Sorry for being a little late with this today. Every now and then Mondays seem to get away from you! Here is this weeks Calendar: Monday December 15: Fed began their 2 day meeting today; no word expected till Tuesday. Monday, 12/5: Industrial production & Capacity Utilization, expected -0.8% and 75.7. The manufacturing numbers in November were negative, so no surprises that these numbers are down. Not likely to cause any more than a ripple in the market. Tuesday December 16: Housing starts and Building permits, -6.4% and -4.1%. Market demand remains low. Builders have reduced inventory, but this number is still anticipated to be weak Tuesday: CPI expected -1.3% with a core +0.1. The big drop is mostly due to the price of oil, I have seen $1.40's!!! it is the biggest drop since 1947, ... 12/15/2008

  This is actually a pretty light schedule for the beginning of the month. The big news doesn't come out till the end of the week. For now the movement will be mostly based on Government intervention along with stock market ups and downs. Here is this weeks Calendar Monday, Dec 8: No News today Tuesday, December 9th Mortgage backed securities roll to next month. Not an issue Tuesday: NJ, NY, PA Triple Play Real estate convention starts. No issues with rates here, I will just be there for a few days Wednesday, December 10: October Wholesale Inventories, Expected -0.2%. This is stale data, doubtful it will be looked at Thursday, December 11: Initial Jobeless claims, expected +16,000. This is an every Thursday number. Not likely to show any surprises into the market or to move rates. Thurs... 12/08/2008

With 2009 rapidly approaching, we must consider the changes that have occurred in our market, and plan for what we will experience in the coming year.  While 2009 will be a difficult year for many, it will also bring unprecedented opportunities for the few who choose to adapt now, before it's too late.  Prices will continue to fall but dramatic price drops such as those we saw between 2006 and 2008 are unlikely. Affordability will drive an increase in existing-home sales.  Proper pricing, as always, is essential. More real estate agents will be leaving the business as they fail to adapt to market changes. Mortgage defaults will remain elevated as job and economic growth slows and the next significant wave of mortgages reset. Short Sales will increase as loan modification efforts are exh... 12/08/2008

As the holiday calendar fills up I will continue to pass the information along so you can add the ones that intrigue you to your calendar! Christmas Tea in the Victorian TraditionChristmas Tea in the Victorian Tradition will be served by the Ocean County Historical Society on Thursday, December 11, at 1:00 and 3:30 seatings. The rooms of the historic Pierson-Sculthorp house at 26 Hadley Ave., Toms River, will be decorated for the holiday season, and tables will be set with fine china, silver and crisp linens. Traditional scones, finger sandwiches and desserts will be served with a selection of teas. Live music, door prizes and the "Little Treasures Boutique" will add to the festivities. Have a great week Rob Robert Rauf (732)223-1630 x102 Real Estate Mortgage Network 12/04/2008

  Like all things technology related, digital cameras get better and cost less every year. If your camera is 3+ years old you should consider replacing it with a new one. There are a variety of small, easy-to-use, high quality cameras in the $300 -$400 price range that will take great real estate photos. Things to consider: Megapixels - Contrary to popular belief, more megapixels does not mean better pictures. It just means that you will have the ability to create larger pictures (like 8X10 or larger) at full density - hardly a necessity for most real estate photos. While most cameras today have 5+ megapixels, anything more than 3 megapixels for online photo use is excess.  Additionally, photos taken at the maximum size will take substantially longer to upload to the Internet.  You can ... 12/03/2008

Some FASCINATING statistics for November in Toms River, NJ:   Statistics Summaries Report Category - SingleFamily / Area: TOM - TOMS RIVER TWP / County: OceanStatistics for Entire MLS from 11/01/2008 to 11/30/2008     Total Total List / Closed $ Avg List $ Avg Closed $ Avg DOM Median Price $ %SP/LP New 109 $53,993,900 / n/a $495,357 n/a 17 $375,000 n/a Under Contract 38 $14,936,496 / n/a $393,066 n/a 63 $272,450 n/a Closed 46 $19,293,212 / $18,131,450 $419,418 $394,162 111 $296,500 93.98% Expired 77 $36,429,631 / n/a $473,112 n/a 188 $365,000 n/a Currently Active (as of today) 729 $360,865,054 / n/a $495,014 n/a 118 $399,000 n/a --Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed--Copyright: 2008 by the Monmouth County Association of REALTORSR We Never Stop Moving!Prepared by JAMES FLANAGA... 12/02/2008

