As anticipated last weeks movement in rates took it's cues from the stock market more than anything else. We had a pretty big loss in Fannies of 22/32nds last week which translates into another week of higher interest rates. I just took a quick look at the DOW today, and it looks like we might be Flirting with a $12,000 Dow soon.... I am not sure if that will cause a bigger rally in stocks, or a scenario for profit taking. A Stock Rally would lead to higher rates, while profit taking in Stocks might help interest rates improve a bit. As we close out the first Month of 2011 this week we have a very busy calendar to keep an eye on, here is what we have in store for the week: Monday January 24: A no news day with a bouncy market. Fannies have been trading in a VERY tight range all day, a... 01/24/2011

Toms River Open House Schedule for Jan 23, 2011 with photos and maps.Click here of the list of Open Houses in Toms River for January 23rd with access to interactive maps and numerous photos; These homes are located on Vaughn Ave in the Melody Park Section, Stafford Drive in the Brookside area, Anchorage Drive in the Green Island section, Daffodil Court in Laurel Chase, Paddock Place and Ridge Hill Drive in the North Dover Section, and on Captains Drive in Shelter Cove of Toms River.Looking for other Open Houses in Ocean County? Get the most up-to-date and comprehensive list of Open Houses in Toms River and the rest of Ocean County at Open House Ocean County.com  In three of the last 4 years, Toms River was ranked in the top ten safest "cities" in the United States, of the 378 cities nat... 01/22/2011

What does the "Shadow Inventory" mean for Home-Buyers in Toms River, NJ? We received this great comment on our last post, What is this "Shadow Inventory" and how will it affect the real estate market in Toms River, NJ, from Jeff Coon, of Freedom Mortgage: For buyers, this does not mean you should wait, however- getting into a home with a low interest rate loan that is now available ( & may not be for much longer )and starting to build equity will offset any small reduction in the value of the home you are buying. Homes should not be bought for or as an investment, unless you are a real estate investor. Your home can & will turn into a profitable long term investment for you, so don't assume that you should wait just because prices are going lower. Jeff beat me to the punch on this post... 01/21/2011

   So far we have had 2 weeks of 2011 continuing the upward trend for rates with fannies losing 5/32nds last week. For the most part the Auctions went off very well with strong foreign investment. There were no big surprises or scares last week, just a bouncy market looking for direction. This week we have a small list of things to watch out for, with a quiet calendar and a tight lipped Fed we are likely to see quiet trading this week that will take it's direction mostly from stocks. Here is the calendar for the week: Monday January 17: Market was closed yesterday for MLK Tuesday January 18: With no news on the calendar we have stocks trading higher and mortgages are trading lower which equates to slightly higher interest rates for today. Wednesday, January 19: December Housing Starts e... 01/18/2011

What is this "Shadow Inventory" and how will it affect the real estate market in Toms River, NJ? We keep hearing the term, "shadow inventory" thrown around the real estate room these days. Exactly what is it and how will it affect me in Toms River, NJ?Shadow Inventory refers to the "as of yet" unknown number of homes currently "in foreclosure" which have NOT been released to the market yet by the banks!Slide courtesy of Keeping Current Matters!So, what does that mean to me?Well, if you NEED to SELL your home in Toms River, in 2011, there is currently a 13 month supply of homes on the market. That means; if no other listings were to come on the market from this day forward, it would take ONE YEAR and ONE MONTH to sell off the existing supply of homes in Toms River at the current sales pa... 01/17/2011

Homes for Sale Silverton, Toms River with photos and maps of available properties   Is it the right time to buy a home in Silverton, Toms River?  With interest rates still at historic lows, home prices the lowest in years and the fact that home ownership is one of the last tax deductions the middle class still have, the answer must be a resounding "YES!" Silverton is a neighborhood in the north-eastern portion of Toms River, New Jersey, comprising the area surrounding the Silver Bay but not including Green Island. Several bay beach clubs service the surrounding neighborhoods as recreation centers. Silver Bay Elementary School, part of the Toms River Regional Schools, is located on Silver Bay Road. Silverton is bordered to the north by Brick Township. Main roads that run through Silverto... 01/16/2011

