Information reliable, not guaranteed. Not responsible for errors/omissions.
These properties were sold by various members of the New Jersey Multiple Listing Service from January 1, 2015 to January 31, 2015.
Information reliable, not guaranteed. Not responsible for errors/omissions.
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![]() Making the decision to sell your home begins a journey of a thousand steps. From hiring a real estate agent to getting the home ready for the market, there is a lot to do. Luckily, homeowners have a tool belt full of items that make the job easier. The most powerful tool of them all is decorating – better known as staging. Done right, staging your home will help it sell faster and for more money. Before you hire a decorator, or decide to do it yourself, you’ll need an appropriate backdrop – a clean, uncluttered space. Otherwise, staging the home is like putting lipstick on a pig. Why Declutter? There are several reasons homeowners should clear their homes of the clutter accumulated from daily living. First, clutter makes people anxious. The results of a nine-year long UCLA study show that there is “real psychological stress associated with clutter.” The last thing you want a potential buyer to feel is stress or anxiety when touring your home. Since most clutter in a home is a collection of personal items, depersonalizing the home goes hand-in-hand with clearing clutter. Sure, all those personal items are what makes your house a home, but too many of them may hinder its sale. Buyers need to be able to imagine what it would be like living in your home, surrounded by their belongings. Your stuff detracts from their ability to do that. Besides, you will have to move all that stuff once your home sells, so you might as well do it sooner rather than later. Depersonalizing: What’s Involved? Depersonalizing is the act of removing most items of a personal nature. Family photographs, souvenirs, collections, DVD and CD collections and framed diplomas, degrees and awards are a few examples of items to pack up and store. Getting Started Since you’ll need boxes for the move, buying them now saves work later on. Buy several boxes for each room in the house, and don’t forget newspaper or other packing material to protect breakables. The best way to go about depersonalizing the home is to do it one room at a time. Living Room and Family Room Since this is where families spend most of their time, these rooms will most likely take the longest. Items to remove include:
Kitchen Now we move from the most challenging room to the easiest room to depersonalize – the kitchen. The biggest clutter catcher in this room is the refrigerator. Remove the magnets, sticky note reminders, kids’ artwork and personal photographs. In fact, remove everything from the front, sides and top of the refrigerator. Unless it’s decorative, pack it all up. Many families use the kitchen counter as a mail drop. There’s nothing particularly wrong with that, but mail is highly personal and needs to be put away, out of sight. Bedrooms Since bedrooms are the most personal of all the spaces in a home, they can be challenging to depersonalize. Remove family photos, of course, but you may need to go beyond that. Imagine a posh hotel room and remove anything from the bedrooms that you wouldn’t find in one. Bathrooms Bathrooms tend to become cluttered with personal products. While it isn’t necessary to pack these items up, it is crucial that they be put out of sight in cupboards and drawers. Don’t forget the shower stall or bathtub. Buyers will pull back the shower curtain. Would you want to be greeted by pumice stones, shampoo bottles or kids’ water toys? Again, think of a posh hotel bathroom and try to imitate that look. Home Office The home office is typically one of the most cluttered rooms in the home and also a hot selling feature, so it’s important to create a vignette that appeals to the target market for the home. Attack the walls first, taking down awards, diplomas and degrees, and photos. Clear the desk of mail, work papers and professional journals and magazines. As you work on depersonalizing each room in the home, don’t just throw the items in the boxes. Wrap and pack for the move and then take the boxes to a storage facility. Don’t forget to organize what’s left in the room – it puts you one step closer to staging the home. Should You Hire a Stager? Everyone’s situation is different. Some homes don’t need staging. Of those that will benefit from staging, the extent of what needs to be done will vary from one home to another. As part of my listing service, I offer a consultation with a stager, at no charge to the homeowner. During the initial consultation, the stager will offer suggestions. If the homeowner feels that they need more help in getting the house ready for sale, they can then hire the stager at an hourly rate. If you’re thinking of selling your home, it’s never too early to call in a real estate agent to talk about the entire home-selling process, including staging. Give yourself plenty of time to get your home ready, to maximize your sale. Call me if you want to talk about getting ready to sell. 551-427-6343. ![]() Happy New Year! I hope