Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Hoboken Tax Appeal: 11th Hour

Hoboken Tax Appeal: 11th Hour

Read the fine print.....

FILING DATE
(a) Your appeal must be received (not merely postmarked) by the county board of taxation on or before April 1 of the tax year, or 45 days from the date the bulk mailing of Notification of Assessment is completed in the taxing district, whichever is later. An appeal received after the close of business hours on April 1, or 45 days from the date the bulk mailing of Notification of Assessment is completed in the taxing district, whichever is later, is untimely filed and will result in dismissal of the appeal.






Do you have that Fedex envelope ready?

I am still getting calls. From clients that I notified months ago. I want to help them. I am worried that Hoboken now has the upperhand. http://www.hobokentaxappeal.com/

Hoboken Tax Appeal: 11th Hour

Monday, March 29, 2010

This Week In Hoboken Real Estate (Mar 22-29)

This Week In Hoboken Real Estate: March 22-29

44 New to Market
28 Price Changes
18 Under Contract
18 Sold

The market keeps getting bigger. More to the market than sold....Sellers beware, if this keeps up the $8000 tax credit will not save you.



This Week In Hoboken Real Estate: March 22-29

Friday, March 26, 2010

Hoboken Open House Map 3/27 &3/38

Hoboken Open House Map for the weekend of March 27th &28th.

There are 82 advertised Hoboken open houses!!! The open housese keep growing...can we hit 100!!!

32 Studios and one bedrooms
41 two bedrooms
9 three plus bedrooms

visit http://www.hobokenopenhousemap.com/ to sort by price or number of bedrooms.



Wednesday, March 24, 2010

5 Good Reasons To Sell Now




    5 Good Reasons to Sell Your House NOW!


    by Steve Harney on March 24, 2010



    in For Sellers





    It might seem contradictory to claim that it is the best time to buy and the best time to sell. But actually both statements are true because of same reason – government stimulus.

    The reason more people should be jumping in to buy is because of the Homebuyers’ Tax Credit and low interest rates. Combined these two situations will dramatically lower the ‘cost’ a buyer will pay even if home prices continue to soften.

    Selling now makes sense because, once these advantages disappear, there will probably be a drop-off in demand. And we all know that ‘price’ (which the seller is most interested in) will be determined by supply and demand. So let’s go over those 5 good reasons to sell NOW!


    1.) The Homebuyers’ Tax Credit will expire next month

    Obviously the purpose of the tax credit was to entice buyers to purchase houses. But what will happen to demand once the tax credit ends? Many feel that the program dragged buyers forward. By that I mean that buyers who had planned to purchase later in the year may have moved up their plans to take advantage of the credit. The only question left is how badly will demand drop-off? Less demand usually equates to lower prices. Below is a graph that shows the dramatic reduction in demand after the Tax Credit was initially supposed to expire in late November:



    2.) The Fed is about to exit the MBS purchase program

    The mortgage industry has returned to the standard that every buyer must ‘qualify’ for their mortgage. If interest rates rise, the mortgage payment rises also. As a result, there will be fewer buyers who qualify at each price point.

    In yesterday’s post our resident mortgage expert, Dean Hartman, explained that interest rates will rise as we proceed throughout the year. That will have a negative impact on demand.

    3.) Many of today’s sales will not create a buyer

    In a normal market almost every sale creates another buyer. However in today’s market many of the sales are short sales or foreclosures. They do not create an additional buyer. Again DEMAND DOES NOT INCREASE.


    4.) There is a ‘shadow’ inventory of foreclosures coming to the market

    There is a large volume of foreclosed properties which are currently being held by banks. In the near future these houses will come to the market at discounted properties. How many? In an article in the Wall Street journal this past week titled How Many Homes Do Banks Have Up Their Sleeves? the following estimates were reported:


    Barclays Capital uses foreclosure data from mortgage securities to estimate that there are slightly more than 600,000 homes in the process of foreclosure.


