Finding the Perfect Toms River Realtor

Hiring a Toms River Realtor

If you’re getting ready to put your home on the market, you’re going to want to put yourself in the best possible position not only to sell, but to sell quickly and to sell for maximum dollars. That means doing your research, hiring a good Toms River Realtor, and following these 4 essential secrets for selling your home:

1) The Little Touches Matter

You may not think the small stuff matters, but it does. Things like worn out welcome mats, cluttered rooms, dirty windows and more DO have an impact on how potential buyers see your property. Take the time to address all that small, affordable stuff and buyers will walk away with a much more positive impression of your home. Clean up dog droppings in your yard, pull weeds up from the driveway, and all that little stuff you used to skip. You’ll be glad you did!

2) Selling Is A Year-Round Process

You’ll often read about the ups and downs of the real estate market and the best times of year to sell, but the fact is, selling is a year-round thing. If you want buyers to feel a greater connection to your house, use seasonal accents to make it more attractive and inviting. Bright linens in the spring, flowers in the summer, pine and wreath displays during the winter – all of these things make your house seem more like a HOME, which is exactly what you and your Toms River Realtor want to do in order to entice buyers.

3) It’s Better To Be Up Front About Problems

Naturally you’re going to do a pre-sale inspection. That inspection might turn up a few issues, too. While you can remain quiet about them, assuming that a potential buyer will likely discover them on their own when they have their own independent inspection done, you can create a lot of good will and trust by being up front about your inspection’s findings. Tell the buyer what was found, let them know what has been done to address some of the items, and tell them you’ve made adjustments to the price based on them. Your candor will be appreciated.

4) Choose Your Words Wisely

The wording you use in your listings really does make a difference – sometimes a huge one! Using words like “potential” and “TLC” can actually lower sales prices by five percent or more. You may be trying to find a fancy way of saying your home is not brand new, but buyers see words like that as code for “I’m going to have to sink a lot of money into this place.” Also avoid the word “unique,” and any word that is code for “small,” such as “cute,” “charming,” or “quaint.” On the other hand, words like “captivating” and “luxurious” entice people, as do words that show you’ve put work into the house, like “remodeled,” resulting in higher sales prices. Also, more information in your listing is better than less, so ask your Toms River Realtor to be thorough. Write wisely!

Following these tips, and stick with your expert REALTOR, and you’re likely to have a successful sale. Good luck!

Child Support in New Jersey: Understanding the Basics

The complex legal web that makes up the rules governing child support can be difficult to untangle, but by understanding these basic facts you can have a better understanding of how the system works and what your role in it is, whether you are paying child support or receiving it.

First, it is important to understand that New Jersey law recognizes the following basic facts:

• It is the duty of both parents to support their children, even if they were never married
• A child has a right to benefit from the income of both parents
• Children should be protected from the economic ramifications of divorce or out-of-wedlock birth

Child support orders generally come from the courts. In such cases, the non-custodial parent will be ordered to make child support payments to the custodial parent. These payments are based on the income of the non-custodial parent.

Child support facts many judges won’t tell you include:

• The income of the custodial parent does not matter. Child support is based on the non-custodial parent’s income regardless of how much the custodial parent makes.
• A parent cannot decline child support on behalf of their child. Technically, those child support payments belong to the child and are intended to assist in providing for them.
• Child support is not taxable, nor is it tax deductible.
• Missing child support payments is technically a criminal act, if a child support court order is in place.

For more details, it is best to consult with a child support lawyer in New Jersey.

Child support payments are enforced under the law. When it comes to enforcement, enforcement agencies and/or personnel are obligated to:

• Ensure that child support is paid
• Collect past due child support
• Collecting spousal support (if applicable)

Whether you are paying support payments or are the custodial parent, you might consider consulting with a NJ child support lawyer to better understand your rights. Remember, a custodial parent has a legal right to court ordered child support payments, and a non-custodial parent has a legal obligation to make those payments.

