When you are buying a home or listing your home for sale in the Millburn/Short Hills area , you have a lot to consider. If you are buying, you will no doubt be viewing and walking through many Open  Houses in Millburn/Short Hills in search for the one that makes you feel “at home.” If you are selling your home, you will need to make your home feel less “yours” so that it can appeal to buyers.

Both of these situations can be emotionally challenging and so it really helps to have a trusted friend with experience in your area, namely a knowledgable Short Hills Real Estate Agent, at your side through the process.

A real estate agent has more experience than you when it comes to knowing how to market or discriminate between homes in your area. Trust your agent to have your best interests in mind so that you can utilize that knowledge. This is especially true when it comes to open houses!

Work with and listen to your agent’s suggestions to meet with the most success (and follow my advice in this post).

Staging A Successful Open House

• First off, make sure the interior of your home is clean and de-cluttered! If it is in your budget, consider removing the bulk of your house contents to an alternate location. Your ultimate goal as a seller is to move, so start packing – it will help your home to sell more quickly! Consider the model home concept that new builders use and set that as the goal for your home – neutral, tasteful, open.

• Make sure the outside looks great, both in regards to your property, and your neighbors’ homes. Does your street look safe, well-kept and friendly? If not, brainstorm about what you can do to achieve a friendly neighborhood feel. Maybe you can offer to help trim or mow your neighbor’s lawn or put away their trash cans, resulting in a more attractive canvas for your home. Check that your for sale sign is standing straight and tall and consider adding a few balloons (bright colors) to attract even more attention.

• Speaking of neighbors, invite them! This is an opportunity to hand-pick a new neighbor, and they can have a say in it by inviting they’re interested friends. Plus it will create a buzz, increase positive energy, and make sure your open house is well attended. If you have a neighbor who has listed their home, be sure to visit their open house, too, so you can see what your home is being compared against. In including your neighbors you may actually find that they are more than willing to assist you with your open house with small favors like making sure there is ample street parking or repairing a broken brick planter.  Ask your agent for the best way to handle this as it depends on the area – it might be better to host an early preview for neighbors for homes where a huge turn-out is expected.

• Since you’ve invited your neighbors to stop by, make sure you have fresh-baked goods (and their accompanying aroma) present in your home as a thank you for visiting. Nothing says “home” better than the smell of vanilla and cinnamon. If you are unable to do this, do NOT resort to air fresheners as many people are allergic to them. Ask your real estate agent for advice on dealing with the odors in your home well before the open house occurs.

Please feel free to add your comments on what you feel makes your Millburn/Short Hills Open Houses more valuable to you as a home buyer and seller, too. I’d love to learn from you! Consult with me for other more specific suggestions on how to make YOUR open house more successful – as each home uses a different approach.  You’ll be glad you did!

If you would like to learn more about my local community or discover the meaning behind A New Suburbanism click here or contact me at 973.202.7270

Are you pre-approved for your home purchase?

If not, you need to be, and no, it won’t affect your credit rating.

In today’s real estate market, serious Millburn/Short Hills buyers know that the home buying process cannot begin in earnest until they are pre-approved, not pre-qualified for a mortgage. Pre-qualification is based upon “stated” numbers regarding monthly revolving debt, income, and other general information whereas pre-approval is based on verified facts. In the verification process for pre-approval lenders must make inquiries on employment and even check your credit score.

Luckily the Fair Credit Reporting Act recognizes this as a permissible and valid reason for a company to access your credit and it will NOT affect your credit rating or score. Mortgage lenders can run a “soft” credit check, sometimes called a “quotation check” to verify your credit worthiness and pre-approve you for home purchase. It is also interesting to note that multiple lenders can do this (within a 14 day period) without it affecting your credit score, if you want to compare loans. You can also check your own credit report as many times as you would like without causing harm in the same manner. In fact, before meeting with a lender or considering purchasing a home, you should evaluate your credit report and make sure it is error free.

Other types of credit inquiries CAN affect your credit report, so refrain from opening lines of credit at clothing, furnishing stores or car dealerships and other installment retailers until your loan is funded. Credit inquiries account for less than 10% of your overall credit score, but it is still not worth the risk when purchasing a home is in your near future. To keep yourself credit-worthy, make your payments on time, continually strive to increase your income, and make sure the monthly amount accessed on each of your credit cards is less than 30%. These proactive measures will go a long way to helping you secure the loan you need and the home in Millburn/Short Hills that you want.

07078  NEWEST LISTINGS!

Showing properties 1 - 5 of 87. See more Real estate in the 07078 zip code.
(all data current as of 5/23/2013)

1. $800,000 : 189 Parsonage Hill Rd, Millburn Twp.
   
   4 beds, 3 full, 1 part baths

   Lot size: 19,166 sqft

   Year built: 1958

   Parking spots: 2

   Days on market: 3
2. $3,900,000 : 160 Highland Ave, Millburn Twp.
   
   6 beds, 4 full, 2 part baths

   Home size: 5,542 sq ft

   Lot size: 1.50 ac

   Year built: 1907

   Parking spots: 4

   Days on market: 6
3. $4,995,000 : 10 Sinclair Ter, Millburn Twp.
   
   5 beds, 6 full, 2 part baths

   Home size: 7,500 sq ft

   Lot size: 1.28 ac

   Year built: 1936

   Parking spots: 2

   Days on market: 8
4. $1,399,000 : 297 Lupine Way, Millburn Twp.
   
   4 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths

   Lot size: 7,405 sqft

   Year built: 1971

   Parking spots: 2

   Days on market: 8
5. $1,265,000 : 321 Lupine Way, Millburn Twp.
   
   4 beds, 3 full, 1 part baths

   Lot size: 10,018 sqft

   Year built: 1940

   Parking spots: 1

   Days on market: 8