In the Jersey City area? Im looking to buy a place and any help would be appreciated.
Thank you!

Marge at Century 21 on Newark Ave is a great buyer's realtor. We and several friends have used her and she is not pushy and never shows you anything you didn't ask for (out of your price range, not meeting your requirements, not in the right area etc)
good luck.

I second Marge Crimmins from Century 21. She's very knowledgeable, really listens, and not pushy (as the previous poster mentioned). Her office is on Grove St, one block south of the Grove St. PATH station. Her email is mcrimmins@jerseycityhomes.com.

Marge helped us too; she did a great job and was professional and helpful throughout the entire process.

Being a two-time Jersey City homeowner I can make a few recommendations and perhaps provide some food for thought.
I can recommend Patricia Ruiz and Carolyn Cavallaro. Both are with Re/Max Villa realtors. Carolyn actually introduced me to JC a little over 6 years ago and dragged me here (after weeks of my refusing to not look anywhere but Hoboken or Manhattan) and thankfully I've been here ever since. I purchased my second home with Patti's help and she was a great help in my search and negotiations. They both made the process as painless as possible. As part of full disclosure I will admit that I know Patti socially which is why I used her but would not hesitate in using her again. Also as full disclosure I am a real pain the rear when it comes to what I want and what I think something is worth. Neither one of them wasted my time by showing me listings that I would obviously have no interest in.

Now a few tips for the potential buyer....

1. If at all possible do not use the listing agent's real estate office as a buyer's agent. (more on this in a second)

2. Get your own prequalification letter from a bank YOU trust and try not to use someone that is recommended by the listing agent/acency. When submitting an offer that requries a prequalification letter, try to have the prequal letter match your offer amount.

3. Research. Try to get a feel for what is available on the market and the pricing. Use www.realtor.com to get an idea of what is out there. The site has a nice search feature where you can select features you would like to search for.
You can also do a search for the history of ownership of the property and taxes to give yourself a better idea of what the seller originally paid at this site : http://tax1.co.monmouth.nj.us/cgi-bin ... ata&district=1301&mode=11

4. Patience. If your situation allows, don't settle for what is currently in the market if nothing feels right since new properties are always coming available.

5. Know what you want. This may sound like a no-brainer but your search will be easier if you know what the minimum is you will accept in terms of features and what the maximum is in terms of price (price of what you are willing to pay, not listing price - don't limit your search too much on price since you can always try to negotiate). If you are willing to do a little work on a place you can get a better deal, etc.

6. Common Sense. If a property has been on the market for 8 months and there just so happens to be another offer on the property as soon as you are going to put yours in, chances are its a lie. This is a tactic used by many agents to try to get more $ out of you and to rush the process.

7. Know your limitations. I put in three low-ball offers over a 9 month period. I knew what I was willing to pay and that is what I offered. I wouldn't lose a home over $5k but I would over $50k and I did twice. The two homes I lost out on (one was taken off the market by the seller and the other still has not sold) But the third time was the charm and it has worked out for the best.

Brief story to sum up my first two points. When looking for my next home I went to open house downtown and was interested in the property. I got a card from the realtor and began the process of putting an offer down on the home. I was prequalified through their banker. I submitted a low ball offer that was less than the amount I was prequalified for (this was about a year and a half ago so the market was hotter than it is now - but, as I said, I have a def idea of what a place is worth and an even better idea of what I would want to pay). The realtor ( a newbie at real estate ) had me sign the offer letter and I was on my way. However, the Manager for the listing agency calls me about 20 minutes later to berate me. She repeatedly told me that I should put in the max amount that I was prequalified for and that she KNEW the buyer would not accept. I did not budge and then called the agent I was working with and told her to tear up my offer. Needless to say that house remained the market another year and was eventually pulled off the market by the seller after changing realtors several times. So the short (of long at this point) is that, since they KNEW how much I could supposedly afford they were pretty obviously going to tell the seller to hold out for more. In any case it was a very unpleasant experience and I will never use that agency again. FYI - the agency rhymes with Reichert.

In any case if you need some help from an unbiased source feel free to PM me and I'll do everything I can to help.

