Adorable 2 bedroom, 1 bath Ranch in Lindenwold!

There are SO many reasons to buy a home!

There are many benefits to home ownership. Here are just a few of them...

1) Tax Breaks!
The interest you pay on your mortgage and the property taxes you pay are tax deductible!

2) The chance to have your investment grow!
It has been proven that over time, Real Estate is the best investment you can make. Yes, the market can go down, as it has recently, but it can also go up, and if you are in it for the long haul, you will see appreciation.

3) The flexibility of ownership
When you own your own home, you can make it what you want it to be. The kitchen you want, the floors you like, etc. instead of having to accept someone else's choices and restrictions in a rental situation.

4) The chance to build equity in your investment
Each mortgage payment you make puts you closer to being the full owner of your property.

5) The best reason
You can come home and know that you really are home in your very OWN place!

Now is a great time to buy...epecially with the tax credits available through April 30, 2010.
Call the Deals in NJ team today for more details!
856-685-1633

3 Bedroom Ranch in Malaga!

Our newest listing in Williamstown, NJ

Mortgage Information

U.S.News and World Report gave some interesting mortgage information and predictions which I summarize for you here:
“More than 3 years into a painful housing crash, the real estate market has sent recent -albeit tentative signs of stabilization. Home sales have increased, inventory levels are down and price declines have become less precipitous.”
Lending standards have tightened in the last few years and some people predict further tightening ahead. “Generally to get the best rate around, you need a 20% down payment, says Guy Cecala, the publisher of Inside Mortgage Finance, an industry newsletter. That doesn’t mean that you can’t get a mortgage if you have less of a down payment… it just means that you may not get the best interest rates.”
Lenders are also looking for higher credit scores than previously. Currently, most lenders prefer to see a score of 730 or higher.
For those with lower credit scores and less down payment FHA loans offer a great alternative. Currently, a borrower needs a credit score of 690 or better and a minimum down payment of 3.5% to purchase a home and get an FHA loan.
Keep in mind that the mortgage industry is constantly changing. Rates and requirements can change at any time so it is important to consult with a reputable mortgage person and get the facts as they relate to your situation.

There is still time to take advantage of the home buyers tax credit!

Bringing the Dream of Homeownership Within Reach
As part of its plan to stimulate the U.S. housing market and address the economic challenges facing our nation, Congress has passed new legislation that:
•• Extends the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit of up to $8,000 to first-time home buyers until April 30, 2010.
•• Expands the credit to grant up to $6,500 credit to current home owners purchasing a new or existing home between November 7, 2009 and April 30, 2010.

Who Qualifies for the Extended Credit?
•• First-time home buyers who purchase homes between November 7, 2009 and April 30, 2010.
•• Current home owners purchasing a home between November 7, 2009 and April 30, 2010, who have used the home being sold or vacated as a principal residence for five consecutive years within the last eight.
To qualify as a “first-time home buyer” the purchaser or his/her spouse may not have owned a residence during the three years prior to the purchase.

Which Properties Are Eligible?
The Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit may be applied to primary residences, including: single-family homes, condos, townhomes, and co-ops.

How Much Is Available?
The maximum allowable credit for first-time home buyers is $8,000.

The maximum allowable credit for current homeowners is $6,500.

How is a Buyer's Credit Amount Determined?
Each home buyer’s tax credit is determined by two additional factors:
1.The price of the home.
2.The buyer's income.

Price
Under the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit, credit may only be awarded on homes purchased for $800,000 or less.

Buyer Income
Under the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit, which is effective on November 7, 2009, single buyers with incomes up to $125,000 and married couples with incomes up to $225,000—may receive the maximum tax credit.
These income limits have changed from the 2009 First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit limits. If you or your client purchased a home between January 1, 2009 and November 6, 2009, please see 2009 First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit.

If the Buyer(s)’ Income Exceeds These Limits, Can He/She Still Get a Credit?
Yes, some buyers may still be eligible for the credit.
The credit decreases for buyers who earn between $125,000 and $145,000 for single buyers and between $225,000 and $245,000 for home buyers filing jointly. The amount of the tax credit decreases as his/her income approaches the maximum limit. Home buyers earning more than the maximum qualifying income—over $145,000 for singles and over $245,000 for couples are not eligible for the credit.

