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THE WARREN-WATCHUNG CONNECTION
DEC 2017/JAN 2018
S AL ’ S A UTO B ODY I NC . Serving Your Community for 46 Years (732) 968-2214 www.salsautobodyinc.com 315 HIGHWAY 22 (EAST BOUND) • GREEN BROOK • Collision Specialists • Custom Painting • Paintless Dent Repairs • Towing HOURS: M-F 8 AM - 6 PM SAT 8 AM - 12 PM Where quality repairs are no accident We work with all insurance companies for appraisals and repairs. NJ LICENSE NO. 00342A Leave your pets safely at home... We’ll take care of the rest! Daily dog walking & dog training lessons also available. * $ ! "$ ! % ! '$ " '! &) "$ + $% * $" %% "! $( * & $ ! $ ! " ! New Puppy? Daily Visits Aid House Breaking PetMinders ® Mary Lou (owner) with Snap, Wizard & Shazam & "! '% ! %% $ # www.PetMindersinc.com PetMindersinc@yahoo.com BONDED & INSURED M E M B E R NAPPS N ATIONAL A SSOCIATION P ROFESSIONAL P ET S ITTERS O F We all have watched the many real estate shows, and the one thing they all stress is preparing your home to show its very best before you put the “For Sale” sign in your front yard. Here are a few items to take care of before listing your home. This can make the showing and sale process quicker and easier in the long run. Add Curb Appeal Walk out your front door, close your eyes, and pretend you’re a prospective buyer seeing the prop- erty for the first time. As you approach the front door, what is your initial impression? Some items are inexpensive fixes, that give your home that first welcoming impres- sion – it may be as simple as a new mailbox with large numbers mak- ing the address visible, a new door- mat for the front door, or placing a seasonal wreath on the door. Other exterior maintenance would be having the windows cleaned, hav- ing bushes and branches trimmed away from the front walkway and windows, or architectural details, checking the exterior lighting and lightbulbs. Consider a Pre-Sale Home Inspection All Buyers will have a home inspection, so why not be pro- active by having an inspector give you a good indication of any trou- ble areas, and be able to make the repairs before the showings begin. In 2016, 93% of real estate sales in NJ were previously owned homes, and only 7% were new construc- tion. The highest concern for the buyers of re-sale homes was to avoid electrical and plumbing prob- lems, and renovations. Organize and Clean Pare down clutter and pack up your least-used items, such as large blenders, out of season clothes, toys, and seasonal items. You can store items in boxes neatly arranged in the garage or base- ment. Have the windows, carpets, flooring, lighting fixtures, base- boards all cleaned to make the house shine. Once you do have a contract, this will make the moving process so much easier. Get Replacement Estimates Do you have big-ticket items that will need to be replaced soon? Find out how much it will cost to replace an older roof, furnace, cen- tral air unit, even if you don’t plan to do so. The figures will help when negotiations, or discussion of inspection issues begin. You don’t want last minute scrambling to cause your deal to fall through. Price Your Home based on Today’s Real Estate Market Your home’s value is based on recent comparable sales within the previous 12 months. What some- one has paid for their property, or been offered by their neighbor’s cousin 4 years ago, does not mat- ter. I’ll be happy to perform a com- plimentary market analysis on your home, and we can discuss how your property compares to the most recent sales. I have been a resident and Realtor in Warren for over 25 years, and would be happy to be your real estate professional. Let my success and experience work for you. Please call me today 908-963-9811. PREPARING YOUR HOME FOR SALE By: Mary Collins, Realtor 908-963-9811 Premier www.theconnectionsnj.com