Tag Archives: atlantic county

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5 Tips To Sell A Unique Property In Egg Harbor Township, NJ

Not every house is the same and sometimes there are no comparable homes to go by.

Recently I met with a few seller clients that wanted advice on selling their unique homes.  In Egg Harbor Township there are many developments where the houses are very similar and it’s very easy to determine market value.  There are also many unique homes and properties that may be difficult to find any homes to compare with them.  In the township there are waterfront homes, farm properties, historic homes and interesting mixed use properties.  So how do you sell a unique property that’s not your typical cookie cutter home?

  1.  First I like to take a look at what the highest and best use for the property would be.  Is it on a large piece of land?  Could it be subdivided?
  2. Then I like to look at who the potential buyer would be.  Are their attributes of the home or property that would appeal to certain buyers?  Is it in a waterfront location or close to parks and recreation.  Determining the likely buyer can also help determine how they may position the value of the home.
  3. Look for similar properties.  Do the best to find similar homes even if they are in another city nearby.
  4. I also like to help my clients evaluate if there are upgrades or improvements to the property that could be done to significantly improve the value of the property.
  5. Another option is to have an appraisal done on the property.  This will help give you an idea of how the appraiser would determine value and then price the property close to the appraised value.

If you or someone you know has a unique property and you need help determining the value.  Contact me for a free consultation.  Best wishes, Matt

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What are the best schools in Atlantic County NJ

Here are the best schools and school districts in Atlantic County

Traditionally Linwood has always been sought after as one of the best school districts in the county.  Linwood is still one of the best school districts and as I studied for this article I found a few surprises.  According to www.niche.com the number one Elementary school was:  William H. Ross III Intermediate School in Margate.  This school received an A+ rating.  Eugene A. Tighe Middle School in Margate was also the number one public middle school with an A rating.

Margate’s schools are fantastic.  However Margate’s high school is Atlantic City High School which is not top rated and received a B grade.  The number one high school was Mainland Regional High School in Linwood with an A rating and number two was Egg Harbor Township High School also with an A rating.  Linwood’s Bellhaven Middle School and Seaview Elementary School came in number two behind Margate so overall Linwood is still the best ranked school district.

When you’re buying a home and need help selecting the right school district you need a real estate agent that knows the school systems and districts and can help you determine what schools are best for your needs.  Contact me for a free consultation.  Also, comment on this post and let me know what you think are the best schools and school districts in Atlantic County.  Best wishes, Matt

 

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Feb 2019 Atlantic County Announces First Time Home Buyer Grant Money Now Available – $10,000

It's back! $10,000 available for Atlantic County, NJ First Time Home Buyers

Good news!  As of today the Atlantic County, NJ grant program is now funded with grants available of up to $10,000 for first time home buyers!  All funds are forgiven after 5 years.  This program is administered through the Atlantic County Improvement Authority.  This program does not work for everyone so I’ve outlined the key requirements below.  If you don’t think you’ll qualify for this program the state grant program is also giving $10,000 grants and it’s easier to qualify.  Click here for details on the state grant.  You will need to be pre-qualified by an a approved mortgage company.  My preferred lenders are on stand by to help qualify potential first time home buyers asap and get them qualified to receive the grant money.  Complete the form below and we’ll reach out to see if you qualify.

Atlantic County, NJ First Time Home Buyer Grant Money Is Now Available

Eligible Applicants:

     HOUSEHOLDS

  1. Who have resided in Atlantic County for the last 12 months or are employed in Atlantic County.
  2. Who have not owned a home for the last  three years.
  3. With acceptable credit history and the ability to obtain an approved mortgage.
  4. With incomes below 80% of Median income:

These income levels are (2019):

# of Household Members 80% of Median Income

1 Person

$42,850

2 Persons

$49,000

3 Persons

$55,100

4 Persons

$61,200

5 Persons

$66,100

6 Persons

$71,000

7 Persons

$75,900

8 Persons

$80,800

If you or someone you know may be eligible to qualify for this grant please call me for more details at 609-338-3773.  Time is limited and funds are usually gone in a few months so please call me now.  Matt

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Real Estate Market Update For Mays Landing, NJ

Here is the latest update for the real estate market for Mays Landing, Hamilton Township, NJ Atlantic County

So first let me say that this update is for Hamilton Township (AKA Mays Landing), Atlantic County, NJ.  There are two Hamilton Townships in NJ so if you are looking for Atlantic County in South Jersey you’ve come to the right place!  Mays Landing is located about 20 minutes east of Atlantic City and Ocean City.  Mays Landing is also the regional shopping and retail hub of the county and home to The Hamilton Mall and many other strip centers and chain restaurants.

