South Jersey (Burlington, Gloucester, Salem, etc) (houses, price, deal)

[Roselvr]

Sorry, it was supposed to say DM. not feeling well, had a tooth pulled.

I'll paste it in here

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I like ReMax, you can visit individual office sites, then look at agent profiles to read about them, making your decision easier. I spent 7 months looking for a house and foundnd the Remax site the best. Prudential Fox & Roach comes close but it does not let you make folders for saved properties.

If you are looking to buy new homes that's a different story, so let us know that if it applies.

I would go to yahoo.com, then click on real estate, it takes you here. From there look for Find a REALTOR®. Fill in the info, you will get agents that give you info, and you can read feedback from customers. If you have no clue where to start, at least this give you something with customer feedback.

Major real estate sites
Realtor.com main search - click advanced search to get more options
Caldwell Banker
Century 21
ReMax NJ
Prudential Fox & Roach
Exit Realty Cherry Hill
Weichert
Trulia
NJ MLS
Yahoo Real estate - even though it is Prudential, you still need to sign up independantly. You can check foreclosures there also. It's a pretty decent list. You can also find an agent through their Home Gain.
NJ Real Estate.com
Garden State MLS

Classifieds
Craigs Lists - a "classified ad" site - FSBO use it as well as some of us selling with an agent. South Jersey, is selected for other parts click NJ on the right side.

Home Values
Zillow - for home values (take with a grain of salt as they are on the low side)

Make an account at all of the sites. Put in your search criteria then save the search. You will get emails when new listings come on as well as price drops. Every site is different and in order to find a house, you may have to sign up at all because some sites do not get picked up at other sites, nor do they show anything but their own.

My favorite site is Remax for ease of use. I actually save all homes I'm interested in from other places in my Remax home finder. I will copy the MLS # searching at Remax

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New homes
American home guides
The real estate book
New home source
South Jersey Homes
New home guide

[JerzBoy]

Originally Posted by Jerseyt719

Ok, if we want rural we would look in Salem county, right??

What towns are nice with nice homes in Salem, yet safe??

All of the towns you all gave me in Gloucester look great. Now if you can, please pass along some Salem towns.

Salem county is very rural and I can't think of any towns that I could reasonably recommend to you. I've been to Pennsville, Penns Grove, and Carneys Point and I would not want to live in any of those towns. Another poster mentioned Woodstown, but I don't know much about it other than they have a rodeo every saturday.

I would stick with southern Gloucester Co if you want nice towns, good schools, and a somewhat rural atmosphere.

[Jerseyt719]

Originally Posted by JerzBoy

Salem county is very rural and I can't think of any towns that I could reasonably recommend to you. I've been to Pennsville, Penns Grove, and Carneys Point and I would not want to live in any of those towns. Another poster mentioned Woodstown, but I don't know much about it other than they have a rodeo every saturday.

I would stick with southern Gloucester Co if you want nice towns, good schools, and a somewhat rural atmosphere.

Thanks, JerzBoy and Roselvr. I'm getting some great information.

Just out of curiosity, why would you not want to live in those towns??

It seems Gloucester is nicer just judging by some of the homes I'm finding, but I know that can't tell you everything. I'm going to try and find Woodstown now. Rodeo, huh?? Yee Haa!!!!

[JerzBoy]

Originally Posted by Jerseyt719

Thanks, JerzBoy and Roselvr. I'm getting some great information.

Just out of curiosity, why would you not want to live in those towns??

It seems Gloucester is nicer just judging by some of the homes I'm finding, but I know that can't tell you everything. I'm going to try and find Woodstown now. Rodeo, huh?? Yee Haa!!!!

The towns i've been to in Salem county just seem to have run-down housing, abandoned shopping centers, they just seem to be dying. I'd definitely check out any town you are considering in person before deciding where to live.

[krusher]

I live in Woolwich (usually listed as Swedesboro in real estate searches because our zip code is Swedesboro). It's fantastic. And I've never heard of anyone in our entire development having bad radon levels -- don't know why that one person hates on Woolwich so much for the radon.

If you have a young family, or are looking to grow one, it's a great town. It's about 2 miles from the turnpike and 295 so pretty much anything in South Jersey is close by.

[FlyersFan]

Originally Posted by krusher

I live in Woolwich (usually listed as Swedesboro in real estate searches because our zip code is Swedesboro). It's fantastic. And I've never heard of anyone in our entire development having bad radon levels -- don't know why that one person hates on Woolwich so much for the radon.

If you have a young family, or are looking to grow one, it's a great town. It's about 2 miles from the turnpike and 295 so pretty much anything in South Jersey is close by.

