Tag Archives: NJ

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Atlantic County 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!  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 programs does not work for everyone so I’ve outlined the key requirements below.  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.

Free Money!

Free Money! $10,000 Grant For First Time Home Buyers

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 (2013):

                                                           # of Household  Members 80% of Median Income
1 Person. $38,400
2 Persons $43,900
3 Persons $49,400
4 Persons $54,850
5 Persons $59,250
6 Persons $63,650
7 Persons $68,050
8 Persons $72,450

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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The Wildwoods & Diamond Beach Market Statistics For 4th Quarter of 2015

What's happening in the real estate market at The Wildwoods and Diamond Beach 2015

Here is an overview of the real estate market for The Wildwoods and Diamond Beach.  4th Quarter average sales price was $309,101.  This up 3% from the 3rd quarter of 2015 and up .07% from the 4th quarter of 2014.  Median sales price was a$255,000.  That’s a 6% increase from the 3rd quarter and a decrease of 8.8% from the 2014.  204 units sold in the 4th quarter of 2015.  That a decrease of 2.4% from the 3rd quarter and an increase of 8.5% from 2014.  Days on the market has gone down to 132.  That 3 days less than the 3rd quarter and 15 days less than it was a year ago.  Now is a great time to buy, invest and sell at the shore!  For more information on Wildwoods and Diamond Beach Real Estate contact me.  Matt

Wildwoods and Diamond Beach real estate statistics 4th quarter 2015

Wildwoods and Diamond Beach real estate statistics 4th quarter 2015

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Ocean City, NJ Market Statistics 4th Quarter Of 2015

What's going on in the Ocean City, NJ Real Estate Market For 2015 4th Quarter.

Here’s what’s happening in the Ocean City, NJ real estate market:

Average sales price of $588,770 has gone down by 1% compared to the 3rd quarter of 2015 and down 1% from 4th quarter of 2014.  Median sales price of $481,000 is down 7% compared to the 3rd quarter and 1% down from 2014.  Sales volume of 222 units sold is down 7% from the 3rd quarter and up 2% from 2014.  Days on market has gone up also to 128 days on market.

Right now is a great opportunity to buy sell and invest in Ocean City.  Please contact me for more information on Ocean City, NJ real estate.  Matt

Market Report For Ocean City, NJ 4th quarter 2015.

Market Report For Ocean City, NJ 4th quarter 2015.

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5 Crucial Reasons for an “Annual Home Review”

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

Just like an annual physical, it’s important to do an “Annual Home Review.”
Your home may be your biggest investment so it’s critical to keep up-to-date on the
answers to these five crucial questions:Annual Home Review

1. What homes near you have sold, and how does this impact you today?
2. What new tax laws give you deductions or credits on home improvements?
3. What’s happening in your neighborhood that will impact the value of your home?
4. What changes have occurred in your life that alter your goals for the next 5 years?
5. What’s occurring with your current mortgage? What changes could benefit you?

The next time you are in a conversation with a friend, family member or
neighbor who is talking about their home’s value, remember the future belongs to
those who prepare, and I am prepared to help you and the people you care about. Call
or text and we’ll start right away. Together we’ll make the future better than ever!

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

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Our Office Out Performs The Market

These statistics compare our Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Shore office with the rest of the Multiple Listing Service in the Atlantic County, NJ area.  As you can see we out perform the rest of the market.  We have exceeded the rest of the market in the number of transaction for buyers and sellers and sales dollar volume.

Screen Shot 2015-10-17 at 9.05.51 AM

The questions is why?  And there are many reasons to explain this.  One is that we are an agent centered company.  We have a culture.  We are the largest real estate franchise in the world in agent count.  We are the number one training organization among all industries.  Our local leadership team truly cares about helping people reach their dreams and have businesses worth owning and lives worth living.