Can a Buyer Still Qualify If He/She Closes After April 30, 2010?
Under the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit, as long as a written binding contract to purchase is in effect on April 30, 2010, the purchaser will have until July 1, 2010 to close.

Will the Tax Credit Need to Be Repaid?
No. The buyer does not need to repay the tax credit, if he/she occupies the home for three years or more. However, if the property is sold during this three-year period, the full amount credit will be recouped on the sale.

Freeze-Proof your pipes!

As winter temperatures go down, the risk of a frozen pipe goes up. Pipes can freeze in homes of any age and condition, and no matter what type of material your pipes are made from. So don't make the mistake of thinking that because your house is new it's safe, or because your house is older the materials are somehow stronger. The only way to prevent a frozen pipe is to keep it warm, and luckily that's not too hard to do.

Pipes are vulnerable any time they're in a location where they're exposed to low-enough temperatures for long-enough periods that the water inside them can freeze. Once the freezing occurs, the water expands, rupturing the pipe, splitting the seam between the pipe and a fitting, or damaging components such as cartridges inside faucets. Once the pipes warm up and the ice melts again, the damage becomes evident -- often in the form of a flood inside the house!

Although a frozen pipe can occur just about anywhere, pipes in unheated attics and underfloor basements and crawl spaces are at the most risk. And ironically, the better you insulate the ceiling and the floor, the more you put pipes in those areas at risk. Heat that had been escaping from the house into those areas used to be keeping the pipes warm, so when you add insulation and stop heat loss from the house, the attic, basement and crawl space become colder, and pipes are more vulnerable.

Keep the water pipes insulated

Any water pipes that are not buried in your underfloor, wall or attic insulation need to be insulated. The easiest method for the do-it-yourselfer is to use a foam sleeve, which is pretty much like slipping a bun over a hot dog. The sleeves are actually long foam tubes, and are available with different interior diameters to fit different pipe sizes. The tubes are slit along one side, so installation is simply a matter of opening up the slit and fitting the tube over the pipe.

At each elbow or other fitting in the pipe, cut out a wedge from one side of the tube so that it will bend around the joint in the pipe. Cutting can be done with scissors or a sharp utility knife. After you bend the tube around the fitting and snap it over the next pipe, it should stay in place on its own, and the seams and elbows don't require any sealing. If you do need to seal any odd joints or patch in any small pieces, you can hold things together with utility tape from the home center or hardware store where you purchased the foam sleeves.

The pipes can also be wrapped using scraps of fiberglass insulation. This is less expensive than the foam sleeves, but a little more time consuming if you're not used to the process. Typically, fiberglass batt insulation is cut into strips. It's then wrapped around the pipes, either in a spiral fashion or by folding it lengthwise over the pipe. As the insulation is installed, it's held in place with a spiral wrapping of very fine copper wire, which is available on spools from any hardware store or home center.


Close foundation vents and look for air leaks

Now for a small bit of controversy, which is almost sure to generate a letter or two: Close off your foundation vents! Use foam blocks or other insulation, and seal the vents to prevent cold air from entering. The vents are there to allow air to circulate under the house and remove unwanted moisture, and they should remain open during whatever part of the year that temperatures remain above freezing. But during the winter, when humidity levels are low and the risk of a frozen pipe outweighs the need for ventilation, be sure they get closed off.

Attic vents are a different story. Due to their location and the year-round need for attic ventilation to prevent ice damming, they should not be closed off. You should, however, carefully examine the area around each vent to be certain that no pipes are exposed to the air coming in from the vent.

If you find a pipe that is adjacent to a vent, double up the amount of insulation that's on the pipe, and permanently close off that portion of the vent that's directly exposed to the pipe.

Another thing that can greatly increase the chance of a pipe freezing is to expose it to outside air. This often happens when the pipe is installed near a foundation vent or an attic vent, or in an exterior wall in which holes were drilled for plumbing or wiring.

In any open walls, use expandable foam sealant to close off any holes and gaps in the framing. In colder climates, pipes should never be installed in exterior walls, and pipes should never be run in exposed soffits or other uninsulated framing areas.

