When you purchasing a foreclosed property, you often get a property which seems to be worth more than you are paying for it. One of the reasons you are getting a bargain is because most selling banks will only accept your offer if you will agree to accept insurable title.…
Buyers and sellers often think that they will be closing on the purchase or sale of a house on the closing date written in the contract for sale. However, in New Jersey, the closing date is not an “essential” term of the contract. Either party may request, and must be…
Finding a home you want to buy and making an offer which is accepted by the seller is only the beginning of the process to purchase a home in New Jersey. The next step is signing a contract to purchase the home. The contract is a written agreement outlining the…
A law known as “Chapter 91” allows municipal property tax assessor’s to request income and expense information from a New Jersey property owner in order to assist in determining property “values” for its tax assessment. While this, standing alone, does not seem overly burdensome, if the property owners fail to…
If you own property in Monmouth County the property tax appeal deadline has changed. While the new date in the rest of the state remains April 1st, Monmouth County has volunteered to test out a new law changing the appeal date to January 15, 2014 or within 45 days of…
Now is the time to start thinking about appealing your property taxes. The amount of property taxes a homeowner pays under New Jersey property tax law is determined by the municipal assessment. The lower the assessment, the lower the property taxes. While you cannot actually appeal the taxes you owe,…
Community associations are an important part of New Jersey’s housing environment. There are three main types of community associations in New Jersey: condominium associations, cooperative boards (“co-ops”), and homeowners associations. Condominium associations are the most common. When a person buys a condominium, they are buying title to the property unit,…
Recently, many potential home buyers have been seeking (“FHA”) loans. FHA lenders will finance up to 96.5 percent of the purchase price for a property, and many buyers are attracted by the low down payment required to purchase a home (3.5 percent). Additionally, FHA lenders will allow a seller’s concession…
Standard form real estate contracts in New Jersey usually contain a provision that a home is being sold in “as is” condition. This is essentially an indication that the seller feels that the contract sale price takes into consideration the condition of the home and the seller does not intend…
If you are in the market for a new home, you may not be aware of the legal principle of “procuring cause,” but many New Jersey realtors are painfully aware of the ramifications of it. In the swirl of open houses and realtors involved in finally deciding upon a home,…