Here is an update for the Hamilton Township real estate market.  New listings were down slightly for December.  Closed sales were up.  Days on market was down to just 63 days.  The median sales price was lower for the month however it is up 14% year to date to a median sales price of $173,250.

This report also takes a look at condos and townhomes in Mays Landing.  New listings were down for the month and median sales price is up 21%.  Monthly supply of inventory is up slightly to 6 months.


If you or someone you know is thinking of buying or selling real estate in Mays Landing please let us know. We can help them analyze the real estate market in their neighborhood to see if this is a good time to buy or sell for them.

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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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Use a Mortgage Payment Calculator to Help Find Your Atlantic County, NJ Home

Mortgage Payment Calculator

When it’s time to buy a home, chances are you’ll need to find a lender and get a mortgage approved. It’s ideal to know ahead of time the maximum amount you’ll qualify for from your chosen lender. After you know how much of a loan you can get, and you begin house hunting, you’ll need to find out just how much a house will cost before you make an offer. So, how do you figure this out you may ask? This is where mortgage payment calculators come in.

When you can plan a budget before you buy a home you can save yourself a lot of time and potential money. By providing some basic information about a listing you’re interested in, with a mortgage payment calculator, you can get an estimate of the overall costs of a property, or several properties if you’re looking to compare.

Mortgage Payment Calculator for Atlantic County NJ

As an online resource, mortgage calculators can also give you an idea of what type of loan you may want to apply for. Through showing you variables, which impact mortgages such as interest rates and down payment amounts, you’ll be equipped to determine the best home loan budget for you. With the help of a mortgage payment calculator for buying a house in Atlantic County, NJ, you can get insight into what to expect, including taxes or HOA fees if they’re applicable.

As a home buyer, one of the best decisions you can make is to educate yourself about the process and how each step will affect you. You’ll have a lot of decisions to make; these are major financial and lifestyle decisions worth taking the time to understand so you can buy with confidence and be happy in your new home. When you utilize a tool such as a mortgage payment calculator you give yourself a valuable resource, knowledge.

Mortgage Calculator

You can find mortgage calculators through different lender and real estate sites, or check out the mortgage calculator below to begin. When it’s time to buy a home, work with a Realtor® who has a passion in helping their clients find solutions towards achieving their home dreams. Get the conversation started with Matt Haviland, give him a call today at 609-338-3773 or send him an e-mail.  The Haviland Group and Keller Williams Realty are here to help you find the right home from start to finish.

MortgageCalculator.org

Free Mortgage Calculators

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Down Payments for a Home – How Much do I Really Need?

One of the first questions asked when someone is planning to buy a home is, “How much do you have to put down to buy a house?” You may think the answer is a simple one, but this is not necessarily the case. The amount of a down payment needed depends on several factors and your own individual situation.

The first thing to consider is what type of mortgage loan you can qualify for. The type of loan will determine what the minimum requirement is for a down payment on a house. If you qualify for a first-time buyer loan program, chances are you will need a lower down payment, good news for those struggling to save for this major investment.

For qualified buyers through the FHA you can buy with a down payment as low as 3.5%, or possibly with a zero-down payment, but there’s a price. If you qualify for this option, you’ll be required to pay for mortgage insurance for a while. Mortgage insurance isn’t for you but for your lender to be able to recoup the losses should you not make your payments. A down payment helps lessen the overall principal amount of a loan. The higher your down payment, the lower the principal funding. The more principal funding a lender provides, the more money they’re putting at risk in a loan.

While you may not need a down payment through an FHA loan, your monthly mortgage payment will include the cost of mortgage insurance from which you won’t directly benefit. This can be a worthy trade-off if saving for a down payment is a challenge. And the good news is, you won’t have to pay for mortgage insurance for the duration of your loan. When there’s a suitable amount of equity built into your property, you can request a review to discontinue the insurance.