Who do you know, right now, that would benefit from working with our company?  While others agents are struggling, we are thriving.   And it’s important that you know that I have time to help your friends, family members, and neighbors that you know and like that need help.  Please call me at 609-338-3773 and we can talk about how I can help.

Best wishes,

Matt

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Relocating For A New Job Doesn’t Have To Be Stressful

Relocating for a new job is never easy. The move can be one of the most stressful changes in life. Not only do you need to find a new place to call home, but you also have to adjust to a new environment, master a new job, and build a new support network—all at the same time. Not to mention paying two mortgages, which can be overwhelming and often unrealistic.

Sweetwater Marina, Mullica Twp. NJ

Sweetwater Marina, Mullica Twp. NJ

According to a recent survey by CareerBuilder, nearly 50% of workers said they would be willing to relocate for the right job. But that doesn’t mean it has to be a stressful experience.

The next time you’re in a conversation with a friend, family member or neighbor, and they tell you they’re relocating for a new job or their company is thinking about moving them, take out your phone, look up my number and call or text me immediately. I belong to a national network of realtors and lenders and I can help them find a new home that makes their move a positive and exciting one.

Matthew Haviland, Your Real Estate Consultant For Life

Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Shore 609-484-9890 ext 132

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Don’t Remodel Your Kitchen!

Before you remodel your kitchen, consider upgrading the whole house

IMG_2485

Old House

Carol and Nate were considering remodeling their kitchen in their lovely ranch home in Linwood, NJ.  This older home had the original kitchen, closed off from the living room and dining room and had limited shelf and counter space.  They consulted several builders and realized a new kitchen would cost then tens of thousand of dollars and they would still not have the open concept that they wanted.

Then they considered the option of purchasing a newer home… and even considered a 55 and over community.  Carol and Nate, found me on my website and asked for my help.  We quickly got their home listed and staged to sell and within two weeks we had multiple offers and accepted a full price offer.

New House

New House

From there they located a lovely newer home in Egg Harbor Township with a fabulous open layout and stunning kitchen.  They sold their home and moved in to their new home on the same day.

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Happy Clients!

So before you remodel your kitchen, consider upgrading the whole house.  You may find that you’ll get greater value when you move up to a newer home.

Best wishes,

Matt

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Mistakes Can Be Portals of Discovery

Matt's Home News May 2015

Imagine an organization as a ship sailing on the ocean. All of the personnel on board, have one over-arching responsibility: Do not make a hole in the ship!

When working above the waterline, however, making a mistake and creating a hole in the side of the ship will have no serious consequences. We’ll have the time to repair the hole, learn and sail on.

Sunset in Absecon, NJ Faunce Landing Road.

Sunset in Absecon, NJ along Faunce Landing Road.

Below the waterline, an action that creates a hole could, quite literally, sink us.

Business Insider identified these 3 inventions that started as above-the-waterline “mistakes” and had below-the-waterline impact:

Sir Alexander Fleming: Before discarding a contaminated petri dish, Fleming noticed a specific mold dissolving all the bacteria it touched. Fleming went on to discover the mold contained penicillin.

Ruth Wakefield: While baking a batch of chocolate cookies, Ruth Wakefield realized she was out of baker’s chocolate and decided to substitute sweetened chocolate instead. The sweetened chocolate did not melt leaving crunchy chocolate morsels. Chocolate chip cookies were created.

Spencer Silver: After setting out to make a stronger adhesive, Spencer Silver, a researcher in 3M Laboratories, actually created a weaker adhesive. Years later a colleague spread the adhesive on little pieces of paper. Post-It notes were born.

Sometimes mistakes feel bigger than life, especially when we mix them with embarrassment or disappointment. Most mistakes are only mistakes when we stop forward progress and walk away without getting the lesson or the benefit.

Sincerely,

Matt Haviland
Your Real Estate Consultant For Life

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

P.P.S. If you’d like to download or read my full May 2015 Newsletter click here:  May 2015 Newsletter – Matt

 

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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

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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.