your 2014 is filled with peace, happiness and good health. What will happen in the real estate market this year? Many pundits are predicting slightly better sales in 2014 than in 2013. But the KCM Blog‘s headline today took a different view: Housing Predictions for 2014: Sales Will Surge Among the reasons cited are (1) the number of first time home buyers are expected to rise, and (2) many move-up buyers, who have been trapped in their homes because of negative equity, will finally be able to make that move because of rising property values. ![]() Many buyers and sellers think that with the holidays and winter approaching, they should wait until spring to make a move. Au contraire! There are good reasons, if you are thinking of buying or selling, to do it NOW rather than waiting for spring. Here are some of them, recently published in the KCM Blog: 5 Reasons to Buy A Home Now Instead of Spring by The KCM Crew on November 25, 2013 in For Buyers Based on prices, mortgage rates and soaring rents, there may have never been a better time in real estate history to purchase a home than right now. Here are five major reasons purchasers should consider buying: Supply Is Shrinking With inventory declining in many regions, finding a home of your dreams may become more difficult going forward. There are buyers in more and more markets surprised that there is no longer a large assortment of houses to choose from. The best homes in the best locations sell first. Don’t miss the opportunity to get that ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ buy. Price Increases Are on the Horizon Prices are projected to appreciate by over 25% from now to 2018. First home buyers will probably pay more both in price and interest rate if they wait until the spring. Even if you are a move-up buyer, it will wind-up costing you more in net dollars as the home you will buy will appreciate at approximately the same rate as the house you are in now. Owning a Home Helps Create Family Wealth Whether you are rent or you own the home you are leaving in, you are paying a mortgage. Either you are paying your mortgage or your landlord’s. The Fed, in a recent study, revealed that the net worth of the average homeowner is 30 times greater than that of a renter. Interest Rates Are Projected to Rise The Mortgage Bankers Association, the National Association of Realtors, Freddie Macand Fannie Mae have all projected that the 30-year mortgage interest rate will be over 5% by the end of 2014. That is an increase of almost one full point over current rates. Buy Low, Sell High We would all agree that, when investing, we want to buy at the lowest price possible and hope to sell at the highest price. Housing can create family wealth as long as we follow this simple principle. Today, real estate is selling ‘low’ compared to where it will be next year. It’s time to buy. 5 Reasons to Sell Before Spring by The KCM Crew on November 19, 2013 in For Sellers Many sellers feel that the spring is the best time to place their home on the market as buyer demand increases at that time of year. However, the fall and winter have their own advantages. Here are five reasons to sell now. Only Serious Buyers Are Out At this time of year, only those purchasers who are serious about buying a home will be in the marketplace. You and your family will not be bothered and inconvenienced by mere 'lookers'. The lookers are at the mall or online doing their holiday shopping. There Is Far Less Competition Housing supply always shrinks dramatically at this time of year. The choices for buyers will be limited. Don't wait until the spring when all the other potential sellers in your market will put their homes up for sale. The Process Will Be Quicker One of the biggest challenges of the 2013 housing market has been the length of time it takes from contract to closing. Banks have been inundated with both purchase and refinancing loan requests. Both of these will slow in the winter cutting timelines and the frustration these delays cause both buyers and sellers. There Will Never Be a Better Time to Move-Up If you are moving up to a larger, more expensive home, consider doing it now. Prices are projected to appreciate by over 25% from now to 2018. If you are moving to a higher priced home, it will wind-up costing you more in raw dollars (both in down payment and mortgage payment) if you wait. You can also lock-in your 30 year housing expense with historically low interest rates right now. There is no guarantee rates will remain at these levels in years to come. It's Time to Move On with Your Life Look at the reason you decided to sell in the first place and decide whether it is worth waiting. Is money more important than being with family? Is money more important than your health? Is money more important than having the freedom to go on with your life the way you think you should? You already know the answers to the questions we just asked. You have the power to take back control of the situation by pricing your home to guarantee it sells. The time has come for you and your family to move on and start living the life you desire. That is what is truly important. If you're thinking about buying or selling, DO IT! Call