control of the situation by pricing your home to guarantee it sells. The time has come for you and your family to move on and start living the life you desire. That is what is truly important.


If you're thinking about buying or selling, DO IT!  Call me!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Would you operate on yourself?  Write your own Last Will and Testament?  Plan your retirement by yourself? Of course not!

The biggest decisions in your life deserve the expertise of a professional!  If you're thinking about selling your home  -- most likely your biggest investment --  here are some good reasons why you should consider going with an agent rather than FSBO:

• OBJECTIVITY:   IT TAKES YOU OUT OF THE MIX.  Let's face it, you love your home.  But  let's also be honest.... you're a little biased.  Having an agent puts space between you and potential buyers.  It removes the emotion and allows an objective person to negotiate on your behalf.  
  


• FAR-REACHING MARKETING.  The goal is to reach the greatest number of potential buyers,so that you maximize what you get in the sale.  Can you do that by putting a "For Sale By Owner" sign on your lawn?  Today 90% of buyers are searching on the internet.  Multiply listing your home with an agent is just the beginning.  A full-service agent will make sure that your property has a strong internet presence including a variety of websites, hundreds of search engines and social media.  Think about it like fishing....you want to cast a really big net.
  


• PERSONAL SAFETY.  How do you know who you are letting in your house when someone calls?  Are they a serious buyer?  Are they preapproved?   Do you really want to be there by yourself at an open house with strangers walking through?  Hiring an agent and having a lockbox protects you by making sure that at all times a licensed professional is there to take prospective buyers through your home.   The listing agent has a record of each time the lockbox is opened and who opened it.   
  


• KNOWLEDGE OF THE MARKET.  You may think you have an idea of what your home is worth based on what a neighbor's house sold for last year, but have you seen the inside of the houses that are active on the market, under contract, and recently sold  in your area?  It's likely your agent has, and so have buyers!  They are comparing your house to the others they've seen.  An agent can advise you how to strategically price your house based on the current competition and recently sold comparables.
  


• CONTRACTS, DISCLOSURES AND OFFERS, OH MY!  An agent can help you wade through the numerous disclosures and paperwork that go along with selling your home.   Real estate transactions involve a lot of documents and your agent can help you make sense of it all.
  


• FROM CONTRACT TO CLOSE:  TRANSACTION MANAGEMENT.  Even if you are lucky enough to get a buyer right away, do you know what's involved from contract to closing?  There are a lot of moving parts to the transaction with deadlines and consequences  -- negotiations, attorney review, mortgage preapproval, inspections, environmental issues, mortgage commitment, utility transfer, etc.   An experienced agent knows how to orchestrate all the pieces so that the transaction proceeds with minimum stress to you.

• ARE YOU REALLY SAVING MONEY?   Of course, the reason sellers try to sell on their on own is to avoid the commission.  But the fact is that in most cases, because of strategic pricing, the ability to cast a "wider net" and expertise in negotiating, a sale through an agent will net the homeowner more money in the end, without all the aggravation and stress.
  

If you're thinking about selling your home, and maybe going FSBO, call me and let's talk about it.  

The video illustrates the yearly wear and tear on the homes systems and appliances, the fact that breakdowns are likely and frequent and how a home warranty service agreement can help protect against breakdowns. 

Several years ago, I decided to purchase a home warranty on my home, and it has come in handy several times -- for a kitchen sink blockage and a broken attic fan, for example.  Check out the video, and if you want more information, give me a call.

It's interesting to look back at what was happening a year ago in the North Jersey real estate market and compare it to this year.  Looking at the first three quarters of the year, there's been quite a change!

I looked at single family homes that sold from January 1, 1012 through September 30, 2012, as reported in the New Jersey Multiple Listing Service, and compared the numbers to the same period for this year. 

For the 13 towns of Northwest Bergen County*  last year (2012) saw 1165 homes sold at an average sold price of $701,621.  In 2013, those numbers rose to 1309 properties sold at an average price of $773,005.  What a difference a year makes!

From everything I've read and real estate seminars I've attended, all indications are that the market will continue to improve.  Some estimates say that home prices will continue to rise 5-6% in 2014.  While the government shut down may have caused a minor bump in that road to recovery, it's expected that prices and mortgage rates will continue to rise over the next year.
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*Allendale, Franklin Lakes, Glen Rock, HoHoKus, Mahwah, Midland Park, Oakland, Ramsey, Ridgewood, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Waldwick and Wyckoff. 

On a beautiful autumn day like today, there are so many fun things to do for all ages in and around North Jersey!  

Here's a sampling for Sunday, October 13, 2013:  

Source:  www.mybergen.com

The homebuying process can be exciting, but also stressful. When there are a large number of buyers in the market for real estate, the odds of being able to purchase your desired home can be low. However, getting a mortgage preapproval prior to home shopping can dramatically increase the odds of success.

Make Mortgage Preapproval Your First Step
A mortgage preapproval should be a homebuyer's first step when purchasing a home. A borrower can choose to meet with a lender or get an initial preapproval over the phone. The preapproval process is similar to the actual mortgage process and will, in fact, eliminate a lot of time after a home has been chosen.

When obtaining a mortgage preapproval, the borrower will complete a mortgage application and submit the necessary documentation to the lender. The lender will pull a credit report and examine the borrower's credit.

Based on all of this information, the lender will determine the amount of funds that the borrower qualifies for. The borrower will receive a preapproval, which states the amount of funds that the lender agrees to lend provided that certain conditions are met. While a preapproval is an important first step, it is not the final mortgage approval.

Impress Homesellers With Your Mortgage Preapproval
One of the advantages of having a preapproval is that this letter can be shown to real estate agents and sellers when looking for a home. By doing so, both the agent and the seller know that the borrower can qualify for a certain amount of funds. It is proof of the borrower's financial standing and ability to proceed with the home purchase.

Another advantage is that some of the work that is involved in obtaining a mortgage is already done. The lender has already examined the borrower's financial situation, including credit, income and assets. During the preapproval process, the lender will also discuss the most appropriate type of mortgage program that fits the borrower's needs, whether it is a conventional loan or a government loan.

This is significant because not all sellers will accept a buyer who is using a government loan. Knowing the details of what type of loan is appropriate for the borrower, the agent can then show them homes that will fit their preapproval both for cost and type of funding.

How Mortgage Preapproval is Determined
The preapproval is determined by putting the information given to the lender through automated underwriting. In most cases, the preliminary loan file goes through a preprocessing before the preapproval is given to the borrower. Since there is an actual examination of the borrower's documentation, the borrower will also receive a list of additional information that may be needed. The borrower can then submit this information while shopping for a home.

Once a home is found and the sales contract is signed, processing the loan is faster since most of the work for the credit file has been done. The final process involves income and identity verifications, ordering and receiving the appraisal, ordering title documents, obtaining insurance, etc. The final underwriting is the last step before the loan file is sent for closing.

The preapproval process is an important part of a home purchase. Since there is a lot of information involved in obtaining a mortgage, it eliminates many last minute problems that can arise. Obtaining a mortgage preapproval helps the home purchase process go smoothly.