Exterior faucets are another potential freeze problem. When installing a new exterior faucet, your best bet is to use a freeze-proof type (freeze-proof faucets are required by code in some areas), which has a long stem that extends back into the insulated portion of the house, so it shuts the water off at a spot where it's not exposed to freezing outside air.

If your house is not equipped with freeze-proof faucets, you can insulate them quickly and easily by installing an insulated dome over them. The dome is simply a large foam shell that fits over the faucet, and is held in place with a strap or a long hook.

All of the materials you need for pipe insulation, including faucet domes, pipe wraps, wire and other material, can be found at any home center or plumbing supply retailer, as well as hardware stores, discount stores and most lumber yards.

Cost vs Value Report

10 Big-Impact, Low-Cost Remodeling Projects

Here are budget-minded enhancements you can do make your home stand out.

1. Tidy up kitchen cabinets.
"Potential buyers do open kitchen cabinets and look inside," says Morrissey. "Home owners can add rollout organizing trays so when buyers peek in, they feel like there’s lots of room for their stuff."

2. Add or replace tile.
"By retiling very inexpensively, you make a room look way cleaner that it was," says Javier Zuluaga, owner of Home Repairs and Remodeling LLC in Tempe, Ariz. "Every city has stores that offer $1 to $2 tile, so home owners have to pay only for the low-cost tile and labor to replace a dated backsplash or add a new one. We also use inexpensive tile to upgrade bathrooms."

3. Add a breakfast bar.
When a wall separates a kitchen from a family room, suggest cutting out an opening to create a breakfast bar. "In one home, there was a cutout in the wall between the kitchen and living room," explains Matthew Quinn, a sales associate at Quinn’s Realty & Estate Services in Falls Church, Va., who handles estate and real estate sales for family members whose loved ones have passed away. "We left the structure of the cutout, added an oversized granite breakfast bar, and put chairs in front of it. That cost about $600."

4. Install granite tile instead of a slab.
"Everybody is hot for granite kitchen countertops, but that can be a $5,000 upgrade," says John Wilder, a general contractor and owner of Fence and Deck Doctor in New Castle, Ind. "Instead, home owners can put in 12-inch granite tiles for about $300 in materials and get very high impact for little money."

5. Freshen up a bathroom without retiling.
"With a dated bathroom, I recommend putting in a new medicine cabinet for $100 to $150, light fixtures for about $100, a faucet for $50 to $75, and a vanity for $200 to $300," says Wilder. "And instead of replacing the tile, the existing grout can be lightly scraped and regrouted, which leaves a haze that can be buffed out and will make the tile look brand new. Also install glass shower doors. A French door adds a lot of panache and elegance for $250, and people will notice the door, not the tile. With all that, you’ve done a bathroom remodel for $1,000 to $2,000."

6. Freshen up the basement.
"If home owners have cement block or poured concrete walls in the basement, suggest they have a contractor fill in cracks with hydraulic cement and then paint with waterproofing paint," recommends Wilder. "They can then add a top coat to add color. They can also paint the basement floor with a good floor paint, which spiffs it up. The basement may not be finished, but it’s no longer a damp dungeon."

7. Add a room.
Look for large spaces that can be enclosed to create a new bedroom for just the price of creating a wall. "One time, we closed off a half-wall to an office and added a door to the other side of the room, thus creating another bedroom," says Quinn. "That $400 procedure, which took a contractor one day, netted about $40,000 in the sales price." Zuluaga has also added bedrooms inexpensively. "In a two-bedroom house, there was an archway that led to a third room that was used as a den," he explains. "It had a dry bar where there would have been a closet, so we took out the dry bar and created a closet so the owners had a third bedroom."

8. Spruce up cabinet fronts.
Suggest home owners update tired-looking kitchen cabinets. Reconditioning is the least expensive move for under $1,000. "If the wood is starting to look shabby from use or contaminants in the air, we take out the nicks and scratches, recondition it with oil, and put new hardware on," explains Heidi Morrissey, vice president of marketing and sales at Kitchen Tune-Up in Aberdeen, S.D. For $1,500 to $4,000, owners can replace the cabinet doors and drawer fronts, and for $4,000 to $12,000, they can have all the cabinets refaced. "With refacing, owners can change the color of the cabinets by replacing the door and having a new skin put on the boxes," says Morrissey. "If they have oak cabinets today, they can have cherry the next day."

