Buying a home can be a life-changing experience. Whether it’s your first piece of Edison real estate or your third, take some time to assess all the ups and downs that are part of such an expensive purchase. Here are a few tips to help prevent negative emotions such as buyer’s remorse from getting you down:

1.  Do Your Research

One of the best ways to prevent home buyer’s remorse is to conduct thorough research in the beginning. Know how much house you can afford. Consult an Edison real estate professional and visit different neighborhoods. Check out school districts. Bottom line –  go over as many details as possible before putting down your hard-earned cash.

2.  Be Honest With Yourself

Although you may love that charming Edison real estate fix-upper located in a great neighborhood, do some soul searching and be honest with yourself. If you know in your heart that to make yourself happy you’d need to do a complete remodel project, maybe you should keep searching. The reality is that you could wind up taking on more than you really want to.

3.  Don’t keep Looking at Other Homes

Just like fashions, home designs can change over time. There will always be something newer, bigger, more contemporary - you name it! So if you continue to look at other homes long after you’ve made your purchase, you may never feel satisfied with your property.

4.  Stop Asking for Opinions

Everyone’s situation is different, especially when it comes to homes and decorating styles. And remember, you didn’t buy this Edison real estate to please everyone else. You bought it to please yourself. So if you’re happy with your purchase, don’t concern yourself with everyone else’s opinions. They will just make you doubt your choice.

Before you start feeling remorseful and questioning your real estate buying decision, remember to focus on your original list of wants and needs.  Remind yourself that you met the majority of your criteria when purchasing your Edison real estate.   Be content. You’re living in your dream home.

Cathy Chaudemanche

It can happen to even the best Edison home. It has great curb appeal and the interior shows well. So, why isn’t it selling?  Even if your home is the best home in the neighborhood, it can still end up languishing on the market as others around it sell. So, what can you do to get your home sold?

Check Your Price

Being over priced, even by a relatively small amount, is the most common reason homes don’t sell.  The wrong price can prevent potential buyers from even looking at your home.  Keep your emotions out of the calculations.  Of course, you love your home and think it’s very valuable.  But, you need to look at it as an impartial outsider.  Examine the facts and figures presented by your real estate agent, and take his or her expert advice.  Price isn’t the only factor to consider.

Picture It

Homes marketed with only one or two photos are passed by. The more photos the better, but any old photos won’t do.  You need quality photos.  Consider hiring a professional real estate photographer, or work with an Edison real estate agent who will get professional photographs for you. 

Promote It Online

These days almost 90% of all buyers start their home search online.  Make sure your Edison home is marketed on multiple websites to get the broadest possible exposure.  In addition to using multiple photos as mentioned above, a great online marketing tool is a virtual tour.  Ask your agent to create a virtual tour for your home.

Market it Everywhere

Advertise your home in as many ways and as many places as possible.  Here are a few ideas:

• Colorful flyers
• Home magazine ads
• Postcard mailings
• Emails to other agents and potential buyers

If you would like more information on how to get a stagnant home moving, give me a call today.

Cathy Chaudemanche

Even if you don’t have the money for extensive remodeling, you can still live greener in your Piscataway home with just a few simple changes. Every little improvement we make in the way we live is a step in the right direction toward making our world healthier.

Low-Cost Ways to Green Up Your Piscataway Home:

• Catch the rain: Conserving water by putting in new low-flow fixtures is one way of helping to conserve the planet’s resources, but it isn’t the only way. You can build a rain water reservoir using old barrels or other large containers to catch rain and use it for watering your garden or washing your car.
  Light up your life: Change the incandescent bulbs in your light fixtures to the new florescent bulbs designed for use in a regular light socket. They last longer, burn brighter and use less electricity. Charge up your green: Be choosey on more than just what you spend your money and create debt on, be choosey on the means you use to get credit. Look for credit cards that support green living either by offering value added benefits for using their card or by contributing to earth friendly causes as a portion of their profits.
• Pick green contractors: When you do remodel your Piscataway home, pick contractors who use green materials and recycled products.
• Hang it up: One of the cheapest ways to make your Piscataway home greener is to hang a clothesline in the backyard. Take advantage of Mother Nature on nice days and hang your wash outside to dry instead of using the dryer, even if it’s an Energy Star appliance. It will save you money and will save the environment too. Your fresh smelling clothes are just an extra bonus.

