RecentlyGovernor Chris Christie of New Jersey has received a lot of attention over his decision to eliminate an additional train tunnel to New York City. In the video above is Jimmy Fallon’s joke about how New Yorker’s find New Jersey. Governor Christie then appeared on Jimmy Fallon’s show to confront him on the joke.
Now the federal government is suing the taxpayers of New Jersey for money already spent on the project as this video demonstrates.
Whether you decide to travel by auto, train, or ferry, it is relatively easy to get to New York City from Monmouth County, NJ. Many Monmouth County residents commute daily to New York City using mass transportation. The train line is electrified from Long Branch to New York City which eliminates the need to switch trains before entering New York City. Diesel trains cannot enter the train tunnels leading to Penn Station in mid-town Manhattan which is located in the same building as Madison Square Garden. NJ Transit operates the train line known as the Northern Jersey Coast line which runs from Bayhead in Northern Ocean County to New York City. There is also connecting service via the PATH train line from Newark, NJ to the Wall Street area in lower Manhattan.
Everyone’s favorite transportation from the northern Jersey Shore area to New York City is the high-speed ferry service located at Highlands, Atlantic Highlands and Belford, NJ. Service is provided by Sea Streak in Highlands and Atlantic Highlands and NY Waterway in the Belford terminal to the Wall Street/South Street Seaport as well as mid-town on the eastside of Manhattan. Within the next few years there will be an Oceanfront ferry terminal at Pier Village in Long Branch, NJ with Service to New York City as depicted in the rendering above. The current routes to New York City take you past the Statue of Liberty and under the Verrazano Bridge.
For Automobiles to New York City you can take the Lincoln Tunnel to the mid-town area of Manhattan or the Holland Tunnel to the lower Manhattan area. There are also commuter bus terminals at various points throughout Monmouth County to bring riders to points in Manhattan including the Port Authority bus terminal in mid-town just outside of the Lincoln Tunnel.
TheMonmouth County area has always been blessed by the generosity of the people who have the ability to give back to their community like those who participated in this Holiday Concert for Charity (Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Southside Johnny, Nicole Atkins and many other talented musicians from the area that call Monmouth County home). We are also fortunate to have great local venues like the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ featured in this concert and currently under-going a major renovation. Although we have many successful and wealthy people in our area, we also have families that need assistance, especially during the holiday season. During this recent recession, many more families are in need of help from their neighbors. Even if you are not in a position to assist financially, there are always charities and non-profit organizations seeking people willing to donate their time to help others. In Red Bank, NJ there is a great organization known as Lunch Break which provides meals daily to the less fortunate. There is also an organization known as The Food Bank of Monmouth & Ocean Counties based in Neptune, NJ that provides meals as well. At Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Preferred Properties we are participating in the Toys for Tots program with United States Marine Corps Reserve.
You may drop off an unwrapped toy at our office located at 105 East River Road in Rumson, NJ which will be delivered to a needy family by the United States Marines. Everyone from Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Preferred Properties wishes you a VeryHappyHoliday Season and a Great 2011. Here is a list of Holiday activities in Monmouth County.
Now is the best time to purchase a home. Housing Affordability is near a record high. This is due to the historically low interest rates and home price levels prior to the “Boom Years” of real estate in our area. The mortgage rates and home prices in our area really cannot go much lower than they already have. The person who purchases when others do not, stands the greatest chance of obtaining a fantastic buying opportunity. Home sales generally decline during the holidays, so the smart buyer would commit to buying a home at that time rather than wait for the new year or Spring market when the majority of homes are sold for the year. Buying when everyone else buys is what causes spikes in home prices due to multiple buyers trying to purchase the same home. The median price of a home or condo in our area has begun to rise according to the National Association of Realtors report for the third quarter of 2010.