Important facts regarding the non-payment of child support include:

• Lottery winnings over $600 can be withheld in order to clear up child support payments that are in arrears.
• Child support payments can be taken from your unemployment or disability payments.
• Failure to pay child support can be reported to credit bureaus, and therefore can impact your credit.
• Homestead rebates and tax returns can also be used to pay late child support payments.
• If a non-custodial parent who owes child support has money in the bank or owns stocks and bonds, those assets can be seized to pay the child support.
• A person’s drivers license can be suspended for non-payment of child support.
• A person’s passport application or renewal can be denied for non-payment of child support.

For complete information on Child Support laws in New Jersey, visit http://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/csguide/

The 3 Things You May Not Consider When You Get Bedbugs

Bedbug Removal in Ocean County, NJ

Bedbugs! At this point you’ve probably seen so many news stories about them you’re wondering if they’re a plague that will take over the world.

While things aren’t THAT bad, the fact is they are a genuine problem right now. Getting bedbugs in your home is a huge nuisance. If you’re unlucky enough to have it happen to you, you should keep these three things in mind:

1) There Is No Foolproof Way To Keep Some Bugs Away

Not all pest control specialists and exterminators will be willing to tell you this, but it’s important to know the truth: when it comes to some bugs, there just isn’t any surefire way to keep them away. You can bet RID of them if they show up in your home, but keeping them away is another matter. The best example is probably bedbugs. It doesn’t matter how clean you keep yourself or your home, if you come into contact with bedbugs chances are good you can bring the infestation home. They aren’t looking for food or waste or moisture, they want YOU. Bedbugs bite in order to get little bits of your blood. That means unless you take precautions when traveling, getting bedbugs is a real possibility no matter how well maintained your home is. That means there is no shame if you have to call an Ocean County bedbugs removal contractor!

6) Most Modern Treatments Are Now Safe

In the past, pest control treatments may have gotten the job done, but they came with a host of side issues that could be of concern. They were toxic and often unsafe, leading to major health concerns if used improperly – and in some cases even if used properly! The good news is, those days are long gone. Any reputable Ocean County bedbugs expert is going to be using modern treatments that are safer while still achieving the same results. In addition, modern techniques require fewer chemicals before modern pest control experts are just plain better at their jobs. They’ve learned new techniques that make the whole process more effective AND safer – and that’s good news for everyone!

8) If You Have A Major Problem, Consider Altering Your Neighbors

You might be embarrassed to have a load of field mice or a cockroach infestation in your home, but the first thing you need to understand is that it’s not your fault. Infestations can happen in the cleanest of households! Once you understand that, the next step is to consider altering your neighbors that critters are in the neighborhood. These problems tend to not be contained to just one home. They spread to entire neighborhoods. That means you’re not only doing your neighbors a favor by alerting them to the problems, you’re doing YOURSELF a favor by ensure the problem doesn’t return a few months later, because you may chase the pests out of your home, but they’ll be back if all they did was run next door. And you don’t want to have to call the Ocean County bedbugs removal expert again, do you?

Safe traveling, and don’t let the bedbugs bite!

Looking for Computer Repair in Ocean County?

A frustrated employee seeks computer repair in Ocean County.

If you’re like most Americans, your computer is probably a big part of your life. That’s why it can be such a big problem when your computer doesn’t work correctly.

A computer that is acting up, giving you blue screens, slowing down, or just plain not cooperating can have an impact on both your fun and your productivity. It can prevent you from playing your favorite computer games, get in the way when you’re trying to Facebook with friends, or make it harder for you to get your day’s work done so you can relax with a glass of wine.

Before you seek out computer repair, it’s important to understand what the issue might be. For instance, one problem could be:

You Don’t Meet The System Requirements

Did you recently upgrade your favorite software to a new version and now it doesn’t run as well? Did you move on to the next version of Windows and install it on your older computer? Did you get the latest video game and find that it can barely run on your system? Chances are, your computer doesn’t meet the system requirements for this software.

System requirements are the bare minimum specs that a computer should have to run any given piece of software, including hard drive space, RAM, the type of video card you have, and other factors.

Even if you meet the requirements, if you’re close to maxing them out you could see slowdowns anyway. That means it’s either time for a new computer or that it’s best to go back to the older software. It’s hard to keep up with the latest!

