In the wake of Facebook announcing their upcoming IPO last week, I have decided to write about my “aha” moment on this topic of Social Media.

Courtesy of Inman Next

For those of you that are still thinking that Facebook, Twitter (and new Google+) are just for entertainment…you are missing out on the grander perspective. Sure…the tech geeks have figured out the greater value and meaning of social media. Now, the masses have to catch up.

College "Pig Book"

I began my day at 8am, ready to meet my new client to video and photograph a beautiful stately home in Warren Twp, NJ. Meeting me there was Rory, my videographer and Jamie, my professional photographer. As I met with the homeowner, these guys did their thing. We finished here in about 2 hours.

Stately 6 Stonehedge Ct, Warren, NJ

And the day began……… we shot footage at the 4 elementary schools, 1 middle school, 1 high school. 1 turf field, 2 park, 2 lakes, 6 neighborhoods, 1 downtown with 100 businesses, 1 farm stand, 1 new development that my partner Siu Wong and I are representing in Warren called Normandy Estates. I feel like these are lyrics to a version of the 12 days of christmas.

Here is Rory taking shots of Flag Plaza- Downtown Warren.

Part of our Warren Twp community shoot - Flag Plaza: Our downtown

Here I am...I'm smiling...................

We worked fevorishly until we feared for dark…we came back to REMAX Premier  in the Kings Plaza at 4pm…and we had to take a break. Rory grabbed me a soda (which I never drink–but I needed some renewed energy) as the “VIDEO DAY” was just halfway through. The dreaded ON CAMERA production was next. Rory took about 45 minutes to set up his professional lights, cameras and audio. I needed some time to unwind – but also needed to get back to some clients that needed me to speak with them.

By 5pm we were ready to go again. Now, I needed to speak and look into a camera and tell my social media world “who I am”. I must have said, “Hi, my name is Judy Weiniger, I am a Broker-Salesperson at REMAX Premier” – 152 times. After the 36th time, my own name started to sound corny and rehearsed. I was trying to get across my “real” warm, friendly personality–tough to do, when I was tired tired and cranky. But I pressed on with my “coach” Rory rooting me on…telling me, “that was good, but can you just do it again?”

It is now 7:33pm and Rory said the magic words…”It’s a wrap!!!” Music to my ears. While he began to dismantle the “set”, i came right to my computer to check in with my social media world. I am trying to upload a couple homemade videos I made today on You Tube to try and get them to show up here on my blog. Trial by error…that is becoming my mantra. And..can’t figure out how to add a video (HTML) and visual photos. Oh well…sorry. I hope to figure that one out for my next blog with video embedded.

As time keeps slipping by…now 8:57pm, I am trying finish this blog and call it a day.

Good night.

After spending time at Agent Reboot NYC, #agentrb and Inman Connect last week,#ICNY, I heard the loud chatter–over and over again, that social connecting is the goal moving into 2012. I plan on going “all in” on this topic…moving forward. And I appreciate all the info of Inman News and the generosity of others that are willing to share their experience and how to’s with us delinquent social media challenged agents.

Understanding how to pull it all together is essential…and for me, the million $$ question.

GaryVaynerchuk Speaks about Social Media at REMAX Convention 2011

Starting tomorrow morning, my first crusade begins…VIDEO real estate marketing. I will be meeting my videographer Rory at my brand new listing in Warren Twp, NJ and we will be spending the day shooting footage and content for listing videos and community videos around Warren and Watchung.

I will be posting updates on my brand new challenge. Given my middle aged status– and thus, NOT an eco boomer, this task of social media and You Tube channels feels like I am falling into a black hole. But with some web support from my friends on Twitter and fb and Inman News…and Rory and Dan, I am ready for this challenge.

