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The real estate juggernaut continue in Ocean and Monmouth Counties, two important Jersey Shore real estate markets that remain hot!  Check out the updated September Monmouth and Ocean County real estate market stats have been recently published. If you’re a buyer, seller or investor and would like a more localized analysis to your neighborhood, town or a particular property, contact me and I would be more than happy to assist.  We will continue to monitor these monthly metrics for continued weakening.  If you are considering buying or selling and need the assistance of a local expert, please reach out to me to discuss how this market makes a difference for YOU! I can be reached at www.darren.realtor. #jerseyshorerealestate #njrealtor #njrealestateagent #realestateinvestor

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Did you know that a small move in mortgage rates can make a big difference in your life-of-loan interest payments?  It’s true, but many do not understand this impact over a 30 year mortgage life.  We just had a BIG move in mortgage rates, so let’s talk about your next move.

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Wow! Ocean and Monmouth Counties, two important Jersey Shore real estate markets, remain hot but signs of normalizing continue to surface. While average and median home sale prices in these markets continue to rise year-over-year, the inventory and days-on-market(DOM) metrics continue to rise as well hinting to a cooling market. We will continue to monitor these monthly metrics for continued weakening. If you are considering buying or selling and need the assistance of a local expert, please reach out to me to discuss how this market makes a difference for YOU! I can be reached at www.darren.realtor. #jerseyshorerealestate #njrealtor #njrealestateagent #realestateinvestor

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Tips for Transferring Smart Home Devices to Your New Home

Moving into a new home doesn’t mean you cannot take certain parts of your old home with you, and this includes your smart home devices. Thanks to advances in technology, there are ways you can transfer some of these smart appliances that play an important role in your life with you.

Get organized. Before you move, make a plan for packing. Label each box with the specific smart devices and which room they should go in. For instance, if you have a smart speaker in the living room, make sure you put it in a marked box so you know where to find it. Consider making a map of where all your smart devices will go in the new home; completing this step can expedite your unpacking process.

Determine what stays and what goes. After you’ve taken inventory, decide which smart devices are worth moving to the new home. While it’s easy enough to move smart speakers and plug-in models, it’s not as convenient to move smart thermostats or other hard-wired electrical devices. For devices that you leave, make sure you reset them so they’re no longer connected to your personal information.

Try to keep your router and network name the same. You might be dreading all the smart devices you need to pack and unpack, but keeping the router and network the same can make the moving-in process smoother. All your smart devices will recognize the router and automatically connect themselves.

Install the smart hubs first. Once you move, make sure to reconnect any hub-type devices first. After you complete this step, all your lights, plugs, and everything else can connect to the smart hub. This step eliminates the need to set everything up individually.

Set up each room. After you set up the hub, go back to your smart device map to determine which device goes where. Go through your boxes and locate all the devices you need to set up.

With just a little planning and preparation, you can turn your new home into the same type of smart home you had before. Using a smart hub and speaker can make your new residence feel familiar and provide automation to make your life easier.

Sources: Makeuseof.com, Safewise.com, Blog.ezlo.com, Sinopetech.com

My experience spans multiple decades or buying, selling and investing as well as real estate development and restoration.  I also have almost 30 years of sales experience, so when it comes to finding an agent who can best represent sellers as well as know how to be a tough negotiator for buyers, look no further.

I have donated thousands of dollars to a variety of deserving pet rescue charities as part of my commitment to giving back a portion of my commissions to pets in need.  Recently, I also helped an upstart rescue in New Jersey launch their website.  Check out Faith Haven Rescue @ www.faithhavenrescue.org and consider a donation of your own.  During the upcoming year, my commitment continues, so if you are a pet-lover, let’s talk.

You’re browsing New Jersey open houses using this website, but did you know we also have some other websites and our own Real Estate App to help you with your search.

I know they say “comparison is the thief of joy”, but when it comes to houses, it’s really useful! Sometimes “comps” are hard to identify, but do your own research and work with a licensed pro for assistance.  We have tools not available to the general public and we can often produce detailed comparable analysis which can be used as part of your negotiation.  If you are looking for open houses in New Jersey, you’ve come to the right place.  Give us a ring and we’d be happy to show you what a professional comparable analysis looks like.  Conversely, if you are selling, knowing what the comps say is equally important.  Contact me with your questions about this topic and I’d be happy to help.

This year, I donated thousands of dollars to a variety of deserving pet rescue charities as part of my commitment to giving back a portion of my commissions to pets in need.  Last year, I also helped an upstart rescue in New Jersey launch their website.  Check out Faith Haven Rescue @ www.faithhavenrescue.org and consider a donation of your own.  During the upcoming year, my commitment continues, so if you are a pet-lover, let’s talk.

Whether you’re in the market to buy a new house or in need of selling your current house, I’m here to help you every step of the way.  Spring traditionally marks the start of the selling season, but in today’s market, you can throw tradition out the window.  With rates now coming off a bottom and starting to rise quickly, both buyers and sellers are scrambling to take advantage of a historically-hot market while the market conditions are still supportive.  This market will not persist forever.  Rising home prices, overall inflation rates we haven’t seen for over 40 years, rapidly rising rates and fears of a looming recession are going to have an impact on the real estate market and unfortunately, the factors are mostly negative ones for both buyers and sellers.  That all said, we still have an opportunity, but don’t delay.

My experience spans multiple decades or buying, selling and investing as well as real estate development and restoration.  I also have almost 30 years of sales experience, so when it comes to finding an agent who can best represent sellers as well as know how to be a tough negotiator for buyers, look no further.

I have donated thousands of dollars to a variety of deserving pet rescue charities as part of my commitment to giving back a portion of my commissions to pets in need.   This year, my commitment continues, so if you are a pet-lover, let’s talk.

You’re browsing New Jersey open houses using this website, but did you know we also have some other websites and our own Real Estate App to help you with your search.

Check out the latest real estate market update for March 2025 in two important Jersey Shore markets of Ocean and Monmouth Counties. Sale prices continue to rise, but so do days on market (DOM) and inventory, so we will have to see what happens in the coming months. Contact me at www.darren.realtor to discuss home buying or selling in New Jersey. #jerseyshorerealestate #jerseyshorerealtor #monmouthcountynj #oceancountynj #homebuyer

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