Author Archives

Matthew Haviland

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Hammonton NJ Is The Best Downtown In Atlantic County

Hammonton NJ has a thriving downtown with great activities and restaurants.

Hammonton is located on the Western border of Atlantic County about 30 minutes from Atlantic City and 30 minutes from Philadelphia.  Hammonton is also known as the Blueberry Capital Of The World!  What you may not know is that Hammonton has a thriving downtown.

Date night at downtown Hammonton, NJ

The downtown area centers on Bellevue Avenue and branches off from there. The downtown includes art galleries, restaurants, wine and sports bars, banks, clothing stores, offices, a theatre, a park, and a college satellite campus, attracting shoppers from South Jersey.

The main reason I go to Hammonton is for the Mexican food.  Hammonton has about a half dozen Mexican restaurants.  My favorite is El Mariachi Loco.  It’s located at the corner of Bellevue Ave and the railroad in a beautiful historic building.  The food is made fresh and the service is excellent.  They also have live music on the weekends.

Check out downtown Hammonton.  Enjoy the local eateries and shops and let me know what you think.  Is this the best downtown in Atlantic County?

Best wishes,

Matt

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Your award winning real estate team!

Thank you to our clients, friends, family, and colleagues for your support of our business.  At The Haviland group almost all of our business is referral based.  We are blessed to work with great clients each year.  Once again we have received awards form the NJ Association Of Realtors.  Matthew earned the silver award and Richard earned the Bronze award.  Combined The Haviland Group had 67+ transitions sides and over $12 million in sales volume.  And it’s important that you know we always have time for more clients.  Who do you know that needs expert help from on one of the top real estate teams in NJ? .

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Why You Should Buy Or Sell A House In Atlantic County Right Now.

There are many reasons to buy and sell a home right now in Atlantic County, NJ.  Let’s take a look at this from the perspective of home buyers and sellers.

Home Buyers In Atlantic County, NJ.

  1.  Interest rates are still low.  You still have great buying power.
  2. Atlantic County, NJ home prices are on the rise in many of our communities as inventory is shrinking.  Purchase now before prices go up.
  3. Right now there are less buyers looking for homes in the winter.  Less buyers means less competition and you are less likely to get in bidding wars with other buyers.  You can often negotiate a great price and terms this time of year.

Home Sellers In Atlantic County, NJ

  1. Right now inventory is lower in Atlantic County.  If your neighborhood has no other homes for sale or just a few for sale this could be a great time to sell before more homes come on the market in the Spring.
  2. If you are moving up to a larger home this is the perfect market to move up to something bigger.  Demand for lower price homes in the $200,000 range and below is high.  Demand for higher priced home is not as great.  That means you can get top dollar for your home and get a great deal when you purchase your next home.
  3. Rates remain low.  Higher interest rates mean less buying power for home buyer.  If rates go up home prices will go down.  Sell now before any likely interest rate hikes occur.

Figuring out when to buy and sell a home ultimately depends on your circumstances and situation.  Contact me for a free consultation.  I can ask a few simple questions to help you determine if this is the right time to buy or sell for you.

Best wishes,

Matt

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Should I get a real estate attorney when buying or selling in NJ?

Here are 5 reasons to hire an attorney when buying or selling a home in NJ.

As a real estate agent I often get asked from buyers or sellers should I hire an attorney?  In NJ having an attorney is not required.  There is a difference in how closings are handled in North Jersey versus South Jersey.  If you are in North Jersey it’s customary for an attorney to handle everything in the transaction including title search and handling the closing.  If you’re in South Jersey title companies typically handle the closing and title work.  Regardless of what part of NJ you are buying or selling a home, here is my list of 5 reasons you should consider hiring an attorney.

  1.  Real estate agents can’t give legal advice.  Real estate agents can go over the contingencies of a contract but they can’t give legal advice.  Only an attorney can advise you on legal matter.
  2. Inspection Negotiations.  Attorneys can help in negotiating acceptable inspection terms.  Often a well drafted letter from an attorney can be more well received if it is coming from an attorney rather from an agent or home buyer or seller.
  3. Review of contract terms.  Your real estate agent will most likely be using standard New Jersey Association of Realtors contract forms.  These work well for most homes however every home and circumstance is unique.  It’s wise to have an attorney review the terms of the contract during the three day attorney review period once the contracts are fully signed.  During this time an attorney can cancel, or revise a contract on behalf of a home buyer or seller.
  4. Review of contract deadlines.  Attorneys will also help keep track of important deadlines in a real estate transaction to help ensure your agent does not miss any important deadlines.
  5. Problems at the closing table.  At the day of closing there can be problems.  In my experience there are two common problems.  The first is the seller not moving out all their personal items in time for closing and the second is repair issues.  Sometimes a new repair issue is discovered at closing.  For example the air conditioning is not working properly.  An attorney can help successfully negotiate agreeable terms for the buyer and seller and make sure they are legally protected if such a problem would occur at closing.

We have worked fantastic attorneys.  We would be happy to recommend one to you depending on your location and circumstances.  Contact us and we’ll be happy to recommend an attorney for you.

 

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Margate City, NJ Real Estate Market Update

Here is a quick look at real estate statistics for Margate, NJ for December 2018

Margate is on of my favorite South Jersey Shore beach towns.  I prefer the Ventnor/Margate beaches in the summer because they are not as crowded as Ocean City.  Margate has more year round residents than some of the other shore tows.  Margate is also home to my favorite summer eatery the Margate Dairy & Burger Bar.  So lets take a look at the real estate market for Margate.

