Maplewood, NJ

Just pack your bags and move right in! this home has it all!!

Incredible value at this price!!!!

Modern Kitchen Equipped with SS app & Granite Countertops

Exterior View

Front View

GREAT RENTAL PROPERTY IN MAPLEWOOD NJ

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!

Enjoy the benefits of Maplewood Living in this lovely space that is move in
ready. Enjoy a cozy 2 Bedrooms, 1 bath, formal Dining room and nice size kitchen
in this Orchard rd Rental. This unit comes with an assigned garage parking spot,
Jitney bus just steps away from the front door & Heat is also included in
the rental price, this is a MUST see!

I have some

...

The Bad News: I had a buyer who placed an offer on a property not too long but unfortunately they were just a little too late as another buyer had beat them to it.

The Good News: The deal fell through!!! so my buyers are back in the drivers seat towards buying their Dream Home...

Here's the kicker, the seller of the property accepted our offer and the agent stated that we did not need to do a home inspection because the last buyer had completed one already. I explained to my buyer that not all home inspectors are created equal and you should still get your own done. We did request that they send us the report so we could review and compare to ours...Luckily we did because after reviewing the previous report we found that the home inspector did not catch anything that our inspector did which were some pretty big items (beam that needed to be re-supported, old knob and tube wiring and lets not forget the stairs in the rear that need to be completed destroyed and rebuilt) talk about dodging a bullet...The question is how did the inspector miss that? My clients inspector said it would of cost her thousands to repair the damages that were missed in the previous report. We ended up getting a credit and now we are moving forward in the deal. Thank God we opted for another report! Its important to remember that not all inspectors are thorough and some quite frankly just don't care; so you should choose an inspector much like you choose your Real Estate Agent, Loan Officer and Attorney; and that's with much thought, research and consideration.

The moral of the story is; ALWAYS GET A HOME INSPECTION; and if there is a previous inspection report in place; either get a second opinion or get your own inspector in there to complete a whole new report. Sometimes having a second pair of eyes can be the difference in buying your dream home or a real

I know we are all looking to save where we can but don't try to save $400.00 on a new home inspection now only to end up costing you thousands more down the line.

If you are from New Jersey I am sure you have notices that the Mosquito activity has seemed excessive over the past few weeks.  I thought it was just me when I was out on Friday showing houses to a client and each time we approached the front door we were hit with a swarm of Mosquitoes.

This continued all weekend long as I took my Dog Bella for a walk; it seems like everywhere I turn there is more and more annoying and possibly deadly Mosquitoes.

The state departments of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Health  and Senior Services (DHSS) are urging state residents to take precautions to  protect themselves from mosquito-borne West Nile virus by taking some  simple steps to reduce populations of the insect on their own  properties.

Concerns are  elevated this year because many areas of the state are still wet as a  result of excessive rainfall, severe flooding (Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee) and higher than normal temperatures at the moment as summer comes to an end. Wet areas serve as breeding  grounds for mosquitoes and home owners are advised to take some precautions in hopes of limiting exposure.

Trust me I am not any kind of insect expert; but here are some things that you can try to help yourself and your family avoid these annoying and potentially dangerous insects.

• Buy insect repellent and use to protect areas of the body that have the most exposure.
• Limit Outdoor Exposure (if possible)
• Wear Protective Clothing
• Try non toxic chemical treatment Garlic Mosquito Barrier (I hear it's pretty good) it's a very strong liquid garlic made from very potent garlic
  cloves.
• If outdoors for a longer period of time try to utilize those smoke repellents; some say they help limit the amount of Mosquitoes that swarm the area.
• Try Bounce Fabric Softener Sheets, from what I hear if you wipe and go it does serve as a repellent to Mosquitoes.
• Remove still water from garbage can lids or flower pots.
• Clean clogged roof gutters; because leaves from surrounding trees have a tendency to plug up the drains and often time gets overlooked but can produce millions of  mosquitoes each season.
• Clean and chlorinate swimming pools that are not being  used. Be aware  mosquitoes may even breed in the water that collects on top of pool covers.

