Is Your Home Ready for the Spring Market?

Is Your Home Ready for the Spring Market?

Today I am here with my listing specialist, Shira Rost, and we have been talking quite a bit lately about why it’s a great time to sell your home. Shira tells us that the housing inventory is at record lows and interest rates are still historically low. The spring market is already off to a great start! If you are thinking about selling your home, Shira has a few tips on what you should address and what should be left as-is.

Some easy tasks you should do, like painting, de-cluttering and landscaping, are fairly easy. As for cleaning out the gutters and making minor repairs, this is something Shira would make a very maintenance schedule for to help meet your deadline. Finally, Shira stresses the importance of understanding what improvements that comparable homes in your neighborhood have made so we can better understand what we need to do to have your home ready this spring.

If you’re toying with the idea of selling your home, the best thing to do is sit down with Shira, figure out a priority list, figure out a schedule and find out what we need to do to keep the money in your pocket. Shira Rost can be reached at (973) 768-9003 if you have any questions. We can’t wait to sell your home faster and for top dollar!

Thanks and have a great day!

Are You Considering Selling Your Home This Spring?

Are You Considering Selling Your Home This Spring?

For Morris, Essex and Union counties, 2013 was a great year. Some of these local markets are up 12-18% and with interest rates on the rise, people are still wanting to buy. If you have been considering selling your home, the spring 2014 market will be a great time for you to sell.

If you are thinking about selling your home this spring, there a few things you need to know. First of all, the spring market tends to start earlier here than other parts of the country because our market is affected by Wall Street bonuses. These bonuses usually come out in December and January causing these buyers to start early. Secondly, if there are things you need to do with your house, I would be happy to advise you on what requires attention when preparing to sell.

To check your current value and neighborhood activity in your area please visit http://shannonaronson.smarthomeprice.com/.

If you have any questions, call me at (973) 214-0691. Happy holidays to all and the very the best in 2014!

Is Now the Time to Sell Your Home?

Is Now the Time to Sell Your Home?

I am often asked if people are doing themselves a disservice by listing their home before or during the holidays. There are some great reasons for listing your home in the “slower” months (i.e. November and December). First of all, the buyers who are shopping around this time of year are serious buyers and the window shoppers usually stay home this time of year. There is also a lot less inventory this time of year so you have less competition for those serious buyers that are out there. With this time of year also prime for job relocation, those buyers are serious and motivated and are willing to pay top dollar for a great home. Homes typically look the best during the holidays due to the decorations and homes being in order to host family. With your home looking its best, it can be a great time to show your home. Finally, with your selling your home now, you are positioning yourself to be a buyer in the spring and allowing yourself a head start when there are more buyers and more homes on the market.

If this is something you are considering and would like consultation, I am happy to speak with you on a one-on-one basis. Give me a call at (973) 214-0691. Thanks and have a great day!

Where are the best places to trick-or-treat in Summit, NJ?

I’m here in Summit with Julie Sondhi, the lead buyer agent on my team. This time of year always has people looking to move to Summit. Julie is here to give us a taste of the town and what to do in this Fall/Halloween season. “There are loads of things to do here in summit,” Julie said. “The YMCA is just across the street from us and they have a haunted house, which is amazing,” she continued, “It’s really scary.” Julie also explained that the fall atmosphere of Summit is truly special, “The kids come out Halloween night to trick or treat around here which is fantastic, because there are some streets particularly around the Brayton School and everyone wants to go to because they have the best treats around.”

Speaking of that area, there are some houses that are coming up so don’t hesitate to call Julie at 908-418-3390 for a showing! It still remains a great time to buy as interest rates have stayed low and for people that are thinking of selling in Summit, the demand is very high due to the extremely low inventory. If you are thinking about buyer or selling, please give us a call! Thanks and have a great day.

Should I renovate or sell my home?

Should I renovate or sell my home?

Today, I’m with Ileana Martin-Novoa of Katz Novoa Architects. Ileana is an extraordinary architect and she is here to tell us about what’s going on with all the renovations in town and how to add value to your home.

Ileana Martin-Novoa

There is a lot of rebuilding and renovations going on. Some of it’s because of the storm, but a lot of people are finally ready to start those projects they have been putting off. The economy is bouncing back and people feel more confident.

It’s important to always keep in mind resale value when deciding to renovate.  Right now we are seeing a lot of homeowners renovating kitchens, master bathrooms and even adding mudrooms.

We like to help our clients stay on track by guiding them in a direction that will help add value to their home. We know that new construction can be overwhelming, that’s why we make sure we are with our clients from the very beginning to the very end. At Katz Novoa Architects we help with the coordinating, the building and the budgeting.

If you want to renovate your home, we’d be more than happy to help.  You can call us at 973.379.1331 or visit our website at www.katznovoa.com

Or if you want to find out the value of your home call Shannon at 973.214.0691 or email me at ACutAbove@ShannonAronson.com.

Summit, New Jersey Offers Many Things – Diversity, Great Schools, Cosmopolitan Lifestyle and More

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When people shop around for locales to establish their roots there are many factors that contribute to their decision. Some of the standard things for families are the obvious – education systems, economic growth, extra curricular activities, availability of entertainment options and parks or recreation facilities.

But another aspect of establishing a life in a new area is the community itself – more precisely the diversity of a community. As we spend time among others around us that have come from around the globe, we enjoy varied cultures, new and different ways of doing things, different languages and more. It enhances our lives, expands our children’s experiences in school and provides a wider understanding of our world around us.

With our unique advantage of being a small town yet within such close reach to the Big City, many of our residents thoroughly enjoy this aspect of what the Summit and surrounding areas has to offer.

So as you consider the excellent schools, gorgeous greens, exciting shopping, great restaurants and fantastic community of our towns – remember that you will also be gaining a family of people from all walks of life and all corners of the earth.

Call us today and make this area home!
908 418 3390

The Craze For New Construction

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When you consider moving to this area you will notice that many people tend to gravitate toward new construction homes. There are several reasons for that. It’s safe to say that most people love new and shiny things – and when buying a home it’s no different. But aside from that, quality brand new homes are constructed with the latest trends in mind. They are built to code, sometimes using state-of-the-art features and materials and often have high trending features that buyers today want.

Depending on when you get in on the process of buying a brand new home, there is the added benefit of being able to customize homes to suit them to one’s specific needs. The luxury features that come with new construction are exactly what buyers are often seeking and no matter how updated a resale home is sometimes it’s just not enough.

Currently in our marketplace we have homes that are completely move-in ready, some are waiting for your input on things like counters, floors, and other finishes and still more homes are so early on in the process that you can completely customize them.

New homes are a little harder to come by – there is not always enough land in the areas that people want new homes in so unless builders come in and tear down existing homes sometimes finding the perfect combination is a stretch. Most of these homes in our area start at around $2M; if you’d like to see one of my listings or any other on the market right now – call me today!