Margate City, NJ Real Estate Market Update

For single family homes new listings were down 40% and down 2% year to date.  Closed units were down 20% for the month and 5.5% year to date.  Days on market was just 50 days.  Median sales price was also up 8%.  Inventory of homes for sale is down 9.5%.

Margate City, NJ Real Estate Market Update

For condos and townhomes.  New listing were down slightly.  Closed sales were up 200% for the month and up 2% year to date.  Days on market was up in this category.  Median sales price was up 50% which indicates a few higher priced sales took place.  Median sales price is up 11.8% year to date.  Inventory of condos is down by 11% and months supply of inventory is down to 13 months.

If you or someone you know is looking to buy sell or invest in Margate real estate contact us now.  Inventory is shrinking and prices are on the rise.  This makes it a great time to sell and also a great time to buy before prices increase further.

Best wishes, Matt

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What’s The Best Real Estate App?

We review the pros and cons of real estate apps and look at the new KW app.

What's The Best Real Estate App

My KW.com app.

Everyone has an App these days.  Banking, social media and even your favorite restaurants all have apps.  They are convenient ways to stay connected and offer many conveniences.  So when it comes to real estate Apps which one is best?

There are many large real estate websites that all have apps.  And most of them work very well.  Apps like Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia etc.  provide similar home search functions and capabilities.  They are connected to GPS so when you are driving around or walking around you simple open your app and you’ll see all the homes for sale around you.  You’ll also see photos, prices and details.

Here is the biggest problem with these apps… they are not connected to a local agent.  These apps are not connected to a local real estate expert who is looking out for your needs and best interest.  So if you have a question or want more details on a property you may be connected to the listing agent but most of the time you’ll be sent to an agent who has paid to advertise on the app that may know nothing about the property at all.

My app also has a map function where you can draw the area you are interested in and it will pull up all available homes.

So what’s the best real estate app?  Mine of course!  My KW app allows my clients and friends and family to have all the features and benefits of the big name real estate apps with a connection to a local agent who is looking out for your best interest.  My app works nationwide.  And if you’re looking at home outside of my area of coverage I can connect you with a local agent anywhere in the country through our network of over 150,000 highly trained agents.

For 2019 our app will be totally redesigned with direct connection to every Multiple Listing Service in the country we will have the most accurate data for our customers.  If you would like a great real estate app connected with a great real estate agent download my free app now.  When the new version of the app is released your app will automatically be uploaded to the new version.  Click here to download now or Text
KW2JXSUJJ to 87778.

Best wishes, Matt
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Real Estate Market Update For Egg Harbor Township NJ

Here’s a quick look at the real estate market for Egg Harbor Township, NJ from our latest research report.  Home price do vary on a monthly basis as often time one high or low priced home can skew the numbers.  Here are the important numbers to look at for single family homes.  Inventory is down nearly 5%.  Home prices are up 2.3% year to date.  Days on market is down to 71 days on market year to date and just 55 days on market for the month of November.  Closed sales are up nearly 8% year to date.Real Estate Market Update For Egg Harbor Township NJ

 

For condos and townhomes prices are up year to date by nearly 30%.  The number of closed sales is down 32% year to date.  Egg-Harbor-Township-December2108marketupdate

If you or someone you know if buying or selling a home in Egg Harbor Township, NJ contact me for customized market report based on your specific criteria and location.

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Love Life in Egg Harbor Township, NJ

Living and loving life in Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08234

Egg Harbor Township is an excellent place to put down roots and live within a home-town community.There are several neighborhoods which offer a variety of homes, both older and newer constructions, ideal for raising a family, creating a retreat away from work, or enjoying retirement. Whatever your lifestyle and personal needs for a house, Egg Harbor Township is a place worthy of calling home.

Life in Egg Harbor Township, NJ

Life in Egg Harbor Township, NJ

Demographically speaking,Egg Harbor Township is a diverse community, in cultural heritage, education, and career/work background. With a larger proportion of the households being families, Egg Harbor Township provides excellent resources and amenities such as top-rated schools, parks and plenty of social opportunities, making it easy to connect with other families and build community bonds.  With many neighborhoods and sections you’re sure to find the right one for you.

Situated along the New Jersey coastline, it’s easy to get out and experience the rugged beauty of the scenic, coastal landscape along Great Egg Harbor Bay and River, Tuckahoe Wildlife Management Area and Egg Harbor Township Nature Reserve; just to name a few spots wort checking out. With the New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve right in our backyard, an almost endless run of trails awaits exploration.

Fun Fact: Great Egg Harbor get its name from the vast number of bird eggs which covered the meadow lands along the bay and river shoreline.

Egg Harbor Township is located minutes from Atlantic City and Ocean City and all the great beach towns like Margate, Longport, Ventnor and Brigantine.  Egg Harbor Township is located 1 hour from Philadelphia and two hours from New York City.

We have homes of all styles and budgets.  From condos, single family homes, 55 and over communities and even riverfront and waterfront homes.  Egg Harbor Township also offers new construction homes from some of the nations top builders.  This community is also conveniently located near shopping, medical facilities and and great restaurants.  Egg Harbor Township has a lot to offer come and see for yourself.

If you want to view homes in Egg Harbor Township, get the conversation started with me today at 609-338-3773 or contact me here.

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Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Shore Is Outperforming The Market

Once again our market center is outperforming the market.  As many of our competitors businesses are contracting we continue to grow while providing maximum benefits for our clients.

Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Shore Is Outperforming The Market

The chart below compares Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Shore and the entire South Jersey Shore Regional Multiple Listing System (all real estate brokers combined).  We are outperforming the market in every category.  Our main office is in Northfield NJ and we also have offices in Brigantine and Little Egg Harbor NJ.

Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Shore