Burlington Township Homes And More

One of my pet peeves is the mispronunciation of the word Realtor.  So I am on a one man crusade two try and correct this common error.  It is very common to hear people pronounce the term Realtor as Real-A-Tor (3 syllables).......listen very close people.  According to the National Association of Realtors,

"Irrespective of local dialect and custom, the term REALTOR® has but one pronunciation:

REAL' tor 
Just two (2) syllables"

Imagine my surprise the other day when I was speaking to a broker who has been in the business for 22  years and she pronounced the word Real-a-tor.

I am not even sure what caused this problem in the first place.  This mispronunciation is similar to President George H Bush's mispronunciation of the word Nuclear....he preferred to say Nuk-U-ler instead of Nu-clea-er

COME ONE PEOPLE, LETS GET IT RIGHT!

All together Now

Real...........Tor

Real........Tor

Real............Tor

STAY WITH ME, STAY WITH ME!

Real..........Tor

Real..........Tor

YOU CAN DO IT!

Real.............Tor

Real..........Tor

Thank you for your attention to this small but significant (at least in my mind) matter

Have a great day and
Make This YOUR Best Year Ever

 
Leander McClain, Burlington Township Realtor & Real Estate Consultant,Keller Williams Realty, 1814 Route 70 E, Suite 200, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003, 856-321-1212 Bus., 856-685-1677 Direct

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NJ Housing Mortgage Finance Agency Offers Cash Advance for
First-time Buyer Costs

THIS IS GREAT NEWS

The NJ Housing Mortgage Finance Agency is offering a $5,000 cash advance to qualified first time home buyers.  These payments are intended to defray closing costs or take care of a portion of the down payment requirements.  The loan, offered as part of NJHMFA's "Prefund" program.  The loan will act as a cash advance against the &8,000 tax credit being offered to first time home buyers who purchase between 8 April - 31 December 2009. 

"This is a powerful incentive that will allow potential first time home buyers to actually enter the market because this cash advance will help them meet down payment requirements or pay for closing costs that might otherwise be an obstacle to a first-time buyer," said Jarrod C. Grasso, RCE, executive vice president of NJAR®.

• The cash advance is available to first-time home buyers who:
  Arrange their financing through the NJHMFA. (Obtain a list of participating lenders by calling (800) NJ HOUSE)
  
• Are qualified for the tax credit offered as a part of the federal stimulus program
  
• Pledge to apply the proceeds of their tax credit to repay the cash

Full details of the the progam are available HERE.

Once you apply for the program, I can work with you to help you find your dream NJ Home.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Have A Great Day and
Make This YOUR Best Year Ever

Leander McClain, Burlington Township Realtor & Real Estate Consultant, Keller Williams Realty, 1814 Route 70 E, Suite 200, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003, 856-321-1212 Bus., 856-685-1677 Direct

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Unfortunately, many people are facing this situation.  It's a terrible position to be in however

IT Happens

When bad things happen, it's easy to feel a sense of despair.  You may want to crawl into a hole and hope that the situation will go away.  Unfortunately it wont.

You have to have a plan.  Here are a few tips when it comes to talking to your mortgage lender.  Contrary to popular opinion, the banks do not want your house.  They are in business to buy and sell money, not manage real estate. 

1.  If you are current on your mortgage, your mortgage company will not want to talk to you......CALL ANYWAY!  There are so many people defaulting on mortgages that the banks are inundated.  You want to notify your mortgage company of your particular situation.  When you call, notes will be added to your account.  Who knows, you may get another job before your next mortgage payment is due.   You may want the bank to modify your mortgage.  Don't appear to be a deadbeat, CALL.

2. DO NOT IGNORE LETTERS AND PHONES CALLS FROM YOUR MORTGAGE LENDER!  The easiest way to make a bad situation worse is to ignore it.  If the mortgage lender does not hear from you, they will have no way of knowing your situation.  Once again, they may assume that you are a deadbeat.

