Category: Independent Business

If you’re thinking of buying or selling, chances are you’ll select your real estate agent based upon a name referred from a friend, neighbor or relative. Referrals are the No. 1 way both first-time and repeat buyers and sellers settle on an agent, according to surveys from the National Association of Realtors. But when a…

The decision to downsize a home is often bittersweet. Many couples who downsize their homes do so after raising a family. A home might be filled with memories, but downsizing a home helps couples save more money, and that financial flexibility often allows men and women to more fully enjoy their retirement. But in spite…

By Jim Gorzelany CTW Features Your next car could apply the brakes on its own to help avoid a collision Perhaps as the first step toward driverless cars, expect advanced safety systems that can help drivers avoid, or at least lessen the effects of a crash to become widespread in the not-too-distant future. Ten automakers…

Q&A with Sharon Peters Q: My nephew has been picked up for driving impaired at least four times. Very little in the way of punishment ever happens. And still he drives. In my part of the country, he would have lost his license years ago, and probably would have done time. He lives in Pennsylvania.…

Lenders put increased scrutiny on borrowers with fluctuating incomes Fifth-grade math skills come in handy when you’re home shopping. Lenders usually don’t want to see a monthly mortgage payment — plus all other regularly occurring debts — exceed more than about 36 to 43 percent of a borrower’s gross monthly income. No matter how adept…

By Lindsey Romain CTW Features Before you fall in love with that potential new house, do a reality check by keeping these points in mind It’s easy to get swept away in the romance of a new home — those tall ceilings, that spacious backyard, all the great amenities that are nearby. Eager young buyers…

Carlo Siracusa, regional vice president of Weichert, Realtors, announced that sales associate Thomas Connors of the Holmdel office was recognized for his exceptional industry success during the month of November. Connors led the region, which is comprised of locations throughout Ocean and Monmouth counties, in resale dollar volume. He can be reached in Weichert’s Holmdel…

Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC has released its 2015 Home Listing Report (HLR), which ranks the affordability of 188 real estate markets in New Jersey. The Coldwell Banker HLR named Chatham Township the most expensive market in New Jersey, with an average listing price of $882,260, while Willingboro ranked as the most affordable market in…

Today’s automotive car headlamps don’t do an adequate job of illuminating poorly lit nighttime rural roads, which accounts for 40 percent of all miles driven in the United States. That’s according to research conducted by AAA in Orlando, Fla. The organization found that halogen headlamps, currently included in more than 80 percent of new vehicles,…