Follow me on twitter too for my updates throughout the day at @judyweiniger

Judy Weiniger

The Weiniger Family wishes you a very happy and healthy new year

I wish all a very happy and healthy new year! I just returned from a family vacation to Florida, recharging my battery and prepare for the start of the new year. We started on the west coast of Florida to visit family and ended at a beautiful oasis on Marco Island. We stayed at the Marriott Hotel and I was so impressed with the quality of the rooms, the GORGEOUS views of the gulf, especially at sunset of course!

I am charged up and excited about the real estate market in Somerset County, NJ…more specifically Warren Twp, Bridgewater, Basking Ridge and Watchung. These towns have all traditionally been strong…but I am feeling the pent up buyer demand. If you are a buyer hoping to buy a good, well maintained home on a quiet location, you may be competing again with multiple bids moving into the spring market. I am already seeing this occur in the dead of winter. Many homes are going into attorney review and at decent prices.

Moving into 2012, I will be taking over the listing and marketing of the new construction development, formerly known as Landmark at Warren Hills in Warren Township, NJ. The new development name is

#3 Normandy Court, Warren, NJ 07059

Normandy Estates...named after the cul-de-sac street it is located on. The community of 8 home sites, 4 of which are sold.

Gorgeous Workmanship in #3 Normandy Ct, Warren, NJ 07059

Built by Landmark Homes, these are quality built, custom homes!! Look for my marketing to roll out Wednesday January 4, 2012. Prices have been re-positioned. Or call me for the pre-listing update on the new pricing! Be first to look at this homes in 2012. The photos to the right show this “ready to close” home. There is a 2nd home almost completed. I will be posted photos laster this week.

I also just listed a lovely townhouse in Loft Farms, Martinsville. This highly demanded community built in 1997, has so much to offer. This home at 83 Loft Drive, is a one owner townhouse. Just listed today, 1/2/12,call me for a personal showing. Photos have just been uploaded to the mls and can be seen on my website. Price is $459,900.

Bright and Sunny Kitchen at 83 Loft Dr., Martinsville.

83 Loft Dr., Martinsville, NJ 08836

Two years ago, Warren, New Jersey was listed as one of the best places to live in the United States. Warren NJ is a suburban community with a variety of single family homes. Warren is very convenient to major Pennsylvania and New Jersey highways in the central part of the state. Warren is also close to NYC transportation to make your commute quick and easy.

Warren NJ real estate contains recreational and fun activities for the whole family, such as parks, preserves, country clubs, beautifully landscaped golf courses, tennis courts, senior centers, athletic fields and equestrian centers. There are many attractions in central New Jersey and Warren that offer entertainment in every season for everyone to enjoy. The Warren NJ homes for sale consists of condos, townhomes, large luxury single family homes, luxury apartments and are a valuable investment. Warren NJ homes for sale are available in many styles and types with enjoyable outdoor activities and neighborhoods that are comfortable and family friendly.

Warren NJ has historic sites that include reproductions of American Revolution huts for its soldiers, who may have fought under General George Washington. Also during this era, the Wick House was built for the prosperous Wick family which grew many products that are still grown in Warren NJ today. Other historical attractions are the Morris Museum of Arts and Sciences, Museum of Early Trades and Crafts, Washington’s Headquarter replica, Revolutionary War Museum, many Revolutionary War general homes, and the present U.S. Golf Museum and Arnold Palmer Center for Golf History.

Warren NJ real estate is located with nearby park attractions and educational centers. These include beautifully landscaped Buck Gardens, Frelinghuysen Arboretum, Hacklebarney State Park, Scherman-Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary. Warren contains the renowned Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey, Somerset County Park Environmental Education Center, notable Paper Mill Playhouse, Community Theater at Mayo Center for Performing Arts, and many community theater groups.

When you are ready to purchase your Warren NJ home, please contact me for an area tour.

