13 Brattleboro Rd, Woolwich Township, NJ 08085 (MLS # 5999036)

Come tour this wonderful home in desirable Four Seasons at Weatherby, a gated 55+ community in picturesque Woolwich Twp. The open sunny layout is graced with gorgeous hardwood floors and a neutral living room with beautiful crown molding. The spacious kitchen has 42"oak cabinets, along with a cozy breakfast nook (perfect place to enjoy your cup of coffee). Enjoy chilly evenings snuggled up by the cozy gas fireplace. The spacious master bedroom has a master bathroom and walk in closet and the second bedroom has a walk in closet as well. Amenities include outdoor pool & spa, clubhouse with lounge & fireplace, billiard & game rooms, tennis courts, bocce courts & fitness center. Easy commute to Philadelphia, Delaware, Cherry Hill & more.

Property Type(s): Residential, Residential / Single Family Home

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

Listing with: Prudential Fox & Roach Realtors-Mullica Hill

(view all details for MLS #5999036)

105 Brookside Way, Mullica Hill, NJ 08062 (MLS # 5994092)

Come see this well maintained sun filled home in Brookside at Harrison situated on one acre of professionally landscaped prime real estate. Four big bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and over 3100 sunny square feet of living space inside and a big backyard on the outside. This wonderful home backs up to preserved farmland(lots of beautiful privacy)! Elegant, immaculate and neutral best describe this Stucco front 2 car garage home with extras including an updated kitchen with granite and 42"cherry cabinetry,hardwood floors and 9 foot ceilings. The rough finished basement offers plenty of room to play. Gorgeous family room with stone fireplace, spacious library/office, an elegant living room and dining room,as well as custom crown molding throughout.Impressive master suite with large sitting area, his and her walk in closets.Plenty of extra closet space throughout, a large first floor laundry room and security system. Come see this exceptional value. Service by the Clearview Reg.School Sys. Close to Rt 55 & Major Hwys.

Property Type(s): Residential, Residential / Single Family Home

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

Listing with: Prudential Fox & Roach Realtors-Mullica Hill

(view all details for MLS #5994092)

You’re Invited!

When:
Saturday, November 12, 2011 11-1pm

Where:
4 Burton Lane, Mullica Hill, NJ

What:
Join us for a tour of the brand new office space in Mullica Hill’s Tomlin Commerce Center. View complete details on this office space here. As always feel free to contact us by email or call (856) 472-9020 with any questions!

From the Gloucester County Times…

The township’s annual Community Day weekend festivities will begin today and continue through Saturday as the neighborhood event aims to bring the entire community together.

“In tough economical times, the community needs to come out and share in some good friendship,” said Janice Huggins, one of the event’s organizers.

The event will begin tonight, with a showing of “Despicable Me” in the park, and will continue Friday and Saturday with games, rides, food and vendors, as well as contests and a ceremony honoring two of South Harrison’s residents.

Sam Visalli, a longtime supporter of the township who has been involved with the parks and recreation department for decades, will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award and Mike Gorman, a resident active in the youth sports programs, will be named the Citizen of the Year.

“There’s a lot of good that goes on here,” Huggins said. “We are a rural community and we depend on the country ethics and the value of good citizenship and good neighbors.”

Some of the event’s contests include a skillet-throwing competition and “South Harrison Has Talent,” where residents can compete with a variety of talents.

All events will take place at Stewart Park, 67 Ferrell Road, Harrisonville. The talent competition’s semi-finals will be Friday at 7 p.m. with finals taking place Saturday at 5 p.m. The event will culminate Saturday with fireworks.

For more information visit www.southharrison-nj.org.

In July 2011, Gloucester County settled 1,156 units at an average price of $205,000. Settlements are down 4.15% and average price is down 5.53% since July of 2010.

This information and more can be found in the Year-to-Date Snapshot, which contains statistical information for Single-Family listings recorded within TREND’s 13 primary counties over the last 3 years. Check out pages 5 and 6 of the report below for South Jersey Market information.

Good things come in smaller packages. At least that’s the feeling today among many South Jersey homebuyers, who are increasingly interested in smaller spaces instead of the large, sprawling homes that were popular in the ’80s and ’90s.

Many agents believe that smaller homes are more in demand because the Baby Boomer generation is starting to downsize. Boomers no longer need four or five bedrooms and are looking for spaces that are more in tune to their lifestyles as empty nesters. In fact, the latest U.S. Census Bureau reported that a little over 60% of all U.S. households are comprised of just two people or less.

