Lawrence T. Mraz - Blog - Lawrence T. Mraz

Recent Blog Posts by Lawrence T. Mraz
Housing has never been so affordable! A recent RIS Media article stated: "Housing affordability conditions for all buyers reached a milestone in the first quarter, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. NAR’s composite quarterly Housing Affordability Index rose to a record high of 205.9 in first quarter, based on the relationship between median home price, median family income and average mortgage interest rate. ... Posted by Lawrence T. Mraz @ 12:00 AM on 05/17/2012		More
Spring is heating up!! To all: The Spring market started early and continues at full speed. Buyers have really grasped the fact that prices have likely reached their low point, as is the case with interest rates. Folks are afraid that they may be missing the best real estate market with the highest affordability in decades. Are you thinking of buying or selling? The time is right!! Call me ... Posted by Lawrence T. Mraz @ 12:00 AM on 05/07/2012		More
Latest Housing Survey by Fannie Mae This piece from Steve Harney and the KCM Team says it all. Read on: National Housing Survey 2012 by The KCM Crew on April 4, 2012 · 404Share 94inShare Each quarter, Fannie Mae releases their National Housing Survey. They survey the American public on a multitude of questions concerning today’s housing market. We like to pull out some of the ... Posted by Lawrence T. Mraz @ 12:00 AM on 04/04/2012		More
Selling or thinking of selling a home? This piece from Steve Harney makes lots of sense. Read on: How the Serenity Prayer Applies To Selling a Home You may believe that selling your home is impossible in today’s market. You may feel powerless to the process. What could YOU possibly do to turn this housing market around? There is no doubt that today’s real estate market is extremely difficult to navigate. However, we want you ... Posted by Lawrence T. Mraz @ 12:00 AM on 02/23/2012		More
Even the news media agrees! To all: I am seeing more articles in the news about how the National Housing Market has bottomed out and that 2012 will be a turnaround year. As I always say, all real estate is local, but national trends are important, because they have a profound impact on the economic recovery of our nation. While some areas are still struggling, others are starting to really recover, and the rest ... Posted by Lawrence T. Mraz @ 12:00 AM on 01/15/2012		More
Why the real estate market is so important. Well, we got through another year in the current "Real Estate Adjustment Period" of the ever-changing cycle of real estate ups and downs. The good news is that most experts feel that in this area of the country, we are at the bottom of the adjustment cycle. While no one is predicting a really rapid rise in prices, (which is what we really do not need again!) most feel that we will ... Posted by Lawrence T. Mraz @ 12:00 AM on 12/29/2011		More
How is the weather? I had an interesting conversation with a fellow Realtor when I was down in Atlantic City at the Triple Play Real Estate Convention last week . She stated, "Why is it that when we ask someone about the weather, it is assumed that we are talking about the local weather. But when we hear stories or comments about real estate "conditions", folks act as though the real estate ... Posted by Lawrence T. Mraz @ 12:00 AM on 12/15/2011		More
Should You Wait Until Spring to Sell? I just read an interesting article about an error in the common belief that if you want to sell your home, you should wait until the Spring, because there will be more buyers out looking for homes at that time. Well it is true that there will be more buyers out looking, but what is also true is that so too will there be a lot more homes going on the market for sale in the Spring. ... Posted by Lawrence T. Mraz @ 12:00 AM on 11/29/2011		More
The Dream of Homeownership Lives on!! I just read an article about the results of recent surveys that support once again that the vast majority of Americans still want to own their own homes. There have been a number of reports that say perhaps the US will become a "renter nation" with new heads of households unwilling to take on the responsibilities of owning their own homes. While there may be some who ... Posted by Lawrence T. Mraz @ 12:00 AM on 11/17/2011		More
Still time to buy this year! As the month of November rapidly approaches, it is easy to think that the real estate buying year is just about over. However, there is still time to find and close on a home purchase this year if you start right away with the help of a real estate propessional. The inventory of homes is still great, sellers are even more interested than ever in getting their homes sold before winter ... Posted by Lawrence T. Mraz @ 12:00 AM on 10/30/2011		More
The sky is falling, the sky is falling!!! To all: I received an email today from a friend that read, in part, "My cousin lives in Bergen County and a realtor told her there will be no more sales during this calendar year. Is it that bad out there?" There is enough in our lives to worry about without having alarmists and naysayers add this kind of stress to people's already over-burdened lives. Here was my reply to my friend: I really ... Posted by Lawrence T. Mraz @ 10:01 AM on 08/25/2011		More
And the survey says....A Fannie Mae survey explores why people buy homes and more. I found still another great article from Steve Harney. This one is about the results of a Fannie Mae survey asking people questions about the housing market, home ownership and more. Read on: ******************************************** Homeownership: Still the American Dream Share Yesterday, Fannie Mae released their National Housing Survey for ... Posted by Lawrence T. Mraz @ 11:17 AM on 08/16/2011		More
