The Bergen County Homes Blog

If you’re a typical home buyer you’ll be on the web looking at all the real estate websites gathering information on homes for sale.  It’s really very easy to get plenty of information on the real estate market through the internet but its not very easy to get information on the communites where the homes are located or to get a feeling for a town.  If you’re thinking of buying a Westwood home  New Jersey Monthly Magazine will help you. 

New Jersey Monthly Magazine  has a simply great article on taking a day trip to Westwood that highlights the business district and all it has to offer.  Westwood has one of the best local business districts in Bergen County which has a very positive impact on the value of Westwood homes.  Many of the local stores, restaurants and boutiques have been in Westwood for decades and have gone through several generations of owners.  Westwood homes are always in high demand and the many features this town has to offer is a big reason why.  You can find more information on Westwood at the Borough Website at http://www.westwoodnj.gov/

Bergen County, like most other locations, is not an easy place to be a tenant if you have a dog or cat.  Unfortunately, too many irresponsible pet owners have made landlords leary of allowing any dogs or cats to be part of their tenant’s family.  With the increasing popularity of small dogs and the perception that they are less of a problem, such as a designer dog, you can find that some buildings will allow a dog if it’s less than 30 pounds.  However, more and more buildings will not allow any pets at all. 

If you are considering a rental in a condominium or co-op building, it is imperative to verify what the regulations allow.  Just because you see a dog or cat in the condo or co-op when you’re looking at an apartment doesn’t mean that the rules haven’t changed. 

What I suggest to my rental clients in situations where there are no iron clad rules forbidding pets is to offer an additional security deposit for their animals.  I call it a pet security deposit and often this allows a pet owner to secure the rental unit they want.  Sometimes a landlord welcomes dogs and cats. 

Here’s a new rental listing by Alexis Schmid of my office with a landlord who allows cats and dogs.  It’s a 2 bedroom 1 bath rental apartment in this neat two family home.  At $1,300 per month in the town of Westwood, NJ, it won’t last long.  Welcoming pets is a smart idea – the landlord will get his apartment rented quicker and probably won’t have any vacancy cost.  If you are in the area, have a dog or cat and are looking for a 2 bedroom apartment, call Alexis at 551-265-5929 before it’s gone.