This is just a quick "advice" post as I have come in contact with many folks this week who could not afford their mortgage, or moved out of their house and signed a long term lease with a tenant for less than what they pay on their mortgage.
For example:
Your mortgage is $2000 per month....you had to move because of your job, or because you wanted to downsize to an apartment, and then you rent out your home for $1400, leaving a monthly deficit of $600.
If you are going to do this, PLEASE do a careful budgeting session as a family to make sure you can comfortably afford this shortfall. If this $600 is going to make you struggle, it may be better to discuss a loan modification or even do a short sale if your home is worth less than what you owe. I have seen some people get really stuck here, when they finally realize they want to do a short sale, and they now have a tenant locked into a 12 month lease and the tenant will not cooperate with showings, nor moving out early. Just make sure you can afford to still pay the loan. If you can't, lets see if there is a better option for you than renting to help you.
If you have already rented it out, and are in financial trouble because of it, CALL US. I can share the options with you, and we have a strong team of professionals incuding lawyers, financial advisors and accountants, who can help you execute whatever option you deem is best for your situation.
Sean Carroll - Realtor, Associate
Are you a homeowner that like so many people is struggling to pay your mortgage? Has your payment adjusted to a higher amount? Have you lost your job and your income? Are you advancing on credit cards to just make ends meet?? Don't give up!! If you want some guidance on what your options are regarding your home, please contact us first before just walking away or giving up hope.
We are Certified Distressed Property Experts, and specialize in helping homeowners like you learn alternatives to foreclosure that may be a good fit for you and your family. We will not judge you, we will not pressure you, we WILL come to help you learn about your options.
Check out our website on this topic:
Sean Carroll - Realtor-Associate
We are now a few weeks into the new year, and already I can sense how wonderful it is going to be! With the constant bombardment of poor economic news, employment data, and real estate negativity, it would be VERY easy for me to just sit in my office with my head in my hands staring at a computer screen saying whoa is me...real estate is awful, I can't...I can't I can't.... Believe me, there are days I wake up where going to work can be difficult, but I am sure that is no different for any of us, regardless of our profession.
What I have learned in 2008, is that tough times make us stronger. I have learned that through pain, comes growth, and through experience, I can help not only myself, but help someone else get through what I went through. This year in 2009, I have made a commitment to myself to constantly ask myself the question "How can I be helpful". This attitude stands the test of any situation, and if I find myself not being motivated, I need to ask myself if I can help someone by stepping out of my comfort zone and walking through the difficulty. I also gain tremendous strength and a sense of purpose and passion watching a colleague, family member, or a client go through something difficult and come out the other side successful as a result of something I may have shared with them.
So, this year, I am committing to being excellent, through serving first and letting the sales take care of themselves. I have found that if I do the next right thing, then God seems to give me exactly what I need, and the business takes care of itself.
What are you committed to in 2009???
Thanks for reading!
Sean Carroll
On behalf of my entire team, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your business, your referrals, your visits to our websites, your calls and emails, and everything else you've done this year to help us build our business, and make 2008 a fantastic year for Team Carroll. You are the lifeblood of our business, and we are honored to serve you.
During this special time of year, I realize many of you and many people in our area are struggling with tough economic times, unemployment, and uncertainty about what 2009 holds for your family. I share your uncertainty, as I don't have a crystal ball
What I AM certain about however, is that I am very grateful for the things I do have, including my home, my family, my business, and you, my clients and friends. Despite one of the toughest years in residential real estate, with your help, Team Carroll helped more families this year than ever before, and we are more committed than ever to our daily goal of positively impacting the lives of everyone we come in contact with.
If you know someone struggling with a house payment, an "upside down mortgage" or a potential foreclosure, I sincerely hope you will refer them to us so we can help them with their situation. Our Distressed Property Expert Certification gives us the training and experience to do our part to help people you know to get through those times knowing the options for their home and their mortgage. Our homeowner help site is a great place to start for these homeowners.