3.  Call when your payment is going to be late.

4.  Call when your payment is about to be 30, 60 or 90 days late.

Each mortgage lender is different, so the tips mentioned here should only be used as a guide.  Here are a few more things for you to consider

• If you have no source of income, the bank will probably not work to modify the terms of your loan.  How can you be expected to pay if you have no source of income? 
• If  you are collecting unemployment, you may be able to have your loan terms modified.
• If you are 60 days late on your mortgage, you probably will not qualify for a new mortgage for the next 12 months.
• If you are 90 days late or greater on your mortgage, you probably will not qualify for a new mortgage for the next 3 years. 

Finally, this week President Obama launched the mortgage rescue program which is aimed at helping up to 9 million borrowers stay in their homes.  When you call your mortgage lender, ask about this program. 

Don't feel sorry for yourself.  you are not alone. 

Good luck.

Leander McClain, Burlington Township Realtor & Real Estate Consultant,

Keller Williams Realty, 1814 Route 70 E, Suite 200, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003,  856-321-1212 Bus., 856-685-1677 Direct

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Always Have A Dream

President Obama has signed the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009" (i.e. the Economic Stimulus Bill).  This bill provides an $8,000 tax credit for first time home buyers.  A first time homebuyer is someone who has not owned a home in the last three years. 

Who is considered A first time homebuyer?

1.  Someone who had never owned a home

2.  Someone who has not owned a home in the last three years

So that means a divorced person that used to own a home, but has been living in an apartment for the last three years, now qualifies for this tax credit.

This credit applies only to the purchase of your principal residence (the home you live in) purchased anytime between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009.    A tax credit is a dollar for dollar reduction in the amount of tax you owe.  If any credit amount remains unused, then the unused amount will be  returned when you file your 2009 income tax return.  

ie - if you normally get a refund, you may get an additional $8,000 in your refund check.  In addition, interest on your mortgage loan is deductible.  So you will owe even less in taxes and may get an even larger refund.

The way I see it, this is FREE MONEY

The income requirements are maximum $75,000 for a single buyer, and $150,000 for a married couple.

This credit does NOT have to be repaid as long as you stay in the home for a minimum of three years.

If you are looking to purchase your first home in Burlington or Camden County New Jersey and are looking for a Realtor and Real Estate Consultant who will work tirelessly to help you find your dream home.......text, email or call me today.  Let's get moving, we have a lot of work to do.

Have a Great Day

Make This YOUR Best Year Ever

Leander McClain, Burlington Township Realtor & Real Estate Consultant, Keller Williams Realty, 1814 Route 70 E, Suite 200, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003, 856-321-1212 Bus., 856-685-1677 Direct

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My associate Lanette Branch has some words of wisdom for all who want to sell an overpriced home.  i couln't have said it better myself

Leander McClain, Burlington Township Realtor & Real Estate Consultant, Keller Williams Realty, 1814 Route 70 E, Suite 200, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003, 856-321-1212 Bus., 856-685-1677 Direct

Leander McClain's Profile

Recent Posts

How To Buy A Home Part 1

Economic Stimulus $8,000 Tax Credit

Twitter Revolution

Always Have A Dream

LAEDA (The Latin American Economic Development Associaation Inc.)

This worthwhile organization is located in Camden, NJ.   The organization's goal is to assist  people in starting small businesses, expand existing businesses and to turn blighted properties into thriving commercial spaces

LAEDA's mission is to promote economic development to include the economically disadvantaged, primarily minorities, in the Delaware Valley, primarily the City of Camden, New Jersey.

On Saturday, April 18, 2009 from 6:30 p.m. until midnight, the Latin American Economic Development Association, Inc. is celebrating its 22nd Annual Casino Night & Silent Auction at the Savoy Caterers located at 1444 Route 73 in Pennsauken, New Jersey. 

Cocktail Hour begins at 6:30- 7:30pm

Dinner, Dancing, Open Bar, Awards, Silent Auction, Fabulous Casino & Prizes 7:30pm - 12:00am

Tickets are $75 per person.  There will be open bar, dinner, awards, dancing, music, casino games, prizes and a silent auction.  You don't want to miss this exciting event! 