me! Happy Thanksgiving! ![]() Would you operate on yourself? Write your own Last Will and Testament? Plan your retirement by yourself? Of course not! The biggest decisions in your life deserve the expertise of a professional! If you're thinking about selling your home -- most likely your biggest investment -- here are some good reasons why you should consider going with an agent rather than FSBO: OBJECTIVITY: IT TAKES YOU OUT OF THE MIX. Let's face it, you love your home. But let's also be honest.... you're a little biased. Having an agent puts space between you and potential buyers. It removes the emotion and allows an objective person to negotiate on your behalf. FAR-REACHING MARKETING. The goal is to reach the greatest number of potential buyers,so that you maximize what you get in the sale. Can you do that by putting a "For Sale By Owner" sign on your lawn? Today 90% of buyers are searching on the internet. Multiply listing your home with an agent is just the beginning. A full-service agent will make sure that your property has a strong internet presence including a variety of websites, hundreds of search engines and social media. Think about it like fishing....you want to cast a really big net. PERSONAL SAFETY. How do you know who you are letting in your house when someone calls? Are they a serious buyer? Are they preapproved? Do you really want to be there by yourself at an open house with strangers walking through? Hiring an agent and having a lockbox protects you by making sure that at all times a licensed professional is there to take prospective buyers through your home. The listing agent has a record of each time the lockbox is opened and who opened it. KNOWLEDGE OF THE MARKET. You may think you have an idea of what your home is worth based on what a neighbor's house sold for last year, but have you seen the inside of the houses that are active on the market, under contract, and recently sold in your area? It's likely your agent has, and so have buyers! They are comparing your house to the others they've seen. An agent can advise you how to strategically price your house based on the current competition and recently sold comparables. CONTRACTS, DISCLOSURES AND OFFERS, OH MY! An agent can help you wade through the numerous disclosures and paperwork that go along with selling your home. Real estate transactions involve a lot of documents and your agent can help you make sense of it all. FROM CONTRACT TO CLOSE: TRANSACTION MANAGEMENT. Even if you are lucky enough to get a buyer right away, do you know what's involved from contract to closing? There are a lot of moving parts to the transaction with deadlines and consequences -- negotiations, attorney review, mortgage preapproval, inspections, environmental issues, mortgage commitment, utility transfer, etc. An experienced agent knows how to orchestrate all the pieces so that the transaction proceeds with minimum stress to you. ARE YOU REALLY SAVING MONEY? Of course, the reason sellers try to sell on their on own is to avoid the commission. But the fact is that in most cases, because of strategic pricing, the ability to cast a "wider net" and expertise in negotiating, a sale through an agent will net the homeowner more money in the end, without all the aggravation and stress. If you're thinking about selling your home, and maybe going FSBO, call me and let's talk about it. The video illustrates the yearly wear and tear on the homes systems and appliances, the fact that breakdowns are likely and frequent and how a home warranty service agreement can help protect against breakdowns. Several years ago, I decided to purchase a home warranty on my home, and it has come in handy several times -- for a kitchen sink blockage and a broken attic fan, for example. Check out the video, and if you want more information, give me a call. Here's the Mahwah real estate update for the week March 24 - March 30, 2013:
NEW LISTINGS: 1252 GARRISON CT - 1BR, 1FB CONDO/TNHS RENTAL - $1,600 793 SASSAFRAS CT - 2BR, 2FB, 1HB CONDO/TNHS RENTAL - $1,900 26 WANAMAKER AVE - 3BR, 1FB HOUSE RENTAL - $2,000 1377 YORK ST - 3BR, 2FB CONDO/TNHS RENTAL - $2,800 3 FOX RIVER XING - 4BR, 2FB, 1HB CONTP RENTAL - $3,950 584 LILAC LN - 2BR, 2FB CONDO - $ 230,000 15 GRIST MILL RUN - 2BF, 2FB, 1HB TWNHS - $529,915 110 ARMOUR ROAD - 3BR, 2FB Col - $499,000 3 FOX RIVER XING - 4BR, 2FB, 1HB Contp - $759,000 35 BROOKWOOD DRIVE - 4BR, 3FB B/L - $930,000 236 AIRMONT AVE - 4BR, 4FB, 1HB Col - $987,000 174 HALIFAX RD - 5BR, 4FB, 2HB Col - $1,728,000 55 BRAMS HILL DR - 6BR, 4FB, 2HB Col - $2,399,000 SOLD: 233 INDIAN HOLLOW CT - 2BR, 2FB CONDO - $330,000 14 FINN CT - 4BR, 5FB, 2HB COL - $1,700,000 LEASED: 600 PULIS AVE - 2BR, 1FB HOUSE - $1,200 402 GREEN MOUNTAIN RD - 3BR, 2FB, 1HB CONDO/TNHS - $2,700 6 VILLAGE DR - 3BR, 2FB, 1HB HOUSE - $4,800 Note: These properties were listed and sold by various participants of the NJMLS based on information from the New Jersey Multipe Listing Service, Inc. for the period March 24 - March 30, 2013. Information deemed reliable, not guaranteed. July 20 - 26, 2012What's new on the market? What homes sold? Here's this week's Mahwah real estate market activity. Links to property details are for new listings only.
