Have You Outgrown Your Home?

Have You Outgrown Your Home?

It may seem hard to imagine that the home you’re in today – whether it’s your starter home or just one you’ve fallen in love with along the way – might not be your forever home. Ilene Harpuder, Sales Associate at ERA Justin Realty, understands a homeowner’s needs for selling when the home no long fits their needs. “Many homeowners are surprised when they suddenly realize that ‘perfect’ home of just a few years ago is no longer adequate for their lifestyle. From an expanding family to the empty nest to financial reasons, it’s common for a home to no longer be the right fit,” Ilene states.


If you’re unsure if you’ve reached the point where a move is warranted, Ilene share a few signs you’ve outgrown your home:


• More Kids than Rooms or More Rooms than Kids – Life changes and our homes must change also.


• Clutter or Lack of Storage – Do you need more closet or storage space? A home with more space could be the answer.


• Home Office – More and more companies are opting for telecommuting or home office workers. If your kitchen is your office, it might be time to look for a new home with extra room for a home office.


• Outdoor Entertaining – Home design trends over the last couple decades has seen a rise in outdoor living and entertaining areas. You might have simply outgrown your yard if you crave space for an outdoor living or dining area.


• Lifestyle – The square footage might be fine, but you would prefer a different floorplan; more open, single story, more windows, etc.


Your reasons for moving will be as unique as you are, but these are just a few considerations which indicate you might have outgrown your current home. Make sure your home still meets your needs and wants, then you’ll be able to decide if it’s time to move.


When you’ve decided to move on — whether you’re upsizing or downsizing, accepting a fantastic job offer in another city, or simply want a change, contact Ilene or any of our experience ERA Justin Realty Sales Associates at 201-939-7500. ERA Justin Realty has sold 3 times more homes in Rutherford than the nearest competitor, based on statistics from NJMLS. We are located at 118 Jackson Avenue or 57 Park Avenue in Rutherford.

 

WHAT TO EXPECT WITH YOUR HOME INSPECTION

A proper home inspection is the best way to purchase a property that’s not a home improvement nightmare. Before you purchase a home, hire an inspector to make sure the structure is sound and there aren’t any major defects.

An inspection helps buyers identify serious issues with a house, condo, townhouse or other type of home. Some lenders require home inspections before they’ll approve closing on a mortgage loan. ERA Justin Realty Sales Associate, Jennifer Sullivan, offers a few tips on preparing for a home inspection:

Get Multiple Recommendations

Make sure you get a few recommendations of qualified inspectors from your real estate agent, attorney, friends, family, neighbors or the American Society of Home Inspectors. Interview the inspector to find out how they work, what their training is, if they are licensed and insured and how they communicate with their customers.

Attend the Inspection 

After the inspection is complete, buyers will get a report from the inspector. Many people don’t realize they can be at the inspection or think they will “leave it up to the professional” to make recommendations. Make sure you are present for the home inspection and be prepared to ask questions and point out specific problems you’d like to check out further. Although he is the expert, this will be the first time your home inspector has been at the property, so any knowledge of potential issues you have will be invaluable to point out.

 

Ask Questions

The reason you hired a home inspector is because this person has the necessary knowledge to evaluate whether or not this property has any issues that would make purchasing the property a bad decision. If you don’t understand what the inspector just told you, ask for clarification. A good inspector will answer all of your questions and should explain what s/he is doing as they are walking through the property. It’s better to ask a question now than have an issue arise after you’ve purchased the property.

Don’t Focus on Small Issues

Whether the home is new construction or 70 years old, there is a strong likelihood that the inspector will find items to list on their report. Each home will have things that an inspector feels could be updated or modified, but that does not mean it is a pending problem or you should kill the deal. The main point of the report is to learn if the home has any major structural problems or if any of the major systems are in need of extensive repair (think plumbing, electrical or HVAC). It is not a wise idea to ask a seller to replace every burned-out light bulb or cracked electrical outlet cover, remove all the wallpaper or credit you for these items.

Determine which battles are worth fighting and which items can be handled at a later date and take your concerns to your real estate agent for negotiation. Sullivan states, “Making unnecessary home inspection repair requests can lead the seller to look at other offers that may be on the table”. 

Jennifer Sullivan is a Realtor Sales Associate at ERA Justin Realty. Jennifer or any of our full time agents can be reached at 201.939.7500 to discuss any of your real estate needs.

ERA Justin Realty and It’s Agents Helped to Make the Holidays Special

 

ERA Justin Realty and It’s Agents Help Make the Holidays Special

 

ERA Justin Realty spent the holiday season giving back to the community that they serve. Beginning with Giving Tuesday, the office started collecting food for the food pantry. Thanks to the generosity of the agents and local residents who contributed food, ERA Justin was able to help fill the Rutherford Food Pantry with food for the holidays. The Rutherford Community Pantry, Inc. is a volunteer non-profit organization which meets emergency and ongoing needs for food and personal hygiene items for citizens of Rutherford and members of Rutherford religious institutions who are referred by an approved agency throughout the year. It is a joint effort of concerned citizens, community faith congregations and civic organizations.

 

The second charity ERA Justin Realty helped is Toys For Tots. In conjunction with the ERA Real Estate network, the ERA Justin Realty agents contributed new toys to the program which is run by the US Marine Corps Reserve. Their mission is to bring the joy of Christmas to less fortunate children. The entire ERA Real Estate network had 253 participating offices in the drive with over 7,500 agents who collected more than 8,300 toys this holiday season. For more information on the Marine Toys for Tots program visit toysfortots.org.

 

The third charity that ERA Justin helped this holiday season is NJ Food & Clothing Rescue. The staff of ERA Justin contributed items on wish lists of needy families in the area that were provided by the charity to help make their Christmas happy. NJ Food & Clothing Rescue have been helping local families since 2015. This is the 4th year that ERA Justin has adopted families through the program.

 

ERA Justin has always been there for the community but during the holiday season they especially work hard to make it special. For more information about these charities or for help with your real estate needs, please call (201) 939-7500 or visit us at one of our two Rutherford locations, 118 Jackson Avenue and 57 Park Avenue.