Bergen County Realtor, Sal Poliandro, CDPE, SRES, ePRO, Short Sale Specialist

A friend of mine, emailed me a link to this video. It is well worth watching. You may need a tissue. This is a story of the heart of America. People from a small town pouring out love on folks who seem undeserving of it. I love football and I love these folks in Texas. As Americans, we need to stop complaining and get out there and support our fellow man. Watch the video, you will be inspired.

Get Educated. Get Empowered. For more information on this or any other topic, call Sal Poliandro, Realtor, Marketing Advisor, Short Sale Specialist ePRO, SRES at 201-259-2187, visit our websites: www.SalAndDawn.com or www.shortsaleguy.org Sal can be reached by snail mail at RE/MAX Properties 73 East Allendale Road Saddle River, NJ 07458

This home is in Wyckoff, NJ located in Northwest Bergen County. This property was listed in March of 2006 for $955,500. It may have been overpriced for the time, however, it wasn't 50% overpriced. This home is on the market for $470,900 that is less than 50 cents on the dollar than what it was listed for just 3 years ago. The real estate market in Wyckoff has retreated in the last three years. But not 50%!!!! 5 bedrooms, 3 full baths, this is a lot of house. Not to mention that Wyckoff is a blue ribbon school district.

Three years ago, this could have been a short sale and perhaps the foreclosure could have been avoided. Here is a virtual tour for you to see what the home looks like today.

Get Educated. Get Empowered. For more information on this or any other topic, call Sal Poliandro, Realtor, Marketing Advisor, Short Sale Specialist ePRO, SRES at 201-259-2187, visit our websites: www.SalAndDawn.com or www.shortsaleguy.org Sal can be reached by snail mail at RE/MAX Properties 73 East Allendale Road Saddle River, NJ 07458

This is a painful situation to be in. This is the face of foreclosure. Don't let this happen to you. I got teary watching this. People say to me, "We'll just walk away and let them foreclose". Imagine your children as they are changing the locks and putting you out of your home. This is not a dignified way of giving possession of your home to someone else. Look at the pain in Julios face. The people never had the intention of not being able to afford their homes. They are good people, just like you and me that have come upon hard times. There are people to help you. We are here to help you. If you are having difficulty making payments or think you will have difficulty in the future, don't wait. Be proactive and look at the options you have. You do have options. I really feel bad for this fellow.

Get Educated. Get Empowered. For more information on this or any other topic, call Sal Poliandro, Realtor, Marketing Advisor, Short Sale Specialist ePRO, SRES at 201-259-2187, visit our websites: www.SalAndDawn.com or www.shortsaleguy.org Sal can be reached by snail mail at RE/MAX Properties 73 East Allendale Road Saddle River, NJ 07458

What is wrong with everybody? Has all common sense left the people of this country? We are clearly in the middle of the Perfect Storm for bad news. Economy is in a recession, housing prices won’t stop falling, people are losing their jobs and most importantly people are afraid to spend money.

Now that the election and inauguration are over, let’s get back to business. I can sit here at my computer and quote statistics. Is that really what we need? What we need is someone to speak the truth (in love). There are talks of the economic stimulus package. People are all fired up about giving money to the big three car makers, the banks, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, where does it end? The problem is that these are all short term fixes for long term challenges. The U.S. government will be in debt for over $1.2 trillion dollars for fiscal 2009. As bad as that sounds, the individual family is the one I am concerned about. Believe it or not, most folks have credit card debt, mortgages and home equity lines of credit (not to mention a car or lease payment). We have become a nation living on what we have been able to borrow over the last ten years.

Through this last wave of the housing boom, some people made a lot of money. It was not uncommon to see 10-20% increases per year in the value of homes. People were using their homes as an ATM. I spoke with a man who had refinanced his home four times in a 2 year period. He had originally paid around $250,000 for his home. By the time he was done refinancing for the fourth time, he owed over $450,000. Prices were increasing and he was using his home as an additional source of income. There are many stories just like this. The banks were giving money away like candy. Unfortunately most of us didn’t have the capacity to say no.

People are talking that this recession is really like the Great Depression. Something to remember about the Great Depression is that right before it we had the Roaring 20s a time of great speculation and wealth. Does anyone remember what preceded this current “crash”? I remember in the late 1990s when people were speculating on Technology stocks. In March of 2001, that “bubble burst”. People had lost money in the stock market and their 401k accounts. They took their money out of the stock market and started investing in Real Estate. When prices are increasing most people are happy. The Real Estate industry as a whole is making money. The real problem that we faced is that in our hearts, some people believed that Real Estate would never stop increasing. What we have now is a cyclical shaking out of the past 6 years.

I specialize in Short Sales and Foreclosures, two things that most homeowners don’t want to talk about. Unfortunately I come in contact with people everyday who are underwater. Meaning, the value of their home is less than what they owe. Who is helping that person if they can’t make their payments? Some folks believe that they can keep borrowing and eventually get caught up. What ends up happening is that they can go for a time (as long as they have access to credit). Once the credit lines have been exhausted they have to face a stark reality that perhaps this isn’t going to work out. Some people will tell me that they are going to hang on until the market comes back. I wonder if any of those people are still holding on to intel (it was at over $70 a share in 2001 – it is listed around $14 a share 8 years later). The reality of our Real Estate market is that we need to move this inventory. If people can’t afford their homes, they should sell them! It is possible to sell your home for less than what you owe and be able to start the next chapter in your life. Find someone who has been helping these families. Have a phone conversation. Do something! Being proactive will help you keep your dignity. Don’t sit still and wait for something bad to happen.

Get Educated. Get Empowered.

For more information on this or any other topic, call Sal Poliandro, Realtor, Marketing Advisor,

Short Sale Specialist ePRO, SRES at 201-259-2187,

visit our websites: www.SalAndDawn.com or www.shortsaleguy.org

Sal can be reached by snail mail at RE/MAX Properties 73 East Allendale Road Saddle River, NJ 07458

There are many private High Schools in North New Jersey. How does someone from out of the area come to a decision? Online research is a great place to start.

Here are some search terms to get you started

Private secondary schools in New Jersey

Christian Schools in NJ

Christian School NJ

Private Schools in New Jersey

Private High Schools in North New Jersey

Private Christian Schools in Bergen County NJ

Private Christian Schools in Passaic County NJ

or Christian Schools in Northern New Jersey

Let me tell you a little bit about Eastern Christian. Eastern Christian is a Private Christian school in Bergen County New Jersey. The elementary school campus is located in Midland Park, NJ. The middle school is located in Wyckoff, NJ a family friendly town with a great sense of community. The High School is a Private Christian school located in Passaic County NJ in North Haledon.

At the top of the home bulletin that goes home every week is this saying

ENGAGING THE MIND, NURTURING THE SPIRIT, TRANSFORMING THE WORLD!

Eastern Christian is a very special place. The sense of community is world class. Once you step inside and see what is going on there, you will be hooked.