NEW LISTINGS THIS WEEK: (July 20-26, 2012) 600-128 PULIS AVE - 1BR, 1FB Apt for Rent - $950 50 E CRESCENT AVE - 2BR, 1FB Apt for Rent - $1,725 101 RAINTREE LN - 2BR, 2FB Condo for Rent - $1,775 12 EAKENS CT - 2BR, 1FB Condo for Rent - $1,800 118 INDIAN HOLLOW CT - 2BR, 2FB Condo for Rent - $2,000 2066 DRAKE CT - 2BR, 2FB Condo for Rent - $2,000 164 DEMEDUK CT - 3BR, 2FB, 1HB Condo for Rent - $3,000 2114 HILLTOP RD - 1BR, 1BA Condo - $239,900 2080 DRAKE CT - 2BR, 2FB Condo - $289,000 1111 DEVON CT - 2BR, 1FB Condo - $314,000 12 EAKENS CT - 2BR, 1FB Condo - $317,900 3514 WHITTIER CT - 2BR, 2FB Condo - $335,000 118 FISHER ROAD - 3BR, 2FB, 1HB Townhouse - $515,000 317 VISTA VIEW DR - 3BR, 2FB, 1HB Townhouse - $659,900 163 DEERHAVEN RD - Land - $675,000 UNDER CONTRACT: (NOTE: Price is list price) 1052 CHEDWORTH CIR - 1BR, 1FB Condo - $224,900 71 FROMM CT - 2BR, 1FB Condo - $239,000 70 RAMAPO VALLEY RD - 3BR, 3FB 3-Family - $259,900 234 LARCH LN - 2BR, 2FB, 1HB Condo - $319,500 12 SOUTH ST - 4BR, 2FB Cape Cod - $369,000 104 AIRMONT AVE - 3BR, 3FB Ranch - $639,000 63 BRAMS HILL DR - 7BR, 6FB, 1HB Colonial- $2,099,000 SOLD: 1246 GARRISON CT - 3BR, 2FB Townhouse - $359,900 14 WINTER ST - 3BR, 2FB, 1HB Colonial - $485,000 71 FYKE RD - 5BR, 3FB, 1HB Colonial - $865,000 Note: These properties were listed and sold by various participants of the NJMLS based on information from the New Jersey Multiple Listing Service, Inc. for the period July 20 - July 26, 2012. Information deemed reliable, not guaranteed. July 13 - 19, 2012What's new on the market? What homes sold? Here's this week's Mahwah real estate market activity. Links to property details are for new listings only.
NEW LISTINGS THIS WEEK: (July 13-19, 2012) 105 BELLGROVE DR 4B - 1BR, 1FB Rental - $1,350 1443 YORK ST - 1BR, 1FB Rental - $1,925 1340 LAVENDER CT - 2BR, 2FB, 1HB Rental - $1,975 158 DEMEDUK CT - 3BR, 2FB, 1HB Rental - $3,000 114 N RAILROAD AVE - 4BR, 2FB Ranch - $205,200 142 RAMAPO VALLEY RD - 2BR, 1FB Colonial - $384,000 20 REID CT - 3BR, 1FB, 2HB Split Level - $535,000 76 WALNUT WEST ST -4BR, 3FB Colonial - $700,000 25 DEERHAVEN RD - 4BR, 3FB, 1HB Ranch - $989,500 0 STAG HILL RD - 4BR, 2FB, 1HB Colonial - $1,150,000 86 SEMINARY DR - 5BR, 3FB Colonial - $1,249,000 UNDER CONTRACT: (NOTE: Price is list price) 118 RAMAPO VALLEY RD - 6BR, 2FB Colonial - $229,900 1212 SYCAMORE LN - 2BR, 2FB Condo - $286,500 1246 MULBERRY DR - 2BR, 2FB, 1HB Townhouse - $315,000 578 LARAMIE LN - 3BR, 2fB, 1HB Townhouse - $549,000 61 OWENO RD - 4BR, 2FB Colonial - $595,000 5 BLOSSOM LN - 7BR, 5FB, 2HB Colonial - $2,195,000 SOLD: 600-33 PULIS AVE - 2BR, 1FB Mobile Home - $43,000 21 HINES AVE - 3BR, 1FB Colonial - $312,000 7 STRONG ST - 3BR, 2FB Colonial - $352,500 2209 LANCASTER CT - 3BR, 2FB, 1HB Townhouse - $408,000 209 SUMMIT RD - 4BR, 2FB, 1HB Colonial - $420,000 1 SETON LN - 4BR, 4FB Colonial - $925,000 39 WALSH DR - 5BR, 5FB, 1HB Colonial - $1,450,000 Note: These properties were listed and sold by various participants of the NJMLS based on information from the New Jersey Multiple Listing Service, Inc. for the period July 13 - July19, 2012. Information deemed reliable, not guaranteed. Here are last month’s numbers for Mahwah single-family homes and condos/townhouses sold, according to the New Jersey Multiple Listing Service.
