The Bergen County Homes Blog

Looking to take your children out on a local Easter Egg Hunt this weekend?  Here are some for you to consider.  Unfortunately rain is forecast for Saturday so it’s probably a good idea to call to see if it’s still on if it is raining:

Closter – Saturday at 10 am at Memorial Field

Old Tappan – Saturday at 10:30  Check it out at http://oldtappan.net/easter_egg_hunt.cfm

Ramsey – Saturday at 10 am at Adorno Fathers on Darlington Ave (no rain date)

Ridgefield Park – Saturday at 10 am http://www.ridgefieldpark.org/archevt/2011020822451254.htm

Ridgewood – The Ridgwood Chamber of Commerce has an all day event with picture taking with the Easter Bunny and a Bunny Express Trolley ride through downtown.  http://www.ridgewoodnj.net/event_detail.cfm?EventID=1473&EventDate=04/23/2011

River Vale -  River Vale holds it’s Easter Egg Hunt this Saturday at 9:30  Get the details at http://www.rivervalenj.org/

When the financial crisis exploded in 2008, new construction financing ended.  Actually, most credit was taken off the table then and for good reason.  On new homes being built, many banks pulled existing mortgage loans creating havoc for builders and individuals who were in the middle of new construction projects.

Since then, getting a bank to loan on new construction in Bergen County has been difficult if not impossible.  But there has been one bank that’s kept its new construction loan department open – TD Bank.  In addition to TD Bank, Wells Fargo and Provident Bank of New Jersey also do new home financing.

I called TD Bank this week to review financing for a new 3 lot subdivision in Ho-Ho-Kus that I’m working on with Beverly Mitchell in my office; the interest rate quoted was very attractive – only just over prevailing mortgage rates with no points.

Each Ho-Ho-Kus lot is around 1 acre and we have packages for buyers at $1.5-1.7 million with architect plans for gorgeous 5,800 sq ft houses and a master builder in place.

If you drive up the Tenafly East Hill, you’ll be amazed at all the new houses being built there.  Tenafly has always enjoyed a strong demand for luxury new construction on it’s East Hill acre lots.  Buying a new Tenafly home is no problem for qualified buyers today.

Whether you’re building a new home in Tenafly, Ho-Ho-Kus or anywhere in Bergen County, you can get a mortgage as long as you’re qualified.

Are you buying a home?  Are you a first time home buyer or are you a homeowner who needs more space or is trading down?  No matter why you are buying a home, make sure you do it right with the best professionals.  Here’s a story about buying a Leonia home that’s a lesson for everyone.

Leonia homes are always in strong demand.  Why?  Leonia has a simply fabulous commute to NYC via express bus service from NJ Transit  and Coach USA whose commuter buses typically take it’s residents to Manhattan in less than 50 minutes.  Leonia also has a strong school district and great community spirit.   Leonia homes are mostly older, gracious colonials for which it is renown.

Recently I sold a Leonia home to a young couple buying their first house.  Marketed as well kept and updated with a beautiful young kitchen and shining hardwood floors, it really is a very pretty home plus the location was perfect – a quiet street only one block from the NJ Transit #166 bus for a perfect commute.  Everything looked great until the home inspection.

I have been a full time professional residential agent for over 20 years so you can imagine that I’ve sold hundreds of homes but no real estate agent is a home inspector.  When the home inspector got to the attic, he found that the roof substructure had separated a bit.  Doesn’t sound like much does it?  Guess what - it’s huge.  I contacted a local contractor who advised we needed an architect.  When they came a few days later, the home inspector’s findings were confirmed; fixing it will cost $6,500.

Getting a good home inspection is the best money any buyer can spend.  My buyers were also fully protected by their superb attorney who got them the extra weeks I needed to get the right contractor to look at the house.  Using excellent professionals - home inspector, contractor and attorney – gave my buyers the protection and information they needed to avoid making a home buying mistake.