While affordability is the No. 1 driver for this trend, other factors do play a role, as buyers are more concerned with how much they will be paying each month on their energy, water and heating bills.

“You can add better insulation, new windows and insulated doors, but nothing saves energy like a slightly smaller home,” said Danny Gough, an energy auditor for the consultant firm, Energy Solutions, based in N.C. “We have seen an interest in smaller homes because of this.”

Conservation is the new watchword in new-home building and existing home sales, as buyers want to conserve their larger down payments and their future dollars by buying homes they need, not homes that impress the neighbors.

According to a recent study by the National Association of Home Builders, by 2015, new homes will not only be greener and packed with more technological features than today’s homes, but they will be 10% smaller. In its report, “The New Home in 2015,” the NAHB points to the economic downturn for a “less is more” mentality.

“People are looking beyond what they pay in principal, interest and taxes and look closer at what they will be paying each month,” said Stephen Melman, director, Economic Services, Economics and Housing Policy for the NAHB. “Buyers, despite excellent prices and low interest rates, are cautious and are going to purchase the home that they need and not necessarily even the home they can afford. They are very careful.”

This trend has developed quickly. At the beginning of 2007, the median floor area of new homes started was just over 2,300 square feet. The median floor area of new homes dropped to nearly 2,100 square feet by the end of 2010.

“That’s close to a 9% decline in floor area over a very short period,” Melman said. “Total floor area isn’t what’s important there, but the amenities inside the home itself.”

Rooms that are falling out of favor in new homes include media rooms, sunrooms, mudrooms and libraries. Echoing entryways, vaulted ceilings and giant pantries are also less popular.

The report even said that the living room is dying out and will either vanish, merge with another room or become a smaller parlor.

“People are asking what they can truly do without,” Melman said. “Almost 50% of buyers surveyed said they would be willing to give up the living room if affordability is an issue.”

We have several homes of this type available for sale including 169 Peterson Blvd in Deptford, 17 Highbridge Lane in West Deptford and 142 S. Smith Ave in Penns Grove. You can also use our home search tool to search on your own!

When:
Sunday, July 17, 2011 1-3pm

Where:
169 Peterson Blvd, Deptford, NJ

What:
Join us for a tour of this stylish 2 bedroom 1 bath rancher in Deptford. Complete details on this Deptford home are here. As always feel free to contact us by email or call (856) 472-9020 with any questions!

Check out this Google map of all Philadelphia / South Jersey area Fireworks!

Parade information from the Gloucester County Times…

The following is a list of Fourth of July parades being held in Gloucester County this weekend.

GREENWICH — On Sunday, the township will hold its Christmas in July Independence Day parade beginning at 1 P.M. The parade route starts at Little League Field on North School Street, turns left onto Memorial Avenue and ends at Memorial Park where first, second and third place prizes will be handed out in the best Christmas decorations and best kid’s bicycle contests.  Prizes will also be given to those with the best floats in the parade. Please register for the kid’s bicycle and best decorated house contests by today at the municipal building. Best float contestants may register until the day of the parade.

NATIONAL PARK — The borough’s annual Fourth of July Parade begins at 10 a.m. on Sunday. It begins at Coastal on Hessian Avenue and goes up to Second Street.

PITMAN — The borough’s annual Fourth of July Parade begins promptly at 9:55 a.m. on Monday. It begins on Highland Terrace proceeding south to Adams Avenue, west on Adams to Broadway and north on Broadway ending at Lambs Road. Fireworks will be held at Alcyon Lake at dusk. The rain date for the parade is July 5 at 6 p.m. and the rain date for the fireworks is July 5 at dusk. More information is available at www.pitmanparade.com.

PAULSBORO — The “BIG RED”, White, and Blue 20th Anniversary parade is scheduled for Monday, beginning at 10 a.m. It will start at the Paulsboro Plaza parking lot on Broad Street, turn left onto Delaware Street and proceed to the high school reviewing stands. Soprano Tonia Tecce will sing the National Anthem. The borough will also honor high school principal and wrestling coach Paul Morina— who will serve as the parade’s Grand Marshall— for winning the National Wrestling Coaches Association National Head Coach of the Year. The township is calling on all past and present PHS coaches and wrestlers to wear red and join the parade to escort Coach Morina to the reviewing stands. They ask wrestlers to arrive at the Paulsboro Plaza parking lot at 9:30 a.m. so that they can be added to the parade line-up. More than 30 trophies will be awarded after the parade. If rain is a threat, readers can call 423-0673 after 7:00 a.m. There is no rain date.

