Catherine "Cathy" Chaudemanche Team - Central Jersey Homes

You need to protect your Metuchen home during cold weather. Frozen pipes can burst and cause water damage that is very expensive to repair. Here are a few things to think about before the cold weather harms your property.

Locate Your Pipes
If your pipes are located next to an outside wall, you'll need to inspect that wall for cracks and other damage. To keep the cold air away from your pipes, thoroughly caulk all the damaged areas.

Protect Your Pipes
The best way to protect your pipes from freezing and bursting is to insulate the walls where the pipes are located. If that's too expensive, you can buy pipe jackets to cover the pipes. Pipe jackets can be made of plastic foam, wool felt, or fiberglass. They have a lengthwise split down the middle to make them easy to install.

If the area is too small for a pipe jacket, heat tape is a good alternative. Heat tape is applied to the pipe and then plugged into an electrical outlet. It can keep the entire length of the pipe warm, and can be used on faucets and valves as well.

If your Metuchen home has pipes that are inside cabinets, it's a good idea to open the cabinet doors to keep warm air circulating around the pipes.

When the weather is really cold, you can turn the water faucets on just slightly so water drips out. The open tap decreases the amount of air pressure that can build up when water freezes, and reduces the risk of your pipes bursting.

Drain Your Pipes
If you're planning on taking an extended trip during the cold weather season, or if you have a vacation home you don't visit often in the winter, you should drain the water system. Just shut off the main valve, and turn on all the water faucets until the water stops running. When that's done, leave one hot water faucet and one cold-water faucet open. Pour a little RV antifreeze into each drain and the toilet, and your Metuchen home is ready for the cold weather.

Need help understanding mortgage and real estate terms? Subscribe to my blog today! Or Bookmark my main Blog Here. You'll get money saving home maintenance tips and local real estate tips/info/statistics 3 to 4 times a week.

Cathy Chaudemanche
Realtor Associate/Keller Williams Realty
Metuchen, NJ
Servicing Home Buyers and Sellers in Middlesex County, NJ
http://www.YourHouseFast.com

Any Metuchen (New Jersey) real estate agent will tell you that it's harder to sell your home in the winter. The days are colder and shorter, leaving less time to show your home to potential buyers.

The good news is that most of the buyers who are looking at houses in the winter aren't just killing time. They're serious enough about finding their new home to go house hunting at a time that most people would rather stay inside.

There are a few things you can do to make a good impression on home buyers this winter:

· Make sure all walkways are safe. Spread out ice melt or sand to provide traction during snowy weather. Shoveling the snow on the driveway and sidewalks will make your Metuchen property appear more inviting and well maintained. Be sure to place a mat for visitors to wipe their feet on.

· Warm up the house. Buyers will remember the house that was pleasantly warm on a frigid day. In addition, you will be able to demonstrate to potential home buyers that your furnace is in good working order.

· For a welcoming scent, bake cookies the day of the showing. Some people are sensitive to the fragrances in air freshener's and perfumes, so skip spraying those when expecting someone to look at your house.

· Serve snacks in the kitchen. Give the buyer a reason to linger in your home by leaving a light snack in the kitchen. If the weather is cold, consider providing chili or soup in a crockpot to keep it warm with festive disposable bowls. Or, to keep it simple, you can provide coffee or hot chocolate and cookies. Be sure to talk with your Metuchen real estate agent before leaving these snacks so he or she knows they're for the potential home buyers.

· Make your house appear warm and inviting. Turn all the lights in the house on; place warm-toned throws and decorator pillows around the living room. Put on some soothing classical or jazz music; keep the volume low enough that buyers can talk quietly to each other.

You can make your home seem more inviting this winter by using these proven techniques.


Need help understanding mortgage and real estate terms? Subscribe to my blog today! Or Bookmark my main Blog Here. You'll get money saving home maintenance tips and local real estate tips/info/statistics 3 to 4 times a week.

Cathy Chaudemanche
Realtor Associate/Keller Williams Realty
Metuchen, NJ
Servicing Home Buyers and Sellers in Middlesex County, NJ
http://www.YourHouseFast.com

January 2009 / Middlesex County- New Jersey.

The following homes statistics are for one family residential only. They do not include multi-family or condo/townhouse or Co-Op etc...

Statistics and in-depth commentaries are now available for the month of January in the "Members only" section. Active Rain visitors do not have to subscribe and may go directly to the "Members Only" page by clicking here.

For Middlesex County, in January 2009, the active inventory (homes for sales; not including "under attorney reviews") has slightly increased about 3% compare to December 2008 but has been following a multi month's long downtrend. Whether or not we are seeing a trend reversal, we will have to wait next month to say. The number of new homes listed in January has drastically increased(83%) compare to new homes listed in December. Last December saw an increase in sold homes due mostly to Nov/Dec price correction. However year to year we are still 20% lower for homes listed last month. The monitoring of active inventory/days of inventory is very important as we would want to see a decrease in overall property supply.

Sold homes has decreased from December (-31.2%). In Middlesex county and most of the North East states there is a seasonal effect in the real estate industry. Typically there is a slowdown from September to March/April.

It is interesting to see that both the median sold price and average sold price went up (+4.7% and +6.7% respectively) in January.

Sold price/asking price ratio also increased back to 95.00%. Basically it means that in average sellers have closed deals 5% below their asking price (2008 average).