    RealtyTrac, which examines public records, estimates the number is closer to 700,000.

    5.) It isn’t always about the money
    If you are considering whether or not to sell your home there must be a reason. Perhaps it is time to move-up to that dream home on the water. Maybe the time has come to downsize and have the freedom to travel more. Maybe you miss the rest of your family who now live in a different part of the country.
    Selling a home should not ONLY be about the money. Sometimes it is about moving ahead in your life and doing the things you want to do or need to do. Don’t let money get in the way of living your life.
    What does this mean to you?
    If you are thinking of selling your house, consider the theory of supply and demand. After this spring, demand might wane because of the exiting of government support and the supply of distressed properties will probably increase dramatically. Now is probably the time to sell.



      Monday, March 22, 2010

      This Week In Hoboken Real Estate (mar 15-22)

      This Week In Hoboken Real Estate
      March 15-22, 2010

      New To Market 78
      Price Change 38
      Under Contract (two weeks) 39
      Sold 18

      Why are the under contracts two weeks? Because it takes time for them to be processed in the system.





      TAX APPEAL Deadline April 1, 2010. One company who handles the appeals is taking its last applciants this Thursday at 7pm. Thinking of doing it? Better hurry

      Hey! Who is that good looking guy talking about the Hoboken tax appeal?

      Friday, March 19, 2010

      Hoboken Open House Map 3/20 & 21

      Hoboken Open House Map for the weekend of March 20th &21st.

      There are 74 advertised Hoboken open houses!!! Can't swing a dead cat without hitting one.

      visit www.hobokenopenhousemap.com to sort by price or number of bedrooms.

      Wednesday, March 17, 2010

      St. Patty's Day Hoboken Mortgage Rates

      Paddy was driving down Washington Street in a sweat because he had an important meeting and couldn't find a parking place. Looking up to heaven he said, 'Lord take pity on me. If you find me a parking place I will go to Mass every Sunday for the rest of me life and give up me Irish Whiskey!
      Miraculously, a parking place appeared.

      Paddy looked up again and said, 'Never mind, I found one.

      Happy St. Patrick's Day



      From The IHRE Mortgage Rate Guy

      REVISED March 17th, 2010---- 10:30 AM ET
      Lock Period = 30 Days


      CONVENTIONAL CONFORMING LOANS (loans less than or equal to $417,000)
      30 YEAR FIXED ---------------------------- 4.875%/ 4.891% APR
      30 YEAR FIXED INTEREST ONLY--- 5.375%/ 5.657% APR
      15 YEAR FIXED----------------------------- 4.250%/ 4.411% APR
      5 / 1 ARM------------------------------------- 3.500%/ 3.321% APR
      7/1 ARM ------------------------------------ 4.000%/ 3.816% APR


      * All quotes are with 0 points
      *Investment Properties --- ** Add 1.75 points (if 25% down)**
      *There is a rate increase for cash-out refinance transactions over 60% Loan to Value, or condominiums over 75% LTV


      CONVENTIONAL HIGH BALANCE CONFORMING FIXED RATE LOANS (loans greater than $417,000, but less than $729,500)
      30 YEAR FIXED ------------------------- 5.125%/ 5.131% APR
      15 YEAR FIXED ------------------------- 4.625%/ 4.641% APR
      ** Loan amount restrictions based on county and property type.
      ***There is a rate increase for cash-out refinance transactions over 60% Loan to Value, or condominiums over 75% LTV


