Rebecca, When you asked this question on Nov. 29, 2007 you must have checked the update box............

Hi Rebecca,

I live and do business in Brick and am formerly from Dallas, TX. Oh boy, do u have some major changes in store for you!

As for this house you have your eye on, I would begin with engaging a Realtor in evaluating the list price. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, many home sellers remain belligerent about their listing price. YOU DO NOT WANT TO OVERPAY IN THIS MARKET, especially in Brick!

Your next step would be to get pre-approved by a mortgage lender to ensure that you have the means to purchase the home. PLEASE ALSO NOTE that we in Brick are due for a 10-year tax increase this year and this could greatly impact your monthly payment.

Since you are out-of-town, a Realtor would be happy to preview the home and provide feedback before you make the trip to NJ to see the home for yourself.

Once you've received a price analysis, been pre-approved and personally viewed the property you'll be ready to make an offer.

Good luck and do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions.

Sincerely,
Francesca Patrizio
Realtor Associate
732.606.2931

Dear Rebecca,

These are five basic steps to consider when purchasing a home. It's never too soon to start.


1- Get Your Finances in Order

2 -Get Familiar with the Mortgage Industry

3- Get Pre-Approved for a Mortgage

4- Determine Your Wants and Needs

5- Locate a Military friendly Realtor.

Very Respectfully,

The Military Home Buyer's Network
First American Military, Inc.
(619)253-8336

P.s- If you plan use the VA Home Loan Make sure you have your Va Certificate of Eligibility in advance!

Its never too early to start, especially in this market. Many sellers would probably be willing to work with you, in your time frame :)

Rebecca,
It is never too early to start because it may take time for an inspection, loan commitments, current occupants relocating, and the closing itself. Don't wait.

Rebecca, I grew up in Brick as well. Give me a call if you would like to discuss your options.
David Naj

It's never too soon to start. At the least, you should start interviewing agents to decide whom you want to work with. Contact different mortgage professionals to discuss financing options (keep in mind , plans and rates may change). You will also need a good attorney and home inspector. If you find one you trust, they can usually refer you to the others.

It seems like there are many Realtors who have already responded. You can begin your interview process by phone. If you would like some additional guidance, feel free to contact me. I don't make any money for referrals.

Rafi Footerman
Mid Jersey Inspections
732-906-4100
NJ Home Inspection Lic. #076900

This time of year is the best time to buy a home. There is less competition this time of year and you can bargain down within reason. I have access also to forclosures in the area that I either end up listing or know when some of the other forclosures are going to be listed.

Great to hear! I would suggest that you go and see as much of your options as possible as soon as possible. If you're really interested in buying the home your husband grew up in, then you may not get the same chance again anytime soon. It could sell soon or sit on the market, it all depends on how desirable it is as well as if the home is priced well. I would first recommend speaking to a mortgaqge representative to give you some indication of financing options. Hope this is of help. You can search the MLS below

How badly do you want the house? If this is the one and only for you, start the process now. If you can live without this specific house, you can wait until after the holidays. Then, the inventory will be even better and there is no indication that prices will be rising any time soon. You will need a preapproval from a mortgage company, and most will not lock you in for 4 months, anyway. If they will, it will cost you either in a higher rate or points.

If you do decide to go ahead with the family house, I would tell your agent, but not the sellers. Sellers are looking for any way to get the most out of their house, dollar-wise, and would LOVE to hear you have an emotional attachment to it!

There are programs available locally to first time homebuyers through Wachovia Bank, for one. I have a couple of listings there and have had a mortgage rep from Wachovia helping me sell to first time homebuyers at my open houses. Programs with grant money, too.

You can reach me via Trulia or my website, below if you would like any additional information about the Brick market or the mortgage programs my rep offers. Good luck. My husband is with the military and he is being relocated out of NJ! We have to look in MD due to BRAC. I wish we didn't have to go! Luckily, it won't be for a few years.

It is not too soon to start looking. Since you already know the area you would like to live in the next step is to find a buyers agent. The buyers agent can help you through the home buying process. If you have additional questions or would like to search for homes you can visit my website at http://www.heatherdaccurso.com

Hi Rebecca,
I grew up in Brick, went to school there, have family there. Brick High School principal is an ex-teammate of mine. Another classmate is captain on the police force. Now is a fine time to start . Remember, everything is negotiable. I can also help with your financing needs. I am an Accredited Buyers Rep working as a Full time realtor as well as working for a mortgage company. Feel free to contact me with any scenarios you may need help with. I can be reached at 609-709-3155 by cell or e:mail@ rgarry@crossroadsrealtynj.com.

