Joan Congilose CRS,GRI,e-Pro

Hi Jessica
It really depends on the location, square footage, & condition of the house. What you should do first is narrow your search by getting preapproved for a mortgage. Once you know how much you can really afford, make a wish list of what you need & would like in your next home. Style, number of bedrooms, baths, location, lot size, etc. Then select a real estate agent to work with & that person will show you what is available in your price range & show you homes. When you find a home & an area in Marlboro that you like your agent can show you recent comparable sales of similar homes & that is how you should decide how much you are willing to pay for a particular home before making an offer. If you don't have an agent I'll
be happy to help you & we have a Bank of America representative right in our office that can get you preapproved for a mortgage if you haven't done that yet. - Mon Jun 16 2008, 05:43

Hi Munish
I work with a lot of buyers & investors of Foreclosures & REOs. There are always new properties coming up for sale including Marlboro. Keep in mind that these transactions differ from an ordinary purchase of a resale or a new home. Most of these properties are very distressed, & are sold strictly as is which means the buyer has to do all repairs regardless of the condition, & also be reponsible for obtaining the Certificate of Continued Occupancy from the town before you can actually live in the house. In addition before the seller will consider accepting an offer from you they require that you show them you can close quickly, that you are financially able to buy it & can show them proof of funds to close on it quickly. If the home is in really bad shape then you have to pay cash or get a rehab loan. You are also competing most of the time with a multiple bid situation, so highest & best offer form the start gets you the house. Is that something you feel you are willing to do? If not, I would recommend looking at resales. There are plenty of nice homes to choose from in Marlboro at very attractive prices right now. There is no set formula for how much homes came down in Marlboro. Some came down & some didn't because they didn't have to & the ones that are priced right still sell quickly. Marlboro is known for its great schools, easy access to commuter hwys, shopping & recreation. You can obtain school info, demographis & neighborhood profiles on any town from my web site for free. - Fri Jun 13 2008, 08:01

Hi Lia
Many builders do include clauses like this. The best way to contend with this issue is to have a real estate lawyer represent you. That person will review, revise & try to negotiate terms to protect you with your purchase. - Fri Jun 13 2008, 07:20

Hi Ana
You can find out 2 different ways one would be by having a few real estate agents give you a broker price opinion & compare the data. If you have 10 acres & it is subdividable your porperty will be worth more than a home with 10 acres that is not. Also the style & square footage of your home will have an impact on the value. The 2nd way to truly know what your home is worth is to hire a fee paid home apppraiser. That will cost you a few hundred dollars up front but will be as accurate as you can get. Fee paid appraisers will also base your homes value on the sq footage, location, condition & again the use of the land. Fee paid appraisers use the exact same sales data that agents use but it will give you an unbiased opinion. - Fri Jun 13 2008, 07:12

I am a real estate agent in Manalapan. Overall Marlboro is well known for its schools,diverse styles of homes & easy proximity to commuter highways.Morganville is a section of the same town Marlboro & borders Holmdel & Aberdeen. It is all the same school district, Morganville is a closer commute to the train in Matawan if you commute to the city. Morganville was once mostly farmland but over the years became a window of opportunity for builders of luxury homes & estates there so depending on what your price range is there are great homes & condos available throughout all sections of Marlboro. - Wed Jun 11 2008, 13:26