9. Replace light fixtures.
"In a foyer and in bathrooms and kitchens," says Wilder, "replacing overhead light fixtures provides a lot of pop for a little money." If the kitchen has track lighting, Zuluaga suggests the home owner spend $450 to $600 to have an electrician replace it with recessed canned lights on a dimmer switch to add ambience. For about $700, Zuluaga also suggests installing pendant lights over a kitchen island or peninsula.

10. Tech-up the garage.
"Sometimes we replace the garage door opener with a remote touchpad entry system," says Zuluaga. "That costs about $425 and makes it look like a high-end system."

Our newest listing in Sicklerville, NJ

Home Inspection Facts

Who Pays For the Home Inspection?
The buyer of a house pays an independent inspector to assess the condition of the house they're contemplating buying. The inspector should complete the home inspection, and provide a report detailing the findings. Sometimes sellers will have a home inspection done prior to putting the house on the market, to determine if there are potential problem areas that can be fixed before the house it put up for sale. No two inspections will be exactly the same, however, so a buyer inspection may turn up issues that weren't identified by the seller's inspection.

Is a Home Inspection Necessary?
Buying a home is the single largest purchase most people make. And most of us are not contractors or engineers. It's good business to have a professional inspect the home you're considering purchasing before you make the deal. Often, the results of a home inspection will enable you to renegotiate some details of the purchase contract, or have the seller make some repairs before you buy.

Choosing a Home Inspector
Your realtor is always a good source of referrals for home inspectors. It's always a good idea to do your homework when hiring an inspector. Home inspectors usually need to be licensed, but requirements vary by state. Membership in a professional society such as the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), the National Association of Home Inspectors (NAHI) or the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI) is usually an indication that the home inspector takes his or her profession seriously, but it's not a guarantee of competence. Try to get references in your community to verify that the home inspector you're considering will do a good job for you.

The Added Value of a General Home Inspection
Everyone agrees to the importance of getting a home inspection performed on a home you intend to purchase. The home inspector will examine all of the major mechanicals of the home, inspect its foundation, roof and overall condition. What many don't understand, is that a good inspector will also educate buyers about the non-essential components of the house. The inspection is a great learning opportunity where an inspector will provide tips about general upkeep and repair that should be performed regularly to keep the home in tip-top shape. Money spent for a home inspection is money well-spent.

What is Inspected?
A home inspector will inspect the home's interior (other than cosmetics like wallpaper); the framing; the foundation; the roof and attic; the chimney; kitchen and bathrooms, including appliances like the dishwasher); the plumbing system; the electrical system including wiring and circuit breakers; the heating and air conditioning systems; and the garage. The inspector may offer other services, like mold or asbestos testing, usually at an additional charge.

Rebates for Appliance Buyers in 2010

The 2010 plan to encourage energy efficiency is the government rebate for appliance buyers. The plan lets people swap their old appliances for new energy-efficient models at very low prices.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
State plans vary.
For NJ:
Incentive Type: State Rebate Program
State: NJ
Eligible Efficiency Technologies: Clothes Washers, Dehumidifers, Lighting, Air Conditioners.
Applicable Sectors: General Public/Consumer
Rebate Amount: Clothes Washers: $75
Dehumidifers: $25
Room A/C: $20
Equipment Requirements: Purchased generally must be Energy Star qualified; other requirements may vary by product type.
Measures must be installed in NJ.
Total Program Budget: $25.3 million and will expire when funding is depleted.

Is it really a deal?
It may not be worth replacing appliances that are fewer than 7 years old, but older models can represent a real deal. Joe McGuire, president of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, says a 20-year-old refrigerator uses three times as much power as a new Energy Star-approved model.

Buy now before it ends
There is a limited amount of funding available (as mentioned above), it is expected to run out fast.
If you are thinking about replacing an appliance now is the time to do it!