Christmas in Toms River The annual Christmas tree-lighting ceremony will be held Friday Dec. 5, in Down Town Toms River.  The tree is in the courtyard outside town hall on 33 Washington St. Throughout the evening there will be Musical entertainment for all ages and performers.  Between 6pm and 7pm there are horse and buggy rides. Santa arrives at 7:15 and the tree will be lit from 7:30-8:30 the kids can have their pictures taken with Santa at Town Hall. For your pets, Santa will be available on Saturday On Saturday from noon to 8 p.m., for a $10 donation, pets can get their photos taken with Santa Claus at Toms River Fire Company 1, 26  Merry Christmas! Rob Robert Rauf (732)223-1630 x102 Real Estate Mortgage Network 12/02/2008

Ocean County NJ has two of the top ten positions for the safest communities in the nation this year based on the annual ranking. Over all New Jersey had 5 towns ranked based on being the lowest in crime. Brick, 2nd Toms River, 10th Edison, 26th Hamilton, 29th Woodbridge, 57th yet another in a long list of reasons to choose Ocean County as your home! This year is shaping up to be a great time to buy with the combination of historically low interest rates and lower housing prices. Have a great weekend, and Happy Thanksgiving! Rob Robert Rauf (732)223-1630 x102 Real Estate Mortgage Network 11/26/2008

It's 4pm(EST) and I have received no less than 3 e-mails alerting me to the Fed's decision to purchase X amount of mortgage backed securities and the subsequent effect this announcement has had on interest rates.  Isn't technology wonderful?  In order to verify this information, I went to Inman News and sure enough; here's their release...Isn't technology wonderful!  Then, I log on to activerain and see that Rob Rauf (see Rob's post here) has already posted this news...Isn't technology wonderful? So, if technology is so wonderful, why aren't more real estate agents in Toms River, NJ, using it to get this exciting news out to all their buyers and buyer prospects?  Well, let me give you my hypothesis: They would rather be basting a turkey secure in their own rationalization that NO busine... 11/25/2008

Happy Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving came a bit early this year in the form of an announcement from Uncle Sam. The Federal Reserve along with the Treasury announced that it will be pumping more money into the economy to the tune of 800 BILLION dollars. $500 billion of which will be slated towards buying mortgages. This announcement has generated a huge rally in the mortgage markets today and we have seen unbelievable rate improvements in a few short hours of trading this morning. What does this mean? In English: 30 year fixed Rates are now well below 6% If you have  good credit and you are interested in buying or refinancing your existing home. •·       Conventional loans as low as 5.625% with 0 points* •·       FHA loans are 5.5% with 0 points** These are rates that we have not seen in qui... 11/25/2008

  This is a follow up my blog last week: "How cold is too cold for camping" Weather.com was pretty accurate, we had clear skies, but it was actually colder than than the forecast. I think the forecast said 24 or 25 as an overnight low on Friday night, and 25 or 26 for Sunday night. I don't think it ever got above freezing all day Saturday. We got up Saturday morning and our Senior boys made us breakfast, the actually were up before we were and had coffee going for us. (it was not a good pot of coffee, but it was warm!) We had Breakfast Burritos, fresh pepper and Sausage and eggs in a wrap... MMM! We had 2 other patrols that made pankes, as many times as they screw that up, they still continue to try. It makes a big mess, never turns out well and seems to take twice the time it should. T... 11/24/2008

Ideally, your closing starts a week before you actually get down to putting the cover on. Get your water balanced chemically first. That week allows you to do this.On closing day: Vac the pool and drain it to just below the pool returns. They are typically the lowest point in the system. When drained to that point, add in a winterizing chemical kit (most pool shops sell them), they typically contain an algaecide, shock and sequestering agent . Remove ladders and rails. You may remove the diving board if you wish, or cover it in opaque plastic sheet and secure it. If you totally remove it, place something over the diving board jig bolts and lube those bolts or tape with duct tape that jut up through the deck. This can prevent stubbed toes and saves the jig bolts from corrosion.You're don... 11/22/2008

 Question: How cold is too cold to go camping? Answer: It is NEVER too cold!... (at least for the Boy Scouts). My sons troop is camping this weekend, and since I am one of the Scout Masters. I will be as well.  (BSA Troop 30 in Toms River NJ) It has been warm most of this month so far, but I woke up this morning to snow, no accumulations but white stuff was coming down... Skies are bright and blue right now.... The problem with a clear sky this time of year?  It means COLD!  So I checked with the weather man. The good news is they say 0% chance of precipitation, The bad news: The next two nights have over night lows in the low 20s.  Did I mention we will be in tents? Not cozy wimpy cabins... But tents.. So when you are snuggled up in your bed this weekend, you can laugh at the thought o... 11/21/2008

