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Maplewood, NJ Real Estate News

By Malik Crichlow, Maplewood,SouthOrange,Union Real estate
(GoodBuy Homes NJ Essex & Union County Real Estate specialist)
Hello AR! I havent posted a blog in a few weeks and figured now more than ever is the right time to jump back into the pool and make a splash. So I was a little excited because I just got a new listing in a highly desirable area of Essex County, NJ and I was talking to the home owner about my plans and how quick I was going to sell her home (yadda...yaddda...yaddda) and we got to the discussion of the list price and we ran into a little issue. I followed my normal routine and we went over the CMA and I explained to her what I thought the list price should be and the number I gave her was somewhat of a shock to her...(not the normal shock that we all are used to seeing), I mean utter horror movie shock... you see the house next door was just listed as a REO and is currently listed at abo...
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By For Sale By Owner Flat Fee MLS Listing For $395, Save 3-6% Commission
(RealmartRealty.com)
Home for Sale By Owner in Maplewood Twp, NJ 07040 - Flat Fee MLS Listing $395 67 Park Ave Maplewood Twp, NJ 07040 - Realtors welcome, buyer agent commission paid at closing !Please check listing details here at MLS# 2869534 . 3 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms This is home has Carbon Monoxide Detector, Dishwasher, Dryer, Kitchen Exhaust Fan, Microwave Oven, Range/Oven-Gas, Refrigerator, Self Cleaning Oven, Sump Pump, Washer, Eat-In Kitchen, Carpeting, Tile Floor, Vinyl-Linoleum, Wood Floor, Basement Level Rooms: Family Room, Laundry Room, Powder Room, Workshop, First Level Rooms: Breakfast Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, Living Room, Office, Porch, Second Level Rooms: 3 Bedrooms, Bath Main, Master Bath Features: Tub Shower, Second Bedroom is: 11x12, Third Bedroom is: 9x11, Storage If you are intere...
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By For Sale By Owner Flat Fee MLS Listing For $395, Save 3-6% Commission
(RealmartRealty.com)
Home for Sale By Owner in Maplewood Twp, NJ 07040 - Flat Fee MLS Listing $395 67 Park Ave Maplewood Twp, NJ 07040 - Realtors welcome, buyer agent commission paid at closing !Please check listing details here at MLS# 2869534 . 3 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms Single Family Home with Carbon Monoxide Detector, Dishwasher, Dryer, Kitchen Exhaust Fan, Microwave Oven, Range/Oven-Gas, Refrigerator, Self Cleaning Oven, Sump Pump, Washer, Eat-In Kitchen, Carpeting, Tile Floor, Vinyl-Linoleum, Wood Floor, Basement Level Rooms: Family Room, Laundry Room, Powder Room, Workshop, First Level Rooms: Breakfast Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, Living Room, Office, Porch, Second Level Rooms: 3 Bedrooms, Bath Main, Master Bath Features: Tub Shower, Second Bedroom is: 11x12, Third Bedroom is: 9x11, Storage If you are ...
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By Malik Crichlow, Maplewood,SouthOrange,Union Real estate
(GoodBuy Homes NJ Essex & Union County Real Estate specialist)
  For House Hunters who are looking for a home on their own and Agents that are working with Buyers, I cannot stress enough the importance of being pre-approved for aa mortgage before starting the process. In our office we stress the " Power of the Pre-Approval" I make it a necessity to explain to buyers the importance of a pre-approval letter and how it helps tell the story to the seller of who they are and what they are capable of doing.  The days of presenting offers directly to the seller are just about completely behind us; so besides the contract and its contents the pre approval is very important. Now when we are representing sellers and are reviewing potential offers the thought process remains the same; after reviewing the contract and its fine print, we check out the pre-appro...