Military veterans and active personnel can qualify for a VA loan, which will waive the down payment completely if you don’t have the funds to put down. These loans are provided through various lenders but backed by the US Dept. of Veteran Affairs. As such, if you don’t have a down payment you won’t have to include mortgage insurance. If you or your spouse has been a part of the military, this is an option worth looking into.

So how much of a down payment do you have to have for a house if you don’t qualify for a special program loan? The standard answer is 20% of the sale price. For a $100,000 home, this would mean you need $20,000 for a down payment. This is a sizable sum which can be a challenge for even the savviest saver. If you don’t have the full 20% however, not all is lost. Some lenders are willing to go as low as 5%-10% for a down payment, provided you pay for mortgage insurance to help lessen the risk to the lender.

To help avoid this extra expense though, you may be able to achieve the 20% down payment through a grant. While most grants are geared towards lower incomes and first-time home buyers, there are options for those in-the-middle-income buyers as well.

Learn more about down payments with this Bank Rate article. If it’s time to buy a home, get the conversation started with Matt Haviland; give him a call today at 609-338-3773 or send him an e-mail. Matt and his team are passionate about helping their clients achieve their home dreams; The Haviland Group and Keller Williams Realty are here to help you find the right home from start to finish.

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How Important is Your Credit Score for Buying an Atlantic County Home?

How Important is Your Credit Score for Buying an Atlantic County Home?

You’re ready to buy a home. You have stable employment, and make good money, so you should be able to easily get a loan, right? Not so fast. Lenders all use credit scores to help determine your ability to pay your debt before they take a risk on lending you money for a new home. Credit scores can vary from 300-850. That’s quite a range, so what should your credit score be to buy a house?

How Important is Your Credit Score for Buying an Atlantic County Home?

A credit score is calculated using a software program created by the Fair Isaac Corporation, or FICO. Understanding how your FICO score is used will help you understand the importance of a good score. Mortgage lenders use your score when determining your reliability towards making timely payments. This helps establish not only your approval or denial, but also what interest rate will be offered if approved.

According to Nerdwallet, excellent credit scores are considered to be 720 and up, and fair or “average credit” scores fall between 630-689. Credit scores falling below the average or fair range often result in the denial of credit to the borrower or credit offers at a much higher interest rate. Various things can impact your score, but most important is when you pay your bills, if they’re on time or not. Also, if you have a large number of late payment fees applied to your accounts or any of them in collections, your score will be lower.How Important is Your Credit Score for Buying an Atlantic County Home?

Credit scores are reported by three agencies, Equifax, Experian and Transunion. All three agency reports are pulled by lenders to help determine your overall credit score. These scores usually vary slightly from one another. Lenders will use the median score to determine a borrower’s overall FICO score. For example, if your reports come back with a 680, 705, and 720, the lender will use 705 as the number to determine your eligibility as a borrower.

FHA (Federal Housing Administration) loans require a minimum credit score of 580 to qualify for their 3.5% down payment option which is popular with first-time home buyers. You might be approved for an FHA loan with a score lower than 580 but the minimum down payment required will be 10% in those circumstances.

How Important is Your Credit Score for Buying an Atlantic County Home?Raising your score quickly can help you get approved for a loan or to get approved for a better interest rate. Even slight differences can greatly affect the rate you’re offered. According to MyFICO.com payment history contributes 35% to your credit score. In order to avoid paying late payments, set-up auto payments or reminders for yourself so everything is paid on time. Reducing the amount of debt owed is important as well, though not as simple to change. Pull your credit report to determine where the highest interest is being charged and focus on paying off those accounts first for the greatest impact. When reviewing your credit report make sure it is accurate. Dispute any discrepancies for debt you don’t owe or that you’ve already paid. If you make these changes you should see your score start improving each month.

Matt Haviland with The Haviland Group and Keller Williams Realty offers a complimentary credit score check and credit evaluation by filling out this form on the Mortgage Help page or their website. Complete the form for your evaluation today. If you would like more information, please give Matt a call today at 609-338-3773 or send him an e-mail. When you’re ready to buy your first home, Matt and his team are here to help from start to finish.

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Can I Buy a House in Atlantic County with No Money Down?

Atlantic County Real Estate

Many people continue to rent for fear of the unknowns of home buying. We’ve shared some information on several great programs for first-time home buyers in our last post. But what if you don’t have a down payment? There are some programs which allow no money down, but certain criteria must be met.

