Credit Score Guidelines for New Jersey Home Buyers

There is an abundance of misinformation about credit scores. The information below is accurate, thanks to Rich Hirsch from Mortgage Masters.

 1. The Players

• Beacon atEquifax

• FICO Risk Score atTransunion (Empirica)

• Experian/Fair Isaac atExperian

2. Main reason for FICO Scores is to predict your chances of default on a specific loan. Read more

Home Buyers – Do you stop the car to scan a QR code on a real estate sign?

I just received  an email marketing a listing from a NJ Realtor that made me want to write this post.

There was a QR code in the email that says ” Scan this with your smart phone.. links to a listing website”  WHY would I do that? Wouldn’t it be easier for me to click a link to the listing than  grab  my iphone, go to the app, and  scan  her QR code on my computer? Even if I were on my iphone or ipad, it just seems easier to click a link. Am I the only one who feels this way? Read more

Lower Rates, Lower Competition, and Even Lower Prices… Why wait for Spring?

I’ve been in the business since 1983, when the interest rates were about 14% and on their way down.  Since that time, I’ve seen fluctuations in home prices, lending practices, mortgage rates and so much more!  I don’t remember ever seeing the stars lined up so perfectly for qualified New Jersey buyers.  If you are interested in financing a  midtown direct home in New Jersey, take note of the following current rates. Read more

Video: Give Home Buyers and Sellers What They Are Looking For! Sue Adler and Kenn Renner Share Video and Website Strategies at Keller Williams National Convention

I’ve been fortunate to speak at several major real estate conventions over the years, but this time, I was lucky to have the King of Video, Kenn Renner, on stage with me because he filmed our whole panel! Read more

Analysis of Maplewood & South Orange Home Statistics for August 2011

Whether you are buying or selling real estate in New Jersey, you can benefit from having an understanding of the local market.  The average listed sales price of a Maplewood New Jersey home for the month of August, 2011 was $327,400, with a median sales price of $517,500 for sold Maplewood homes.  Housing inventory has decreased in Maplewood when compared with  August of 2010, with 144 active listings being reported for the last day of August for Maplewood versus 161 in August of 2010.

The average listed sales price of a South Orange, New Jersey home for the month of August, 2011 was $422,000, with a median sales price of $397,000 for sold South Orange homes.  Housing inventory has decreased in South Orange when compared with August of 2010, with 110 active listings being reported for the last day of August for South Orange versus 134 in August of 2010. The big complaint of most buyers right now is the lack of inventory in these towns which are in such high demand, with their easy commute into Manhattan. Read more

Analysis of Millburn/Short Hills & Summit Home Statistics for August 2011

Whether you are buying or selling real estate in New Jersey, you can benefit from having an understanding of the local market.  The average listed sales price of a Millburn/Short Hills, New Jersey home for the month of August, 2011 was $1,250,000, with a median sales price of $947,926 for sold Millburn/Short Hills homes.  Housing inventory has decreased in Millburn/Short Hills when compared with August of 2010, with 94 active listings being reported for the last day of August for Millburn/Short Hills versus 107 in August of 2010. Read more

NJ’s Sue Adler Team Named #103 in Wall Street Journal Top 1000 List of Realtors Nationwide!

Last week, The Sue Adler Team was named #103 in the “The Thousand!”  This article is published every year by The Wall Street Journal and Real Trends, Inc. and highlights the Top 1,000 real estate teams in the United States. We are so excited to be a part of that exclusive list for 2011!  The teams are chosen based on the  amount of dollar volume   for 2010, and The Sue Adler Team is the only NJ Real Estate Team to be named on this list. Read more

Top Agent Magazine Features New Jersey Realtor Sue Adler for Client Service

This past month, Top Agent Magazine contacted me for an interview. Recognizing us as one of the top producing teams in the country, they wanted to know more about our innovative marketing and social media strategies, and the amazing results they have brought to our clients in our   New Jersey Midtown Direct Train Line Towns. This was the focus of the article which you can read here.

Our new website was once again brought up as a key tool to help relocation buyers understand commute times between our New Jersey towns and New York City, and our videos and robust community pages were highlighted as well!
The article pointed out that 43% of our business last year came from internet marketing strategies and with the new website and other services we are now able to offer our clients, that number will increase this year.

