Now Could Be the Time to Buy a Home in Brigantine or Atlantic County NJ

Charles Thomas (Tom) Johnson, ABR, CRS, e-PRO,  Prudential Fox and Roach Realtors, Brigantine, NJ.  www.ShoreHomeConnection.com   The old adage "There's no time like the present" might not first come to mind when looking at today's national housing market. But according to Charles Thomas (Tom) Johnson of The Tom Johnson Group at Prudential Fox and Roach Realtors these homespun words of wisdom are quite appropriate when a closer look is given to individual local markets across the country.  These favorable factors that can contribute to making this, for many consumers, a most opportune time to buy a home:

• Inventory is up. When the market is hot, new listings can't replenish the supply of homes fast enough, and that works in the sellers' favor. In today's market, the opposite is true, providing more choices for buyers.
• Sellers are motivated. Homes that in a hot market would have been snapped up in days are now lingering unsold for weeks, even months. Factor in bank-owned properties due to the recent and unfortunate spike in foreclosures and buyers find themselves in an advantageous negotiating position they haven't enjoyed for years.
• Interest rates are down. Recent cuts in the prime rate by the Federal Reserve have sparked drops in interest rates, which at the end of January were below 6 percent for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage. While banks have tightened lending requirements in the wake of increased loan defaults, homebuyers with few credit problems qualifying to purchase a home they can afford should still have little trouble securing favorable financing terms.

What's more, a market climate like this especially favors buyers who don't need to sell an existing property before their purchase, buyers like first-timers and those looking for a second home. This tilts the scale even more towards many buyers.

But regardless of the situation, for every buyer, the key is to work with a real estate professional that knows the local market and specializes in buyer representation - like an agent who has earned the Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABRŪ) designation.

Charles Thomas (Tom) Johnson is one of more than 50,000 members of the Real Estate Buyer's Agent Council (REBAC) of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORSŪ, who have attained the Accredited Buyer Representative (ABRŪ) designation. As the world's largest association of real estate professionals focusing specifically on representing the real estate buyer, REBAC is "The Voice for Buyer Representation," with more than 50,000 active real estate professional members of the organization throughout the world. 

For all your Real Estate Needs at the Jersey Shore, contact Charles Thomas (Tom) Johnson, ABR, CRS, e-PRO;  The Tom Johnson Group, your Shore Home Connection.  Tom, or any member of the team, can assist you with selling, buying, renting, or leasing a home, or condo in Brigantine, or at the Jersey Shore, and surrounding communities in Atlantic County, New Jersey.  Tom can be reached at Prudential Fox and Roach Realtors - 609-264-7208 direct.

The Tom Johnson Group, www.ShoreHomeConnection, is pleased to introduce the following new listings onto the real estate market of Atlantic County, and the South Jersey Shore area. 

7 Seaside Road - Coquille Beach, Brigantine, NJ - Great views of Atlantic City, and the Ocean, with garage.

4800 Harbour Beach Blvd., - The Cloisters, Brigantine, NJ - Direct Ocean Front unit, assigned parking spaces, pool in complex

1 North Parker, - Duplex in Atlantic City, NJ - lovingly maintained, owner occupied home, this is one of the best values along the South Jersey Shore, and Atlantic City, NJ area

Blue Heron Pines, W.Country Club Drive - nearly new, Bob Meyer built home with designer touches.  Located in Blue Heron Pines Golf Club, Galloway, NJ, near the Atlantic City Expressway, and convenient to Casinos, and Atlantic City nightlife

Atlantic Ave, Margate, NJ condo - across from the the ocean, and historic Lucy the Elephant.  This large studio with an extra room has a great rental history in Margate NJ

For all your Real Estate needs along the South Jersey shore, Atlantic City, Margate, Ventnor, Brigantine and surrounding communities in Atlantic County, New Jersey, contact any member of The Tom Johnson Group.  Tom Johnson is one of the top realtors, real estate agents, in Atlantic County, NJ.  Tom will help you with all your real estate needs, from purchasing a shore home, to selling a home.  See the Tom Johnson Group, a member of Prudential Fox and Roach Realtors, located in Brigantine, NJ, 08203.

Charles Thomas (Tom) Johnson, ABR, CRS, e-Pro, CNHS

www.ShoreHomeConnection.com

Scouting the slopes in Colorado's ski resort areas of Aspen, Beaver Creek, Steamboat and Vail will uncover some home prices in the toniest areas still holding steady, but overall sales are down by about 40 percent, according to a University of Colorado's real estate center.

In Maui, both home prices and sales are down about 25 percent each, according to the island's real estate association.

And don't forget California's resort areas. Home prices in the Golden State are down by 50 percent or more in many locations.

That's only the beginning. Lower prices and less competition are the tip of the iceberg-sized list of factors that make it a good time to consider a vacation home buy.

"In many vacation markets, you can pick up a beach condo or a mountain cabin at a decent price. In some markets, homes are back to 2000 prices," said vacation home guru Christine Karpinski, director of Owner Community for HomeAway.com (an online vacation home rental Web site).

She says a host of market conditions have converged to make buying a second home a smart move right about now.

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