The Only Source For Housing Market Info in Southern NJ

Welcome to the official blog site of Terry Iwaniw, of Joe Wiessner Realty LLC, real estate marketer. Visit often to read our entries pertaining to the current housing market, the growth of our business, special promotions, and properties that we currently market. We will be adding commentary and articles that we feel are of interest to current home owners and buyers.


Terry Iwaniw
Residential Marketing Specialist
Joe Wiessner Realty, LLC
Direct: 856-318-9098
Cell: 856-404-5635

http://terry.iwaniw.com/

My social network card: http://rlty.me/terryi

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10 Reasons to Have Multiple Locks on Your Front Door

Though it may seem like overkill at first glance, there are actually several very good reasons to consider installing more than one lock on your front door. Home invasions and burglaries have been on the rise as economic conditions worsened; even the most trusting people find themselves more concerned with home security. In the interest of protecting your home and its priceless contents, here are ten reasons that installing multiple locks on your door is a good idea.

  1. As a Crime Deterrent – For many burglars, simply seeing that there are several locks on your door indicates that your concern for home security is above average, and can serve as a powerful deterrent. Rather than risk it, they may opt to move along.
  2. As an Impediment to Determined Burglars – When an invader is determined to make a break-in attempt, installing several locks can present such a time-consuming obstacle that they’re either caught or give up before gaining entry.
  3. Your Existing Lock Can Be Reached Through a Broken Window – If a broken window within your door would allow an intruder to reach a deadbolt or knob lock, installing one with a less accessible placement is a very good idea.
  4. Factory Doorknob Locks Are Frequently of Lower Quality – A shocking number of people rely on the factory-installed locks that came with the doorknob, and never bother upgrading beyond that point. If the doorknob lock is your only line of defense, installing another should be considered immediately.
  5. The View of Your Door is Obstructed in Any Way – Foliage, trees and other structures can limit the visibility of your front door from passersby and neighbors; experienced burglars are on the look out for just these qualities when choosing a target. If any part of the view of your door is obstructed, beefing up the defense of that door could prevent intrusion.
  6. Because a Floor Lock is Difficult to Detect – Sliding locks at the base of your door are impossible to see from the outside, and can add another line of defense to your home. Feeling confident that they’ve defeated your other lock, a burglar will attempt to open the door to find that it’s still locked; the noise and delay could mean the difference between a home invasion and an attempted home invasion.
  7. Because You Don’t Have an Alarm System – While a home security system is very valuable, they’re not always within the budget. If this is the case, your best bet is to make your home as difficult to invade as possible.
  8. You Run a Business Out of Your Home – Running a business out of your home gives the general public access to your home address, which could cause you to be targeted for a burglary; especially if your business requires expensive special equipment, you’ll need to be sure that your home is as secure as possible.
  9. For Greater Peace of Mind – Ideally, you’ll never be the target of a burglary or home invasion and your additional locks will only serve the purpose of providing you with the peace of mind to get a good night’s sleep.
  10. You Live in an Apartment or Condo – Apartment dwellers often feel that their buildings are secure, especially if their building requires a security code to enter the lobby. However, waiting for someone to open those doors or even convincing someone to buzz them in can get them past the first hurdle. Because your neighbors may not know who lives around them, a stranger could slip in unnoticed.

The frightening truth is that even good locks can be tampered with by a professional; in the event of a burglary attempt, impediments and deterrents are the best line of defense.

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Terry Iwaniw
Residential Marketing Specialist
Joe Wiessner Realty, LLC
Direct: 856-318-9098
Cell: 856-404-5635

http://terry.iwaniw.com/

My social network card: http://rlty.me/terryi

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Abandoned, Deteriorating Homes … Just Let Them Burn?

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine

Foreclosures left abandoned for weeks, months, or years at a time can take a big toll on nearby home values. In the end, everyone in a neighborhood can feel the fallout.

Can some of these foreclosures be saved? Investors in recent weeks are certainly snapping up foreclosures in bulk and turning them into profitable rentals. But what about some of the foreclosures left lingering … the ones that no one seems to want?

A Morgan Stanley’s analyst recently estimated that nearly 95 percent of distressed homes are in such bad shape and not even suitable for renting.

In Detroit, which has been plagued by foreclosed homes the last few years, firefighters there are proposing a controversial new plan: Let the homes burn.

If the vacant building is more than 50 percent on fire and does not pose a risk to nearby structures, they propose to let it burn, and in the meantime, help save the city money … and maybe save nearby property values too?

The proposal comes at a time when Detroit is experiencing a series of suspicious arson fires, which has led to dozens of vacant buildings and homes blazing.

“We are in no way looking to ‘let the city’ burn, this is about saving lives and money,” Donald Austin, Detroit’s executive fire commissioner, told WDIV-NBC in Detroit. “My department is strapped, the budget is strapped, and it’s time to look at a new way of doing things.”