      CONVENTIONAL JUMBO LOANS (Fixed rate programs greater than high-balance conforming, ARM programs greater than $417,000)
      30 YEAR FIXED--------------------------- 5.625%/ 5.891% APR
      30 YEAR FIXED INTEREST ONLY-- 5.875%/ 6.131% APR
      15 YEAR FIXED--------------------------- 4.875%/ 5.140% APR
      5 / 1 ARM------------------------------------- 4.375%/ 4.316%APR
      7/1 ARM -------------------------------------- 4.625%/ 4.556% APR
      * All non-conforming loans need to be discussed in detail
      *** Special Program 15/ 30 ARM -----5.000% / 4.922% APR -- .50% Points --- Loans up to $1,000,000!!!
      **Please call for rates on loans over $1 million or rates on FHA loans**
      Total Fees Charged By Pinnacle Mortgage, Inc.
      $350.00 -- Application Fee (Includes Appraisal, Lock-in, Credit, Flood & Processing)
      $395.00 -- Commitment Fee (Wiring Funds, Attorney Review & Doc Preparation)
      Michael Mundy
      Pinnacle Mortgage, Inc.
      mmundy@pinnaclemortgage.biz
      www.mundymortgages.com

      Tuesday, March 16, 2010

      Hoboken Tax Appeal: Don't Do It

      Hoboken Tax Appeal: Don't Do It

      What am I doing? This whole advocating an appeal. We are killing our neighbors one at a time. Think about it. If there are 2,000 appeals and each appeal only gets an annual reduction of $1, 000, that's $2 million a year that Hoboken is short. That's like squad car full of police officers when you figure in beenfits. More likely that police unions will bully and cajole the politicans to take that two mil out of someone else's pocket. Who better than the tax payers? So it's either you or your neighbor. Hey, I'm your neighbor. Don't do it.

      A special word for Hoboken buyers currently looking or in contract.

      The tax appeal deadline is April 1. After that you are out of luck. If your taxes seem high, have the current seller file the appeal. A prominent company in town will do it for $500. Reimburse the seller at close. It's $500 to potentially save thousands, every year!

      Still confused about whether to do an appeal? Try my Hoboken Tax Appeal Calculator for your implied value and Hoboken Real Estate Report for comps.

      Hoboken Tax Appeal: Don't Do It

      Monday, March 15, 2010

      Hoboken Weekly Real Estate Numbers

      Inside Hoboken Real Estate: The Weekly Numbers March 8-15

      62 New To The Market
      38 Price Changes
      8 Condos Sold
      1 Single Family Sold




      Also, February update to The Hoboken Real Estate Report is available. Sign up today.

      Inside Hoboken Real Estate: The Weekly Numbers March 8-15

      A Knock On The Door. In Hoboken?

      A Knock On The Door. In Hoboken?


      Many Hoboken dwellers be it condo owners or renters are protected from the proverbial knock on the door. Doormen, intercoms and a general distrust of strangers has led to these fortress like complexes where only those with a key or key card get unfettered access to the four inches of wood that separate you and your belongs from the hallway and free world beyond. Granted, gone are the days of the Fuller Brush man and encyclopedia salesmen showing up unannounced. (For anyone under 25 reading this, an encyclopedia is like a really condensed version of wikipedia printed on tree killing books, many tree killing books. And no I will not explain the Fuller Brush man...wiki it.)


      Now I've actually done some door knocking of my own. Especially about the Hoboken tax appeal....with limited success. But here comes the government "census takers". They are not offering to help you save money, They want your personal information under the guise on constitution duty. Whether you .re a buyer, seller, renter, homeless person living in a shelter and reading this on a public computer....Watch this video. watch it before the knock on your door. If your the kind of person who has a paper shredder at home, you'll be glad you did.




      A Knock On The Door. In Hoboken?

      Thursday, March 11, 2010

      Hoboken Open House Map March 13 &14

      Hoboken Open House Map March 13 &14



      http://www.hobokenopenhousemap.com/ you can sort by bedrooms or price range. Remember that open houses only represent a fraction of the total homes available and that the agent at the open house works for the seller. I recommend that you find an agent, preferably one that provides free open house maps, free Hoboken Real Estate Reports and free real time Hoboken market data in graph form. Email me before you go, I'll give you the scoop.