Mortgages under 5% are back in "bloom"

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The possibility of securing a mortgage rate below 5% has greatly improved in recent weeks, in a positive sign for would-be home buyers.

Home mortgage rates fell for the sixth straight week, according to two key measures, with one of them pointing to a sub-5% rate for the 30-year fixed loan for the second week in a row.

Freddie Mac's (FRE, Fortune 500) weekly report said the 30-year rate slipped to 4.87% for the week ended Thursday, the lowest since May. According to the mortgage backer, last week's rates stood at 4.94%.

Mortgage tracker Bankrate.com said the average 30-year fixed loan slipped to 5.22% from 5.25% the previous week. The 15-year fixed rate also fell, Bankrate said, to 4.6% from 4.64% the week before.

The 30-year rate is influenced by the benchmark 10-year note's yield, which moves in the opposite direction of its price. Treasury prices have risen over the past week as $78 billion worth of auctions received above-average demand.

"Another disappointing employment report had investors questioning the strength and sustainability of the economic rebound," the Bankrate report said. "The resulting uncertainty drove investors into the safety of government and mortgage-backed bonds."

"Not even a substantial auction of government debt has been enough to derail the streak of declining mortgage rates," the Bankrate report said.

Rates are returning to levels not seen since the spring when, in an effort to cap mortgage rates, the Federal Reserve began a campaign to buy back $300 billion in Treasurys. The Fed hoped that it would spark demand and keep yields -- and therefore, mortgage rates -- in check.

Mortgage rates fell as refinancings abounded. But those benefits seemed to wear off, as rates started on a tear in the summer. By June, the benchmark 10-year bond's yield had increased steadily to hover around 4%.

Now the central bank has less than $15 billion left to spend on its buyback program, which led some investors to worry that yields would soar again. So far, that's not the case.

On Wednesday, reports said Democratic congressional leaders were working to extend a $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers past the Nov. 30 expiration date and could even make it available to current homeowners who buy a new house.

Homeowners have received a boost from both the tax credit and the lower rates -- last year, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.2%, according to Bankrate.

To translate the difference in mortgage rate into dollars, consider a $200,000 loan. At last year's rate of 6.2%, the monthly payment would be $1,224.94, or $124 higher than the monthly payment at the current rate.

The low rates helped mortgage applications surge by 16.4% last week, according to a separate report.

Our newest lising in Malaga, NJ

Great mortgage news!!!

Mortgages are becoming easier to obtain...

In some areas of the country, borrowers with good credit are able to borrow up to 95% of the purchase price. This is a considerable amount more than what was allowed only a few short months ago.

Most of the country has home prices and values stabilizing, which means standards are relaxing.
This is a sign of great things to come for 2010.
Happy Holidays everyone!

You don't have to be a millionaire to buy a home!

More than 70% of homes that were sold in the third quarter were deemed affordable! Now is the time to buy!
The Great Recession has ravaged savings and boosted unemployment rates, forcing people to become more conservative with their cash. It has also made homes a lot more affordable - at least for those people still working.
The typical American family, making the nation's median income of $64,000 a year, could afford to buy 70/1% of the homes sold in the United States during the third quarter, according to a report from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Wells Fargo (WFC, Fortune 500).
That's down slightly from the previous quarter, when 72.3% were considered affordable, but still way p from the third quarter of 2008, when only 56/1% of the homes qualified. The NAHB judges a home to be affordable if a family making the metro area's median income could buy it if they devote no more than 28% of their gross pay toward housing costs.
The affordability pushed many buyers into the market last quarter. Plus, they wanted to take advantage of the $8,000 homebuyer's tax credit that was scheduled to expire on Nov 30.
Those that procrastinated, however, got lucky: The credit was recently extended and expanded to include more buyers.
"At a time when housing is at its most affordable, we applaud the recent actions taken by COngress and President Obama to stimulate housing by extending the federal tax credit beyond its November 30th deadline and expanding to a wider group of eligible home buyers" said NAHB Chairman Joe Robson, a home builder from Tulsa, OK.
"With interest rates now lower than last quarter, the tax credit will encourage even more home buyers to enter the market and help stabilize housing and the economy by creating new jobs, stimulating home sales, reducing foreclosures, cutting excess inventories and stabilizing home prices."