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By Malik Crichlow, Maplewood,SouthOrange,Union Real estate
(GoodBuy Homes NJ Essex & Union County Real Estate specialist)
If you have a deliquent Mortgage with CitiMortgage, this news may be GOOD news for you! In an attempt to streamline the process and help more home owners avoid foreclosure by means of a short sale; Citimortgage is giving its borrowers an average of $12,000 to short sale, according to Justin Rand, Senior VP of loss mitigation at the bank. Not only are the timelines shrinking to complete these deals, but the incentives paid to qualifying borrowers – again only on loans owned by Citi – increased in recent years as well.  If you have a Mortgage with another Bank and need help, please contact us today!   Things have changed for the better as In early 2009, Citi offered an average $1,500 to qualifying borrowers. That went up to between $3,000 and $5,000 in 2010 and finally up to an average $...
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By Malik Crichlow, Maplewood,SouthOrange,Union Real estate
(GoodBuy Homes NJ Essex & Union County Real Estate specialist)
As a Realtor that engages in a lot of Short Sale business, I find that there are so many things that are needed just to get to the finish line of a deal.   You have to Meet with the client Go through the process Collect what will eventually become the Short Sale package List the property Market the property Secure a Buyer Contact the Lender Pray the buyer holds on Negotiate the deal Pray the buyer holds on Get it sold   Now if you are an agent that list Short Sales; you know I left out about 10,000 other things that are needed and done by any qualified Agent but come on y'all (this is a blog, not a book report). Anyways, It's truly a passion that you must have because sometimes the pay just doesn't match up to the amount of work that is needed in order to get it done.  But for me, I fin...
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By Malik Crichlow, Maplewood,SouthOrange,Union Real estate
(GoodBuy Homes NJ Essex & Union County Real Estate specialist)
Working in the Real Estate business I meet all kinds of Investors, from the odd balls (I'll buy anything that moves to the over analytical (I am looking for houses with a 10% cap rate) but I tend to the be the agent that works with Investors and say things to them like "Are you sure you want to buy that?"  they sometimes look at me like im speaking alien or something Anyways, I have had some serious conversations with investors and their wants and needs in an investment property(s) and I find that they will say things like I want a house for under 50k...that needs about 40-50k in rehab cost, I respond with; "sooooo why cant I sell you a house that cost 80k and needs 15-20k in rehab cost...isn't that the same thing???" again they look confused...lol So I know a bunch of investors who rec...
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By Malik Crichlow, Maplewood,SouthOrange,Union Real estate
(GoodBuy Homes NJ Essex & Union County Real Estate specialist)
As a social networking junkie... I try to find all types of creative ways to stay connected to my Sphere of Influence, Associates, Clients and of course Friends as much as possible, but sometimes it can all be just a bit much... If your an Active Agent in today's Market, you likely have... & of course Not to mention your Ipad, Blackberry, Android or Iphone Which brings me to my topic for today... I am finding that being so connected can be either a gift or a curse... For some of us we market our companies, stay connected with clients, market listings and even receive referrals because of our Facebook Accounts....While others seem to forget or fail to set up alternate accounts and have a marketing ad or company logo in one album only to have a bikini shot (or speedo shot) in the other......
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By Malik Crichlow, Maplewood,SouthOrange,Union Real estate
(GoodBuy Homes NJ Essex & Union County Real Estate specialist)
OK, if have a TV or a Radio I am sure you have heard the prophecies of about the World ending today at 6pm...Let me be the first to say that if its really going to end... then its been FUN people, but if it doesnt I wanted to give you all some real estate/life ideas for the day after.  Watch Some Great Games: For all you Sports fan: Watch the Conference Finals on ABC this weekend, who are you rooting for??  There is also a Subway Series going on between the Yankees and Mets. Organize your Calender:  make sure all of your appointments are written down and organized so that you are not caught spinning your wheels.  Set aside time for Listing appointments, buyer consultations, email/voicemails and of course Family time and time for yourself.    Reconnect to your Social Network:  Make sure ...