      Hoboken Open House Map March 13 &14

      Wednesday, March 10, 2010

      Ten Pieces of Information Every Hoboken Buyer Should Know

      Ten Pieces of Information Every Hoboken Buyer Should Know

      10) First Time Home Buyer Credit: In order to make the April 30th deadline, you must be out of attorney review by the deadline. Realistically it means your offer must be in by April 15th. Attorneys will be swamped the last two weeks. If you want to get it done, build in the buffer. Need to understand the tax credit ? See The Homebuyer Tax Credit Chart




      9) The Mortgage Market: What are the interest rates, given your credit score? Are there lenders that are more likely to lend to you? What are the potential pitfalls you should anticipate? A real multi-part answer. This is an encompassing piece that gets to the heart of the matter. Local lenders know their markets better. Connect with a local Hoboken Lender.




      8) List vs. Sale Ratio
      What's the average discount rate? 2%, 3%, 4% ,10%? It's a moving target based on segment and market conditions. Buyers must know what is reasonable negotiation position.




      7) The Last Three Months Of Sold Hoboken Condo Comparables.
      Sold comps will run 45 to 60 days behind the market. While they will not give you a real time understanding of today's market they are the only real data points that a buyer has. It's like trying to predict a stock price based on yesterday's information. However, coupled with market direction, sold comps give a buyer a way to understand what the true price range should be.





      6) Under Contract Hoboken Condo Comparables
      Under Contract comparables bring you closest to the target on figuring out the market. What are other people buying right now. More importantly, what are the asking prices and types of properties in demand. Uptown Hoboken, close to the PATH, parking, elevator, outdoor space? How does this help the buyer? Studying under contract comparables call help buyers identify the hot segments and find the bargains, which properties are likely to have many lookers and which are the wall flowers. Fifth floor walk ups on Sixth and Monroe priced at $350/sqft may be in more demand than an elevator building on First and Garden priced at $500/sqft. Find the value and find the properties that sell.



      In The Science Of Hitting, Hall Of Famer Ted Williams describes breaking down his hitting area into seventy seven different zones. In days before the internet, prolific video, and stats guys Ted Williams realized that there were sweet spots and clearly identified them. If Ted were a home buyer today he would have his spreadsheet breaking down every home attribute figuring out the most sought after and most value priced opportunities on the market.

      5) New To The Market Properties
      After a few weeks of earnest searching most buyers have exhausted their pool of homes with desirable attributes. They need fresh meat. New to market properties give the buyers what they want. Most agents provide this but without the context of the other nine points, it's somewhat meaningless.



      4) Inventory Levels
      Inventory levels is another way to ask How's The Market? Lower inventory means higher prices. Higher inventory means lower prices. Buyers have a herd mentality. When the media pundit s says "It's a buyer,s market.", here comes the herd and inventory levels get bumped out whack. The axiom holds that a six month supply is a balanced market. Less than a six month supply and sellers have the advantage, more than a six month supply and buyers have the advantage. For example, Miami Beach condos priced at over a million dollars are sitting a four year supply.....Advantage Buyer. In Hoboken the supply has been holding steady between six and twelve months.



      3) Market Trends
      Trends are longer term views of what is happening. Trends are great for seeing if prices going up or down over time. Trends can be used to see if homes are taking longer to sell. It is big picture stuff.



      2) Segment Breakdowns
      The fact of the matter is that all of the trends, charts and statistics mean anything except within the segment that the buyer is looking to purchase. If all real estate markets are local, then local real estate markets are really mini-markets. Hoboken's one bedroom market has a whole different dynamic than the three bedroom market. Buyer's in these mini markets have different wants, needs, and motivations. A one bedroom buyer trying to capture the first time home buyer tax credit will move more quickly than a three bedroom buyer where the credit makes less of an impact on the purchase price. Everything is different. Days on the market, inventory levels, list to sale ratios, etc.



