Category: Tri-Town 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…

Stringent lending policies and the escalating costs of home ownership have led many prospective home buyers to consider condominiums instead of single-family homes. Condos are typically less expensive than single-family homes, which makes lenders and borrowers alike feel more comfortable. Lenders feel better because the loans aren’t as large, while borrowers are more comfortable because…

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…

Many potential buyers seek help with down payment. But asking for it can be difficult How do you ask a question when no one wants to talk about the subject? Often, it’s quite clumsily, without much effort at sparking an honest exchange. That’s what Dave Hardin, of Hardin Financial Group in Troy, Mich., has observed…

Fran Graffeo, manager of Weichert, Realtors Brick office, announced that her office donated more than 80 toys to the O.C.E.A.N., Inc. Head Start Child Development Program as a part of the 37th Annual Weichert, Realtors Toy Drive. “My team and I are honored to provide support to the Head Start Program and bring joy to…

Carlo Siracusa, regional vice president of Weichert, Realtors, announced that sales associate Joann Otteau of the Howell office was recognized for her exceptional industry success during the month of November. Otteau led the region, which is comprised of locations throughout Ocean and Monmouth counties, for resales. She can be reached in Weichert’s Howell office located…

By Marilyn Kennedy Melia CTW Features Renters want to buy, but new buying challenges are keeping the transition to homeownership a lengthy process It’s the time of year when people start saying, “We’re going to buy a home next year.” But, one study suggests that the majority of renters planning to buy within a year…