Bridget Cella, e-Pro Realtor

 

 

Looking for single family homes in Washington Township, NJ

Click on the FOR SALE sign to the right and get started!

First time home buyer?  Check out this link for more information about the possible $8,000 tax credit!

 

Looking for an affordable and hassle free way to live?  Have you considered a town home?

You mayhave asked yourself what the difference between a townhome and a condo is?  Are your responsibilities as a homeowner different?  Are you responsible for other people's trash, fees etc.?

Here are a few FAQ's that might help you make a decision as o whether it is right for you:

Definitions:

Condominium    A type of ownership in real property where all of the owners own the property, common areas and buildings together, with the exception of the interior of the unit to which they have title. Often mistakenly referred to as a type of construction or development, it actually refers to the type of ownership. (Real Estate and Mortgage Abc.)

Townhouse        A townhouse is one of a row of homes sharing common walls. Differing from condominiums, townhouse ownership does include individual ownership of the land. There can also be common elements, such as a central courtyard, that would have shared ownership. (Realestate.about.com)

SO, when you have a townhouse you actually own some of the land and with condo you don't.  This is important when you come to paying taxes and association fees.

Common Areas   Those portions of a building, land, and amenities owned (or managed) by a planned unit development (PUD) or condominium project's homeowners' association (or a cooperative project's cooperative corporation) that are used by all of the unit owners, who share in the common expenses of their operation and maintenance. Common areas include swimming pools, tennis courts, and other recreational facilities, as well as common corridors of buildings, parking areas, means of ingress and egress, etc. (Real Estate and Mortgage Abc)

Single Family Home   A single family home, ok so I didn't find a specific definition but, consists of a single family residential dwelling set on a specified plat of land in which the owner or owners has sole right to.

(Note:  There are different types of home ownership including fee simple, tenants in common and joint tenancy, etc.)

So here are a few questions to ask yourself when considering your home:

1. Am I handy?  With home ownership comes responsibility of up keeping the home inside and out.  Now, here is where a town home or condo differs from a single family home.  With a town home or condo the exterior of the building, roof, siding, outside, deck, landscaping, etc. is taken care of via your association fee.  With a single family home it is on you to get out the hammer or start the lawn mower!
2. Do I like to entertain outside?  I think this is a very important consideration.  Most condominium or townhouse associations already have predetermined areas for this or allow you to out a small grill on your deck or patio.  If you have 10, 20 , or more people you like to entertain, you may want to consider a single family home.
3. What does your future hold for your family and career?  First time home buyers who are focused on their career and do not have loads of time to spend pulling weeds would benefit greatly from having the association do it for you.  How long before you consider having a family and how many children do you want.  Condos and town homes make a great starting point, but keep in mind the storage is usually somewhat limited!
4. What is my budget?  Because you are responsible for more land, and building (exterior) with a single family home you can sometimes be hit with added expenses that were not in your budget.  Owning a townhouse or condo can eliminate some of that worry.  On another note:  it is important to consider the age of the condo or town home when you purchase, if it is over 15 years old consider the fact that the association may be replacing the roof in the next few years, or maybe repaving the parking lot - when they do they can add a special assessment to your condo or town home.  Sometimes it is in a lump sum or payments over a period of years.
5. Do I want a pool?   If you like to enjoy the pool but don't like to maintenance than an association is great!  But keep in mind you may never have it to yourself!

There are many, many more questions to consider but I hope that these have sparked some thought on the subject.

Here are a few condo and town home associations in Gloucester County to consider:

Emerson Green - Clayton, NJ

Liberty Place - Deptford, NJ

Washington Crossings - Deptford, NJ  (new construction still available)

Rittenhouse Square - Deptford, NJ

Knightsbridge - Deptford, NJ

Country Creek West - W Deptford, NJ

Grande at Kingswood - W Deptford, NJ

Pelican Place - W Deptford, NJ  (55+ development)

Riverwinds - W Deptford, NJ  (55+ development)

Stones Throw - W Deptford, NJ

St. Regis Walk - W Deptford, NJ

Grande at Kingswood - W Deptford, NJ

Greenwich Crossing - E Greenwich Twp, NJ (new construction still available)