      1) Analysis
      Professionals with experience and the ability to capture and interpret data provide the most value. Typically when someone makes a large purchase like a flat screen tv, they will read reviews, study product features, compare prices of several televisions and then settle on the one or two that are the best fit. Then they will scour the internet for the best deal. I think it took me two months. In real estate, the information is not as easy to come by. Currently I provide buyers with four types of information. 1) Listings 2) The Hoboken Real Estate Report which has segment analysis and comparables 3) The Hoboken Market Snap Shot which has property level detail on user defined segments and 4) A Hoboken Market Report which provides trending information. A combination of these reports will arm any buyer with enough local targeted information to make educated real estate decisions in Hoboken.




      Ten Pieces of Information Every Hoboken Buyer Should Know

      Monday, March 8, 2010

      Weekly Market Numbers: Hoboken Real Estate

      Testing out a new feature....The weekly market number. Hoboken solds, under contract, price changes and new to the market. All in one spreadsheet.



      Still tinkering... Feedback appreciated.

      Friday, March 5, 2010

      Hoboken Open House Map Weekend Of March 6th and 7th

      Hoboken Open House Map Weekend Of March 6th and 7th.

      Here it is....REMINDER Saturday is the Hoboken St. Patrick's Day Parade. Realtors are getting out of town faster than those aliens leaving earth in Men In Black. What do we know that you don't?










      http://www.hobokenopenhousemap.com/ you can sort by bedrooms or price range. Remember that open houses only represent a fraction of the total homes available and that the agent at the open house works for the seller. I recommend that you find an agent, preferably one that provides free open house maps, free Hoboken Real Estate Reports and free real time Hoboken market data in graph form. Email me before you go, I'll give you the scoop.

      Hoboken Open House Map Weekend Of March 6th and 7th.

      Thursday, March 4, 2010

      The Hoboken School Lunch Debacle

      The Hoboken School Lunch Debacle



      Some days I have to work for blog content and some days (like today) it finds me. Oh lucky me. A few days ago, I wrote about the school lunch changes taking place in Hoboken. Well, the journey continues.


      So I dropped my five year old off today and asked his teacher "So what's the story with the lunches?" (The answer I got from the boy yesterday was that the draconian measures deemed necessary by the board of ed weren't going to be implemented until April...but I thought I would follow up anyway.) The teacher says that bills went out yesterday (March 3rd) and any kid with a balance would be getting the "free" cheese or bologna sandwich until the bill was paid. But nothing else. Good thing my kid likes cheese! Well there was no bill in the boy's take home folder so I pursued this the lunch lady.






      Now here it is March 4th. The bill went out March 3rd and the policy went into effect March 1st. Hmmm that's a lot of cheese sandwiches. Ok. so I get our balance. It's equal to three months of lunches! I say well I haven't received a bill until now. And come to find out that no bills were ever sent! So here we are with cheese sandwich in hand, in arrears for a bill that is overdue but never sent. Wondering if the credit card companies should be hiring the lunch program lobbyists.




      I have delayed the February numbers for this little story and am thinking that whoever is in charge should be ashamed at drawing a salary.

      Hoboken tax appeal 26 days left.


      Wednesday, March 3, 2010

      Hoboken Condo Inventory

      Hoboken Condo Inventory

      Where did all of the condos go? New Hoboken condo listings were way down in December. Not surprising since many people want to put it off until after the Holidays. Inventories way off of the summer peak. I don't know if we will see those summer highs again this spring but if I were a seller now is the time I would want to be out there getting those move up buyers and first time buyers armed with the tax credits....





      Real Estate Market Chart by Altos Research www.altosresearch.com



      Want more charts like this? Sign up for my weekly Hoboken Real Estate Reports.

      Only 4 weeks left for the Hoboken Tax Appeal.