Home for Sale By Owner in Toms River, NJ 08753 - Flat Fee MLS Listing $395   43 PILOT RD Toms River, NJ 08753 - Realtors welcome, buyer agent commission paid at closing! 5 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms Ceramic Tile Flooring, Wall-to-Wall Carpet Flooring, Wood Flooring, Attic, Ceilings 9FT+1st Flr, Decorative Molding, Loft, Recessed Lighting, Sliding Door, Foyer: Closet(s), Wood Floor, Great/Family Room: SlidingDoor, Wood Flooring, Kitchen: Center Island, Eat-in, Wood Floor, Living Room: Wood Flooring, Master Bedroom: Full Bath Attached, Walk-in Closet, Wall to Wall Carpet Floor, Master Bathroom: Ceramic Tile Flooring, Shower Stall Concrete Driveway, Driveway, Boat Lift, Deck, Dock, Fence, Hot Tub, Open Porch, Patio, Thermal Window If you are interested in this Home for Sale By Owner in Toms Riv... 01/14/2011

As you are probably aware, Most FHA Condo Approvals Expired in December 2010. HUD came out and extended many approval dates into 2011. It is important if you are working with condo buyers to be aware of these dates. If your buyers apply for a mortgage and get an FHA case number prior to these dates they will be able to be approved for FHA Financing. After these dates the Projects will require a FULL FHA approval in order to close an FHA Mortgage. These full approvals are expensive and lenders will not be able to do them on an individual basis, the good news: The new approvals will be good for 2 years. It would be a great idea to approach the condo associations in your area to suggest they look into a full blown approval to make the properties more marketable. There are NO more Spot appr... 01/13/2011

Home for Sale By Owner in Toms River, NJ 08757 - Flat Fee MLS Listing $395   203 MARTINIQUE DR Toms River, NJ 08757 - Realtors welcome, buyer agent commission paid at closing! 2 Bedrooms, 2 Full Bathrooms Ceramic Tile Flooring, Wood Flooring, Attic Pull-Down Stairs, Decorative Molding, Sliding Door, Living Room: Wood Flooring, Master Bedroom: Wood Flooring, Master Bathroom: Ceramic Tile Flooring, Tub, Kitchen: Breakfast Center, Ceramic Floor, Basement: High Ceilings Open Porch, Patio, Sprinkler, Storm Doors If you are interested in this Home for Sale By Owner in Toms River, NJ 08757 - Flat Fee MLS Listing $395, please call 1-888-362-6543, enter the MLS# 21100342. You can make an appointment or ask any questions for the property. Realtors welcome, full buyer commission is paid to any rea... 01/13/2011

  Last week did end up somewhat as anticipated, Bouncy - With the majority of the bounces being caused by the employment data. There were huge swings last week with an UGLY Wednesday private sector report that gave us a huge sell off only to be corrected the following 2 days with the Weekly and monthly Federal jobs reports that were actually not as good as anticipated. putting the week together we had another slightly negative week with Fannies losing about 8/32nds by the end of the week which equates to just a slight bump up for rates. This week we have a big list on the calendar to keep an eye on: Monday, January 10: a No-News-Day with the credit markets looking towards stocks for direction. Mid Day we have Fannies up a bit as stocks are trading off just a bit. Remember, in the credit... 01/10/2011

Non Farm payrolls grew by 103,000 in December. This is less than economists had forecast in December but November was revised higher by 32,000 jobs to +71,000 (vs. an originally reported +39,000 which is still lower than anticipated). October NFP also saw upward revisions, adding 38,000 more jobs to the tally. So in total, including revisions to the previous month's data, the nation is seeing 173,000 more jobs as of this morning which is close to consensus. The second metric is more influential on the sentiment of Main Street, the Unemployment Rate (Household Survey). The Unemployment Rate (UNR) fell from 9.8% in November to 9.4% in December vs. expectations of 9.7%.  The falling UNR reflects a shrinking labor force and a sharp decline in the number of unemployed as measured by the hous... 01/07/2011

Toms River Open House Schedule for Jan 9, 2011 with photos and maps. There are three Open Houses in Toms River this weekend; on Vaughn Ave, Melody Park Section, Patrician Ave, North Dover Section and Clearwater, Green Island Section of Toms River. Here is a complete list of all Toms River Homes for Sale.  Are you curious about whether the real estate market as stabilized or about the value of your own home? You can keep up with the very latest real estate market conditions in your neighborhood, or anywhere in Ocean County including The Jersey Shore, by simply clicking on Home Values in Ocean County, NJ. Looking for something do this weekend in Ocean County or just want to keep up with current events? The Jersey Shore News will keep you informed with local community information, happenin... 01/07/2011

The Four Seasons Diner in Toms River has been named the most popular diner by the "Jersey Diner's Choice Awards."   Ace of Cakes Duff will Make Appearance According to thier web-site, The Four Seasons Diner is not just any other diner added to the Jersey Shore! Actually once you step foot into the Four Seasons, you will see that the only thing diner about us is our name. We have a diverse menu that has classic breakfast, lunch, and dinner entrees as well as more contemporary cuisine with some SERIOUS comfort food. We almost forgot....Pizza!! But not your normal pizza......brick oven thin crust pizza with many new twists!! One thing we can promise you- Four Seasons Diner has something for just about anyone! So stop in, grab a bite and indulge in something exciting at the Jersey Shore!! A... 01/06/2011

