Deborah Madey - New Jersey

Hi Jim and Carla,
Tks for taking the post down. Do come back and paticipate on Voices! :-)
Carla, Tks.

Back to you Monmma of 4 in Ocean County.........

I looked at your link. Good luck w/ your open house.

Deborah - Wed Jul 16 2008, 10:08

Hi Jim Long,

Your post seems to be a copy/paste of mine, with a few minor edits. While I maybe should be flattered that you liked my answer, it's not a real good idea to copy/paste another's writing without giving them credit for it. It’s called plagiarism, and not looked upon well. I hope your aren't borrowing others' work and placing it on other parts of the web and claiming it as your own. I would be complimented if you agreed w/ me, but am offended by the copy/paste with a representation of it as your words.

If you agree w/ me, just say that…..and then add any additional comments that you might want to share. You probably have lots of great ideas and thoughts of your own, so do share those. If you know of other great comments others have made on blogs or elsewhere on the web, provide links, reference it, add your comments. But, please do give appropriate credit where due.

Regards,
Deborah - Wed Jul 16 2008, 09:55

Hi,

Even within Ocean County, it will vary by location. There ae specific complexes or developments that have better turnouts on Sat vs. Sun. Overall, if I had to pick one, I would probably say that county wide, Sunday produces more OH visitors.

Over the years, I have held OH's that have yielded no visitors, and I have been overwhelmed with more than 30 visitors. Many visitors are not serious buyers, but some are.

If your community allows directionals, make extensive use of those. Place the directional signs just prior to the OH, and remove them promptly after. Do check with your municipality for rules governing sign placement. In some towns, none are permitted. Other towns require signs be placed only on private property and with the permission of that property owner. Other towns allow signs on street corners, sidewalks, and street medians, but have time limits. Observe the rules, as the fines can be hefty, and your signs may also disappear.

Post your open house on many websites to increase your turnout. The only time we use classified ads in the newspaper is for open houses. Even with this, few of the visitors indicate the paper as their source. We still include that in the promotion of the open house.

If you can, do both Sat and Sunday.

Good Luck
Deborah - Wed Jul 16 2008, 08:44

Hi J,

Your choice of area may depend upon your definition of close to the beach. You might want to be at or near the beach within 5 minutes, or if a 15-20 minute drive is OK with you, there are other alternatives.

1) Ease of access to Lincroft, yet at the beach, or very near to it, might take you to Sea Bright, Monmouth Beach, Highlands, or Atlantic Highlands. There are an abundance of condos and town homes to choose from in these areas. These will be at or above the prices of condos inland, for a smaller, slightly older unit. The location dictates the price, and here you might be paying more for location and not get the same upgrades or amenities. Just head east to the shore……about 20 minutes from Lincroft.

2) Red Bank….Lots of choices in various price points. Needs no directions….10 minutes to drive, and 10 minutes to park from Lincroft. Onward to the shore areas in 10 minutes.

3) Eatontown/Tinton Falls (north end) - Brookwood in Eatontown is near the mall. Winding Brook is near Rte 35 and Shrewsbury Avenue. Tinton Woods, Society Hill, and Lanape Woods are right off of Hope Road. Fewer condo choices, mostly town homes. Very close to Lincroft, and still accessible to the shore.

4) Tinton Falls (South end) Park Place/Fox Chase have properties that have were built from the mid 1980’s through the early 2000’s. There are plenty to choose from. It’s a quick trip down Swimming River Road to 537 and over to Wayside or Shafto. It’s less than 10 miles, and about 15 minutes from Lincroft to the complexes. These are right off of West Park Rd in between Shafto and the Parkway. You would be due west of Long Branch, with Asbury, Avon, and Belmar beaches all within reasonable distances.

5) Freehold. Taking you further away from the beach, but still close to Lincroft. I have been spending quite a bit of time in Raintree and Wyndham lately.

Best of luck in your search.