Also, I sold my original JC place on my own without the use of a realtor ( I recommend using a realtor as a Buyer's agent because you are not the one paying them and the right one can be a great help )

Hope this helps and my apologies if I rambled a bit.

I can only say good things about Marcia Langley

who would it be? I am looking for someone with experience in the market. There are too many people out there who have no idea what they are doing. Thanks!

I just closed on a condo in Jersey City today, and Robert Legnosky of Weichert Realty (273 Grove Street) was amazing. He has a ton of insights about the area, since he grew up in JC. Not only that, but I am a first time buyer who was beyond anxious, and Rob handled me like a pro AND found me a beautiful condo...can't ask for more than that!

I bought and sold my house through Phil Rivo at Armagno. Phil is an awesome neighbor and a smart agent who really knows the ins and outs of the Jersey City market.

I have bought two properties through Nader Rezai at Weichert Realty downtown office. He is the most communicative agent I have ever encountered and a great advocate of the buyer.

If you need an honest down to earth real estate agent talk to Rhett Del Forno at Del Forno Real estate. I have dealt with him various times and he actually gave me a couple of breaks with my house.

I am selling my condo in a few months. I wanted to know which real estate companies are the best and mostly recommended?

Anyone know anything about Armagno and Del Forno? and what % they charge?

Thanks,
Madina

I know this is like an open call but I am hoping someone can give me some good advice on selecting a realtor or broker for my home buying experience in JC. I am just starting this process...for Bergen Hill area of JC.

Anyone have good experiences, or bad experiences they can warn me about?

I need someone that KNOWS what they are doing, and can wiggle the amount I qualify for a little bit. These online calculators are insane. I hope they arent true predictors of what I really can borrow If thats the case, I might as well live in a cardboard box..I have (PhD)student loans (so, alot) and I dont want that crap to stop me from being eligible for a decent amount.

Please help....and if you are a broker or agent responding to this, please understand I will ask you to provide references. Thanks everyone!

we used a great agent twice, her name is marge crimmins and she is at century 21 on Grove Street, she was raised in JC and really knows the area and is concerned with you getting somewhere you will be happy with. good luck!

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I have and will always highly recommend Brian Henry at Boyne Realty on Grove/Wayne.

I'm not so sure we want to get into blacklisting people on here. A lot of the service recommendations/complaints depend entirely on the people involved. Not to mention the fact that we seem to debate whether the sun sets in the east or the west, so it might just be an exercise in futility.

Good luck with your search though and definitely give Brian a shot!

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Foxtons is in the process of going out of business.

I tried to make this a separate thread, because I think this is a big deal and would get more attention if it were in a separate thread, but some people think it belongs in this thread.

Regardless:

One argument is that, because Foxtons' business model is so unusual, the fact that it went out of business is not really representative of what's going on in the market as a whole.

My feeling is that Foxtons is just so well known that, even if it had an unusual business model, the fact that it's going out of business is really noteworthy.

You would think that, under normal circumstances, some other company would have taken it over or bailed it out, one way or another.

The fact that it's going to (I guess) file Chapter 11 is a sign that, right at this moment, the jumbo mortgage loan market paralysis is pretty catastrophic.

I would absolutely advise everyone to avoid Janet Maya from Armagno Agency. If you want an agent who will look out more for the buyer then she is your girl. We have worked with her and regretted it from almost the beginning, right after we signed the contract. She changed into a completely different person. I would not want anyone to go through that experience.

They are all sharks in their own way

I'm selling a couple of units "For Sale By Owner" at the moment.

I refuse to let these dicks get 6% for walking into my place waving a set of keys and their bullshit MLS.

They keep calling me up with their "marketing tools" and spin. If they spent as much effort in trying to find a buyer, rather than sitting waiting for the phone to ring, I'd be impressed.

The last 2 realtors that I used had serious character flaws. The job is basically a skid row for failed actors, psychos, soccer moms and potential gunshop owners. You need a car and a mouth - period!

And half of them are insider traders anyway. The times that I've had them try to beat the price down because they are part of a buyer’s consortium, where they try to leverage their influence and percentage to flip a property. They make me puke.

If you need to move something fast - use an honest, local, time honored, family business like DelForno. The rest can go to hell.

