Archive for February, 2010

Well we sure have had our share of the white stuff!  I hope everyone was safely snuggled by a fire with a book or in my case I just like to cook.  I wasn’t sure but yesterday between blizzard conditions I think I actually saw the sun for about 3 minutes!  My Facebook clients were sending me messages that they saw the sun but I just told them it was their imagination!

Now for the clean up.  Thankfully it is above freezing so some of this stuff should melt.  But if you are shoveling remember that the snow is heavy.  I live in a single family home and we have someone plow our driveway.  Yesterday morning at 0′ dark thirty they plowed and when I woke up they had mounded a huge pile of snow just a few feet from MY side of the garage.  I can’t get my car out without taking down that eight foot mound.  Most townhomes however have snow plowing services and they usually do a great job at cleaning up.  Some townhomes do not offer this service as they are a fee simple property.  Remember if you are a seller to make sure your driveways and walk ways are free and clear of snow and ice.  There are a lot of vacant properties out there.  Last week  when we had a wintry mix of snow and rain I was doing a catered luncheon open house.  My seller went to leave and fell on her sidewalk.  Thankfully she is okay but sometimes you just cant see the ice.  What melts during the day will freeze at night.  Also, sellers of single family homes and townhouses that are vacant should make sure the heat is above 55 degrees.  I am told if it is not over a prolonged period of time there can be damage to the drywall.

Buyers should also remember to take off their shoes before tracking snow or any ice melt product through anyones home.  There are a lot of open houses out there today and they sky gets brighter.  I have one at my Basking Ridge Townhome at 47 Dickinson Road in the Amherst Mews section of The Hills offered at $929,900 and also at the townhouse at 12 Valley View Drive in The Ridge Condominium community offered at $449,900.  Both of these townhomes are open from 12 – 4 today.

Happy house hunting! And if you would like a complete inventory of all townhomes and single family homes  in Basking Ridge click here!

In my 25 + years of selling Real Estate single family homes, townhomes and condominiums perhaps the one thing I dread most is the seller or buyers decision on what to do with their washer, dryer or refrigerator.  If the seller wants to keep them, the buyer wants them; if the seller doesn’t want to keep them, the buyers don’t want them.  It is Murphy’s Law!  Then it is up to me to convince the seller or buyer to accept the situation.

I for one have never taken my refrigerator or washer dryer with me whenever I have moved.  Why?  Because it pretty much costs more to move them than to replace them.  Plus some older refrigerators need to be moved upright or you risk compromising the refrigerant and it won’t work anyway.  I had one buyer client who did not want the beautiful Maytag Washer and Dryer the seller wanted to leave.  The seller was moving out of state.  Luckily and for some unknown reason I drove by the Townhome the night before the closing — in the dark!  There on the front lawn of the townhouse was a huge pile of debris, garbage AND the Maytag washer and dryer!  The sellers Realtor and or the seller were nowhere to be found. Fortunately my attorney was.  She was able to recommend someone who would come out that night and remove everything.  That washer and dryer couldn’t have been more than 3 years old.  I wish I needed one or had more time to give it to someone who needed one.  Away it went.

Bottom line is that refrigerators and washers and dryers out date themselves with time and who wouldn’t want to treat themselves to a nice new washer and dryer and refrigerator when you move to your new house.  They are delivered and installed for you free in most cases. Now you can get that stainless steel refrigerator you only saw in pictures or front loading high efficiency washer and dryer! Leave the old ones behind for the buyer.  In the lower price ranges for condominiums and townhomes this may be a first time home buyer purchase and they are scraping every last penny to buy.  What a nice treat!  And, if the buyer does not want them? Donate them for a tax write off or sell them on EBay!  There is also a great yahoo site called somersetfreecycle.  Google it.  You can list anything that you want to GIVE away.  Within minutes you’ll have dozens of emails from needy people (or not) who are willing to come pick them up and take them away! It’s a good thing!

And if you are the buyer and you find that the seller left the appliances behind anyway?  Don’t hold off the closing wanting them removed.  The buyer can also “freecycle” them or in my case I gave the washer and dryer to my painter!  How happy was he!!!!!  I moved the refrigerator to the garage. And, Murphy’s Law again — it broke down within a month and spoiled all the frozen food I had in it.  I should have given that away as well!

So don’t stress out over your used appliance — embrace the idea you can have new ones and do whatever the buyer or seller  wants.

To see all townhome and condominum active and solds and all community information click here.

We’ve done it again.  Another client has listed their townhome with me and  came from this web site.  Interviewed me and 3 other Realtors and chose my innovative marketing plan.  I offered to show my client the other townhomes in The Barons as well as Maple Run as that would also be her competition.  We saw all the townhomes in both those communities.  This greatly helps price a listing.  We looked at six townhomes.  Not one of them had the marketing material I had in this listing. 

We are aggressively priced at $509,000.

4 Bradford Way in the Barons is an original owner townhouse end unit.  It is the Aristocrat model offering 2 bedrooms and loft overlooking the two story living room.  Eat in kitchen with customized pantry, formal dining room and first floor enlarged den/office.  This room could easily be made into a first floor bedroom if needed.  The basement is fully finished with a wet bar, pool table, media area, laundry and workshop.

