Shopping for a Condo? Ask These 4 Questions before You Buy

Condominium homes have always been, and will likely always be, an efficient and economical route to becoming a first-time homeowner. They can offer the comfort, prestige, and even luxury appointments that apartment living may lack, often at a cost that is not much different than rent. With the current first-time home buyer tax credit and the deadline for the move-up tax credit fast approaching, I advise you move fast on any condo purchase you may be considering.

With my experience as Member of the Top 5 in Real Estate Network®, I am well aware that not all condominiums are the same, however, so make sure you ask the following four questions before you buy:

What will you own? Read the bylaws and be sure you understand what you will be responsible for and what belongs to the condo association. Will you own the boat dock at the back of your unit? Can you elect to build a spa on your patio? Generally, unit owners own and are responsible for the interior of their condos, while costs for outside maintenance including common areas and sewer lines are the association’s responsibility.

Who lives there? Are the majority of residents owners or renters? Owners generally take more interest in proper maintenance and are more willing than renters to serve on the association board and enforce complex rules and regulations–including the regular collection of homeowner dues.

How effective is the homeowner’s association? Do they have legal counsel, reasonable funds and a capable, caring volunteer board? One way to judge is to check with residents about restrictions, oversight and timeliness of repairs and upgrades. Another is to take a hard look at the grounds and be wary of signs of neglect.

What about special assessments? The association should have the power to special assess for needed, one-time large expenditures. Otherwise, things that need to be done may never get done at all, leaving the complex vulnerable to disrepair and lowered property values.

Don’t miss this great opportunity to become a homeowner or to downsize by buying a condo (remember, the move-up tax credit does not require you to move to a larger or more expensive home). Please e-mail me for more tips on buying a condo and forward this information to any family and friends who may be in the market as well.

SCARPA NAMED AS NEW MANAGER AT RE/MAX CLASSIC BASKING RIDGE

(January 28, 2010) – John Bendall, broker/owner of RE/MAX Classic Group Realtors, announces that Anthony Scarpa has been named Manager of the RE/MAX Classic office in Basking Ridge, NJ.

“We are thrilled to welcome Tony to our RE/MAX Classic team and to have him in charge of our Basking Ridge operation,” Bendall said. “Not only does he bring 30 years of experience to the job, but he also has an extensive background in several key real estate market segments.

“This move clearly demonstrates our ongoing commitment at RE/MAX Classic to give our Realtors the best support possible in the industry to help them capture more market share,” Bendall continued.

During his career, Scarpa has served as a vice president of three different REO divisions, as a branch office manager and as a broker/associate. He is a certified specialist in such areas as relocation and luxury home marketing as well as in land and new construction, the segment in which he got his start in 1980.

Scarpa, who also a New Jersey registered builder, has amassed a total sales volume of more than a quarter-billion dollars over the past three decades and has won numerous state and national awards as a top-producing real estate professional. In addition, he has wide-ranging knowledge in both the foreclosure market and in lender relations.

The RE/MAX Classic Group Realtors office in Basking Ridge is located at 47 South Finley Avenue (ZIP 07920) and can be reached at (908) 766-9300.

In addition to its Somerset County-based offices in Basking Ridge and nearby Branchburg, RE/MAX Classic Group Realtors has operations in Berkeley Heights, Union County, and in West Milford, Passaic County. You can learn more about RE/MAX Classic by visiting their Web site at www.classicgroup.remax-nj.com.

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend and had the opportunity to have some fun while also re-charging your batteries. Unfortunately my Cowboys did not show up for their play-off game, but at least we have the JETS to root for next weekend.  As we look forward to another great week ahead, we should take some time today to observe the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. Today is more than a day off from school or work. It is a day, in my estimation, that shows us that perseverance, passion and hard work are still needed in our society and that anything is possible. Many have said, and I believe, we have come very far. There is still much more work that needs to be done throughout our country and we should all play our part. Today also reminds me that we face new and different struggles both as a nation and individually. We can overcome those obstacles and we can bring about a better future for our families and our communities. Just like we have to do with everything, we must find the strength to hold on and do what is right. We must find the passion to truly believe. We must be tolerant of those that may be or think differently.  We must have the understanding that we all have a place on this earth and a responsibility to one another. As you go through your day today, try and come up with just one thing that you can do to make your family or your community just a little bit better, and do it. 

 THE WORDS of Martin Luther King Jr

All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem.
An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.

In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.

Life’s most urgent question is: what are you doing for others?

The quality, not the longevity, of one’s life is what is important.

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.

That old law about ‘an eye for an eye’ leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing.

Whatever your life’s work is, do it well. A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better.

Welcome to this edition of The Monday Morning Message…..I hope you all had a fantastic weekend filled with fun and enjoyment. I know many of you spent some time doing last minute shopping and final preparations for the upcoming holiday, and I hope you made the most of it. You have worked extremely hard this year and you truly deserve to enjoy this season. I have seen many of you succeed and some of you struggle over the year and I want each one of you to know that I hope you are as proud of yourself as I am of you. Your character, passion, determination, and will to succeed was on display in 2009. Watching great agents like you this past year has reminded me that enormous accomplishments may be had regardless of current circumstances. It was not always easy, but great successes never are. We do not ask for the easy road. We do not pick the short term gain. We do not rise while holding everyone else down. Success has been achieved by all of you. Think about your accomplishments, large or small. Be thankful for them. Be proud of them. Be prepared for more. Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do.

Wishing you all and your families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday.

ENCOURAGEMENT CORNER…

I wanted to share a word with you that I think is very fitting at this time of year – BELIEVE. I hope that all of you still do, in many things large and small. I hope that all of you share this wonderful concept with all the people you care about. I hope you all never loose this magical idea – Believe.

I Believe we have not come this far to fail or give up now.

I Believe we are meant to go through storms before we see the beautiful sun.

I Believe the kingdom we live in is unshakable.

I Believe family become friends and friends become family.

I Believe all my hard work will pay off.

I Believe 2010 will be the best year of my life so far.

I Believe I have the power to change anything I do not like.

I Believe collectively we are stronger than we are apart.

I Believe love is the solution to all problems.

I Believe time brings about opportunity and thought.

I Believe I have been put on this earth and in this position for a purpose.

I Believe I am capable of anything as long as I have the desire to do it.

I Believe the choices I make are my responsibility alone.

I Believe I am who I am because of all the people in my life.

What do you Believe?

WORDS TO LIVE BY…

I believe that every human mind feels pleasure in doing good to another. Thomas Jefferson

You’ll see it when you believe it. Wayne Dyer

I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious. Vince Lombardi

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I can’t believe that God put us on this earth to be ordinary. Lou Holtz

I do not believe a man can ever leave his business. He ought to think of it by day and dream of it by night. Henry Ford

I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty. John D Rockefeller

If you believe in what you are doing, then let nothing hold you up in your work. Much of the best work of the world has been done against seeming impossibilities. The thing is to get the work done. Dale Carnegie

LET’S MAKE THIS THE BEST WEEK OF THE YEAR!!!