I agree I will only deal with Del Forno. They seem to be the most honest and up front. I had to back out of my deal of selling my house due to family issues and they didn;t penalize me. They understood my situation and ripped up the contract. No Penalties...Thank you Del Forno!

Stay clear of Coldwell Banker in Hoboken (soon to be in Downtown Jersey City as well). The only thing they specialize in is telling you what you want, rather than listening to what you want. The agent, John, tried to tell me that there is more on-street parking in Hoboken than Jersey City and that I can get more for my money in Hoboken too. Not to mention he totally failed to to include any of the requirements of what I was looking for in an apartment. And although I refused to even look at Hoboken apartments (I lived there before and hated it) I went to an appointment when the only units he had lined up to show me were in Hoboken...No thanks! The guy is a total baboon. He doesn't listen to the buyer, he's totally working for his sellers...and in this kind of buyers market you have to really think about who your real clientele is.

first, I'd do as much research on my own as I possibly could and tour the area via Open Houses as much as possible. You'll get a pretty good idea of what you do and don't like, want. Afterward, ring a couple of bells in the building and next door. This may seem crazy to new comers but JCity always been a neighborhood and some people love to talk openly & frankly about the good and bad points. As a buyer, you can have anybody show you property. But really getting the inside track you'll have to do on your own.

Yeah, we had a brush with John too. Total crazyhead (a failed artist turned realtor). Thinks he painted with David Hockney (in his f'kin dreams) Missed appointments, lied, talked himself into a corner. deal tanked. Absolutely cuckoo!

Just use Craigslist and cut out the middleman. That realtors 6% you're paying can buy you a car, new carpets and a paintjob. Trust me, the buyer always pays for the realtor...(that's why they lean on you in the latter stages of negotiation)

Wanna know what kind of car Mr. Weichert drives? (it's not a Kia) wake up and smell the coffee!

While I agree with the bad feelings on giving the percentage to the realtors how easy is it to sell the house on your own? For example if you must do the showings, etc then you are bringing yourself into personal contact with the buyer where as with them you can keep your distance.

FYI - As a seller, when you pay 6% to the realtor - it's split 4 ways. YEAH !! Every realtor (both buy and sell side) split the commissions with the house !! The buyer's and seller's realtor each get 1.5% and their firms split the rest !! Yeah, so when you paid $24K to the realtor for selling your $400K place - (s)he got $6,000 and so did their firm, and the buyer's realtor and their firm !! yeah, 4 or 5 months of open houses for $6,000!! Go figure, dude - some of them work really hard. I was sooo grateful to my realtor's team for selling my condo after 4 months of non-stop Open Houses and advertising. Only wish I controlled the pricing since I had a better sense of the financial market than they did.

The split with the employing broker is different for every agent so it's not true that they always get just 1.5%. It depends on the deal you work out with the company you work for. Some companies like Remax let their agents keep a lot more of the commission because the company doesn't cover any of the advertising costs. Other companies do and even spit. It really just depends on the company and the agent.

Hello,
I want to buy a property in Downtown JC. Could anyone recommend a good Realtor?
Thanks so much in advance.

i worked with fathey abdullah at liberty real estate when i bought my condo (at the majestic on montgomery) back in april... honestly, i worked him hard (b/c i was a first time buyer and am very nitpicky) but he was always really patient and had a good sense of what i was looking for... he knows the area really well, since he grew up here... there were multiple times when his advice ran contrary to what would've made him more money, so i felt confident that he was looking out for my best interests...

you can email him at fatheyabdullah@gmail.com... or, private message me and i can give you his cell phone number...

JChelpPlz

I sent you a pm.

It really depends on what kind of property you are looking for. Some realtors are stronger in the townhouse market and others concentrate on condos or even commercial properties. I've worked with various realtors in the area and it really depends what you are looking for.

Hope that helps,

Chiefdahill

Quote:

I'd also strongly endorse Fathey, my wife and I worked w/him in purchasing our home downtown and he worked his tail off for us.

Hi JChelpPlz

David Bartz of Remax has been great for us. He helped us purchase our primary residence, brokered our investment property in 2006 and found renters who signed a 2 year lease w/3% standard increase before the first months mortgage. Those tenants (2yrs later) are moving out now that their lease is up and within one week and less than an hour ago he left my house and we signed a new 2yr lease. He mentioned he has a 1600 sqft unit on the 42nd floor at 77 Hudson in downtown for sale.