Hi Rebecca,
Hope things are going well with relocating! I say the sooner the better to start educating yourself for your first home buying endeavor and the more homes you look at the better to get well educated on what you would really like to buy. There are many ways to get this information and I would be glad to give you anything that you think you could use, you can contact me at robinbusch@prunewjersey.com.
I live in Lakehurst, NJ which I am sure you probably know about with the Lakehurst Naval Station being located here. We have many military families in this area.
Well the best of luck to you!
Robin

Rebecca,

The inventory in Brick is and has been quite large for the past 2+ years. There are currently 645 single family homes on the market in various price ranges in Brick. This may work to your advantage. Reasons:

(1) Your negotiating power in terms of price is quite nice

(2) The seller may very well be willing to accept a contract to close in March just so that they can get on with their purchase.

Since you have found the home, WHERE U NEED TO START before even making an offer on the home is getting pre-approved by a mortgage company for financing. Once that is in place, you can move forward with making an offer on the property.

Keep in mind that to hold the home, most sellers are going to require you to complete a home inspection ($300 - $500) and a complete financial commitment, including appraisal ($300-$400).

Hmmmm, I thought the rules of this site were "no solicitation" Seems like alot of soliciting going on here!

Hi Rebecca,

It is not too soon to start looking. I recommend that you choose a buyer agent to represent your interests, and I would not share w/ the sellers and the listing agent your personal motivation and interests in the property at this time. Such disclsoure of personal motivation and emotional attachment would not be in your best interests at the outset.

You can search Brick and see all MLS properties (with a rare few exceptions) at this link:
http://peninsulafirst.idxre.com/idx/search.cfm?ll=1&cid=3705

You do not need to register in order to search. If you choose to register, you can receive automatic updates about properties that meet your criteria, as well as save properties in a folder to review later, or share w/ others.

If you would like a relo package for the Brick/Ocean County area, you can request one via email from our office. It includes community guides, maps, and relevant info to help you w/ your move (everything from drivers licenses to utilities to pet tags.)

A community report on Brick is available via email in PDF format that includes demographic data, school info, etc.

You can request either the snail mail relo package or the community area report through our customer service dept. There is no cost and no obligation.

CustomerService@PeninsulaFirst.com

If you have any questions, please feel free to call our customer service dept, or you can phone me directly.

Best of Luck and We Look Forward to Seeing You in Jesey!

Deborah Madey - Broker
Peninsula Realty Group
732 530-7755 Main Office
732 530-6350 Direct

Hi Rebecca,
How exciting to find the house your husband grew up in for sale!!! The one thing to know about buying a home is that EVERYTHING is negotiable. You can always have you agent explain your situation to the sellers agent and if they are willing to work with you it is very likely in todays maket that they will be willing to agree to a March closing. Especially going into the holidays when alot of houses may have already been on the market for a while, maybe have had little or no activity, you may be the seller's light at the end of the tunnel! It's not unheard of to have a 90 day closing and your just around the corner from that. I have worked with alot of military personel and am local to the Brick area and have sold alot of homes in that area. Please feel free to call or email me if I can be of any assistance or just to talk about the whole process of buying. A specialize in working with first time buyers and I kow it can be overwhelming for you, it's alot of information. Finding an agent you are comfortable with, who can walk you through the process so that you don't lose the home is important. I would love to have a chance to chat with you! Call me on my cell anytime at 609-709-7311 or email me at daniellep@crossroadsrealtynj.com
Dani Padovano
Crossroads Realty

Oh, I just noticed it is in Brick. I live in Brick and do business in Brick.

Do sent the info along. NO OBLIGATION.

Francesca

Rebecca,

Let me know the address and city and I will be happy to research for you or find someone in that area that may be of some assistance.

Please email to openingdoors@comcast.net.

Francesca

If you have any friends or family in New Jersey ask them for refrences for local agents, real estate attorney's, home inspectors etc. That way you'll have a local contact list of professionals to represent your interests. Also inquire about any governmental referrals that might be specially available. Many of the large brokerages have specialists who deal with relocating military families. Make sure to investigate refrences. Best of luck, hope that helps

Hi Rebecca,

It is definitely not too soon to start. Many home sales take 2-4 months to consummate. I would get yourself a buyers agent if you don't already have one.

I also would not tell anyone that he grew up in the house. This news could cause the sellers to remain a lot more firm on their price if they think there is unusual motivation on your part. Frankly, I wouldn't tell anyone about this if at all possible, not even your agent.

Loose lips sink ships in this business.

Also check out your credit score as soon as possible. You want it to be 680 or better to achieve the best rates. That can be checked as part of your mortgage pre-approval, which you will need to do anyway.

If you have any more detailed or confidential questions, contact me through my website.

Good luck! This sounds like an exciting possibility.

-Marc