Archive for the ‘Basking Ridge Townhouses’ Category

If you are driving through the Amherst Mews townhome community lately you will see a lot of “construction” work going on.  The EFIS or “fake stucco” litigation has ended and the repairs are nearing completion.  All the buildings are getting the exteriors remediated.  This is a good thing.  Also all the mail boxes will be getting replaced soon.

I have a great listing at 47 Dickinson Road in Amherst mews.  Thankfully this unit did not have any damage but the exterior is being remediated on all buildings anyway.  If you visit one of my open houses there you will be able to read the remediation letter from the President of the Board explaining this situation in more detail.

Click here to see information about all Basking Ridge Townhouse communities

Basking Ridge has open houses for townhouses available every Sunday and in some cases on Saturdays.  I hold my townhouse listings open every Sunday (or Saturday) that the homeowner allows.  Open houses are usually in the afternoons from 1:00 to 4:00 or 5:00pm.  I like to spend as much time as an open house guest wants giving a tour of the property and answeringany questions.  We ask that people that attend open houses sign in a “register” before touring the townhome.  An open house guest should not be intimidated by this request.  I do NOT  hound you later vying for your business.  Almost all my business is from personal referral or via the comprehensive internet marketing that I do.  It is simply a courtesy to sign in at the open house.  Weichert tracks open house traffic to see where the guests are coming from — the signs — the Internet — or an ad.  The Jim Weichert can decide where to put his marketing dollars to work  for the Realtors and the company.  If you ask that I provide you further information or follow up, then I will. I do try to get the open house guests candid feedback about my townhouse listing and some of them are too funny for words!  If however, you are working with another realtor and intend to continue to work with another realtor if you decide to purchase the townhome you are visiting, please put that Realtors name next to yours or in the comments area.  Then I can give your realtor a call to let him/her know that their client visited my townhouse listing. The homeowner also likes to know how many people were in attendance and their feedback.  Even if you are a neighbor in the same townhouse community I welcome your visit.  Who knows maybe you will know of someone who may be interested!

I pride myself when I go on a listing presentation that I can say I have NEVER had a transaction fall apart — for any reason  other than that that is out of my control.  I am very proactive about making sure another realtor’s buyer is pre-approved and is financially qualified to purchase my listing.  I had a very disturbing experience lately with one of my listings.  A brand X realtor brought in an offer the very first day my listing was active.  It was not a full price offer but we were able to negotiate it to terms agreeable to both the buyer and seller.  The buyer’s agent pleaded with me to not show the property until we get out of the attorney review process.  I got every song and dance about how sincere her buyers were and how much they loved the property; they were getting married (second marriage for both) in August and everything was perfect. The buyers agent went on to say her buyers were personal friends of  hers and she knows them well etc., etc.  I requested a re-vised mortgage pre-approval that specifically said they did NOT need to sell their current condominium in Basking Ridge in order to proceed with the purchase of this townhome listing. Red flag  number one:  The buyers attorney RE INSERTED in his attorney review letter that the contract was subject to the sale of their property. We were able to get that reduced to wording that said they needed to get a clean commitment letter that would not be subject to the sale of their current property.  I verified with their lender that they did indeed qualify without selling.  Red flag number two:  They used a “friend” for an attorney that was not a real estate attorney.  The attorney review process dragged on and on – well over a week. The buyers were  overly concerned minor details and  about the life span of furnace and a/c when we were offering a home warranty with this sale.  Again, I was re-assured by the buyer’s agent that “they were very serious buyers”.  Attorney review finally concluded and the property was under contract.  Red flag number three:  The home inspection.  That’s another blog subject for another time.  BUT the average home inspection for a townhouse is maybe 2 hours.  This one dragged on for almost 4 hours. The home inspector drastically blowing things out of proportion like – the master bedroom slider is broken – when the fact was there was a little dirt in the bottom tract and when it was vacuumed up is slided like butter.  Only one of many mistakes like that.  The result was that we received a repair request letter on the very last day possible with 17  items the buyers wanted repaired.  They wanted history for items beyond the possible scope and knowledge of the seller.  They wanted a 1984 built townhouse to be brought up to today’s standards and codes.  Usually what happens now is that the seller responds with what they will and will not repair and buyer and seller negotiate until both parties are satisfied.  The Sellers Property Condition Disclosure clearly outlined the details of all the mechanicals of the townhome and the buyer signed acknowledging receipt of this disclosure.  The seller  (to my surprise) wanted to fix everything except 2 items.  In 1984 it was not code that you needed to provide access to a Jacuzzi motor.  The buyers wanted the seller to put in an access.  The microwave did not vent outside.  It is a recirculating microwave with the  filter underneath.  The buyer wanted the seller to vent it outside.   Both worked properly and the seller said these items did not need repair.  Fair enough and we replied as such.  Red flag number four:  The appraiser called me late on a Friday to say the lender cancelled the scheduled appraisal for the following Monday. I knew that was the end.  I called the buyer’s agent all weekend and emailed her with no reply or response.  Monday morning we received a letter from the buyers attorney terminating the transaction and using the excuse of the home inspection paragraph of the contract as reason for terminating.  Again no return call from the buyer’s realtor.  Bottom line is that the buyers just changed their minds and wanted out for whatever reason.  Who knows.  My seller was prepared to offer them monetary consideration for the Jacuzzi access and microwave venting but they just terminated without cause or reason.  Further legal action from the seller would tie up this townhome in litigation for a very long time and not worth it.  I don’t know how some buyers can look at themselves in the mirror in the morning after taking advantage of a situation like this.  It just shows that that realtor never really knew her buyers and should never have made representations about their sincerity.