Private-sector employment increased by 297,000 jobs in December, according to Automatic Data Processing Inc.'s employment report released Wednesday 1/5/2011. Employment in the service-producing sector rose 270,000, the largest monthly increase on record. Employment in the goods-producing sector rose 27,000, the largest gain since February of 2006. On Friday, the government will report on December's nonfarm payrolls, which also include government workers, and economists polled by MarketWatch are looking for a gain of 143,000, and for the unemployment rate to remain at 9.8%. Today, the ten year treasury yield rose from a low point of 3.30% to a late morning level of 3.44%, which usually means higher borrowing costs in terms of mortgage rates.  Mortgage rates do not follow treasury yields,... 01/05/2011

Happy New Year! Last week was the first positive week for mortgage rates we have seen in close to 2 months. After 7 straight weeks of UP in rates we finally had Fannies Gain 29/32nds by the closing bell on New Years Eve. Keep in mind - Price up = Yield Down. Hopefully this is a sign of the market settling down into a tighter range.  Too much up is not a good thing, it can only serve to slow the economy down, a little bit of up is not a bad thing, it is a reminder that rates will not stay low forever, and there are signs of an improving economy which is a good thing. So what will the new year bring? I still have not located a functioning crystal ball, so I am not able to answer that question.  I do know that 30 year fixed mortgage rates are still in the high 4% range for a highly qualif... 01/03/2011

As a Real Estate Agent, one of the best things you can provide to your clients is advice.  Most buyers ( and sellers for that matter ) look to their agents as a source for information to help guide them through a very complex process to buy/sell a home. During the course of your career you will undoubtedly have the experience of working with numerous local professional service providers with varying results.  As a trusted advisor, you are in a clear position to provide insight as to which providers may be best suited to work with your clients.  Realtors are often asked to provide referrals for: Attorneys, Insurance Companies, Home Inspectors, Mortgage Lenders, Surveyors, Appraisers, Landscapers, Tradespeople, & even other Realtors. One of the important referrals you may make includes a ... 01/03/2011

How to describe the 2010 story?With one word.  Regulatory!!Consumers?  The Feds wish them oh so well!Yes- but good intentions pave the road to hell.To punish the villains of our industry,They devised a plan of transparency.Brilliant ideas-  That HVCC,And a new "comprehensible" GFE!That form is now so simplified,That everyone is mystified.Each lender sees it differently,What do we do with the YSP??What dates? Which blocks? Are we compliant?On HUD guidance we're all reliant!!On what day can we sign our docs?For each thing there are different clocks!A three day wait....do we start with zero?When closing docs go out we're the hero!We've never seen so many quirks!No one's sure how this all works! It's even hard to know who to askWhose job it is for each task!When to collect borrower's fees?M... 12/31/2010

I found these floating around and thought I would show my appretiation for "street Art" and give recognition to these very talented people!!!!!!! 12/24/2010

  Well, Last week Fought HARD to try and be positive. Even with 3 VERY positive days, (especially Thursday and Friday) we still ended the week with Fannies down 7/32nds marking the 6th straight week of climbing rates and we are now beginning to flirt with the 5's for 30 yr rates. Even with the Fed saying: "economic growth insufficient to bring down unemployment" The market still managed a big sell off on Tuesday. But this is Good News!  Long term rates have always been a great indicator for future growth.  The long term Credit Markets are VERY forward looking and it is forecasting growth in the future... Growth means Jobs, Growth means happy Consumers, and Growth means inflation. Rates always go up when there is inflation.  Uncle Sam's "happy zone" is growth in the low 2% mark.  climb m... 12/20/2010

Homes for Sale Toms River with photos and maps of available properties. Is it the right time to buy a home in Toms River?  With interest rates at historic lows, home prices the lowest in years and the fact that home ownership is one of the last tax deductions the middle class still have, the answer must be a resounding "YES!"   There are at least forty-nine, 3 bedroom, 2 bath single family homes with at least 1800 square feet of living space available in Toms River ranging in price from $200,000 to $300,000.  These homes are in various locations like Bayshore, East Dover, North Dover, Silverton and West Dover...and many others.   If you're interested in buying, selling or investing in Real Estate in Toms River, Ocean County or along The Jersey Shore, click on TheJerseyShoreHomeFinder.co... 12/20/2010