Those are just some ideas to help deal with this problem; from what I read the Mosquito problem should be around till mid October so these precautions are not just for today or tomorrow but for weeks ahead. I also found these numbers if anyone feels that there problem is a little more severe than usual.

If you have problems controlling mosquitoes, contact your county mosquito control agency by calling 888-666-5968.

For more DEP information visit: www.nj.gov/dep/mosquito
Visit the State Department of Health and Senior Services: www.state.nj.us/health/cd/westnile

The short answer....YES, WITH A TOUCH OF NO

KEEPING IN MIND THAT A SHORT SALE APPROVAL IS GENERALLY BASED ON A BUYER WITH A SPECIFIC NUMBER FOR A PERIOD OF TIME; SO IF THE DEAL DIES THEN PREPARE YOURSELF FOR ANOTHER JOURNEY AHEAD. AT OUR OFFICE WE PRACTICE THE 3 R'S WHICH IS TO REDUCE TILL YOU RECEIVE A NEW OFFER, RE-SUBMIT FOR A NEW APPROVAL AND REMEMBER BANKS ARE NOT THE SHARPEST KNIVES IN THE DRAWER. WHICH BRINGS ME TO THE HIDDEN 4TH R WHICH STANDS FOR RELAX! BECAUSE GETTING THEM TO UNDERSTAND WILL TAKE SOME PATIENCE

Now lets back track a little...

This question was asked by a new agent who has been working a file for about 5 months and still has no offer despite having the property approved by the lender a few months back.

Often times it is difficult for home owners to actually make the tough decision that they are in over their heads when it comes to their mortgages. A home is the biggest investment that most of us have and to see it all drift away can sometimes be very hard to accept.

Once home owners have come to terms with the situation; they usually reach out to a reputable Realtor who hopefully has knowledge on Short Sales and lists the property for sale on the MLS. Depending on how well it is priced it could take days, weeks or even months to secure an offer. Once received the Agent will forward the Short Sale packet to the lender for review and hopefully approval. The lender then does some preliminary things which includes a full review of the Sellers financial records, income documentation (if any), hardship letter etc...and they also order a BPO (Broker Price Opinion) to determine the properties true market value so they can gage the offer that has been presented. If the numbers make sense you should receive an approval notice from the lender which will give the Green light for the everyone involved that it is a solid deal that has the ability to actually close. But in many cases the buyer backs out before the actual approval arrives or the buyers decides that they are no longer interested in the property; no matter what happened, no matter the reason...the reality is the deal is dead

So now the Realtor/Sellers are stuck with an approved price and no buyer. The Sellers Agent then places the home back on the market as an approved short sale in hopes of securing a new purchaser...but what happens if no one comes right away?

I see homes on the market almost daily that are being marketed as an Approved Short Sale with a quick closing possible; now is that is really accurate information? if you received an approval from the lender in March can you safely say that the number still stands in September? I am sure it may with the bank, but how about potential buyers? How about the Market value today? I also see homes that were approved at one number and the list price is substantially less; for example: short sale approved for 150k, list price 99k...Wouldn't this lead to attracting buyers that are looking for homes under 100k calling you only to be surprised later on? do you call this lead generating or misleading; what do you think?

In my business, I market homes until an offer is received and if that deals dies, my notation in the MLS reads "Short Sale was approved at list (or specific number) but further review will be needed upon securing a new offer" Lets be honest value in some towns change almost daily, so doesn't that make it hard to determine the amount that the lender would accept? especially if time has lapsed and that approval date is long behind you? The way I see it no matter how you look at it; its back to the drawing board for this house.So prepare yourself and your clients as well as cooperating agents that this short sale has made it to the promise land but has since returned and hopefully will be back there again reeal soon.

To all of my short sale agents...Keep up the GOOD fight!