Buying a home is a serious decision and should never be entered into lightly.  These were not serious buyers and we lost a month of marketing time being “the nice guy”.

P.S.  New Jersey is the only state that has “the attorney review” process. A signed contract means nothing until it is out of attorney review.  During that time either party can back out of the transaction for any reason at all.  In every other state the contract is legally binding when signed by the seller and buyer.

The new and reduced assessment is out and will soon auto populate into new listings.  Buyers think that the sales price should be tied to the assessment amount.  This is not true.  In Basking Ridge assessments are done every year.  In the declining market assessed values were affected just like sale prices.  This does not necessarily mean your taxes will go down (we could only wish).  Ususally to compensate for a reduced assessment the tax rate goes up.  Rarely will taxes decrease.  This year although assessments are lower yet again, the tax rate is going up enough to mean a tax increase.

Back to the relationship to sales price.  What buyers need to know is that the assessments for all the townhouses in any Basking Ridge Community should be apples to apples.  Often when a realtor does a comparable market analysis this is not taken into consideration.  If the assessment has changed for one property to the new year’s number, your realtor should take the time to either call the tax assessor or pull up the new assessment on line to correct the comparable properties he or she is using for the analysis.

Sales price is based on so many other things other than assessments for townhomes in Basking Ridge.  The particular model, the floor plan, the number of bedrooms, a finished lower level, the location within the community.  All will affect the value and the price at which a property should sell.

 Market Update for The Barons Townhouses in Basking Ridge:

Active:

34 Dexter Drive N                                   $478,900

13 Bradford Lane                                     $499,000

1 Dexter Drive N                                      $499,900 * (In attorney Review)

4 Bradford Lane                                       $509,900

3 Deerfield Ct                                             $518,000

21 Dexter Drive N                                    $519,900

19 Bradford Lane                                     $524,900

3 Fairbanks Lane                                      $525,000

30 Fairbanks Lane                                   $525,000

Under Contract:

16 Fairbanks Lane                                    $539,000 (Anticipated Close Date 4/9/10)

Sold:

11 Fairbanks Lane                    Listed for $449,999,  Sold for $436,250 on 12/15/09

24 Fairbanks Lane                   Listed for $450,000, Sold for $387,500 on 2/12/10

20 Dexter Drive N                    Listed for $545,000, Sold for $522,500 on 12/16/09

13 Dexter Drive S                      Listed for $578,500, Sold for $570,000 on 8/18/09

You can see by this information that the market continues to decline in this community.  The Barons townhouses took longer to reach a decline in this market but ultimately succombed and fell harder and faster than other communities.  Many of the owners in here are original owners and many of these townhomes need updating.  Although if you look at 19 Bradford with its new kitchen and stainless steel appliances it still has been on the market 33 days with little activity. Nine active listings in The Barons townhome community is very rare.  Not too long ago one would find notes in your mailbox from a buyer begging for a private sale because there was nothing on the market.  These townhomes are sizeable and are attractive to buyers who are downsizing or want the spacious feel of the floor plans.  There is one model with a first floor bedroom and those seem to sell more quickly.  Finding a townhouse with a first floor master bedroom is rare and a plus for any seller.  The Barons offers four different models:  the Aristocrat, the Dexter, The Bradford and The Classic.  The Classic model offers the first floor bedroom and a two car garage. 

To see more information about this community and other townhouse communities in Basking Ridge Click here.

Choosing whether or not to rent your single family home or townhouse because it isn’t selling or just because you want to wait until the market improves to sell can be a daunting task.  The experience can be either positive or negative.  Plus there are tax implications(consult your accountant).

Tenants are not in favor of accommodating a seller while they are living in the same single family home or townhouse.  Quite simply  they have no vested interest in accommodating showings or keeping the property in proper showing condition.  Tenants can really kill a chance of a sale.  In one extreme case I heard of the tenant required one week’s notice to show.  They had large dogs and needed to get them out of the house.  The agents client flew in to see just that one property and when they got there there was no one home, no key or lockbox, hence no showing.  If your tenant is not clean or tidy and especially if they have animals, be prepared for them to cause delays or not allow showings.  Unlike a seller, they may leave the property a mess which will really turn off a buyer.  Unmade beds, soiled carpeting and walls, dirty dishes in the sink, clothes all over the floor and an unscooped kitty littler box are just a few of my experiences.  Sellers should be prepared when a tenant leaves that their home will not longer be as perfect as they had kept it when they were living there.  Sellers should be prepared to paint, replace carpeting and repair “normal wear and tear” damages. Sure you might have a security deposit but it won’t cover much if there are significant issues.

I am the “queen” of rentals in the Basking Ridge area.  I teach rental classes to other agents and I have several investor owners that own properties in Basking Ridge, Bernardsville, Bedminster, Bridgewater and Branchburg.  The “B” towns I call them.  For as much due diligence you do in the beginning with credit report, verification of income, security deposit etc. you can never be prepared for what happens after the tenant moves in.  The worst case I have ever seen was a tenant that moved into a townhouse in Branchburg.  Credit was perfect, he worked for a reputable company etc. etc.  From the day he moved in he never paid a dime in rent or utilities.  All his initial checks for security rent etc bounced.  The eviction process took almost a year and when the property was finally vancant we saw they had taken everything that was and wasn’t bolted down.  Sinks, toilets, washer, vent coverings, outlet plates.  It was bizzare. their 2 large dogs that they were NOT supposed to have destroyed the carpeting and they left a nice pile of trash on the kitchen floor.  $35,000 later the place was habitalbe again and we sold it.

There are positive experieces as well.  If you do your homework up front, call references, call prior landlords, you will have a positive experience!  Also ALWAYS ask for Bank or Certified checks or Money Orders up front.  Put a clause in the lease that the tenant will accommodate any showing;  that a lockbox can be placed on the property and that the tenant will keep the property in proper showing condition.  The positives far out weigh the negatives, but still be aware the property will not show as nicely as when you were living there with your designer decor!