Another problem you might have is:

Your Hard Drive Needs To Be Defragmented

Though less of an issue these days than it used to be, computer hard drives still need to be defragmented every now and then. What does this mean? Well, data is saved on your hard drive wherever there is an empty space. When things are deleted, it opens up some space. All that space is not necessarily all together in one spot, though. Imagine a checkerboard with a checker on every square. Take away six checkers from random squares. Now put three checkers on the board, all three representing a single program. Because the six that were removed were in random squares and were not next to one another, the three you’re placing down now can’t go next to one another. That means that new program (the three checkers) has to reach around to various parts of the board, i.e. your hard drive, in order to operate. That slows things down!

Defragmenting consolidates all those empty spaces into one big empty space, and also moves all related checkers, i.e. files, together on the drive so they’re easier and faster for the computer to access. This all sounds a bit complicated, but it’s actually very easy to do and can help alleviate some of your computer’s slowdowns. If necessary, seek out someone who does Ocean County computer repair to assist you with this process.

Good luck!

House Raising in NJ...What's next?

House Raising in NJ by Structural Solutions of NJ.

NEW JERSEY – When it comes to preparing for the next Hurricane Sandy, the lessons learned by those impacted in Hurricane Katrina six years prior are proving to be invaluable, especially when it comes to home elevating.

Home elevating – also known as house raising or house lifting – is when a home is jacked up onto a taller foundation with the intention of better protecting it against flood waters. It’s an industry that has experienced sharp growth since the 2012 storm.

In New Jersey, experts have said that house raising in NJ is a key part of a long-term strategy for dealing with flooding and minimizing damage when future mega-storms hit. Four years ago, the National Audubon Society’s G. Paul Kemp said much the same with regard to lifting homes along the Gulf Coast.

"It can be done in such a short time and at a fairly reasonable cost, and it immediately raises the level of protection, in some cases by hundreds of years," Kemp told CBS News. "We've found out that levees are not always reliable.”

In the Garden State, one of the major milestones that pushed the New Jersey house raising industry into overdrive was the release of FEMA’s new flood plain recommendations. These recommendations offer suggestions regarding how high homes should be elevated, and also impact flood insurance rates. Similar recommendations sparked the Gulf Coast house elevating industry after Katrina, too.

"This will spur activity unbelievably," predicted Jeb Bruneau, a neighborhood association president in New Orleans, in 2006. "A lot of people have been waiting for the advisory to come out so they'd have direction. A lot of people are looking at this as progress."

Donald Powell, chief federal coordinator for Gulf Coast hurricane recovery, told Fox News at the time that he agreed with Bruneau – those flood elevation recommendations were vital to the long, slow recovery effort.

"This will enable people to get on with their lives," Powell told Fox in 2006.

Here in New Jersey, the damage left behind by Hurricane Sandy made clear to property owners like Tuckerton’s Don Horneff that house raising in NJ was essential for the shore region’s future.

“All around me, the homes that were lower, most of them will have to be demolished,” Horneff told the New York Times. “It’s very sad. They have lost everything.”

The same realization was reached on the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina. As Louisiana Recovery Authority spokesperson Christina Stephens told the Daily Comet in 2009, "Elevating homes is really a good investment, and saves the money on future flooding losses. Every foot you go up makes you a little safer."

Indeed, "If you want to be safe … you need to elevate," Jim Stark, head of FEMA’s Gulf Coast Recovery Office, told USA Today in 2008.

It’s a message now being heard loud and clear in New Jersey, too.

And as people are learning, the options available to a homeowner during a lift are more varied than they expect, allowing those undergoing the process to make improvements to their house while they lift.

Unsurprisingly, Gulf Coast residents experienced the same thing.

Shirley Laska, with the Center for Hazards Assessment, Response and Technology (CHART) in New Orleans, told the Times-Picayune that house lifting is not a generic, once-size-fits-all process. Different property owners take differing approaches depending on their preferred aesthetics and needs, and the nature of their neighborhood.

"The elevated house has grown on us, and people are doing a better job at it," Laska told the New Orleans-based newspaper. "Some houses celebrate the new height, for those who want that, while others obscure the height, for those who prefer to blend in … There is no (single) 'right' way to do it. These are merely options, to get the conversation started."

In the Garden State, the conversation is already in high gear.