If you are in the market to buy a home in 2009, you have a terrific opportunity in front of you to purchase a home in a great area for a great price. Real Estate prices have eased in our area bringing more houses nto a price range where qualified buyers can act, and get a great deal. I am confident that a home purchase in 2009 will be a solid long term financial decision. Let us help you find the right home and the right value for you.
Once again, thank you for all that you do, and I wish you and your family a Happy Holiday season, and a joyous, safe New Year.
This weekend, the Cranford, NJ based Celebration Singers will be performing their annual Winter Concert at the Harvest Training Center on Myrtle Avenue in Cranford, NJ. The concert begins at 8:15 P.M. and tickets are $15 for adults, and $10 for seniors and children. The program features the adult choir and children's choir, as well as a combined number at the end of the program. Come get into the holiday spirit and see your favorite Realtor (me) on stage performing with the group.
For more information, contact me, or logon to the website below.
Thanks for reading.
Sean Carroll
RE/MAX Classic Group
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Team Carroll - We specialize in Cranford, Westfield NJ and surrounding areas as THE local experts on the Cranford and Westfield NJ Real Estate Market. Certified Distressed Property Experts (CDPE)
As a resident of Westfield, NJ, I pride myself on being the local specialist for my neighbors, friends, and new clients in the Cranford, Westfield, Scotch Plains Area. I am a former public school teacher in the Union County area, and the skills I gained as a teacher help me tremendously as a Real Estate Agent.
I believe in providing my clients with as much information as possible. Whether through e-mail searches, online market analyses, or searching the MLS through my website, I believe it is important to give my customers the type of service I would expect from a real estate agent.
I always want to treat people with kindness, courtesy, and respect. By selecting me as your Realtor, I am confident that you will feel as if your needs are my number one priority.
Visit my homepage at http://www.TeamCarrollNJ.com to view properties, and other great free services that I provide for my clients.
If you are looking for a home in Berkeley Heights, Cranford, or surrounding areas, you can receive automatic real estate listing updates by e-mail by logging onto http://www.NjAreaRealEstate.com
Free Comparative Market Analysis by e-mail at: http://www.UnionCountyHomePricing.com
Selling your home in Cranford, NJ? Logon to http://www.Cranfordhomesellers.com for helpful tips to prepare your home for sale.
Sean is a Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE). We are passionate about helping homeowners AVOID the devastating consequences of foreclosure.
What Is a CDPE?
The Developers of the Certified Distressed Property Expert Designation (CDPE) believe that in almost all cases the best person for a homeowner in distress to speak with is a well informed Licensed Realtor® that has the tools needed to help that homeowner find the best solution for their situation.
Foreclosure is a devastating financial and emotional process for a homeowner to go through, and in many cases they do so alone and without help of any kind.
An Agent who has earned the CDPE Designation has dedicated their time and effort to understanding the issues distressed homeowners are dealing with. The CDPE Professional is an agent who understands the full range of solutions and is ready to help.
While experiencing financial distress is difficult for any family, the process of finding a real estate professional shouldn't be, Selecting a CDPE agent ensures you are dealing with a professional ready to address your needs.
What Makes Team Carroll the Best Choice for You?
Realtor Code of Ethics
Call Sean Carroll today for all of your real estate needs for Cranford, Westfield, Scotch Plains NJ and surrounding areas.
We just wanted to extend our sincere gratitude to you for all of your efforts and hard work that went into finding us our first home. You were relentless and never lost hope that we would find the right place, even when we thought it was just not meant to be. We cannot thank you enough for all of your support and willingness to be there throughout the entire arduous process. All things considered, we believe that it was you that made it a positive experience for us in the end. We just want you to know that you will be the first person we think of to recommend if any of our friends/family need a realtor! And of course, it goes without saying that we plan to use you for any of our future real estate endeavors. - Erin and Vincent B - Hillsborough, NJ
Keith and I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your outstanding support! Throughout the entire house-buying process we have been impressed with your thoroughness, kindness, honesty, knowledge and willingness to go the extra mile on our behalf.