In our area less than 2% of all properties are in a distress situation. This means that more than 98% of property owners in our area are meeting their financing obligations. It also means that Monmouth County, NJ is one of the stronger and most desireable real estate markets in the country. The reason for this is our beautiful shore location and commuting distance to New York City. Even people like Bruce Springsteen believe in purchasing real estate in our area as his song above describes possibly his mansion on a hill in Rumson, NJ.
Many people are led to believe that financing is difficult, if not impossible, to obtain which is not true. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) provides financing for owner occupied homes up to $729,000 with 3.5% down. They also allow for less than perfect credit borrows. FICO credit scores can be as low as 620 to obtain an FHA loan. They also allow family members to assist the home buyer. The FHA 203k loan is perfect for buyers looking to purchase a home that needs repairs or remodeling. This loan is a very good choice for people who can afford the home but do not have the funds to renovate the home. Using this type of loan can build instant equity in a home by taking a home that was otherwise unihabitable, like a foreclosure or damaged house, and creating a newer inviting home.
FHA Loans are also assumable which allows the seller to offer their buyer possibly better mortgage terms than they could obtain at a bank. Most people move every 5 to 10 years. Buying a home today with an FHA loan at roughly 4.5% will help sell this home for a better price in 5 to 10 years. There are basically two reasons for this. One, in all likelyhood interest rates will be higher than 4.5% at that time (interest rates have not been this low in most of our life times). Two, assumable mortgages allow the new buyer to pick up the payments of the seller which means that selling a home with a 30 year mortgage in 5 to 10 years leaves 20 to 25 years of payments remaining. This also lets the new buyer build equity faster because the first 5 years of a loan are generally interest. They would also save 5 to 10 years of mortgage payments which if you were to use a payment of principal and interest of $1500 would equate to a savings of $18,000 per year times the number of years shortened from the 30 year loan. Based on using 5 years, it would save the buyer $90,000 in mortgage payments in addition to the difference in mortgage rates 5 years from now vs interest today’s rates.
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate is a partnership between the Realogy Corportation and the Meredith Corporation. Realogy Corporation is the largest real estate and relocation company in the world and Meredith Corporation is one of the leading marketing and media companies best known for Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate is currently the fastest growing real estate brand with plans to become a global real estate company.
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Preferred Properties has agents and staff with over 350 years of combined real estate business experience. The company’s origins date back to 1978 and it is located in Rumson, NJ serving the Northern Jersey Shore in an area where many residents commute to New York City via Ferry Boat, Train, and Bus. Commuting times vary from a little under an hour to a little over an hour depending upon location and means of transportation to the City.
The agents at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Preferred Properties are provided numerous marketing tools to better serve their clients. Some of the tools include the Enhanced Realtor.com package, Toolkitcma, and digital and print marketing through www.mybhggreenhouse.com . Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate also has a luxury property division known as Elegant Properties which will be launched shortly. There is also a commercial real estate divison which will be known as BHGRE Commercial. The Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate brand is a little over 2 years old and the company is always adding new marketing products to better serve the needs of our clients as well as our agents. The brand is heavily involved in web based marketing to promote “Green Living”. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate has embraced the use of Social Media for marketing as well as staying in contact with their sphere of influence.
At Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Preferred Properties we also try to help our agents save for the future and protect their families. Our agents are encouraged to take advantage of our retirement plan as well as participate in the company health insurance and dental plans. If you would be interested in a real estate career with a brand that is leading the industry with state of the art marketing tools as well as providing the best service possible for their agents and clients, please contact us.
Everyone’s favorite transportation from the northern Jersey Shore area to New York City is the high-speed ferry service located at Highlands, Atlantic Highlands and Belford, NJ. Service is provided by Sea Streak in Highlands and Atlantic Highlands and NY Waterway in the Belford terminal to the Wall Street/South Street Seaport as well as mid-town on the eastside of Manhattan. Within the next few years there will be an Oceanfront ferry terminal at Pier Village in Long Branch, NJ with Service to New York City as depicted in the rendering above. The current routes to New York City take you past the Statue of Liberty and under the Verrazano Bridge. 
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