Regards,
Deborah Madey - Broker
Peninsula Realty Group
Deborah@PeninsulaFirst.com - Wed Jul 16 2008, 09:28

Hi Again,
I just went to your web page. I had trouble w/ the Zillow link. I looked, only briefly, but could not find a price. Buyers will want to know the price.

Deborah - Wed Jul 16 2008, 09:05

A buyer is always stronger if they do not have to sell to buy. Many sellers will not sign a contract with a contingent buyer since that will reduce their marketing exposure. But, you have a seller who did accept those terms…with a kickout clause.

I would not consider this a worthless contract. The seller thought enough of your offer to reduce his/her outreach to the market in search for a different buyer. As this seller is still active, he/she will have other showings, but many buyers will decline to visit since there is a contract in place. This helps you. You need to sell your property before another buyer comes along with another offer to this seller. The mere fact your contract is in place has reduced, to some extent, the competition.

I cannot speak to the market conditions in Park City, as I am not in your area, nor familiar w/ the statistics there. But, in many areas, properties can go to market, secure a contract and close within 30 days, while other properties in the same market are languishing for months. If you price right, market aggressively, present well, and make it easier for buyer to see your home, you might sell before another buyer happens to make an offer. The fact that you have a target property as a buyer increases your motivation as a seller. This may help you direct greater energy to making your home easy to show, heeding all the showing tips given as advice, and looking at your price and your competition’s price more objectively. People who want to sell, often acquire more realism, than those who “don’t have to sell.” Please not I said “want” to sell vs. “need” to sell.

For all of these reasons and more, I don’t think of contingent offers as worthless, but rather look at the limitations of them and work through those if possible.

You said you had a great Realtor, so work in tandem w/ this person and get your place sold so you can go forward w/ the purchase.

Best of luck
Deborah - Wed Jul 16 2008, 09:02

Hi,

Without seeing your contract, and without knowing the exact wording in your contract, I can’t say for sure. I can read into the situation, and speak from contracts I have seen in the past. Please keep in mind that your contract language may differ, so the following may not apply to your Park City condo.

It seems that the seller is saying that he/she will keep showing, and if they get an offer that does not have a contingency, they will come to you and give you the option of backing out of the contract or removing the contingency. This is common.

If you withdraw, the seller can then proceed with the new buyer. That contract price could even be less than yours. But, if that second buyer is willing to go forward w/o a contingency, the seller may find that more attractive than waiting or hoping that you sell.

Typically, there is no renegotiation with you on any other terms or price of your contract. You simply remove the contingency and go forward w/ the purchase or you walk away if the contingency clause is called. Your terms and price have already been established.

How long do you have to decide once you are informed of another offer? Do you have 24 hours, 72 hours, or more to decide?

While you are trying to sell, it might be helpful to periodically update your seller on your progress. They will likely become curious, or even nervous, if your property is being shown or received well by the market. Their willingness to continue to work with you could be influenced by their belief that you will sell. Example: You sign a contract for 350K w/ contingency. Sellers receive an offer for 310K w/o contingency. The sellers might be more inclined to accept the 310K and call your contingency if they think it is looking unlikely that you can or will sell your property. If, however, your sellers think your property is being shown, aggressively marketed, and will likely sell, they may be more motivated to wait it out, rather than entertain a lower offer.

Deborah - Tue Jul 15 2008, 08:53

The link in my first post will let you add contact info and picture for free. You can also upgrade to a paid account w/ Trulia Pro.... see the details in this link
http://www.trulia.com/truliapro/ - Wed Jul 16 2008, 07:39

Hi,
Follow this link....
http://www.trulia.com/agents/brand_your_listings/

Deborah - Wed Jul 16 2008, 07:37

Hi Anthony,

Only an attorney can provide legal advice, and I am not an attorney. But, in my opinion, I would expect that absent a fully executed lease, your chances of prevailing in a lawsuit may be slim. If I were you, I would focus my energies on finding a replacement rental. Check w/ an attorney for legal advice before making your final decisions.

Deborah - Wed Jul 16 2008, 06:42