There are several homes for sale in The Barons at the moment.  Few if any  offer the model name in the listing and rarely if ever will you see the floor plan on line and as part of marketing material.  A customized floor plan and professional photography is so important.  Especially in this case because the owner changed the floor plan from the original builder floor plan to enlarge the den and move the powder room to a new location on the first floor.

See the brochure here!

In the spring of 2008, we were aware of the increasingly difficult real estate market and anticipated that things would get worse so we listed our Basking Ridge home with Lin, after interviewing 3 realtors.

It was clear from the first moment that Lin was a knowledgeable and tested real estate professional. She partnered with us on anything and everything that had to do with selling our home – and more!  Her marketing, technology and Internet savvy, as well as her enthusiasm and good sense, ensured that our home was presented in the best way and with maximum exposure.  

The results?  Although the average DOM at the time was about 6-7 mos. , Lin sold our house from under us! – a third offer within a week and for full price! We were shocked (and homeless)  but happy to have sold the house so quickly and for a good price!

Diane M. Harris

There are oodles of “don’t do this” and “be sure to do that” lists available on the net for real estate advice but I thought I would rack my brain of 25+ years of real estate experience for a few ‘non-traditional’ experiences I have had. Everything you are about to read is true. You just can’t make this stuff up!

My very first real estate transaction was a single family home I sold on Christmas Eve to a woman police officer in my home town.  She also had a great sense of humor! After days of successful negotiations the contract was signed and she was going to drop it off to me — on New Year’s Eve.  We were at a New Years Eve Party at a friends house and she drove up in the Police car with lights flashing in full uniform. There were a lot of very surprised faces when she asked for me.  They said later I would do anything to sell a house.

How true.  When we got to the closing of my second real estate transaction my buyer just happened to work for his Dad’s home fuel oil company.  It is tradition that when you have your home fueled by oil and it is sold, the seller usually tops off the tank, brings the receipt to the closing and the buyer reimburses the seller for a full tank of oil. 250 gallons at whatever the rate was at that time can be significant.  We had completed all the paperwork and when the buyer saw the oil receipt he said he could get the oil at a cheaper price and refused to pay the bill. He wanted the seller to have the tank pumped out so he could fill it for less! After much haggling I finally asked the buyer to find out what the reasonable price that he would pay would be. I pulled out my check book and wrote a check for the difference: $49.00.

What is a bank check?  My Asian buyers took many months to find their perfect home and they were so excited! Because the learning curve can be steep and I consider myself to be pro active.  I walked them through every step of the way so they would be comfortable with the buying process and the closing process. I reminded them their attorney would require them to bring bank checks to the closing for all their closing costs.  We get to the closing, complete all the paperwork and they pull out their personal check book.  A surprised attorney turned to me and then said to them he needed BANK checks.  They said “These ARE bank checks — from my bank!” The closing was delayed while they went to the bank for bank checks which are Cashiers checks or certified checks.  Your personal checks are not bank checks!

Check back later for more experiences that shouldn’t have to happen to you!

Click here for information about all properties for sale and that have sold in your area!

Well, we have certainly had our share of the white stuff recently!  Often, activity on listings slow when we have snow on the ground.  It’s messy, inconvenient and cold!  Sellers should remember to make sure their walkways and driveways are clean and dry with no ice or slippery areas.  Often the sun melts the ice and snow during the day and then it freezes up again at night. If your home is vacant, please leave the heat on and have someone check on it (your realtor should offer to do this!) at the very least, weekly.  There is an insurance policy you can purchase in the interim if your home is vacant that will protect it from any damage caused by water, electricity, etc.  But it is expensive.  The cheapest policy I have found is through Weichert Insurance (they farm it out to a third party) for around $1,600 per year.  The good news is that when your home sells and you cancel the policy, you get a rebate for the difference.

Don’t take any chances.  You can have the water turned off at the street, or turn it off yourself.  The biggest problem I have seen here over the years is that your seals will dry out on plumbing fixtures.  Then when you turn the water back on, they leak.  Especially faucets!  And, remember your hot water heater if your property is vacant. It leaks from the inside out and if it is over 7 years old it can go at any time. You can purchase a sort of alarm that you put near it that goes off when it detects moisture.  Oops!  Only works if someone hears it!

Any for buyers, please be courteous and remove shoes and boots when you are touring a home.  You have just walked through wetness, slush, snow and or worse – that ice melt stuff and salt.  This can damage floors and carpeting in someones home.  I always put out a basket of “booties” and ask that people cover or remove shoes.  It’s the golden rule.

Usually in townhome and condominium complexes, snow removal is included in the monthly fee.  This only works however if your driveway is clear for them to plow.  It never ceases to amaze me that people leave $40,000 + cars out in their  driveway so they can store toys and bikes in the garage. Some condominium and or townhome complexes are fee simple.  This means the homeowner is responsible for snow removal. If the home is vacant, your realtor should arrange to have any snow removed from walkways and driveways (I’ve been known to shovel it myself if need be!).  It is good to make these arrangements in advance to avoid sudden problems or issues going forward.

Stay warm and safe and click here to see all information about all Townhome and condominium communities.  Once you are at my web site you can also search single family homes as well!