Counsellors Title
April 2nd, 2020
Title Wise
The New Jersey Real Estate News You Can Use  
 
We are going to have to change the way we conduct our business as long as this pandemic prevails. Marketing Smarter is all about adjusting to the market environment that we are dealing with. Counsellors Title will continue to conduct business following the CDC guidelines such as social distancing, video meetings and other measures to preserve preventative measures.       
 
Please feel free to email me at ralph@counsellorstitle.com
if you have any questions or would like to follow up on any of this edition's articles.  
                                                          Ralph Aponte
732.914.1400
    Social Distance Marketing  
 
If any industry can handle the coronavirus economy, it's the real estate industry. People in our business are used to change; oh, that is, the most successful ones are.   
 
What appears to be a disruption most likely is more of an interruption. What will change coming out of this national crisis are new conventions for communication and connecting with people.
 
As we emerge from this standstill into a more transactional economy, our skills and our expertise will be in more demand than ever. What will be different is the way that we process the transactional model of buying and selling a home.
 
Remember that change is only dangerous when you refuse to.
 
Vocabulary
Before we make any adjustments to our business or our business model, typically our vocabulary must change first.
The first word I would like to suggest we begin to substitute is the word adjust for change. Change implies a more violent disruption in a way or in a condition without the knowledge to navigate it. In other words, change is an adversarial description for something that is completely a natural event.
 
Everyone is capable of making an adjustment. A zebra can't change its stripes but it can adjust where it goes to eat. The same thing for the real estate business: we can't change the transactional equation but we can adjust our habits to go where our buyers and sellers will meet.
 
More and faster? 
Some agents will go about during this time doing what they have always done but at a higher frequency and with an increase in spending, be even more self-promotional. Now is the time to be sensitive and relevant. None of us have the answers to when we will emerge from this economic season, but those who navigated with emotional and intellectual aplomb will come out on top.
 
 # # # 
Rents Hit Another New High 
 
The average national rent rose to $1,468 in February, representing a 3.2% increase from the same time last year.

Areas that have seen the highest increases in rent also reflect movements concomitant with the average price of a home sale.
 
As expected, Seattle's growth in average rents has seen significant price increase reflecting its torrid housing market. Seattle's rents climbed an average of $113 for apartments year-over-year.
 
Manhattan continues to be the priciest market for rentals in the country with the average rent priced at $4,208 per month. The city with the lowest average rent was Wichita, Kansas, where the average apartment rent was $665 per month.
 
The COVID-9 pandemic continues to affect the rental market with fewer people looking and searching both in person and electronically for apartments during the week of March 11th through 17th. 
 
  MORTGAGE PAYMENTS
The average monthly mortgage payment in the United States is $1,029 (2016).
 
When you add in other housing costs such as property taxes, association dues, utilities and maintenance costs, the median cost of housing jumps to $1,491 for homeowners with a mortgage.
 
First-time borrowers faced a mortgage payment of $1,235 - 21% more than the average homeowner.
 
 # # #
February Buyer Traffic Jumps 25%    
 
Home showings reflects that in February, traffic increased by 19.1% from January, the prior month. It also soared 25.1% from showings in 2019.

The force of the 2019 economy clearly was spilling over into the first two months in 2020. Also contributing to the wave of buying was the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to a 3-year low, falling to 3.45%.  
 
Concomitantly, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that the number of new jobs increased to 273,000 jobs in February and unemployment remained at 3.5%. 
 
What portends a great deal of concern is the rapid increase in the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the U.S. This obviously was not reflected in the February numbers.

March is expected to reflect a marked decline in showings as well as new listings and sales. Clearly, this is going to be a wait-and-see economic climate for the next few months due to the coronavirus. 
 
# # #
A.S.A.P. Attorney Settlement Assistance Program 
 
Our real estate secretarial services are able to assist you in every aspect of the sale, purchase, refinance or loan closing process. We will directly communicate with all the parties involved in the transaction and coordinate and obtain all the items necessary to bring the matter to closing.
 
Our ASAP services can be individually customized to fit your needs. These services include:
  • Documentation Preparation
  • Disbursement of Funds
  • Attendance at Closing
  • HUD Preparation or
  • Post-Closing Matters
Our Commitment to Excellence
Counsellors Title Agency wants to thank you for the opportunity to work with you and your clients to grow your business. Please feel free to click the link above or here to leave us a review on Google. We appreciate your business.

 
Careers @ Counsellors

Sales: Leading NJ title insurance agency seeks experienced licensed salespersons to help expand its market share throughout the entire state. Benefits include health insurance, 401k with an employer match, flexible spending account, expense account, & marketing support. Send resumes by fax: 732-914-8898 or ralph@counsellorstitle.com

# # # 
Free Online Title Insurance Calculator  

Counsellors Title Agency announced its updated Title Calculator for New Jersey home purchases & refinances at: Title Calculator  
 
Loan officers, real estate agents and home buyers can find out how much title insurance will cost for purchases made in New Jersey. 
 
Easy-To-Use Functionality
This online tool includes many of the endorsements involved in calculating the cost of a title policy in New Jersey. CTA's Title Calculator is a great tool for real estate salespersons, loan officers, attorneys and those who are buying or refinancing their home.

It calculates the cost of title insurance based upon the purchase price of the home, the loan amount, and the various endorsements that can accompany the loan. The calculator provides the user the scalability of selecting the various endorsements involved in the transaction. 

Counsellors Title Closing Services for Attorneys

Counsellors Title provides its Attorney Settlement Assistance Program [ASAP] with the real estate attorney in mind.

The Counsellors ASAP program offers secretarial services to assist in the process of a sale, purchase, refinance or loan closing.

Counsellors will even communicate directly with all the parties involved in the transaction to coordinate and obtain all the items necessary to assist in the close.

ASAP includes:
  • Documentation Preparation
  • Disbursement of Funds
  • Attendance at Closing
  • HUD Preparation or 
  • Post-Closing Matters
For more information about the attorney services provided by Counsellors Title call our home office: 732.914.1400 or email us at info@counsellorstitle.com.

 

Handy Guide to Real Estate Sources
 
I look forward to being of service to you, providing you with outstanding real-time information and some humor to make doing business a pleasure.
 
Sincerely,
Ralph
Ralph Aponte
Counsellors Title
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Counsellors Title Agency, Inc. specializes in providing title
insurance, title search services and loan closing services
serving attorneys, Realtors, banks and various mortgage
companies throughout the State of New Jersey. CTA offers full
search and insurance capabilities within all 21 counties of New
Jersey for commercial, residential and new construction
purchases in our Toms River, Freehold, Chatham, and Union locations. CTA is equipped with the latest digital technologies to ensure a
complete and timely transaction.

Counsellors Title Agency, Inc.
Mr. Ralph Aponte
President
Counsellors Title Agency, Inc.
504 Hooper Ave.
Toms River, NJ 08753
Phone: 732-914-1400
Fax: 732-914-8898