Days on market decreased about 6% versus last December, down to 80 days, meaning it takes less than 3 months in average to go under contract.. Note that there is usually a correlation between DOM and sold price. Meaning they usually move in the opposite direction. This is more obvious when charting with longer time frame. Also we have to be cautious with this indicator as it is not a cumulative DOM. This is a good example of the better value of looking at those statistics, which is more in the trend analysis than in a number at a specific given time.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is still at historical lows. There is still enough supply for buyers to choose from and be able to find their dream homes. We have switched our Middlesex County Real Estate barometer from "Buyer's Market" to "Strong Buyer's Market" last November. Variables for that decision was...Read More


Cathy Chaudemanche-

Note: This statistical representation is based in part or in whole on data supplied by the Middlesex county Multiple Listing Systems. Middlesex County MLS does not guarantee nor is in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by Middlesex MLS may not reflect all real estate activity in the market. Our calculation are deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Middlesex County MLS include the following cities and zip codes:

Carteret, Cranbury , Dunellen, East Brunswick, Edison, Helmetta, Highland Park, Jamesburg, Metuchen, Middlesex, Milltown, Monroe, New Brunswick, North Brunswick, Old Bridge, Perth Amboy, Piscataway, Plainsboro, Sayreville, South Amboy, South Brunswick, South Plainfield, South River, Spotswood, Woodbridge, Avenel, Colonia, Fords, Hopelawn, Iselin, Keasbey, Sewaren, others...

07008, 08512, 08812, 08816, 08817, 08818, 08820, 08837, 08899, 08828, 08904, 08831, 08840, 08846, 08850, 08831, 08901, 08903, 08905, 08906, 08922, 08933, 08988, 08989

, 08902, 08857, 08861, 08862, 08854, 08855, 08536, 08871, 08872, 08879, 08810, 07080, 08882, 08884, 07095, 07001, 07067, 08863, 08861, 08830, 08832, 07077

You've decided to put your Piscataway - New Jersey home up for sale. Now, how are you going to make the most money selling it and get it sold the fastest? Perhaps you should consider providing owner financing, also known as seller financing.

Why Isn't The Buyer Getting Bank Financing?
Usually a buyer gets bank financing when buying a home. If the buyer approaches you with a deal that involve you doing the financing, you'll want to ask why. It could be that they can't afford a big down payment, and can't be approved for a loan without it. Or, they may not be able to get financing at all, due to no credit or bad credit.

In that case, you'll want to evaluate if you can afford the risk. Can you make the monthly mortgage payment in the event they default? If you determine that the deal isn't too risky, you can finance the home yourself for a greater profit. But, there are some instances when you won't be able to owner finance your Piscataway home for sale.

When Can't I Owner Finance My Home?
You may not know that in order to finance your home yourself, you have to be able to pay off your current mortgage in full prior to making the sale. If you can't afford to make the full payment, you won't be able to owner finance the property.

If you already own the house outright, you'll be able to finance the property. You may decide to owner finance part of the sale price for a higher interest rate. This would be an ideal situation for a buyer who can qualify for a bank loan for most of the sale price, but is unable to be approved for a higher loan amount to get the rest.

After a year of making payments to the bank, the buyer may be able to finance the remaining amount, and then you'll receive a lump sum for that amount.

What Else Do I Need to Know?
There are a lot of things to take into consideration before deciding if owner financing is right for you. Be sure to do your homework and understand the benefits and risks of owner financing. It is also wise to consult with a real estate lawyer and a professional real estate agent.

Like what you read? Subscribe (RSS) to my blog today! Or Bookmark my main Blog Here. You'll get money saving home maintenance tips and local real estate tips/info/statistics 3 to 4 times a week.

Cathy Chaudemanche
Realtor Associate/Keller Williams Realty
Metuchen, NJ
Servicing Home Buyers and Sellers in Middlesex County, NJ
http://www.YourHouseFast.com

You may have heard of points when looking for Woodbridge real estate. Maybe your loan officer told you that you can trade points for a better interest rate. That sounds good, but just what are points? Let me give you a better idea of just what points are and how they work.

What Are Points?
Points, more specifically discount points, are a percentage of the total loan amount for the house that is pre-paid to the lender. Each point is worth one percent. Your lender may offer a lower interest rate for your mortgage loan if you buy discount points.

What do Discount Points Cost?
The cost of each point is equal to one percent of the loan amount. For instance, for a $200,000 loan one discount point equals $2,000.

For example, you are trying to buy Woodbridge real estate worth $200,000. The lender may tell you that if you buy 2 points at $2,000 each, you'll get an interest rate two percent better.

Should I Buy Discount Points?
Some lenders will allow you to purchase discount points to be approved for the loan. By buying a discount point, you'll get a lower interest rate. This can reduce your monthly payments, which could put your credit to debt ratio in the right range.

You have to know how long you'll live in the house or you could lose money purchasing the discount points. If you sell or refinance before you reach the break even point, you'll wind up with a net loss. Use an online mortgage point calculator to help you determine if buying discount points is a money saving proposition for you.

Points may be a good way for you to save money on your Woodbridge real estate if you plan to stay in your home for a long time. Want one more benefit? Discount points are tax deductible in the year in which they're paid.

Need help understanding mortgage and real estate terms? Subscribe (RSS) to my blog today! Or Bookmark my main Blog Here. You'll get money saving home maintenance tips and local real estate tips/info/statistics 3 to 4 times a week.

Cathy Chaudemanche
Realtor Associate/Keller Williams Realty
Metuchen, NJ
Servicing Home Buyers and Sellers in Middlesex County, NJ
http://www.YourHouseFast.com
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