Can I buy a house in Atlantic County with no money down?

USDA Loans are backed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). These loans are also known as rural housing or rural development loans as they provide help with the purchase of houses located in certain rural areas and include zero down payment mortgage options for borrowers who qualify. Criteria for qualification includes household income, number of people living in the home and other factors such as approval of the property you are purchasing by area and size among other parameters.

USDA offers a helpful tool on their website to easily calculate the numbers you enter to determine your eligibility. Two types of single-family home loans are available with USDA, Single-Family Direct Home Loans and Single-Family Guaranteed Loans. Both programs have specific requirements for potential buyers which are outlined on the website. You can also search an address for eligibility to determine if a property in a small town or rural area of Atlantic County is covered. For example, just south of Egg Harbor, Corbin City is an area where there may be eligible homes due to its rural designation.

VA Loans programs assist active military members and veterans through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. These loan programs don’t require private mortgage insurance and they have no down payment mortgage options. While these loan programs are provided by private lenders and mortgage companies, the VA guarantees a portion of the loans to get the borrowers the best rates possible. This program is also available to surviving spouses of military personnel and veterans as well.

Can I buy a house in Atlantic County with no money down?The New Jersey HomeSeeker Program now offers $10,000 down payment assistance grants for residents of Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Essex, Gloucester, Mercer, Passaic and Union Counties. This grant is available for first-time homebuyers who qualify and obtain first mortgage financing through the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency’s (NJHMFA) Homeward Bound mortgage program. Contact our office to see if you qualify.

For more information on no down payment mortgage options, check out this information from Investopedia.  As always, Matt Haviland with The Haviland Group and Keller Williams Realty offers free consultation for first-time homebuyers. Contact Matt today at 609-338-3773 or via e-mail to find out how he can help you.

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First Time Homebuyer Mortgage Options Around Atlantic County

First Time Homebuyer Mortgage Options Around Atlantic County

First Time Homebuyer Mortgage Options Around Atlantic CountyYou’ve saved and planned and you’re ready to take the plunge into home ownership. There are many great mortgage choices for first-time homebuyers to consider. This list will break down some of the most popular options and provide links to find out more about the ones you may qualify for.

First Time Homebuyer Mortgage Options Around Atlantic County

FHA Loans are 15 or 30-year loans which are backed by the Federal Housing Administration under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). FHA Loans usually allow approval for borrowers with lower credit scores. These loans can also help through low down payment mortgages and lower closing costs. You’ll have to pay a slightly higher rate for mortgage insurance however, which can be paid upfront or annually.

USDA Loans are based on income for qualification and backed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). These loans provide help with the purchase of houses located in certain rural areas and include zero down payment mortgage options for borrowers who qualify.

VA Loans are available to active military members and veterans through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and are partially backed by the same. The goal with this program is to assist veterans in purchasing houses. These loans can include no down payment mortgage options and don’t require private mortgage insurance. They do require a one-time funding fee which is a small percentage of the total loan amount.

Good Neighbor Next Door assistance program offers loans for houses which have been foreclosed on at half price to qualified borrowers. This is an incredible program and as such has stringent guidelines. The Good Neighbor Next Door program is available only to borrowers who work in public service sectors as law enforcement professionals, teachers, emergency medical technicians (EMTs) or firefighters. The firefighters and EMTs must also work within the same jurisdiction as the house they are purchasing. These homes are offered in “revitalization areas” as defined by the FHA. These areas generally have a high number of foreclosed properties available.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are government programs which help qualify first-time homebuyers who have low or moderate income with lenders.  The Fannie Mae HomePath Ready Buyer Program in particular offers qualified first-time homebuyers up to 3% toward closing costs for HomePath Properties which were foreclosures under their loan programs.

New Jersey State and Atlantic County Residents can also benefit from some wonderful down payment assistance options outlined in our previous post about First Time Homebuyers Government Programs. Check out the blog post to find out more about first time government programs that are available. These are great offerings specifically for area residents.

The options are too many to list but there’s sure to be something for most any first-time homebuyer to benefit from. For more choices and information see this informative Bankrate article.

Matt Haviland with The Haviland Group and Keller Williams Realty always offers free consultation for first-time homebuyers. Contact Matt today at 609-338-3773 or via e-mail to find out how he can help you.