Please allow me to set the record straight here. I do not "hate" Woolwich. The individual who started this thread asked for information on Woolwich and other nearby towns. I don't live there but do have certain factual knowledge that I felt any buyer should be aware of......not to eliminate Woolwich but to protect themselves when purchasing. The fact is that Woolwich is a very high radon incidence area. Woolwich and other surrounding/nearby communities like Swedesboro, Woodstown, Mickleton and East Greenwich are all designated Tier One zones meaning at least 25% of all tests in those zones are high, however, in Woolwich 55% of all tests performed there are over the EPA/DEP acceptable guideline. Thats every other house !!! This is not me saying this but the New Jersey DEP !!! I can't help that "Krusher" is unaware of this situation but it certainly doesn't mean that I "hate" Woolwich. Its not something the town advertises, realtors discuss much or builders disclose in any meaningful depth. Geeze....this problem is known and no one has even taken the responsibility to test the schools. The numerous white 3" pvc discharge pipes from the radon mitigation systems are very clear to see on the backs of the homes in the Weatherby and Lexington developments as you drive along Center Square Road. There have been a number of articles about radon in these areas in the Gloucester County Times as well as a public meeting sponsored by the DEP at the public school by the watertower off Center Square Road. I am knowledgeable about this as I am a New Jersey DEP licensed radon specialist with 20+ years experience......I test but mostly install radon reduction systems in homes with excessive levels. I've lost count on how many radon reduction systems I've installed in homes in Woolwich and surrounding communities. With 55% of Woolwich homes having unsafe radon levels and evidence available on the DEP interest web site to confirm this i'm not sure why "Krusher" seems to be in the dark on this issue but if your buying in Woolwich or the other nearby communities or currently live there it would be wise to test. The first thing most of my clients tell me is "No one told me about radon". Take this information for what its worth.....but I don't hate Woolwich.

[chatty56]

Go to Coldwellbanker.com and put in your area. Also, Pitman in Gloucester Co. is a quaint, smaller town with a downtown area within walking distance to most of Pitman. Prices aren't bad, schools are good, and it's a much smaller town than you'll find in Camden Co.

[Jerseyt719]

Chatty56, thanks for that. I will look at Pitman too.

FlyersFan, I am so ignorant about radon, it isn't even funny. I know we had a test when we bought our house and it was ok - and there's the extent of my knowledge about it.

Please shed some light on it for me. What will an unacceptable radon level mean, what can it do? What is a reduction system and how does it work? I know I can probably look up this info, but would rather know from someone that actually works in the field. You seem to get better answers that way. Like you can look up things about prisons but talking to someone that works there will give you a much better insight.
Thanks!!

[NJ987654]

I second Woolwich as an up and coming town (pricey but worth it in my opinion). Radon is a known issue. honestly... It's not a big deal in my mind. Obviously FlyerFan is an expert in the area. It wouldn't disuade me from an area (it's an issue in most of the counties in the south).

[FlyersFan]

Originally Posted by Jerseyt719

Chatty56, thanks for that. I will look at Pitman too.

FlyersFan, I am so ignorant about radon, it isn't even funny. I know we had a test when we bought our house and it was ok - and there's the extent of my knowledge about it.

Please shed some light on it for me. What will an unacceptable radon level mean, what can it do? What is a reduction system and how does it work? I know I can probably look up this info, but would rather know from someone that actually works in the field. You seem to get better answers that way. Like you can look up things about prisons but talking to someone that works there will give you a much better insight.
Thanks!!

Radon is a colorless, odorless radioactive gas. All houses have some, it just needs to be below the 4.0 pCi/l EPA/DEP guideline to be considered a safe level. It comes from naturally formed, decaying uranium deposits deep in the earth. As these deposits go through the decay process they give off radon 222 gas. This gas seeps up through the soil and accumulates in basements with no rhyme or reason.....one house can have extremely high levels while the house next door can be low. Upper floors in homes have far less concentration. The US EPA and well as other countries similar government radiological departments are all in agreement that prolonged exposure can cause lung cancer, moreso in younger children as their breathing zone is closer to the floor. And yes, before anyone asks, I have mitigated homes where children or the homeowner who have never smoked in their life have had lung cancer. The US is not the only country with radon guidelines in homes. Much of South Jersey sits geographically in whats called the "Reading Prong" area.....a "prong" of high radon concentrations that extends outward and eastward from Reading, Pennsylvania. Because of the new Tier One designation fro the DEP about 3 years ago, newer homes in Woolwich (less than 3 years old) and surrounding communities are now required to have a complete "passive" system installed at the time of construction which can be made "active" if the house is tested and found to have excessive levels. If the home has no passive system then it can still be installed but would have to run outside the house as its impossible to add within the house after construction. I install about 150 radon reductions a year and over 20 years I've never come across a house that could not be mitigated below 4 pCi/l, however, there are some houses that do require additional effort from a "standard system. The only way to tell your radon level is to test......you can get test kits at Home Depot and Lowes......I suggest getting two kits and place them side by side as close to the center of your basement as possible about 3 feet off the floor. This should give you a pretty accurate indication of whats going on in your basement. Hope this helps......if you need further info just ask.........Mike