If you would like more tips on making your home green, subscribe to my blog.  It’s a very green way to get information. No paper or printing necessary.

Cathy Chaudemanche

Selling your property, whether it is a primary home or income property in Edison or Middlesex County, is easier if you have the information your buyers are likely to want to know on hand. Type up an info sheet answering the most commonly asked questions buyers have when looking at real estate for sale such as:

• How old is the roof?
• What comes with the property?  Window treatments? Do all of the appliances come with the property?
• How old are the appliances?
• Does the basement leak?
• Where are the hot water heater, the electrical service panel, and other important maintenance items located? Are they easy to access?
• Are you open to owner financing?
• What is the age and condition of the plumbing and wiring?
• Are there schools nearby?
• What is the average utility cost per month/year?
• Have you had any major problems in the past? Your normal seller’s disclosure does not require you to list problems you had and have fixed. Some sellers would like to know what those problems were. It can give them an idea if they are likely to be a recurring problem (like flood damage) or if the fact that you already had the issue and fixed it they will not likely have to deal with that particular problem in the future. Of course, you should always have the general information about your Edison real estate available such as square footage of the building, property size, zoning and any restrictions or easements.
Having all of the information on hand will prove to potential buyers that you’re serious, that you’re prepared to be upfront with them about any issues your home may have, and that you’ve taken excellent care of your home.
Thinking of selling your home?  I specialize in selling homes in Edison and Middlesex County quickly and at the highest price.  Find out more by calling me today.

Cathy Chaudemanche

The biggest barriers to selling your home are often those you create yourself by wanting a quick sale or not learning all there is to know about presenting your house to its best advantage.

When you first begin to think about selling your Woodbridge home it seems easy. Put a sign on the lawn and list it. Once the shine wears off of the desire to do it all yourself, you might need some tips to help sell your home: Clean It Up
That’s the first and foremost advice. Nothing deters a real estate sale faster than a messy house. Living in your home while trying to sell it makes it difficult to keep it clean, but if you’re serious about wanting to sell your home, it’s worth the extra effort.  You may want to learn how to clean your home fast for those times when a buyer calls and wants to see your home in 15 minutes or less.

Take Good Pictures
Where do you think people search first for homes for sale?  Online.  Newspapers used to be the first place people looked for homes.  But now, over 85% of all home buyers look online before searching anywhere else. 
Due to cost and space limitations, newspapers usually display only one photo of the front view of the home.  On the internet, where space is abundant, buyers expect to see lots of exterior and interior pictures, in fact, the more the better. If you aren’t experienced at getting good room photos that show off your Woodbridge home to its best advantage, hire a photographer or a real estate agent who can do it for you.

Hold an Open House
Or several. Selling your home takes time. If you are busy and can’t fit opening your home up to viewers into your schedule, you may want to list your home with a real estate agent who can do it for you. It’s better to leave your home in the hands of a professional real estate agent so you aren’t tempted to hover over buyers as they walk through. Hanging around discourages buyers from talking to each other about the qualities of your home and from taking the time to view and consider the true potential of your home.
There are pitfalls you can get tripped up on when selling your Woodbridge home.  If you’d like to work with a real estate agent who can help you maneuver around those pitfalls, give me a call today.

Cathy Chaudemanche

The environment is a major news issue and everyone is thinking green. Sometimes it seems difficult to go green in your everyday life, but just a few simple steps can move you down the path to a green Metuchen home.  You won’t even have to break a sweat or crack open a can of paint.

In the Laundry Room

Pick machines for your Metuchen home that have an Energy Star rating for peak performance to conserve water and electricity. According to Planet Green, an Energy Star washer saves enough water over the machine’s life to provide drinking water for six people for a LIFETIME. It will also save you hundreds of dollars in utility bills over an average 11 year machine lifespan. Use natural drying when possible. Hang clothes on a clothesline in the sun on nice days.

Use green products to wash your clothes. Laundry soaps that contain phosphates are dangerous to the environment. Look for products made from bio-degradable phosphate free materials.

At the Store

Buy your cleaning supplies and cleaning detergents as concentrates so you get more in each bottle. The fewer bottles you buy throughout the year the less ends up in a landfill.
Buy florescent bulbs instead of incandescent and carry your purchases home in reusable shopping bags.

