Author Archives

Matthew Haviland

Posted on

As You Read This Post, Who Comes To Mind First?

Here’s a quick post to let you know how I can help you, or the person you feel comfortable introducing me to.

Many of my friends, coworkers and family members have been telling me about their experience of being pushed and pulled in all directions. They call themselves the Sandwich Generation. Their homes have more

Need more space? I'm here to help!

Need more space? I’m here to help!

people than space. You may know someone in one of the following situations who needs my help:

  1. Someone caring for aging parents while supporting and caring for their own children.
  2. Someone in their 50’s or 60’s, sandwiched between aging parents, adult children and

    grandchildren.

  3. Someone in their 30’s or 40’s with young children, aging parents and, perhaps, even grandparents.
  4. Someone involved with elder care, special needs care, or sibling care.

The one thing the people of the Sandwich Generation have in common is that they need more space. As you think about people who may need my help, feel comfortable taking out your cell phone and call me. Let’s talk about helping your friends find the home that gives them the space they deserve.

Matthew Haviland

Your Real Estate Consultant For Life Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Shore 609-484-9890 ext 132

P.S. Who do you know being squeezed for space and could use some help now?

Posted on

Get Up To $5,000 For Down Payment And Closing Cost Assistance For First Time Home Buyers

There is a new grant program offering first time home buyer up to $5,000 toward their down payment and closing costs.  The program is called First Front Door.  If you qualify Meridian Bank will match your contribution 3 to 1.  For every $1 you contribute, you can receive$3 in grant assistance to a maximum of $5,000.

First time home buyer grant money.

First time home buyer grant money.

To qualify you must be a first time home buyer with an income at or below 80% of your county’s median income.  For more details contact me or Juan Jordan at Meridian Bank:  732-423-6494.

Best wishes,

Matt

P.S.  There are other financing options available and great rates too!  Who do you know that is renting and would love to own a home?

Posted on

Smithville Village Home Show This Saturday!

Screen Shot 2015-04-12 at 2.42.59 PM

This Saturday Smithville Village will host a home show featuring local vendors and merchants to help you with all your home needs.  These local vendors can help you with your repair, remodeling, inspection, landscaping, insurance, financing and home projects.  The event is free and hours are from 10 AM to 4 PM.  Free admission and free parking.

Smithville Village is located at Rt. 9 and Moss Mill Road in Smithville, NJ (Galloway township).

Proceeds benefit KW Cares.  KW Cares is a 501(c)(3) public charity created to support Keller Williams Realty associates and their families with hardship as a result of a sudden emergency.

Posted on

Fun Day Monday Quiz April, 2015

FunDayMonday-920April 2015

Today is Fun Day Monday!

Imagine winning a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com – what would you buy or who could you give it to as a gift?

Here’s how to enter the drawing:

Simply fill out the form below. If you choose the correct answer to the quiz question, your name will be entered into a drawing for a free $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com. It’s that easy…!  

I will announce the winner later this week.

This Month’s Quiz Question:

Who is the famous voice behind the world’s most infamous prank, The War Of The Worlds radio broadcast (1938)?

A. Michael Enright

B. Morgan Freeman

C. Rod Serling

D. Orson Welles

Simply fill out the form below, along with the correct answer and your name will be entered into the drawing to win!

Good Luck and Have Fun!

Matthew Haviland, Your Real Estate Consultant For Life!

YES! I want to be entered into this month’s drawing…
If I win, send my gift card to:


First Name *
Last Name *
Email *
Answer *

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE ODDS OF WINNING. Open to residents of the United States and Canada, age 18+. Subject to Official Rules available at official rules see for restrictions, odds, prizes and claim details. Void where prohibited.

Posted on

The Taxi Driver’s Story

I want to share a story with you that touched me deeply, reminding me to slow down and focus on doing

things that are really important. This is a true story, written by a NYC taxi driver:CYMERA_20141030_081519

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be the last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked. “Just a minute,” answered a frail, elderly voice.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her nineties stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940’s movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, “Could you drive through downtown?”

“It’s not the shortest way,” I answered quickly.

“Oh, I don’t mind,” she said. “I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to a hospice.” I looked in the rear- view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. “I don’t have any family left,” she continued in a soft voice. “The doctor says I don’t have very long.”

I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. “What route would you like me to take?”
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the area where she and her husband had lived as newlyweds. She had me pull up at a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had danced as a girl. Sometimes she’d ask me to slow in front of a building and would sit staring into the darkness.

[After dropping her off] I didn’t pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don’t think that I have done anything more important in my life.

Sincerely,

Matt Haviland
Your Real Estate Consultant For Life

~ This story is excerpted from the original, which can be found at: http://www.snopes.com/glurge/cabride.asp

P.S If you liked this story, let me know how it touched you. Contact me at:  SJHouses.com or 609-338-3773

P.P.S.  If you’d like to view or download our entire April 2015 Newsletter click here:  Matt’s Home News April 2015

Posted on

What’s Your Home Worth in a Declining Market?

Here’s a quick note to let you know how I can help you—or anyone you feel comfortable introducing me to.

It’s no secret that parts of our area are experiencing declines in the real estate market. Home prices are not going up for many area.  Take a look at the charts showing the Mainland area real estate market (Galloway, Egg Harbor Township, Northfield, Pleasantville, Absecon, Port Republic, Egg Harbor City, Mullica Township, Hammonton, Linwood, Northfield, Somers Point, Beuna and Hamilton Township.)  A healthy real estate market depends on a balance of buyers and sellers being able to move in and out of the market.  Right now we are seeing a buyer’s market in the mainland communities.