Oakridge - E Greenwich Twp, NJ

Doubletree - Glassboro, NJ

Hidden Creek - Glassboro, NJ

Meadows - Glassboro, NJ

Olde Orchard - Glassboro, NJ

Summit Square - Glassboro, NJ

High Pointe - Harrison Twp, NJ

Twelve Oaks - Harrison Twp, NJ

Walnut Glen - Harrison Twp, NJ

Royal Oaks - Mantua, NJ

Timbercrest - Mantua, NJ

Country Crossing - Logan Twp, NJ

Village Of Berkley - Mantua, NJ

Villages of Mantua - Mantua, NJ

Canterbury Mews - Sewell, NJ

Hunt Club - Sewell, NJ

Fries Mill Estates - Sewell, NJ

Liberty Forge - Turnersville, NJ

Meadows - Sewell, NJ

Parke Place - Sewell, NJ  (55+ development)

Peachtree - Sewell, NJ

Severan - Sewell, NJ

Washington Way - Sewell, NJ

The Clusters - Turnersville, NJ

Sawyers Creek, Sewell, NJ

Birches, Sewell, NJ

Amberleigh at the Arbours - Williamstown, NJ (new construstion still available)

Spring Ridge - Sweedsboro, NJ (new construction still available)

Wenonah Woods - Wenonah, NJ

Blue Bell Farms - Williamstown, NJ

Brandywine Village - Williamstown, NJ

Fox Hollow & Fox Hollow West, Williamstown, NJ

 

Wow!  You have a lot to think about! 

For more information about any of these developments, feel free to stop by my website at

http://bridgetcella.weichertagentpages.com/

or call me anytime at 609-352-1667!

I know you have seen the signs around your town, on tv and all over the internet! So who are these guys and how do they do it?

I ran a Google search for "Ugly Homes" to see what I would pull up, I was surprised to see how many sites have these key words:

Wow! 521,000

So my question to you is have you or anyone you know used a company like this and,

if so what was your experience?

Did they give you your price?

Did they make arrangments for closing, getting payoffs etc?

Did they complete and inspections (termite, radon, well, septic, home inspections?

How quick did they close?

I look forward to your responses!

 

Wishing everyone a great Easter Holiday!

Take this time to reflect on what the year has brought you. 

You may have received something you always wanted, be thankful!

Maybe a friend you haven't seen in a while contacted you, be thankful!

Those favorite pant sin the bottom of your drawer are fitting you again, be thankful!

Maybe your husband or wife surprised you with some flowers or chocolate, be thankful!

The sun was shining today and you could feel the wind blowing on your face, be thankful!

By now you are getting the idea, be thankful for everything you have,

for everyone you know for just being you!

Your happiness is in your perception! 

You may not have control over what happens to you but you can control how you respond to it!

 

So you want to sell your home, but you are not sure if you can do it yourself.

Here are a few questions that you need to ask yourself, then you be the judge:

1. Am I educated about the inventory of homes in my neighborhood, so that I can price my home correctly?
2. Can I properly advertise my home to over 32,000 Realtors and 100,000's of potential buyers?
3. Do I know a sign maker, what should I put on my sign?
4. When can I be available for showing my property? How many calls should I expect a day, week, month?
5. When someone comes through my house, how do I know they are qualified to buy it? Do they have a pre-qualification letter?
6. If they want to buy it and we can agree on a price (my price) I will need to have them sign a contract. Where will I get it? Should I use a lawyer? What is the going rate for that?
7. When should I expect them to be able to settle on the home, 1 month, 3 months?
8. Ok, so they signed the contract, now what do I do (besides pack)?
9. They want to have a home inspection, what does that mean? What am I expected to do if they find any deficiencies? How much is that going to cost?
10. What is a Certificate of Occupancy, ad why do I need it?
11. How do I get the money to my mortgage company after we settle to pay off my mortgage?
12. Do I prepare the Deed or do they?
13. Do I know where I am going once my house is sold?

Ok, so if you were not sure how to answer even 1 of these questions, YOU NEED A REALTOR!

These, very basic, 13+ questions have simply touched on the many steps that are taken to get a property sold in today's market or any other for that matter.

With the abundance of homes on the market today, you need as much exposure as possible. Unless you have an extra large budget for marketing your home, in newspapers, online, to each individual Real Estate office, each Realtor, and every person who is searching for a home not to mention spend hours and hours doing it, YOU NEED A REALTOR!

BUT, if you would like to try it on your own first, I would love to help you out! Invite me in to give you some tips on how we do it. After all it's free of charge!

Need a Comparative Market Analysis of your home? Call me!

Need an Open House sign in sheet? (You will be holding open houses, right?) Call me!

I would love to help you out, keep in mind though that homes sold by a Realtor, sell at an average of 16% more than homes sold by owner!

So, when you are ready to make a move, I am ready to help!