buying and selling a home in basking rid

Ten years ago, when their grandchildren were young and visiting often, Frank and Rosemary Santolocis bought a brand new five-bedroom, four-bathroom home on four acres in Sparta.

There was ample room to play indoors, swim in the pool and and spend time outdoors.

But now the boys have gown up and don’t come over as frequently, so last spring, the couple put their home on the market. The house sold within four months — after they cut the price.

The Santolocis are among the lucky ones.

There is a glut of these McMansions on the market in the suburbs throughout New Jersey, real estate agents and analysts said.

Certain homebuyers once prized these large houses, tucked away on a few acres o...

Source

By SUSAN STELLIN

Published: September 15, 2011

IN this do-it-yourself era of online real estate listings, it is easy to find out what is on the market, visit open houses and even research sales data to come up with a reasonable price to offer for a home.

So why should a buyer bother using an agent?

In a nutshell: to protect his or her interests in an expensive, often complex purchase that can become even more complicated by the labyrinthine co-op approval process in New York City.

A buyer who relies on the seller’s agent to handle both sides of the deal may not hear about problems with the apartment or the building, or have a real advocate during contract negotiations.

“Wh...

If you have been watching the market, you will have seen that in many towns, homes have either sold or rented and there is little inventory coming on to replace them - so it is a really good time to sell. I was just contacted by a relocation buyer coming in the first week of January to work at a local corporation. He will be looking to buy at a time when everyone thinks is the worst time to sell. But with inventory low, now is a great time to sell. Why wait until Spring when everyone else will be competing with you?

Also consider having your home staged. This will help you hold on to thousands of dollars that you might otherwise have to give away if your home has not been updated or even...