The top 5 Real Estate Headlines Tell it all! Another great blog post from the KCM team that helps explain where we are in the Real Estate Market: The Top 5 Real Estate Headlines in the 1st Half of 2011 by The KCM Crew on July 5, 2011 inShare We have reached the midway point of the year. Today, we want to look back over the first six months and give you what we believe were the five items that have had the ... Posted by Lawrence T. Mraz @ 12:40 PM on 07/05/2011		More
For many sellers, now actually is a good time to sell! Another great article from the KCM Crew about the facts surrounding the current housing market. Read on: A Window of Opportunity for House Sellers by The KCM Crew on June 21, 2011 · 1 comment in For Sellers,Pricing 473Share inShare There has been much confusion as to where housing prices are headed. We have actually blogged on the issue recently. Today, we ... Posted by Lawrence T. Mraz @ 2:19 PM on 06/21/2011		More
How about looking at homes to buy this weekend!! What a great opportunity to see some of the homes that are out there for sale. The National Association of Realtors is sponsoring a National Open House Weekend this weekend, June 4th and 5th. The weather is beautifuland the home selection is outstanding! Check out the homes that are participating by visiting the various websites that are out there, or just get in your ... Posted by Lawrence T. Mraz @ 12:51 PM on 06/04/2011		More
Stop Listening to Real Estate Agents! Ask someone else! Here is a great blog post about what Non-Real Estate experts are saying about the state of the real estate market, brought to you by Steve Harney. read on: OK. You Win. Stop Listening to Real Estate Agents! by The KCM Crew on April 5, 2011 · 3 comments in For Buyers 390Share Each day we attempt to give truthful insight on the current housing market. ... Posted by Lawrence T. Mraz @ 12:20 PM on 04/05/2011		More
For the truth about home ownership-ask Grandpa To all: Another great post from Steve Harney and the KCM Crew! We Think We’re Going to Believe Grandpa by The KCM Crew on March 22, 2011 · 2 comments in For Buyers 242Share There are those currently debating the financial advantages of owning a home. Some are looking at studies and reporting that homeownership has never really been a great ... Posted by Lawrence T. Mraz @ 12:42 PM on 03/22/2011		More
Do you need a full service real estate professioanal? One of my favorite real estate experts, Steve Harney, presents some really good reasons why in this market, more than ever, you need a full service, full fee real estate professional working for you. I would like to share them with you. This Is a Job for Superman, Not Clark Kent by The KCM Crew on February 1, 2011 · 15 comments in For Buyers,For Sellers 339Share ... Posted by Lawrence T. Mraz @ 1:25 PM on 02/01/2011		More
Do Newspapers Sell Homes? Myths: The Earth Is Flat and Newspapers Sell Houses by The KCM Crew on November 16, 2010 · 9 comments in For Sellers 349Share It is amazing how masses of people can believe something that is absolutely untrue. The greatest example of this is that at one time the vast majority of people believed the world to be flat. Today, we want to debunk another commonly held belief ... Posted by Lawrence T. Mraz @ 3:44 PM on 11/16/2010		More
Be sure to understand what you read! I just read a great article from Steve Harney about how to interpret the anticipated future media coverage of what is happening in the housing market. Housing figures reported without analysis will probably be downright scary. But you have to look behind the numbers. Read on: Don’t Pay Attention To the Scary Headlines Coming by The KCM Crew on September 14, ... Posted by Lawrence T. Mraz @ 4:24 PM on 09/14/2010		More
How to avoid appraisal problems I just read a very interesting article about how to get prepared for an appraisal of your home, especially when you are selling the home. We often do not think about things like giving the appraiser a list of all the recent improvements to the home. That can be very important, especially if those improvements help make your home more valuable that other homes supposedly just like ... Posted by Lawrence T. Mraz @ 11:56 AM on 07/16/2010		More
Real Estate Report is Encouraging The housing market is definitely improving, with improved year over year sales and declining inventories. A very good article follows: Existing-Home Sales Down in January 2010 but Higher Than Year Ago \| RISMedia Posted by Lawrence T. Mraz @ 11:44 AM on 03/04/2010		More
Home Inspection 101 A lot of people do not realize that when anyone buys a home in New Jersey, the purchase contract will state that the property is being sold in "as-is" condition. That does not mean that once the buyer enters into a contract to buy the home, they must purchase it regardless of what is found during title search, flood search, and home inspections. The buyer is entitled ... Posted by Lawrence T. Mraz @ 11:05 PM on 02/03/2010		More
The Cost versus the Price of a Home Sellers tend to focus on the price that they going to get for their home. Usually Buyers focus on the price of the home as well. That can be a big mistake because in fact Buyers should be looking at the COST of the home instead of the price! When sellers walk away from the closing table, they leave with a check in their hand (or more commonly a wire ... Posted by Lawrence T. Mraz @ 5:30 PM on 10/23/2009		More
What is the right price to offer on a home? Whether you are a buyer or a seller, a very important question that always comes up is "How do I know what is a fair offer on a home?" While everyone loves a bargain, sellers are not "giving their homes away", and by the same token, buyers are not "stealing" them! The art of negotiating a purchase price is practiced by real estate agents all the time. There is not one right ... Posted by Lawrence T. Mraz @ 2:59 PM on 10/15/2009		More

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