Spring is usually sited as one of the best times to sell a home, perhaps because even in these unconventional times June remains the preferred wedding month of more brides than one can reasonably wave a stick at, or because of all the students emerging fresh from graduation every bit as anxious to begin their new lives as all the new brides and grooms. Perhaps its spring fever, that yearly sense of wanderlust, that contributes to the inventory spurt anticipated in the real estate market most springs. This year, however, is less typical than most.

While many realtors do expect sales to rise this spring, this year does mark the lack of the tax credit that boosted sales last year. Couple the lack of a tax incentive with the general mood of fiscal conservatism coloring both lenders and buyers and the resulting mood for many in the realty market is one of cautious optimism at best. None of which should suggest that selling a home in a busy spring market is impossible.

First off, if the house you are selling was a victim of late winter slump, it may be time to remove it from the market. Houses that have been on the market for a while should be allowed to sit for a bit anyway. In a hot market the average days a listing is on the market is often less than a month. With the economy the way it is a few more days than would be normal were things hotter is not going to mar a house’s chances unduly. Just the same, it is not good, for instance, to attempt to sell a house in spring that has been quietly collecting dust on the market lists for two or more months.

While getting the property ready for market again, now is the best time to review its maintenance and “look.” While locality counts—Warren, New Jersey, for instance, was sited less than two years ago as “one of the best places to live” in the U.S.A, a house with obvious defects or a dreary interior is still a lame duck. Make sure the interior of the house is attractive, impeccable and spotless. Cleanliness isn’t just next to godliness, it boosts sales. And obviously the above extends to the outside of the house as well. Curb appeal starts at the driveway and ends at the front door.

Finally, do your homework. Get a bead on what’s selling and for how much before you put your house on the market. One of the biggest reasons a house isn’t getting showings is because it is overpriced. Realistic expectations in this market are the key to a successful transaction. Remember too, from old fashioned balloons and fliers at the front door to print and online venues, today’s real estate market tools are more extensive than ever. So, be inventive and market creatively and diversely.

The Perfect Storm—
Home buyers; the stars are in alignment for you to purchase a home in today’s market!

What is everyone waiting for?

You can get a great deal today, as this is still a buyer’s market.  Since the start of the real estate market downturn in the 3^rd quarter of 2005, New Jersey home prices have gone down by about 19%, according to Jeffrey Otteau of the Otteau Group. Might prices fall further? They might…but like buying a stock, you can rarely pick the bottom and over the long term, it really doesn’t matter.

Mortgage rates are so low…you are locking in the use of cheap money for 15-30years. You can get a 30-year loan for around 4.3%. These are the lowest rates on record.

You’ll save on taxes as the mortgage interest is deductible from your income taxes.

Owning a home offers some inflation protection since studies suggest that over the long-term, housing has tended to beat inflation by a couple of percentage points a year.

Owning a home is forced savings. Part of your mortgage payment that goes to principal repayment isn’t a cost. You’re just paying yourself by building equity.

There is a lot to choose from, with over 34,000 homes currently listed for sale on the Garden State Multiple Listings System. Unsold inventory levels have been increasing since April 2010 since the Federal tax credit expiration. And banks are slowly unloading their inventory of unsold properties. That means great choice, as well as great prices.

Sooner or later, the market will firm and supply and demand will once again be balanced. Why wait for that? US population growth is forecasted to continue to grow by more than 100 million people over the next 40 years; thus demand for housing will only be increasing.

I think it is human nature that people wait until everyone jumps on the bandwagon. But in truth, as soon as your friends say its time to buy….prices will be going up!

For any further information on the local real estate market, feel free to call or email me. I would be glad to share my local knowledge on our Somerset County markets.

My website is also a great resource. I post all sold properties monthly for 20 local communities. So you can have the most up to date market information at your fingertips. Go to www.WeinigerHomes.com. Click on “How’s the Market?”

Judith Weiniger, Broker Salesperson
RE/MAX Premier
908-295-3913 cell
Judy@WeinigerHomes.com

I attended the Otteau 2010 Fall Market Workshop last week at the Somerset Hills Hotel, in Basking Ridge. As usual, it was filled with a lot of market research, market forecasts and economic data to try and help all of us get a better understanding of where we are in today’s real estate markets.