You offered us an objective viewpoint on each house we toured, thereby helping us with our decisions. Furthermore, we were consistently impressed by your willingness to research our questions and concerns without hesitation.
Your generosity didn't stop there, you also took it upon yourself to take and send us digital pictures of homes we were interested in when we could not make it into town.
We really appreciated how comfortable you made us feel during the whole process. You were expedient in returning our calls, searching for properties, and setting up tours.
In finalizing all the detailed work involved in closing the deal and completing the contracts, you were very helpful and were on top of all closing requirements.
It has truly been a pleasure working with you and we can not thank you enough for all of your effort and hard work.
We will recommend you to anyone looking for a highly effective and reliable real estate
agent. Please do not hesitate to use Keith and me as a reference; we can be contacted anytime!
Best Regards, Keith and Yvonne - Red Bank, NJ
We had seen almost 60 houses when we found Sean. He introduced us to Cranford and showed us all the houses we wanted to see. He was patient, kid friendly and worked diligently for us right up to and after the closing. We still keep in touch with Sean and he is still answering questions and supplying us with info a new home owner needs. - Amy and Rich I. - Cranford, NJ
Just want to wish you a Happy New Year and to tell you how much I appreciate receiving the information you send. You are hardworking and industrious and I hope your earnings reflect this. If I were a business owner, I would like to have only people like you working for me. - Carol G in Summit NJ
You were definitely worth every penny! You really understood me, and what I needed, and I could have never sold my home without you! - Sherry R. in Berkeley Heights, NJ
I would like to express my gratitude and my wife's for all your efforts and patience in helping us along in the process of finding a house that met our needs. Your performance as negotiator was admirable, thereby bringing the other side to accept our offer, not once but twice.
Your opinions and knowledge of the real estate business contributed in grand measure to make the whole process a smooth and palatable experience.
It was pleasant to always find you available with timely communication and updates either by phone or
e-mail. We would certainly recommend you to our friends as the
best buying negotiator and agent that we know.
Best regards,
Jaime and Dennys R. - Rahway, NJ
My husband and I were in the market for a new house so I decided to do some research on line. We had used the same realtor on previous occasions but I felt we needed someone with a bit more enthusiasm for the job. I was surfing the internet when I came across Sean Carroll's advertisement and decided to give him a call.
I was not expecting anything as I am the type of person that prefers to have a recommendation before hiring someone. Not only did Sean promptly return my call but he quickly arranged to meet my husband and me at our house to discuss every aspect of the buying and selling process. Sean stayed for over two hours, answering every question that we had. He never once indicated that we were taking up too much of his time. To the contrary, he made sure that every query we had was answered to our satisfaction before he left. My husband and I decided there and then to hire him as our realtor and it was one of the best decisions we made.
Not only is Sean extremely efficient, he is very enthusiastic about his job, reliable, honest and trustworthy. He never once showed us a home that was out of our budget or out of our desired target area to live. He knew exactly what we wanted and didn't stop looking until he found it. Even when things got a little tense with the sellers of our new home, he was there to smooth things over and to ensure that not only were we happy but the seller also.
In the end the transition from our previous home to our dream home was very smooth and that is all thanks to Sean. In fact at the closing the seller's attorney commented that we had an excellent realtor. He said usually in these situations realtors and attorneys do not get on but that Sean was the exception. He truly went above and beyond what we came to expect from a realtor. I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Sean Carroll as a realtor.
Carmel Broderick & Mark McAvey - Cranford, NJ
You are an excellent example to follow in business. You follow up is commendable. You attention to your customer and every detail of the transaction is flawless. Working with you motivates me in my business. I would feel totally confident recommending you to my clients, associates and friends. Well done!
Melanie R. - Scotch Plains, NJ
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