The proposal still has to win approval from city officials. Some argue that the buildings are uninhabitable and will eventually be torn down so firefighters might as well let them burn instead of wasting more money trying to salvage the unsalvageable. But others argue the vacant homes should not be able to burn unless they are on a predetermined demolition list.

Detroit has an estimated 80,000 vacant homes and buildings, according to a new documentary, “Burn,” about Detroit firefighters. The fire department estimates that 40 to 60 percent of the city’s fires are in vacant structures too. Some of these fires are being caused from scrapping, in which thieves remove metal piping or other building materials from a home leaving it vulnerable to catching fire.

Several cities across the country aren’t leaving their eyesores to flames but instead a bulldozer to chip away at its deteriorating foreclosures. For example, this past summer, Bank of America announced it would donate some of its foreclosed home inventory–homes that were deemed uninhabitable–to local agencies for demolition in Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, and other cities. Other banks announced similar steps. The land in many places will then be used for new development or open space.

“There is way too much supply,” Gus Frangos, president of the Cleveland-based Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corp., told Bloomberg News back in July. “The best thing we can do to stabilize the market is to get the garbage off.”

What do you think? Can a deteriorating home still be saved, or are they better left to demolition or ash?

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Terry Iwaniw
Residential Marketing Specialist
Joe Wiessner Realty, LLC
Direct: 856-318-9098
Cell: 856-404-5635

http://terry.iwaniw.com/

My social network card: http://rlty.me/terryi

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Thousands of REALTORS® Ready for Housing Rally

More than 10,000 REALTORS® from across the country are expected to band together next week in the nation’s capital to stand up for the American Dream. 


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Terry Iwaniw
Residential Marketing Specialist
Joe Wiessner Realty, LLC
Direct: 856-318-9098
Cell: 856-404-5635

http://terry.iwaniw.com/

My social network card: http://rlty.me/terryi

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How Low Will Mortgage Rates Go?

Just when some thought mortgage rates couldn’t go any lower, fixed-rate mortgages reached new all-time lows this week, sending home buyer affordability even higher.


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Terry Iwaniw
Residential Marketing Specialist
Joe Wiessner Realty, LLC
Direct: 856-318-9098
Cell: 856-404-5635

http://terry.iwaniw.com/

My social network card: http://rlty.me/terryi

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Double-Digit Price Increases Coming Soon?

Home buyers and sellers need to get ready to pounce: Some housing markets are expected to post big price gains in the coming year. 


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Terry Iwaniw
Residential Marketing Specialist
Joe Wiessner Realty, LLC
Direct: 856-318-9098
Cell: 856-404-5635

http://terry.iwaniw.com/

My social network card: http://rlty.me/terryi

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Bernanke: Mortgages Still too Difficult to Get

The Fed chairman says that even creditworthy home buyers are being locked out of the market as banks continue to be overly cautious in issuing new mortgages. 


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Terry Iwaniw
Residential Marketing Specialist
Joe Wiessner Realty, LLC
Direct: 856-318-9098
Cell: 856-404-5635

http://terry.iwaniw.com/

My social network card: http://rlty.me/terryi

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Florida Case May Have Widespread Effect

A lawsuit in the Florida Supreme Court has the potential to undo “hundreds of thousands of foreclosures and open up U.S. banks to severe financial liabilities,” Reuters reports.


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Terry Iwaniw
Residential Marketing Specialist
Joe Wiessner Realty, LLC
Direct: 856-318-9098
Cell: 856-404-5635

http://terry.iwaniw.com/

My social network card: http://rlty.me/terryi

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Obama to Tout Success of Refi Programs

The White House is set to announce figures reflecting a big jump in the number of Americans participating in federal initiatives meant to aid financially strapped home owners and bolster the sluggish housing market.


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Terry Iwaniw
Residential Marketing Specialist
Joe Wiessner Realty, LLC
Direct: 856-318-9098
Cell: 856-404-5635

http://terry.iwaniw.com/

My social network card: http://rlty.me/terryi

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Home Ownership Matters Resources for Your Business

NAR has extensive resources for its Home Ownership Matters campaign. These materials help practitioners be the go-to contacts when customers wonder about the impact of  lawmakers’ actions on their homes and the housing market.


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Terry Iwaniw
Residential Marketing Specialist
Joe Wiessner Realty, LLC
Direct: 856-318-9098
Cell: 856-404-5635

http://terry.iwaniw.com/

My social network card: http://rlty.me/terryi

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Social Benefits of Homeownership and Stable Housing

This 16-page paper looks at how homeownership leads to positive social outcomes. It examines not only the ownership of homes, but also the impact of stable housing.

 


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Terry Iwaniw
Residential Marketing Specialist
Joe Wiessner Realty, LLC
Direct: 856-318-9098
Cell: 856-404-5635

http://terry.iwaniw.com/

My social network card: http://rlty.me/terryi

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