Eat Green Right from Your Backyard

You can make your Metuchen home your very own grocery store. It doesn’t take a huge space to grow a garden big enough to feed an average family each year. You will harvest fresh vegetables you know are free of pesticides and herbicides that are bad for the environment and your health.

Cathy Chaudemanche

 Sellers putting up their homes for sale in Fords NJ may not have much available cash to spruce it up.  While staging houses is a definite plus, it costs, as does many of the other suggested “to-dos.”  Here are a few cheap, easy ways to make your Fords home for sale look more inviting to buyers:

1. Put away your personal stuff

Not every buyer looking at a home for sale in Fords appreciates the fact that someone still lives there.  Putting away the following things can help the buyers’ see themselves in the home:

• your pet’s things (toys, litter box, bowls)
• your medications, toothbrushes and toilet accessories
• any toys
• knick-knacks and personal pictures

2. Create more space in your Fords home

Small, closed in spaces are major turnoffs for buyers.  Create the illusion of more space by:

• putting up out-of-season clothes or clothes you don’t wear very often to make your closets look bigger
• taking one piece of furniture out of your bedroom
• packing up the small appliances in your kitchen
• taking out all but four chairs in your dining room, as well as extra table leaves

3. Touch on the trends

Chances are that some of the Fords home buyers are paying attention to celebrity trends.  Feng shui is a big one, and you can do your part with just a few touches:

• add a fresh bowl of fruit to the kitchen
• put a comfortable couch or chair on the east side of your living room or den
• put a green welcome mat on your porch to symbolize opportunity
• get rid of reds

Whether you see or feel a difference doesn’t matter.  Keep in mind that you’re trying to appeal to potential buyers of your home for sale in Fords, not make the home more livable for you.  If it helps, pretend that you’re the buyer, seeing the house for the first time.

If you’re trying to get your home ready to sell, I can help.  Contact me know…

Cathy Chaudemanche

You’ve finally decided you want to buy a piece of Middlesex County real estate.  What do you do now?  Here are a few tips for getting the best deal for your money:

Check Out Your Credit
The first thing you’ll want to do is order a copy of your credit report from the three major credit bureaus:  Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax.  Look for inaccuracies in:
• Name
• Address
• Creditors
• Late payments
• Delinquencies

After you’ve reviewed your credit report and know your credit score, you’re ready to make improvements to your report.  You can send a written “Notice of Correction” to the credit bureaus.  It can be up to 200 words.  If needed, you can explain why you fell behind on a particular debt, and every time a lender accesses the report, they’ll see your explanation.

It can take several months for your credit score to go up.  However, it’s well worth the effort to get a better interest rate.  It can save you thousands on your Middlesex county real estate.

What’s Next?
Before you start looking at properties, it’s a good idea to get a pre-approval letter from a lender.  The lender will take into consideration your income and credit history.  Then they’ll determine what loan amount you can be approved for.

Most pre-approval letters list the maximum amount that you are approved for, not necessarily the amount you can afford.  Look carefully at your budget so that you don’t get too excited about the number and get into more house than you can afford.
 
A pre-approval letter will give you and your agent an idea of what houses to look at, and no time is wasted seeing properties that you can’t afford.  Prospective sellers may also give your bid more weight if you have a pre-approval letter.

Are you a first-time buyer?  You have just made a fabulous decision for your future.  There are tons of great buys in Middlesex County real estate market.  I’m a specialist in this community and would love to help you buy the home of your dreams. 

Plan Your Internet Presence - Class for Real Estate Agent

The Cathy Chaudemanche Team will be sharing a free “Plan Your Internet Presence” class on Monday 03/29/2010 at the Metuchen Keller Williams office from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm.

Location: Metuchen Keller Williams office - 481 Memorial Parkway Metuchen, NJ 08840.

Target audience: Class for real estate agents thinking about jumping into the internet frenzy or who already have a website but not reaching the results they are looking for.
This is the first of three classes. Classes build up on each others. We strongly suggest real estate agents to attend all three classes.

