Don Xml's Grok This

It seems as though the housing market in New Jersey has finally peeked, and is on its way down.  Well, that is if you think that recent run on St. Joseph statues in the Garden State is a leading indicator on the housing market (see the recent Star Ledger article).  There is a very old Catholic custom/superstition which states the if you bury a statue of St. Joseph (in a protective cloth) upside down in your front yard, the father of The Savior will help speed the sale of the house.  I don’t know if it actually helps, but if people are buying the statues, there is a good chance that the market has finally peeked.  But don’t tell that to my sister.  She is in the middle of buying a house along the Jersey Shore, and was outbid during the attorney review period, not once, but twice (on 2 different houses).  The third contract (and house) finally made it thru attorney review.

It took me a couple months to sell my house last year, and I bought a house in the same town (other side) that was on the market for over 6 months, so not all houses sell right away.  It just takes a savvy buyer/seller to know how to make the most out of a market.  Anyone looking to buy or sell a house in New Jersey and isn’t using the local Multiple Listing Service’s website (it varies with the MLS service), you are doing things the hard way.  Most of the northern counties are in the Garden State MLS.  You will have to search to find the other sites.