RSVP 856-338-1177 info@LAEDA.COM

Leander McClain, Burlington Township Realtor & Real Estate Consultant, EXIT Buyers Plus Realty, 15 E. Broad Street, Burlington,NJ 08016 609-505-6578

Leander McClain's Profile

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For those in the Philadelphia area, I would like to pass on information about an event presented by my new colleague Jennifer Dent, Event Planner Extraordinaire(www.jenniferdent.com)

Need to make some new connections?

Would you like to meet dozens of potential business contacts in 90 minutes?

Yes! Then you need to try SPEED NETWORKING!

Have a bite to eat. Share your business objectives. Make quick connections.  Be on your way...

SPEED NETWORKING comes to Philadelphia!

Networking is an essential business skill that many people find difficult. Of course - making small talk with strangers isn't always easy. However, you'll follow a few simple rules; networking becomes a powerful tool at your disposal.

Most of the time, our fear of networking comes from the unknown - what will the person who you are talking to do, or say? So the solution is simple - network at a place where everyone is there for the same reason as you! 

Who Should Attend?

• those who need to improve/hone their networking skills
• those seeking contacts for jobs
• those seeking sales leads for businesses
• those seeking networking contacts for business/personal growth
• open to the general public

The Venue :: IKEA

The SPEED NETWORKINGevent will take place on the 2nd floor of the South Philadelphia IKEA. Food and beverages are included in the cost of the ticket. IKEA has FREE parking and the small-land area will be open for your childcare needs.

The cost is $10 in advance and $20 at the door. You can purchase your advance tickets at www.aprilspeednetworking.eventbrite.com .

 Sponsored by...

Leander McClain, Burlington Township Realtor & Real Estate Consultant, Keller Williams Realty, 1814 Route 70 E, Suite 200, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003, 856-321-1212 Bus., 856-685-1677 Direct

Leander McClain's Profile

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If you have been in the Real Estate Industry for any length of time, I am sure that you have received this phone call.

It usually goes something like this.

Ring, Ring, Ring....

Caller: Uh hi, is this (fill in your name here)

You:  Why yes, how may I help you today?

Caller:  Well we want to thank you for all of the information that you provided.  You gave us a really thorough listing presentation.  You told us what we would need to be done in order to get our home in shape for sale.  You explained your multi-pronged marketing approach which would be targeted for our market and potential buyer who would eventually purchase our home.  You gave us a Comparative Market Analysis and explained to us what our home could potentially sell for in its present condition.  You told us that how much money we would take home after all of the closing costs were subtracted.  You answered all of the questions we had plus many more.....but

You: Yes (said with baited breath because you know what's coming next)

Caller:  My brother's wife's cousin's husband's father's mother-in-law just got her real estate license and we are going to give the listing to her.

Now this doesn't happen to me often, but it does.  So what do you do?  What do you say?  I am usually very gracious and I thank the caller for letting me know of their decision.

You will not get every listing that you solicit. Every potential buyer you speak to will not become your client.  You have to remember that you only want to work with clients who want to work with you.  Buying or selling a home is hard work.  You want your clients to trust you and feel totally comfortable with you.  If a potential client is more comfortable with their distant relative,

LET THEM GO!

Move on to finding your next potential client.   I would guess that 50% of the time, 6-8 months down the road, you will receive this call....

Caller: Hello (fill in your name here),  I don't know if you remember me, but I talked to you a while back about selling our home and we were going to use my brother's wife's cousin's husband's father's mother-in-law.  Well things didn't work out and we were wondering............

Everyone have a wonderful day

If you know anyone who is looking to buy or sell real estate in Burlington or Camden County NJ, and they are looking to work with the best Real Estate Consultant in the area, have them give me a call.

Leander McClain, Burlington Township Realtor & Real Estate Consultant, Keller Williams Realty, 1814 Route 70 E, Suite 200, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003, 856-321-1212 Bus., 856-685-1677 Direct

Leander McClain's Profile

Recent Posts

How To Buy A Home Part 1

Economic Stimulus $8,000 Tax Credit

Twitter Revolution

Always Have A Dream