Click here to learn more about all Basking Ridge communities.

I am the ultimate pet lover. I grew up with large dogs and have had both dogs and cats just about all my life.  I am finally down to just one rescue cat and get my dog “fix” from other people’s dogs now that our Springer Spaniel is no longer with us.  As a realtor though I try to educate my sellers that have dogs or cats or any pets for that matter on what to do with their pet during a showing and how their pet can impact their possible sale.  Here are a couple of my stories:

Last year I had a townhome listed and their 3 year old dog was extremely “active”. Dog lover that I am I arrived in “wash and wear” and left with spit,slime and snags.  But I got the listing!  If the owner was going to be home she would put the dog on a leash and leave.  Hope she is home a lot I thought!  However the one day that she worked I would need to go over and corral the dog into her cage for any showings.  Easy enough they said just give her a biscuit. Of course the next showing was on that work day.  I arrived early to the dog barking and jumping all over the entry door (it is left loose inside the townhome during the day) and I had to get in there without the dog getting out.  Bottom line is this dog was too smart for a treat and knew what I was going to do!  I literally had to corner and tackle the dog to drag her 70 pounds into the cage. She howled and barked the whole time the clients were viewing the house and they left quickly. I needed a treat!

Another time I had buyer clients and arrived a a single family home to show it to my relocating buyers.  On the stoop was a plastic covered bowl with a note on it.  It was addressed to Realtors and said I should go in with treat in hand and get the dog into the garage before letting my clients in for the showing.  My clients said they loved dogs and no problem.  They would help.  Open the door, golden retriever bounds at me, figures out how to open the storm door and goes outside! It took me and my clients to push pull all we could to get this dog who planted her feet and mind that she wasn’t going anywhere back into the house.  Treat be damned!  I needed another treat for that one.

Then there’s always the little ones that yap and hump your ankles.  Note to self:  Stop wearing black pants that are not wash and wear — they get full of dog and cat hair. One client had three cats.  One we never saw during the almost year long listing, one always stayed asleep n the back of the couch ( we checked for breathing every now and then), and then there was Jake.  Jake seemed nice enough.  He had this little stuffed bunny he kept dragging to his food bowl thinking it would eat. He was social too following us around.  Little did we know that Jake was a closet attack cat.  I still have the scars.

Of course the stories could go on and on.  People leave for the weekend and leave the cat(s) alone.  The pet odors can be horrendous.One house we went into not only had cat “mistakes” all over the carpeting, there in the middle of the family room was a dead mouse present for us to see at our showing! We were out the door.

When I sold my last house a few years ago I had 2 cats at the time. I remember driving around with the 2 cats in the car with their food and littler box IN THE CAR for every showing.  No one ever knew I had a cat.  Of course if you can’t do that there are alternatives!

For cats: Clean the litter box several times a day.  Change the litter often. Use a disposable deodorizer  near the cat littler.  I like the Glade Glass Accents. Do NOT put the litter box in an inappropriate place like the living room, kitchen or bedroom.  Keep it private and preferably out of site:  The basement workshop, a bathroom other than the one most people use, the laundry room etc. For a showing put the food away or at least the dish with the half eaten wet stuff.  Seriously consider having a pet sitter come by once a day if you work to make sure everything is in order with your pet.

For dogs: Please do not leave them loose in the house for any reason.  If they are crate trained leave them in the crate. If they are used to roaming  loose, please try to schedule showings around your availability or a neighbor’s availability to remove the dog. Dog odors are the worst. Have your carpeting steam cleaned before listing your house and vacuum frequently. Take the dog outside more often or consider a pet sitter that can come by to help as well.

It is very important to keep in mind that some buyers are ALLERGIC and AFRAID of dogs and or cats.  Some Realtors are afraid as well. No to mention how traumatized your pets are to have strangers ringing doorbells and wandering through their home! So keep Fido and Fluffy safe from humans during showing hours and plan accordingly.

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!