Go to droyerspoint.biz for more information. Tell him a Lyon Court resident told you about him...he'll know who!

Otherwise...Good luck!

Chiefdahill is right. Most realtors specialize in certain types of properties but others specialize in being incompetent

I eventually got my license for that reason. currently I only deal with referrals or my own investment groups. I also specialize in rentals. Usually 2 week turn around on vacancies max.

All the ones previously mentioned are good for primary residences but most realtors dont have a clue about investment properties.

I dont solicit business on this site.

I really recommend Erik Wagner with ReMax. He helped us buy our JC home. We were living in Virginia and shopping up here, which made it very difficult, but he did everything he could to help us see places, even working with us on July 4. He's also lived in a couple different areas of JC, so he really knows the city well. Very personable, very professional. His e-mail is erikwagner@remax.net.

My wife and I are looking into renting a 1 or 2 bedroom downtown (we currently live there but are looking for a new place).

Does anyone know a good real estate agent for renting?

Thanks!

I used Brian Henry at Boyne Realty. He was good but not exceptional -- I needed to move quickly and he found me something that I liked, was able to accomodate my schedule.

My name is Robert Legnosky. I'm with Weichert Realtors. I'd be more than happy to help you. You can reach me 201-240-5559.

Robert

you cant recommend yourself

I recommend Warren Curtin of Warren Curtin Realty if you are looking in the downtown area. He knows the neighborhoods really well.

We really liked Dan Pelosi out of the Grove Street Weichert office. He worked hard for us.

After spending two incredibly frustrating months trying to find a renter for my house in the Heights, I finally decided to try a realtor. Chris Kearns from Avanti (who I found from JCList, by the way) found me a qualified tenant almost immediately.

I've dealt with a lot of local realtors in the past and did not hold out much hope for any type of assistance. But Chris blew me away with his professionalism and determination to get my home rented. He took care of the smallest details and was easy to work with. He seems to have a really good handle on the JC area.

His cell is 908-902-2827. His office is on Jersey Avenue.

Bridget Cleary from Coldwell Banker is great

I'd be looking to buy directly from the owner or selling the property on my own - it isn't rocket science and both owner and buyer can benefit by kicking away the middlemen / realtor.

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When we were looking for a condo, had only bad experiences when dealing directly with owners.

The trick is to find the right realtor. trying to save 4-6% and taking yourself out of 80% of the available listings is just downright stupid.

Anyone have experience (good or bad) with Liberty? Thanks.

I used Liberty to sell my condo in 2006 and I would not recommend them. The listing agents were a team of two, one of them still works there. At one open house, they came over and ate their lunch from Fatburger, stunk up the unit and plopped their @sses on the sofa to watch television. Needless to say they didn't sell the place after a three month listing. I then listed w/ ReMax on Grove St and they sold it at the same listing price within a month. I was able to negotiate a 4.5% commission w/ ReMax.

I used Phil Rivo at Armagno Agency. Phil sold my condo in less than 2 months. He has a great personality and lives in Downtown JC with his family. I highly recommend him.

No, it's not "rocket science" but in some situations a seller is willing to pay for a service for the convenience of not having to spend the time to do all of these activities him/herself.

We both have full-time jobs and a young family. Plus trying to market a place in a sluggish market and deal with coordinating the open houses appointments.... Yuck. Been there, done it. Not worth it in this market. Gone seem to be the days when you could post your place on Craiglist and get a good number of buyers coming to your Openhouse and get offers within a week.

Vigilante, thanks for the recommendation.

I highly recommend Erik Wagner at Remax. We used him to buy a house in JC a couple years ago (he has since become a friend of ours) and we have had friends use him to sell condos. He lives in Jersey City and owns several properties here, so he definitely knows the market. His e-mail is erikwagner@remax.net.

I recommend Lito Quiray of Elcan Realty. He was amazing and very patient with me as I looked at 30 condos in the area. He was very helpful, educated and knowledgable on the entire Jersey City area. He also just got his broker's license (used to be a realtor). He is a great guy and found me a perfect 1 br condo in journal square.