Plan Your Internet Presence for real estate agent- Class Outline:

1. Before we Start………………………………………………………………………………………….
2. The Real Estate Industry and the Internet Today……………………………………………….
3. Benefits of a Successful Internet Presence……………………………………………………….
4. Exhaustive Internet Presence Model……………………………………………………………….
5. Top 3 Misconceptions…………………………………………………………………………………
6. Is it Really for Me?……………………………………………………………………………………..
7. Alternatives……………………………………………………………………………………………….
8. Your Main Tool: Your Main Website……………………………………………………………..
9. Other Tools………………………………………………………………………………………………
10. Bringing it All Together……………………………………………………………………………….
11. Wrap-up & Actionable Next Steps……………………………………………………………….

Classes designed and delivered by Rom Chaudemanche from the Cathy Chaudemanche Team.

Hosted and sponsored by the Metuchen Keller Williams Office, 481 Memorial Parkway Metuchen, NJ 08840

Previous and archives Online Marketing for Real Estate Agents - New Jersey.

***

–Edison and the Township of Edison New Jersey, News & Events–

What to do this week-end in Edison NJ 03/20 - 03/21 ?

• Tintypes- Date:03/20/10
  Location:Edison Valley Playhouse
  Time:8:00 PM
  Address: 2196 Oak Tree Road Edison, NJ 08820
  Description: vaudeville revue with popular songs of pre-World War I America
  Ticket Price:$15-$20
  03/21/10 @ 3:00 PM
• The Home Show- Home remodeling, lanscaping. Come see many displays of fine furnishings and accessories, look and get ideas, and purchase direct. Hours: Fri. 3-9pm; Sat. 10-9; Sun. 10-6.
  NJ Convention and Expo Center.
  97 Sunfield Avenue, Edison, NJ - PHONE # 732-417-1400
• Eco- Tours of Edison
  03/21/10 - On Our Tours you can:
  learn about local history and the environment.
  See interesting places not visible from a car.
  Hike in the fresh air for your health.
  Meet interesting people.
  Splash in water & mud .

  The ECO-TOURS of Edison are organized by the Edison Greenways Group, and the Edison area.
  Please Note the different times of the tour, some are earlier than others

  Next Stop:
  Tingley Lane Park@ 10am
  Meet: Parking lot, J Adams Middle School New Dover Rd.
  Hike an 80+acre forest with numerous vernal ponds.

  The Tours are free and open to the public, and will last appoximately 2 hours.
  Bring Something to drink, a camera, binoculars , compass, notepad, and bird book.
  please wear appropriate clothing, and waterproof footwear. The walks can be tough and wet.
  There are NO restroom facilities on the outdoor tours.
  Before each tour call 732-906-0529 for Cancellation Information. Due to bad weather,or other causes, a tour may be postponed.

  For information or directions: call Walter Stochel Jr. @ 732-906-0529,
  wstochel@earthlink.net .

• Edison Libraries Events:
  Family Time: Spring Craft Workshop
  03/20/2010
  10:00-12:00 AM
  Location: North Edison Branch Library
  Painted Floor Cloth Workshop
  02/20/2010
  12:00-4:00 PM
  Edison Main Library
• Middlesex County college sports events
• Find the perfect Park in Edison, New Jersey
• Edison Youth Sports Leagues

Past Edison NJ Events.

Don’t forget to click every day to help rescued animals!

The Catherine “Cathy” Chaudemanche Team-

• Local, Full Time, Informed & Involved. Realtor Associate with Keller Williams Realty.
  Servicing Home Buyers and Sellers in Greater Middlesex County, New Jersey.

Cathy’s involvement in the community also includes hosting and running free First Time Home Buyers Workshops. Local down payment programs and grants, concessions, incentives and lending opportunities are there for Middlesex County home buyers who are aware of them. Cathy fills the gap by providing local, practical and timely information to help home buyers to benefit themselves.

• If you would like to set up your very own individual tutorial, at no cost or obligation complete the post-Workshop form now.
• If you are serious about selling your home in this challenging market contact me now to set-up a listing appointment. Serious home sellers only please.

Official website of Edison NJ Edison Township Public Schools Edison Public Libraries Edison Chamber of Commerce Edison Arts Society Edison Animal Shelter Plays in the Park Middlesex County College JFK Hospital Edison Exposition Center Coming Events in Edison Thomas Edison

***

*If you would like us to publicize efficiently and at no charge your Edison events (Grand opening, community events, commercial events, local news, local press releases, etc…) simply email us (cathyteamnj at aol dot com) at least 72 hours prior with the exact content to include. We might make some slight changes to your content in order to optimize it for Internet searches.