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By Malik Crichlow, Maplewood,SouthOrange,Union Real estate
(GoodBuy Homes NJ Essex & Union County Real Estate specialist)
Being a Short Sale Specialist in my area I come across many distressed home owners that are looking for a route to avoid foreclosure. I generally conduct a phone consultation; if that goes well, it is followed up by an email with a list of items that I will need in order to sit and meet with a home owner. Usually they have everything in order when I arrive, we discuss the past, present and future as well as the Short Sale process and what to expect. Then I take the listing!  During the consultation I constantly try to tap into how the situation got into its current state and look to determine how valid the hardship is before agreeing to take that journey... What I have found is that people have a hard time determining what a "HARDSHIP" truly is; so I want to go over that as well as what...
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By Malik Crichlow, Maplewood,SouthOrange,Union Real estate
(GoodBuy Homes NJ Essex & Union County Real Estate specialist)
This sea saw of a market has a lot of people wondering which way is up or down...Everyday you get another report on how good or how bad the current market is; in fact I heard we are already on the way up just a few weeks ago and now a few days ago I heard we are still on a decline.  To be honest the best way to determine whether we are moving in the right direction is to look around you.  In the State of New Jersey, you can visit the city of Newark or East Orange and see an enormous amount of shorts sales, foreclosures and boarded homes; whereas is Maplewood or Summit, you see some but very little in the grand scheme of things.  So I guess that shows that you cannot discuss the market on a national level because its too subjective.  Its difficult to tell someone who is losing their home...
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By Malik Crichlow, Maplewood,SouthOrange,Union Real estate
(GoodBuy Homes NJ Essex & Union County Real Estate specialist)
As a New Jersey Short Sale Specialist I encounter so many home owners that are trying to hold on but the rope is starting to break...                   There is an abundance of information out there and home owners are uncertain on which way they should turnIf you list and sell a lot of Short Sale Listings like I do; then you may have been approached by these New Age investors who want to purchase your listings but ONLY if they can negotiate with the bank directly.  I personally have mixed feelings about this practice; they promise a full 6% commission to the broker with a pledge  to do whats best for the home owner, but I am not sure if I am buying that. First off in almost every transaction that involves Real Estate; you have two constants... Number 1: The Buyer wants to pay as little...
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By Malik Crichlow, Maplewood,SouthOrange,Union Real estate
(GoodBuy Homes NJ Essex & Union County Real Estate specialist)
There is a trend that I am finding all too common in my area when it comes to Investors...Many investors in today's market do not have any money and are using transitional funding to purchase homes.  Now lets be clear this practice has been going on for years, but now more than ever; even novice investors are trying to strike it rich.So its important to know what's going on out there!   If you are unfamiliar with transitional funding, here is a quick description of how it works.  With this method of investing, investors use investor funds to buy homes from banks or Short Sales and then flip them to end buyers. This is not a loan or hard money program. You never have to qualify for use of the funds. You are provided with a Proof of Funds Letter which allows you to do a double close and e...
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By Malik Crichlow, Maplewood,SouthOrange,Union Real estate
(GoodBuy Homes NJ Essex & Union County Real Estate specialist)
I recently closed a short sale that I had in my pipeline for almost 2 years...and I feel grrrrrrreat   I first listed this property in July of 2009 and we have been under contract 5 times over that span and it finally closed.  In my office this deal was labeled as the Never ending story...  OK, it wasn't as fun but worth it for my clients at the end of the day... Here's a recap on how this deal went down Listed on July 13, 2009 1st offer, 09/2009 @$150k, buyer canceled after almost 5 months,  2nd Offer 02/2010, $90K, buyer canceled after 7 months,   3rd Offer at $90K, with no feedback, buyer walked away.  4th Offer 90k buyer canceled after 6 months 5th Offer for 85k after 5 months... SUCCESS!!! This loan was sold mid way through offer 1 to B of A then once it landed in   portfolio, Once...