Single-family homes June saw an increase over the previous month in the number of homes sold. Eighteen single-family homes sold in the month of June, compared to 12 in May. In June, the average list price was $810,967 and the average sold price was $733,250, which means that homes in Mahwah were selling last month at 90.417% of their list price, on average. For the listings that sold, the average number of days homes were on the market was 101. Condos/Townhouses At an average list price of $398,800 and average sold price of $368,157, there were 14 units sold in Mahwah in June. The sale price to list price ratio was 92.316 and the average days on market was 65. Here are the June sold listings, as reported in the NJMLS: Address DOM Price Style BR FB HB 1275 HIBUSCUS CT 31 $173,000 CONDO 1 1 0 2909 HEMINGWAY LN 47 $220,000 CONDO 1 1 0 670 JUNIPER WAY 21 $258,000 CONDO 2 2 0 106 RAINTREE LN 64 $268,000 CONDO 2 2 0 1207 RIO VISTA DR 172 $285,000 CONDO 2 1 1 802 SASSAFRAS CT 12 $299,900 TWNHS 2 2 1 2405 HEMINGWAY LN 31 $305,000 CONDO 2 2 0 2208 LANCASTER CT 25 $340,800 TWNHS 2 2 1 2366 PHILLIP CT 17 $352,000 TWNHS 2 2 1 179 GRANDVIEW LN 44 $420,000 TWNHS 2 2 1 97 FISHER RD 93 $505,000 TWNHS 2 2 1 71 N BAYARD LN 94 $530,000 TWNHS 3 3 1 251 WESTERVELT LN 170 $577,500 TWNHS 3 2 1 270 APPLE RIDGE BLVD 95 $620,000 TWNHS 3 3 1 139 CHAPEL RD 130 $400,000 RANCH 2 1 1 180 ISLAND RD 36 $431,000 COL 3 1 1 75 SUNNYSIDE RD 2 $450,000 S/L 4 1 1 55 W AIRMOUNT RD 180 $450,000 B/L 4 2 1 26 REID CT 68 $520,000 COL 4 2 1 63 ALCOTT RD 7 $605,000 COL 4 3 0 76 FELDMAN CT 10 $635,000 COL 4 2 1 20 BOULDER TRL 18 $655,000 COL 4 2 1 5 STORRS CT 39 $685,000 COL 4 2 1 18 VICTORIA LN 541 $690,000 COL 4 2 1 34 HEATHER LN 25 $715,000 RANCH 3 2 0 28 THUNDERHEAD PL 22 $725,000 COL 4 2 1 18 GREEN WAY 103 $735,000 COL 4 3 1 39 MALCOLM PL 78 $740,000 COL 4 2 1 5 DEERFIELD TER 51 $777,500 S/L 4 3 1 5 IVY LN 30 $910,000 COL 5 4 1 51 CORTLAND TRL 284 $1,300,000 RANCH 5 4 3 44 BRAMS HILL DR 208 $1,775,000 COL 6 5 2 Note: These properties were listed and sold by various participants of the NJMLS based on information from the New Jersey Multiple Listing Service, Inc. for the period June 1, 2012 to June 30, 2012. "DOM" = Days on Market. Currently on the Market As of July 9, there are 89 single-family homes for sale, at an average list price of $903,825, and 58 condo/townhouse units available at an average list price of $371,239. There's been a lot of activity lately, and it will be interesting to see if the pace continues or slows over the summer months. Check back next month! |
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