The main point of the article is that real estate has become a skills based business… pricing first and foremost, negotiating, staging advice, online marketing strategies, and having long term “action plans” in place so that transactions run smoothly.

I run my business like a business. By hiring a team of specialists and consultants, I’m able to have the best of the best in the industry as a part of my team.  This way our buyer and seller clients can always keep their pulse on this changing market because we are able to provide the home, community, and market stats to them on a regular basis and become their connector to their new community. We are also able to manage the transaction from pre-list to close because Dawn, our Transaction Manager, has contractors and the important people in town hall on speed dial - Dawn makes it happen!

I tend to get the credit most of the time, but I really want everyone to know that without my admin, consultants, and buyer specialists, we could never offer our clients the level of services we are able to today.

Enjoy the article and and dont hesitate to contact me with any questions.

Yours to count on,

Sue

InmanNext features SueAdler.com as Great Example of Consumer-Centric Real Estate Website

Now there is even more national recognition for Sueadler.com!  Chris Smith from InmanNext interviewed Jim Marks, CEO of  Virtual Results about his “websites that work” and featured my new custom New Jersey real estate site as an example.

When Jim and I discussed how this site was going to be built, we had the Midtown Direct Trainline Town home buyer and seller in mind with each and every page.  Most of our buyers move here from Manhattan, Jersey City,  Hoboken or Brooklyn.  I joke that there is usually a dragger and a dragee out of the city and aside from the house, their priorities are often great schools, direct train for easy commute, and a walkable town.

So….. We built sueadler.com for the buyer relocating to New Jersey who isn’t sure yet which town to call home. Our interactive map has commute times to NYC, links to all of the community info including town tour videos with locals discussing the community, and links to all homes for sale in Millburn, Short Hills, Summit, Chatham, Madison, Maplewood, South Orange, Livingston and surrounding New Jersey towns.

Keeping both buyers and sellers in mind, on each of my listings, we pulled in the corresponding community information. For example, on www.sueadler.com/38rollinghill, you will notice a community video of Chatham, the Chatham blog posts, and the Chatham yelp reviews, as well as Chatham school and commuting info.

What I have discovered is that home buyers go to real estate websites and may see a nice house, but they have no idea what the community is like.  We designed this site with the intention of providing the whole package. And our sellers are thrilled to have their New Jersey homes featured in this way, so it’s a win for everyone.

A huge thank you to Jim Marks and the Virtual Results Team.  And to Chris Smith for giving sueadler.com national exposure!  Click here to see the article or watch the video.

4.39% Mortgage Rates + Your Buyer Competition on Vacation = Opportunity for NJ Home Buyers!

If you are looking for a fantastic time to buy a home in Millburn or Short Hills or real estate in any of our Midtown Direct towns, now is the time to move quickly! Interest rates have decreased making you able to purchase New Jersey real estate for less or even qualify for more of a home in Chatham than you originally expected. The average 30-year fixed rate mortgage loan has dropped to 4.39%, the lowest rate since last November 2010. Even more exciting news is that buyer competition is really low due to vacations and that sellers want to sell now with the new school year approaching, to find their new homes before Fall.   Freddie Mac also reported that an average 15 year fixed loan has decreased to 3.54%, as well. Regardless of your mortgage product, these rates create a great buying market for people who want to live in Midtown Direct New Jersey homes.
The national economic slowdown is partially responsible for this change in lending rates, however Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist at Freddie Mac found the silver lining and shared good news for home sellers, as well. “On a positive note, there were indications that the housing market is firming. Real residential fixed investments added growth to the economy in the second quarter after subtracting from growth over the first three months of the year,” Nothaft said. ” The CoreLogic® National House Price Index rose for the third straight month in June (not seasonally adjusted) and was the first three-month gain since June 2010. Finally, pending existing home sales rose for a second consecutive month in June and was up nearly 20 percent from June 2010 when the housing tax credits expired.” So whether you are a buyer or a seller, this could mean great news for you and our local New Jersey housing market.
For up to date news on the mortgage industry, click here or email me your question. I’ll be sure to fill you in on what you need to know when purchasing or selling your New Jersey home!