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By Malik Crichlow, Maplewood,SouthOrange,Union Real estate
(GoodBuy Homes NJ Essex & Union County Real Estate specialist)
    OPEN HOUSE WEEKEND DATES  4/3/2011 4/10/2011  59 HIGHLAND AVE MAPLEWOOD NJ Location, Location, Location!! This Lovely Maplewood Colonial won't last! Tucked away in Maplewood's Tuscan section, this home has all the Trimmings! This is a Must See. Welcome Home! This is Short Sale and subject to lender approval (1 lien) Property is listed with a Short Sale specialist, bid with confidence       Malik CrichlowREALTOR® , CDPE, SFR GBHNJ Office: 973.429.0990 ext.271Direct: 973.849.6907Fax: 973.843.0277 Malikcrichlow@gmail.com
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By Malik Crichlow, Maplewood,SouthOrange,Union Real estate
(GoodBuy Homes NJ Essex & Union County Real Estate specialist)
I paid $3.39 this morning for gas and boy was I angry!!! now before you folks from all these other cities and states say well we're paying more, remember this is New Jersey and our Taxes more than make up the difference in our savings on Gas! I was reading an email I got and did some research about some possible tricks to get more of your money's worth for every gallon:    TIPS ON PUMPING GAS:   Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific ...
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By Malik Crichlow, Maplewood,SouthOrange,Union Real estate
(GoodBuy Homes NJ Essex & Union County Real Estate specialist)
  For those of you who have ever visited the town of Maplewood, NJ chances are you have driven by or had a chance to eat at the Maplewood Diner.  But its a great place to grab breakfast, Lunch or Dinner as its a 24 hour Diner that features a wide variety of eatery for all members of the family. It is located at the corner of Springfield and Chancellor Ave in Maplewood, NJ.  Maplewood Diner 1473 Springfield AveMaplewood, NJ 07040 The main appeal of the diner is that it is open 24 hours, The late-night diner classics (disco fries, chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks) definitely a nice place to eat no matter what time you go there.   Unfortunately the Diner caught Fire last night and experienced some serious damage.  According to police and Fire fighters the diner will require some renovati...
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By Caroline Gosselin
(Prominent Properties Sotheby's International Realty)
Have You Ever Wondered What Life Would be Like in Maplewood or South Orange, New Jersey?      If you are living or working in New York City or any of its five boroughs,  I'm sure you have heard of the bucolic towns of Maplewood and South Orange, New Jersey. These two towns are considered sister towns and are on the Mid-Town Direct train line, which takes our commuter residents to NYC in a quick 29 minute express ride to New York’s Penn station. You can read all about Maplewood and it’s many attributes on my last blog post “Why is Everyone Flocking to Buy a Home in Maplewood”. I wanted to use this post as an opportunity to show case what I believe is one of Maplewood’s best values at a great price point. It is the perfect house in a perfect location for those of you looking for a bit mor...
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By Malik Crichlow, Maplewood,SouthOrange,Union Real estate
(GoodBuy Homes NJ Essex & Union County Real Estate specialist)
Not MARS Attack in the way you may of thought...This is a little Different As a Short Sale Specialist in New Jersey, I have heard many stories from Distressed Property Owners regarding their attempts to modify their Loans and keep their homes. . Unfortuantely Many home owners have been scammed out of Hundreds and in some cases thousands of dollars and still end up in Foreclosure... Many Scam Artist have found it relatively easy to trick unsuspecting home owners at their time of need and prey on home owners with false hope and empty promises that they cannot keep.  I sat down with a home owner who is a victim of these types of practices.  Here is a brief recap of his story: Mr. Chang, purchased a home in 2003 at a time when Real Estate was selling like hot cakes and he, like many others ...
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By Alex and Deirdre Silberman
(Keller Williams)
One of the perks of our business is in coming in contact with outstanding people. It's absolutely my pleasure that a client and now friend has just been nominated by The Network Journal as one of 2010's 25 most influential Black Business Women. Linda, congratulations to you for your achievement. It's a pleasure working with you, and I guess I have to now start bowing whenever i see you. Linda is a prime example of the fabulous people we have in our community! Well done!        
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