This is an analysis on the single family home market here in Toms River NJ. This chart explains where the market is strongest as well as how different home sales in the area were Since last year Category - SingleFamily / Area: TOM - TOMS RIVER TWP / County: Ocean Sold Price Last Year This Year Last Yr Vs This Yr   01/01/2007-11/19/2007 01/01/2008-11/19/2008   $0                - $99,999 6 2 -67% $100,000    - $149,999 5 7 40% $150,000    - $199,999 27 48 78% $200,000    - $249,999 76 86 13% $250,000    - $299,999 140 131 -6% $300,000    - $349,999 156 112 -28% $350,000    - $399,999 103 75 -27% $400,000    - $449,999 54 57 6% $450,000    - $499,999 59 36 -39% $500,000    - $549,999 34 26 -24% $550,000    - $599,999 31 24 -23% $600,000    - $699,999 45 24 -47% $700,000    - $799,999 27 1... 11/19/2008

Real Estate Market Trends in Toms River According to the latest Zillow Real Estate Market Reports, home values in Toms River decreased -8.02% in the third quarter of 2008, compared to the third quarter of 2007. Nationally, home values decreased -9.7% during this same period. (from www.Zillow.com) At first glance that looks like bad news, but considering that many areas have dropped 1%/month for the past 12+ months, that is great news. if you grab a calculator and do the math, That 1.68% difference is almost 21%. So Toms River, NJ is doing 21% better than the average of the country. A big piece of this is that the foreclosure stats are much lower in Ocean County than they are in the rest of the country as well, While there are more foreclosures than any of us are accustomed to, there are... 11/18/2008

Worn hardwood floors   Hardwood is one of the most beautiful floorings you can have, and the one that contributes most to a home's value. Unfortunately, time and traffic takes it toll. If you have floors where some of the finish is worn completely through, the only choice you have is to completely sand and re-finish the floors. Usually, this kind of a job should be left to professionals. However if your floor has lost some of its luster, but is not worn down to the bare wood, there are less expensive alternatives (and less dusty, too). Many quality home improvement centers carry a multi-step process on chemically sanding and then refinishing that can look and wear almost as well as those done by professionals. One of the keys to this or many projects like it is to read and understand t... 11/17/2008

  The USDA has issued new guidelines for roasting whole turkeys. These changes were based on a study conducted by the University of Georgia, which showed that the existing USDA cooking times were longer than needed to assure safety and doneness. The data supported reductions of 15 minutes to one hour, depending on the size of the bird. The USDA has come up with a one-temperature-suits-all for poultry safety: 165 degrees F. For safety and doneness, the internal temperature should be checked with a meat thermometer. It appears that "timing's NOT everything." Recommended cooking techniques must also be followed. A meat thermometer should be used to check the internal temperature of the bird in several places for safety's sake and to prevent overcooking. Many variables can affect the roast... 11/17/2008

  I am going to put a date on this: it is November 13, 2008. We are solidly below $2 in Ocean County Can you believe the swing we have seen in Gas prices? I was going to write something about Gas dropping below $2 when I saw the first $1.999 pop up. Then I started counting stations on my drive to the office that were below $2.  But today I saw Below $1.90 at more than one station! From my quick, unscientific, survey I have to conclude that Ocean County is Far cheaper than Monmouth county. As soon as you cross the Manasquan River it hops back up above $2/gallon. But today I was on Route 37 west in Toms River. I think EVERY station on 37 west was below $1.90. But 37 East still has a lot of $1.90's Now if we could just get the price of diesel down. I am sick of paying $1 more a gallon for ... 11/13/2008

If you have read my profile you know that I have been in the business for over 20 years, I have seen a lot of ups and downs since the late 1980s both in business and in interest rates.  My first house I paid over 11% on my loan, and I am in the business!!! When you look at the chart below, you will see that RATES ARE GREAT! I know that I look at rates today and think they should be lower based on economic conditions.  But historically speaking we are still quite low. The average rate over the past 20 years is 7.68% and for most of this year we have  been solidly in the 6's and keep flirting with the high 5's.  We are in great shape and today's rates make financing your next home Very affordable! And keep in mind that this chart cuts off the REALLY high years in the early 1980's when the... 11/13/2008

 1. Short sale dept receives completed package with photos 2. Short sale dept orders Authorization to release information and title work, takes 3 to 5 days. 3. Receive a reasonable offer from a prospective buyer 4. submit package to bank, 3- 5 days. 5.Wait for a BPO appointment from the Bank, 2 weeks to 2 months. 6. After receiving BPO, negotiations with the bank 2 weeks to 2 months (depending on the bank.) 7. Closing   ****This is just a basic Guideline for the Process of the short sale. Every situation is different and all time frames are subject to cooperation of all parties involved. Please do not consider this a quick easy way to get a deal. Unless you have lots of time & Cash you may find this transaction nerve racking. Consult a professional before attempting to get involved in t... 11/12/2008