Extremes of affordability
All real estate is local, of course; it doesn't matter much to someone buying in Peoria what a home sells for in Pennsauken. The fact is, though, that housing markets across much of the nation have been and remain quite affordable for most working households.
In Cherry Hill, NJ the median household income is $81,000 a year. Figuring conservatively that no more than 28% of household income should go to pay for housing expenses, buyers could afford a house costing well over $300,000.

One man's meat...
What's good for buyers is pure poison for sellers, who are the big losers as affordability improves. Prices have fallen more than 30% from their peaks, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index and many people selling their homes these days are taking losses.
According the data from Zillow.com, the real estate information website, 27% of all sellers during the quarter received less than what they paid for their homes.
There are sure signs of the improvement of real estate as housing slowly begins to increase.

Feds commit to Holding down interest rates

The Federal Reserve said Wednesday that it would keep short-term key interest-rate target between 0 - 0.25 percent for an "extended period" - interpreted by many analysts to mean months.

Officials said in a statement after the close of its December meeting that the economy has "picked up," unemployment is "abating" and financial conditions have "become more supportive of economic growth".

The Feds also said Wednesday that it will complete its purchase of up to $1.25 trillion in mortgage-backed securities by March, a decision that could negatively affect the availability of mortgages.

View one of our featured listings: 535 W Main Street, Malaga, NJ

535 West Main Street, Malaga, NJ 08328
$195,000.00



24 hour info line!  1-888-838-3266 x504
 Pre-Foreclosure home in immaculate condition. Sellers need to sell now and have kept the home in tip-top condition for you. Hardwood floors welcome you in the living room and continue throughout all bedrooms. The large eat in kitchen features tiled flooring, beautiful wood cabinets and plenty of counterspace. The 1 car garage has been converted to additoinal living space. You can easily convert back or use as a FR. A spacious full finished basement with wood burning stover, outside walkout, and abundance of storage awaits you as well. The large corner lot provides you with almost .75 acres of country living. Your outdoor screened-in sunroom is great for your summer gatherings. Special financing is available with Smart Start program and the Gloucester County Grant!

REDUCE YOUR PROPERTY TAXES NOW!!

Many homeowners are finding their taxes to be very high. This is the BEST time to do something about them. Assessed values are surprisingly found to be higher than the actual value of the home. Typically, the assessed value should be lower. If you are finding your property taxes too high you can now get them reduced! Take advantage of this market now and get your taxes reduced! Find out more information HERE. Give us a call to see how to get started.

DealsInNJ Sales Team
Cheryl Dare & Dan Mauz
Keller Williams Realty
856-685-1633

Sellers Caputuring Buyers In the Winter Months

Attention Sellers: More Buyers Expected

The new tax credit – coupled with low mortgage rates and the supply of affordably priced homes on the market – may give many people who had been ambivalent of buying that extra nudge to step into the market. And in contrast to the first-time home buyer credit, the new $6,500 credit is available to a larger part of the population, with higher incomes.

This is “a gift of $6,500” that could help cover closing costs or renovations. Over the next couple of months we suspect we’ll get a lot more people – who were in no hurry to buy before – to make a move a little earlier.


The Slow Months Won’t Be As Slow
The renewed tax credit is obviously good news for buyers, but it’s even better for sellers.

That’s because the real estate market is headed into what is traditionally the slowest months for real estate sales – October to April. Typically, sellers are advised that a home on the market in that time will probably get the least attention from buyers and attract lower offers than in busier periods. But the credit should renew interest in the market during those typically slow months -- and compel sellers to take advantage of any influx of buyers. Waiting for the Spring to list your home will be too late for sellers in this market.

Cheryl Daigle & Daniel Mauz
DealsInNJ Sales Team
Keller Williams Realty
Ofc: 856-321-1212

TAX CREDIT EXTENDED!!!!!!!!!

Well here it is...what everyone has been asking me about and wondering if this day would ever come! For first-time homebuyers it sure has....AND now for move-up buyers as well! Thats right...for anyone who has owned their home for 5years you are eligable for a $6,500 credit! Take a look at this article from Philly.com!
Email us with any additional questions to see if you qualify.