WENONAH — The borough’s annual Fourth of July parade begins at 8:30 a.m. on Monday and proceeds up and down Mantua Ave. The parade is sponsored by the Wenonah Lions Club. After the parade, there will be some speeches in Wenonah Park and hot dogs and a beer garden at the fire house as well as fire truck rides for the kids. The Wenonah Environmental Commission also runs a hike at 4 p.m.

Have a great weekend and Happy 4th of July from your South Jersey Home Team!

When it comes to preparing your South Jersey home for sale in an environmentally friendly way, Kermit the Frog had it wrong. It is easy being green.

With so many homebuyers seeking green features in the homes they consider, sellers should create an eco-friendly atmosphere for the buyer, and that doesn’t always mean costly fixes.

It’s always nice for a homebuyer who’s been touring houses all day to find water or a snack waiting for them in your kitchen. Instead of leaving the customary bottled water, go the eco-friendly route and have a pitcher of filtered tap water at the ready. Add some organic fruits and vegetables and keep trash minimized. Also, use glassware and plates instead of plastic cups and paper plates. This practice is not only green, it shows class.

Talk with your agent about using recycled paper for all your brochures and advertisements around the neighborhood. Someone who is environmentally conscious will appreciate the effort.

Another way to act “green” is during your de-cluttering stage, where you remove furniture and other items from your home prior to the home’s listing. Instead of simply throwing out all those things you no longer want or need, you can recycle, resell at a garage sale, donate to a charity, or give away the items at the popular website Freecycle.com.

Big fixes around the home can go a long way, too. In this age of global warming and high-energy costs, more buyers are looking for houses that embrace energy conservation. The simplest upgrade is to replace all the light bulbs in the home with CFLs (compact fluorescents), which use a quarter of the electricity as regular bulbs.

To help with heating, make sure cracks are tightly caulked and leaks are sealed. Doing so can reduce your annual heating bill by $100, according to Department of Energy figures.

Justin Barnes, a policy analyst for the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, said some of the easiest green fixes deal with appliance replacement. Most of today’s appliances are highly efficient and will reduce your energy bills. They’re also more attractive than their worn-out predecessors.

Barnes also suggests replacing doors and windows if the budget allows, and looking for better ways to insulate the home.

Also consider tankless water heaters, which are energy efficient and ultimately use less water during the heating process.

Don’t be afraid to boast about your green home and any recent enhancements. Working with your agent to highlight your eco-friendly features may just be what makes the difference in completing the sale.

Tight lending guidelines have weighed on the U.S. housing market during its ongoing recovery. Most lending institutions during the past two years raised their credit score requirements to as high as 650, making in nearly impossible for many people to obtain a loan.

Wells Fargo made it a little easier for homebuyers this past year, when the lender lowered its credit score requirements on FHA mortgages.

“Under its new policy, Wells Fargo will accept borrowers with credit scores of 500 to 579 if those borrowers can make a down payment of at least 10%,” said Robert Lentini, a mortgage expert who blogs for the website thetruthaboutmortgage.com. “For borrowers with credit scores of 580 to 599, borrowers must put down 5%. Borrowers with credit scores of 600 or higher can make a 3.5% down payment.”

Quicken Loans, Inc. adapted similar policies— dropping to a minimum 580 FICO score. “There are folks who have steady incomes, and a solid payment history but were temporarily affected by the economy or a life event in some way.

“These challenges can lower their credit score significantly,” said Quicken Loans Inc.’s Chief Economist Bob Walters in a company statement. “We believe that a credit score, on its own, is not the sole arbiter of a person’s credit worthiness. This change will open up credit to a significant group of people and allow them to again have access to purchase or refinance a home.”

Such developments have been welcome news to FHA Commissioner David Stevens, who earlier this year urged lenders to lower their minimum credit score requirements to help the real estate industry as a whole. Stevens said that stringent requirements have constrained home sales by as much as 20% over the past year.

To find out if your credit score will qualify you for a mortgage contact us and we will recommend some great South Jersey mortgage consultants.