CMM_Report_SupplyAndDemand_chart CMM_Report_UnitsExpired_chart CMM_Report_UnitsForSale_chart CMM_Report_UnitsSold_chart CMM_Report_SoldForSaleMedianPrice_chart For sellers, the implication is that they will need to price their homes more competitively. A competitive price will attract more interest than a higher price. In the end, the higher priced property usually sells for the same as the competitively priced home, but just takes longer to sell.

If you or someone you know is thinking about selling, contact me to get a price analysis to help plan your sale: 609-338-3773. Also ask for a copy of my free report, How Sellers Price Their Homes.

Matthew Haviland, Your Real Estate Consultant For Life Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Shore 609-484-9890 ext 132

P.S. Do you know someone else who’s thinking about selling their home? Please introduce us so that I can help them get the most money possible from the sale

Posted on

February 2015 Market Statistics, Ocean City, Longport, Margate, Brigantine, Linwood, Egg Harbor Township, Galloway, NJ

Spring is hopefully right around the corner.  I wanted to take a moment and look at last month’s sales data and update you on what’s happening in the market.   With this update I am comparing a few statistics among different municipalities:  Ocean City, Longport, Margate, Brigantine, Linwood, Egg Harbor Township, and Galloway, NJ.

median-pricenumber of salesinventory-sales

As you can see sales, inventory and price varies greatly among each or these communities.  The turnover ratio shows the percentage of homes selling in each city.  The higher the percentage the more homes are selling each month.turnover ratio

The most commonly asked question I get is:  “How’s The Market.”  Experience shows it all depends on where you live.  If you’d like to know How the market is in your neighborhood I’d love to do some research for you and send you an email that will tell you what homes are for sale now, what homes have sold recently and how long homes are taking to sell in your neighborhood so you can feel secure in the knowledge that you have the most accurate information.  This timely information will tell you right away how your market is right now!  I imagine that information would be of value to you, would it not?

Please contact me if you’d like to know what’s happening in your market.  609-338-3773.

Best wishes,

Matt

*  Information based on MLS data as of 3/2/15

Posted on

A Different Kind of Spring Cleaning

Spring is nearly here, and for many people that means spring cleaning. It means tossing away old clothes, moving the furniture and mopping unseen places, washing hand and nose prints off the windows, scrubbing walls, and perhaps painting or redecorating.

A beautiful Spring day at Verona Park

A beautiful Spring day at Verona Park, Verona, NJ

But there’s another kind of spring cleaning, a kind that could do more to spruce up our lives and brighten our day than any other kind of cleaning. What if we spring cleaned our relationships, too, this season?

What if we scrubbed the stains off of our marriages, our relationships with our children, our co- workers, bosses, and friends? What if we mopped up the messes we’ve made and wiped off the dirt we’ve allowed to build up?

What if we swept away the dust bunnies under our friendships? What if we listened more, spent more quality time, and reached out to those we’ve ignored? What if we spruced up our promises and intentions, and remembered that our loved ones want us to be there for them emotionally, not just physically?

If you’re interested in giving it a try, here’s a proactive approach to doing this kind of spring cleaning: First, make a list of people you have relationships with, including your close family, kin, friends, etc. Next, go through each name and ask yourself how you could tidy up that relationship. It may only need a little polish, like a letter to Aunt May who hasn’t heard from you since Christmas. It may need deep cleaning, like telling the truth about a big lie or getting vulnerable about your feelings. Or you may simply decide things are just fine the way they are.

Whatever your spring brings you, I hope it is bright and clean and fresh. Sincerely,

Matt Haviland
Your Real Estate Consultant For Life

P.S. If you like this idea, let me know. I’d like to hear about your experiences. Contact me at: SJHouses.com or 609-338-3773.

P.P.S.  If you’d like to view or download my entire March newsletter with great tips, articles and ideas click here:  March 2015 Newsletter – Matt

Posted on

Tax Appeal Time – Help With Your Atlantic County, NJ Tax Appeals.

tax-appeal-time

I’ve been getting calls from clients regarding appealing their Atlantic County, NJ property tax valuations.  In an effort to help I’d like to include some resources to help with this process.

The deadline to appeal taxes is April 1st.  All of the information and forms required can be found here:  http://www.aclink.org/taxation/homepage.asp  Here is a link to the form you’ll need to download and complete:  http://www.aclink.org/taxation/pdfs/FormA-1-Print.pdf

You’ll see on form A-1 that you will need to provide 5 comparable sales to justify your appeal.  Comparable sales used as evidence in 2015 should have occurred between October 1, 2013 and October 1, 2014.  This is where many people get stuck coming up with this information.

If you need help completing the form or obtaining comparable properties I am available to help.

For a fee of $50.00 I will locate the 5 best comparables and email them to you with full details including lot and block number and addresses.  (This service is free to current and past clients)

If you need additional help completing form A-1 I can also help for an additional $75.00 fee.

Note:  The county charges a separate filing fee ranging from $5.00 to $150.00 based on the assessed valuation. The filing fee schedule is as follows:

If the assessment appealed is:
Less than $150,000 $5.00
$150,000 or more, but less than $500,000 $25.00
$500,000 or more, but less than $1,000,000 $100.00
$1,000,000 or more $150.00

Best wishes on saving money on your taxes!

Matt

P.S.  Call me if you need my help with your property tax appeal.  I have a limited amount of time set aside to help with this so call me at 609-484-9890 ext. 132 if you need my help.