The Bergen County Homes Blog

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.

Every once in a while, a home comes along that’s special – there’s just something about it that speaks to you. We just listed this magnificent new home designed by an award winning architect and it is an amazing house. An elegant residence, this brick colonial home has old world charm and yet the most sophisticated modern features. Located in between Demarest and Alpine on the Closter East Hill, this gorgeous home is offered at $1,650,000 and has 6 bedrooms and 5.5 baths. Among it’s many exceptional features are a Media Room, Third Level Game Room, Private Gym, Wine Cellar and sophisticated electronics. This special property is nearly finished and will be ready for viewing starting this weekend (the painters were busy today). It’s just such a gorgeous house!

On January 27, 2009, a home at 221 Churchill Road was listed for sale at $1,590,000. This was an extremely well kept original D’Agostino ranch home on a gorgeous acre lot. It was listed twice – as a single family home and as a building lot. On the Tenafly East Hill, original homes are sought after on their acre properties so that they can be removed and a new luxury home constructed.

A short while after being listed, the price was reduced to $1,425,000. Only 2 weeks later, on February 23rd, an offer was accepted and the home went into the Attorney Review process. Those of us who watched the market took note of this transaction because it demonstrated the strength of the demand for new luxury homes in Tenafly.

What happened next is even more intriguing as an indicator of the real estate market for homes in Tenafly.

On May 22nd the home came back on the market for sale. I called the listing agent who happens to be a very nice person and she told me that the owners were purchasing a short sale property out of the area and that their buyer had become frustrated with the long time it was taking and wanted to close on a home within the near future so the contract fell apart. Short sale transactions can take many many months – sometimes as much as one year. If you are buying a short sale and your buyer is not prepared to wait 6-9 months, it’s not going to work in most cases.

The home went back on the market on May 22nd at the start of the Memorial Day Weekend which, I am sure you will agree, is not the best time to start marketing a house. After all, a lot of your market is on it’s way out of town. The house had multiple offers and it was in Attorney Review again in 5 days.

What this tells you is that the market for luxury homes in Tenafly is still strong and that the market is stronger now than it was at the end of February. But wait, you say, if things are so fine and dandy on the Tenafly East Hill, why are there so many homes for sale? Because they are not marketed correctly. It really IS as simple as that. It is true that upper tier properties are having a hard time in this market but it is not true that you cannot be successful. However, you have to put yourself in front of your buyer and the homes that are for sale there are marketed using traditional methods which no longer work. That is the long and short of it.