Regardless of what side of the political table you are on, the government federal tax credits did create   a motivation for buyers to purchase. It was put in place to help restore balance and stability to the real estate market. According to Jeffrey Otteau, the tax incentives were a necessary step, but it didn’t last long enough to have a long term effect on the recovery of the real estate markets. Below are some specific market facts provided to me during the Otteau seminar.

Today, there is pent up demand from the past few years as buyers put their home buying decisions on hold. This increase in demand to purchase, coupled with low mortgage rates and the tax credit incentives helped set the stage for what seemed to be a start of a housing market recovery in March and April 2010.

Unsold inventory is the total number of homes being offered for sale and how many months it will take to exhaust all current inventory in a particular market area based on the rate of sales in that same area. A balanced supply is 8 months. When the unsold inventory levels are less than 8 months, we call that a seller’s market and more than 8 months of inventory makes a buyer’s market.

County Analysis

In all of Somerset County, there was a 6.6 month supply in 3^rdquarter of 2009, only 4.7 months of supply in April 2010 (in the middle of the tax incentives) and increased 61% after the expiration of the tax credits to 10.6 months of supply as of October 2010. Even at these higher levels, Somerset County is still #5 in the state compared to its sister counties.

Local Analysis

According to Jeffrey Otteau’s analysis, in Warren Township, there was 12.9 months supply of inventory back in the 3^rd quarter of 2009. The tax credit incentive helped reduce the unsold inventory levels to an astounding 4.9 months in April 2010. However, since the tax credit expiration, inventory levels have continued to creep higher and now at 10.1 months of supply…yet still a reduction of 22% in inventory levels compared to the same period on 2009.

Basking Ridge is currently the hot spot in the state, ranked #13 with an unsold inventory level of 5.2 months, as of the 3^rd quarter of 2010, down from 5.4 month the year before; suggesting a seller’s market.

Bridgewater is at a balanced 8 months and Watchung is at 16.5 months of unsold inventory.

In April 2010, the number of contract sales in New Jersey was higher than in the boom of 2006, up 43% from the year before (and up 58% in Somerset County alone). But these results were quickly reversed in May, June and July 2010 with a decrease of -23%, -27% and -27% respectively from the previous year.

Interestingly, I showed many homes yesterday throughout Bridgewater and Montgomery (both in Somerset County), and Raritan Twp, Delaware Twp (in Hunterdon County). The best “value” is in Raritan Twp and Delaware Twp.

I get asked all the time how the market is. I try to explain that although bad news get published about the real estate market around the country and even in NJ, select areas seems to be less effected. Montgomery is a hot area. I showed 2 homes there yesterday…both over $1MM. 1 of the homes needed work and it wasn’t a traditional flow…more contemporary. The other was perfect…move in condition with fabulous walk out basement with all the bells and whistles with home theatre, guest room (ground level) with gorgeous bath. It just came on the market a couple of days ago. I called the listing agent to discuss and request the seller’s disclosure. She informed me that in 2 days… they already had 4 offers!!!!

Another great opportunity is for those that like country, peaceful living. Delaware Twp is right outside of Flemington/Raritan Twp. The schools, I am told from my clients that will only upsize within Delaware Twp, are fabulous. It is a K-8 system and the high school kids go to Hunterdon Central. It is amazing the value. A home I have listed in Meadow View Estates, 4,300 sq. ft, is $785,000. The “same” model house in Bridgewater sold for $1MM. We are working on a new model in that development, The Astor Model, that is also about 4,300 sq. ft with a first floor bedroom and bath, in case you have in-laws that visit that can’t climb the steps.

There are some really great communities and towns that are more “sleeper towns” – less well known, that have great schools and easy living communities. School systems drive the prices of homes.