      Tuesday, March 2, 2010

      Today's Hoboken Mortage Rates

      Today's Hoboken Mortgage Rates
      From the Inside Hoboken Real Estate Mortgage Guy

      REVISED March 2nd, 2010---- 12:30 PM ET
      Lock Period = 30 Days

      CONVENTIONAL CONFORMING LOANS (loans less than or equal to $417,000)

      30 YEAR FIXED ---------------------------- 4.875%/ 4.891% APR

      30 YEAR FIXED INTEREST ONLY--- 5.500%/ 5.657% APR

      15 YEAR FIXED----------------------------- 4.375%/ 4.411% APR

      5 / 1 ARM------------------------------------- 3.500%/ 3.321% APR

      7/1 ARM ------------------------------------ 4.000%/ 3.816% APR

      * All quotes are with 0 points
      *Investment Properties --- ** Add 1.75 points (if 25% down)**
      *There is a rate increase for cash-out refinance transactions over 60% Loan to Value, or condominiums over 75% LTV

      CONVENTIONAL HIGH BALANCE CONFORMING FIXED RATE LOANS (loans greater than $417,000, but less than $729,500)


      30 YEAR FIXED ------------------------- 5.125%/ 5.131% APR

      15 YEAR FIXED ------------------------- 4.625%/ 4.641% APR

      ** Loan amount restrictions based on county and property type.

      ***There is a rate increase for cash-out refinance transactions over 60% Loan to Value, or condominiums over 75% LTV

      CONVENTIONAL JUMBO LOANS (Fixed rate programs greater than high-balance conforming, ARM programs greater than $417,000)

      30 YEAR FIXED--------------------------- 5.875%/ 5.891% APR

      30 YEAR FIXED INTEREST ONLY-- 6.125%/ 6.131% APR
      15 YEAR FIXED--------------------------- 5.125%/ 5.140% APR
      5 / 1 ARM------------------------------------- 4.500%/ 4.316%APR

      7/1 ARM -------------------------------------- 4.750%/ 4.556% APR

      ** All non-conforming loans need to be discussed in detail



      *** Special Program 15/ 30 ARM -----5.000% / 4.922% APR -- .50% Points --- Loans up to $1,000,000!!!

      **Please call for rates on loans over $1 million or rates on FHA loans**

      Total Fees Charged By Pinnacle Mortgage, Inc.
      $350.00 -- Application Fee (Includes Appraisal, Lock-in, Credit, Flood & Processing)
      $395.00 -- Commitment Fee (Wiring Funds, Attorney Review & Doc Preparation)

      Michael Mundy
      Pinnacle Mortgage, Inc.
      mmundy@pinnaclemortgage.biz
      www.mundymortgages.com

      Monday, March 1, 2010

      Hoboken Schools: The Truth? Not From Me

      Hoboken Schools: The Truth? Not From Me





      It is illegal for real estate agents to talk about schools. We know but are confined to say "well there are statistics that you can look up online".

      Theory number one: Agents can't "steer" people to certain neighborhoods by saying something like "this house is in the Gordon Gekko school district. GGHS is filled with rich kids all back stabbing each other to punch their ivy league tickets."

      Theory number two: Forget theory number two, I don't want to wake up and find a horse head in my bed... Here's is an anecdotal story.

      Arriving in the mail on Friday February 26th, which just so happened to be the last school day in February, a letter from the school district (of which there is one in Hoboken, lest anyone think I am steering them to another district) stating that starting March 1st, which is Monday, they will be implementing a new way to pay for school lunches. Cash or a prepaid system with a pin number. No other real explanation as to how this is implemented other than gone is the old eat and bill you later system that was used all school year. So today, I sent my five year old off with cash.



      Bullies Take Note: A lot of cash.... since I really don't know what lunch costs and my wife was concerned that the boy might go hungry.

      I really don't know how this PIN number works but I don't think the bank is likely to give a five year kid a PIN number... but its' good enough for those running the school district.

      Come to think of it, shouldn't the school board be made up of parents and not politicians. Ahh such is Hoboken...two cops on every corner making you move your car and a supervisor back at the lodge collecting $100k for a 35 hour work week.

      Still wondering why the taxes are so high? Don't forget....One month left for the tax appeal. http://www.hobokentaxappeal.com/



      Hoboken Real Estate 2010
      February numbers
      Sold 39
      Avg DOM 100
      Avg Sale price $517,512
      Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed