Spring 2021 SJ Real Estate Magazine

REALESTATE South Jersey

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SPRING 2021 ISSUE

The

SPRING MARKET is blooming In thi s is • Spring sue: market • Backy ard but terflies • Home upgra ...and m des ore!

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SOUTH JERSEY REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021

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SOUTH JERSEY REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021

YOUR HOME. OUR FOCUS.

Alyssa Kelbaugh & Nicholas Disco Sales Associates A Fresh Approach

(856) 316-6497 Alyssa cell akelbaugh@weichert.com (609) 405-5050 Nick cell ndisco@weichert.com 132 Kings Hwy East, Haddonfield, NJ 08033

(856) 394-5700

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SOUTH JERSEY REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021

REAL ESTATE South Jersey

Thank You to our

Expert Contributers

SPRING 2021 ISSUE

COO

PERRY CORSETTI VP OF SALES

ARLENE REYES EDITOR

KRISTEN DOWD ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

BRITTANY ROUGHT SALES MANAGER

AMANDA PHILLIPS Melisa Anderson

Pat Ciervo

Christine Dash

ACCOUNT MANAGERS

MEGAN MUDD MARKETING CONSULTANTS

PERRY CORSETTI JR. CASEY MEGLINO EDWARD GIBSON KAREN RODIER MITCH SMITH CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Bob Johns

Gina Kassak

Liz Mason

KEVIN CALLAHAN LESLIE FELDMAN KELLY FLYNN MADELEINE MACCAR ANTHONY J. MAZZIOTTI III DESIGN/LAYOUT

KIMBERLY KRAUSS

Kathleen McNamara

Steve West

South Jersey Real Estate is a publication of Newspaper Media Group 130 Twinbridge Drive Pennsauken, NJ 08110 856.779.3800 x6837 sunadvertising@ newspapermediagroup.com

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A once-in-a-lifetime market

It’s a seller’s market, and buyers need to make competitive offers

BY MADELEINE MACCAR

T

here has never been a housing market like the one right now.

It’s the result of a perfect storm, according to Realtor Melisa Anderson of JFKLiving. She described Burlington and Camden county inventory levels yielding 20 to 30 percent fewer listings than the 5-year average a year ago; now, buyers are up against a 60 to 75 percent decrease in available properties. That unprecedented competition is compounded by things like historically low interest rates attracting scores of interested buyers, first-time homeowners like Millennials and renters looking for more space, and potential sellers instead staying in place years longer than before.

“There’s no term for the market we’re in,” she said. “To fully describe what’s going on, we call it a ‘buyers’ hell:’ please see MARKET, page 7

SOUTH JERSEY REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021

MARKET

LOOK FOR OUR UPCOMING SECTION:

continued from page 6

There are all of these qualified buyers in the market and there’s literally nothing to purchase. You talk to people who have been in the industry 40 years, they’ve never seen anything like it, nor will we probably ever see anything like it again.”

Anderson has been a Realtor serving Burlington and Camden counties for the past two years. She largely attributes the current drastic changes to the “great migration” from Philadelphia, New York City and state, and North Jersey that has folks snapping up property in record time, fleeing their own regions’ housing shortages and heading south, especially as remote work allows many to ask themselves what they really want from their living situations.

Having been in real estate since 1988, Bob Johns of Century21 has seen the ups and downs of distinct, numerous markets. He agrees that he’s never seen anything akin to current conditions, especially as that northern exodus has “people coming from different parts of New York who never really looked at Gloucester County, New Jersey, before and see how much land they can buy.”

The past year has completely changed how he does his job.

“From the second my feet hit the ground in the morning, I’m a real estate agent,” he says. “We’re getting texts at 10:30 at night, 11 at night. There’s no boundaries any more because timing is critical: If you miss something, that could cost somebody money.”

Some buyer urgency, he explains, comes from sellers who took advantage of the favorable market early, then moved in with relatives or downsized for what began as a temporary solution and quickly became a year as the housing market heated up beyond all precedent.

Johns also used to help most of his clients buy their new homes and sell their old ones. With South Jersey seeing its own migration of residents seeking other states’ lower costs and warmer temperatures, he says he’s increasingly representing clients on only one side of the transaction.

Those who are buying locally have a number of hurdles before them. In previous years, Anderson said that a buyer made only maybe two or three

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SOUTH JERSEY REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021

MARKET

ket will shift next, they do have some key pieces of advice.

continued from page 7

“We need to have frank conversations with our buyers about what it means to waive an appraisal contingency, to waive home inspections. My biggest piece of advice to buyers right now is that you need to be extremely, extremely patient.

You are going to be writing multiple offers so don’t be surprised if it takes you 10-plus offers before one is accepted,”

offers before closing on a home, and were usually competing against one or two other offers; rejected offers can climb to a dozen easily now.

She recently had one client bidding against 27 others and cites another real estate agent’s property attracting more than 48 offers.

What’s more: Buyers should know that listing prices are more like bareminimum suggestions when demand so markedly over whelms supply, and flexibility could be the difference between landing a house or not.

“A year ago, with a really hot property, you might have had about two weeks to get an appointment to see it: Now, you have mere hours,” Anderson says. “There will be no negotiating, there are no counter offers. In some cases, sellers are getting 10 to 20 percent or even more over asking.”

Johns estimates that houses are selling for between $50,000 and $80,000 more than they would have a year or two ago.

Some buyers are so eager that they’re even willing to forgo final steps like closing inspections — a risky move that might seal the deal in the short term but could present homebuyer headaches in the future.

“Many — not all, but many — are willing to structure their offers to say that they’ll give up their right to have a home inspection, or to get a home inspection but for informational purposes only and not asking for any repairs,” says Johns.

“There’s a fine line where you certainly want to recommend that a purchaser

fully understands the terms they’re giving up by going to a real estate attorney.”

Both Anderson and Johns say they’ve seen an uptick in multigenerational families cohabitating. Anderson describes situations where grandparents take on childcare roles as younger children became remote students whose working parents can’t afford to stay home.

Johns says that non-nuclear families purchasing homes together is a trend that predates the pandemic, and it remains one that grows as individuals redefine what family means to them.

“What is the definition of a family? It’s a group of people, or even one person,” he observes. “I am seeing a lot of ‘Hey, my parents are aging, we’re going to come together and live together under one roof.’ That is a trend I have seen for the past couple years.”

While both Anderson and Johns say it’s difficult to predict how the housing mar-

Anderson advises. “Sellers need to have a strategy because their house is probably going to sell in a New York minute, and they need to know where they’re going to go once their home sells. And if you were planning to sell in two years, bump up your timeline if you can because you will never see another market like this.”

These previously unseen conditions are why Johns strongly suggests buyers seek expert guidance.

“Now more than ever, the assistance of a real estate professional is key to putting a successful transaction together because it is so complex,” he says.

Beyond seeking professional expertise, though, buyers should know the area “inside and out” while making the best offer possible.

“A buyer has to understand that they’re in huge competition and that the loanto-value terms in an offer are critical today, so get yourself in as close to a cash position as possible,” Johns advises. “You have to eliminate all of the uncertainty a seller might have about you. The offer you present has to be as strong as possible.” ■

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SOUTH JERSEY REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021

create a

BUTTERFLY GARDEN in your own backyard

SOUTH JERSEY REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021

WEBER GRILLS

BY LESLIE FELDMAN

W

e all know the beauty of butterflies: their colorful markings, the way they flutter in flight. But beyond their beauty, a world without butterflies would be less hospitable to life. Butterflies play an important role to many of the plants that we depend on for food. Without them, those plants would be in trouble, and we would too.

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Creating a butterfly garden will help preserve the essential habitat that butterflies and other pollinators need to survive, and you will get to watch these beautiful monarchs spread their wings in your backyard.

Matt Webster, general manager of Dambly’s Garden Center in Berlin, says that during the spring and summer there are a steady amount of customers looking to create butterfly and hummingbird gardens.

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SOUTH JERSEY REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021

BUTTERFLY

continued from page 11

certain plants they are looking for,” he said. “Others come in and need to be guided through the process of creating the garden from start to finish.”

Webster and his staff tell customers that it’s important to have plants in their garden that bloom at different times of the year. Butterflies in the New Jersey area start flying in late March and early April, and stop as late as November. Therefore, it’s important to have many different flowering plants that bloom at all different times of the season. This will provide a nectar source at all times.

There are dozens and dozens of different plants that attract butterflies based on their flowers. These include milkweed, coneflower, butterfly bush, salvia, lobelia, gaillardia, and many others.

There are also several plants that attract butterflies to their foliage (leaves). These are considered host plants. The butterflies lay their eggs on these plants, the eggs hatch and then the caterpillars will

eat the leaves of the plant which supply them with the nutrition to grow, then go through the process of turning into a butterfly. These plants include milkweed, parsley, dill, lady’s mantle, spicebush, and fennel.

“Most of the perennials that attract butterflies will want to be in a soil that is

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rich in nutrients and drains well,” said Webster. “Most plants will not thrive in a soil that is thick and holds too much water. They should also be created in sun or shade, but for best success and the most variety of options, an area in partial sun or full sun is best.”

Webster likes to tell customers that the host plants will obviously be damaged by the butterflies, as they are eating the leaves. However, for example, milkweed can be eaten down to basically nothing, yet most of the time, since they are a perennial, they will reflush after the caterpillars leave. Furthermore, they almost always come back the following spring with no problem.

Jack Connor, who formed the South Jersey Butterfly Project in 2008 with half a dozen other butterfly lovers he knew, said by far, the worst problem in gardens of South Jersey and everywhere through the state (and beyond) is the planting and nurturing of non-native plants. “These celebrated and popular plants are useless to native insects and crowd out and out-compete the native plants butterflies and other beneficial insects depend on. Another problem is the huge lawns many landowners prefer. They mostly hold non-native plants and are basically deserts to insects and other animals. If you want butterflies and other native animals to come onto your property for your kids and othplease see BUTTERFLY, page 13

SOUTH JERSEY REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021

BUTTERFLY

continued from page 12

ers to enjoy, shrink your lawn and take out your non-native plants, and replace them with native plants.”

Webster added that it is important not to spray your plants in your garden with any chemicals when dealing with fungus or bad insect issues.

“There are certain organic sprays you can use that can help with these issues, but always consult with someone as sometimes timing can be important, so you don’t harm the butterflies/caterpillars,” he said.

Connor, who runs his group with his wife Jesse, created a convenient and easy-to-use sightings log tool, designed by software designer David Reese, and has about 30-40 regular contributing observers and another dozen or so who contribute occasionally. They have compiled tens of thousands of reports of butterflies in the southern eight counties: Burlington, Ocean, Camden, Gloucester, Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem.

The group tracks butterfly occurrences and behaviors, trying to document their distribution, populations, and seasonality.

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Jeannie Servais: Broker-Associate

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“More than a dozen of our state’s 125 species are endangered or threatened,” said Connor. “And at least another two dozen or so seem on the decline. Among their many problems are pesticides, land management detrimental to host plants and climate change.”

Anyone can join the Connors’ effort.

You can visit their website at www.sjbutterflies.org and check out the blog at https://blogs.stockton.edu/sjbfs/.

To start your own butterfly garden, visit Dambly’s Garden Center, 51 W. Factory Road, Berlin. Call Dambly’s at (856) 767-6883. ■

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SOUTH JERSEY REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021

Median sold prices across Burlington, Camden & Gloucester Counties are up between 21-27% year-over-year.* Thinking of selling?

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SOUTH JERSEY REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021

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SOUTH JERSEY REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021

Small upgrades mean

BIG DIVIDENDS amid hot market Local Realtors say take the time to spruce up your home before you go to market

SOUTH JERSEY REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021

17

BY KELLY FLYNN

A

mericans have now spent more than a year cooped up inside their houses as a result of the COVID19 pandemic, but all this extra time at home made some reassess where they wanted to live. And the market is hotter than ever right now with one of the biggest home shortages and low interest rates contributing to a buying frenzy.

With the market on fire, some homeowners are readying their house for sale. Local realtors say investing in upgrades before bringing your home to market can pay big.

“At the end of the day, the work you put in to getting your house ready, it’s all about planning. If you plan appropriately and you actually take the steps to put your best foot forward and make your house look as great as it can be, it’s going to pay you dividends,” said Realtor Christine Dash of Keller Williams Realty.

Gina Kassak, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Real Estate, said with people stuck working and schooling from home, in general, more people are doing renovations on their homes. All these renovations have supplies in high demand.

Kassak said trying to find contractors with availability may prove difficult, and the cost of windows and lumber have gone up significantly.

exchanging an outdated knob for a more contemporary gold handle – have an impact when buyers come to see a home.

It’s these little touches that can also make the difference elsewhere in the home too. Dash said something as simple as painting in contemporary color that everyone wants (grey being that color at the moment) makes a space feel

Dash stressed the kitchen is “the most important room in the house.” She said white cabinets are still in style, and granite or quartz countertops are not as expensive to install as sellers may think.

She said even the little details – like

please see UPGRADES, page 18

SPRING IS HERE! Whether buying or selling, it’s a great time to make a move.

Something she’s noticed when working with sellers is that as a direct result of all this time spent at home, there’s more wear and tear on homes. Kitchens are being used more than ever, and spaces are generally getting utilized with more frequency than they might have prior to COVID. For those who have the means, Kassak suggests targeting the kitchen and baths when doing upgrades. But if your budget doesn’t allow for a total overhaul, then start small. Kassak said simply painting the cabinets, changing the knobs or putting on new countertops can give the home a more contemporary look without having to go through an entire remodel.

more up-to-date. She also recommended upgrading carpets to hardwoods where possible.

Sherry Ellis Sales Associate Cell: 609-636-5113 sellis@weichert.com Sherry-ellis.weichert.com

202 W. Main Street, Moorestown, NJ 08057 • 856-235-1950

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SOUTH JERSEY REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021

UPGRADES

continued from page 17

“Those are two major things that will bring you tens of thousands of dollars,” Dash said.

Kassak also recommends taking down draperies – which are no longer in style – and upgrading the lighting. She said changing out the light fixtures can give a space a more “uplifted” feel without spending too much.

For Kassak, the exterior upgrades are just as important as the interior ones. She said sourcing up the outside to ensure your home has curb appeal is one of the fundamentals of selling a home.

“The exterior of the home is still so critical, I think; it’s your first impression when you walk up to the home,” she said.

Both Kassak and Dash emphasized that even prior to any renovation, the most effective upgrade is a deep clean and declutter. Kassak said some people have

25 to 30 years worth of possessions in a home, and you really can’t downsize three decades in a week. For

My expertise will get you home.

that reason, she encourages sellers to start cleaning out their homes and organizing six months to a year prior to putting their homes on the market.

“Decluttering really doesn’t cost you any money. It’s really a matter of spending time and cleaning out,” Kassak said. “For a lot of people, it’s hard.”

She said for people who don’t have the skillset, there are services that will come in and work with you to take the stress out of decluttering and organizing your home.

Dash recommends taking most of the items off the walls and getting rid of the knick knacks. She said homeowners often have too much furniture as well, which can leave a space feeling cluttered and smaller than it is.

At the end of the day, Kassak recommends sellers go back to the basics – perform touch ups, spend the time to make small upgrades and put the energy in before you put your home on the market.

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“You get one shot to put your house on the market, and you want to come out of the gate ready and with your best foot forward showing your home,” she said. ■

SOUTH JERSEY REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021

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SOUTH JERSEY REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021

Professional inspectors use experience to find potential problems

AT T O R N E Y S AT L AW

BY KEVIN CALLAHAN

D

uring the last dozen years, Kathleen McNamara has closed on over 180 transactions in South Jersey and they mostly share one common trait: A home inspector was used.

“I would almost say 100 percent,” said McNamara, a Realtor with The KMC Group, Weichert-Haddonfield. “I would say it’s very, very rare if I don’t have a client do a home inspection even if they buy it as is.”

Obviously, she feels home inspections are critical for every deal.

“Whether you’re a first time buyer or you’re downsizing from your tenth home, there’s just things you can’t see with the naked eye that they’ll be able to figure out with all their tools and years of experience,” McNamara said.

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SOUTH JERSEY REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021

INSPECTIONS continued from page 21

“I have some people who want to waive the inspection, but I tell them to waive a certain dollar amount or pay the first certain dollar amount and anything above that,” McNamara explained.

McNamara, who lives in Cherry Hill, has been annually awarded the BCCAR Circle of Excellence since 2013 and was voted a Five Star Professional Agent by South Jersey Magazine for multiple years. So, she knows the business from both ends and understands for the sellers, though, hiring a home inspector can be a slippery slope.

“Anytime you’re paying a home inspector, they’re being paid to find your skeletons,” McNamara said. “And anything you find prior to that with an inspection, you have to disclose, so you’re going to have to fix everything you find

and they’re still going to come in and find more because you’re paying them $500 to $1,000 to do this inspection, so they’re not going to walk away and say this is perfect.

“And, I’ve never had it happen in 12 years where people just walk away and say, ‘nothing there.’”

“I always tell my sellers you can have

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someone come in and do a visual, but I don’t know if that’s worth it,” McNamara continued. “So let’s just see if you have a glaring problem and address that, if there’s something falling down, let’s address that, let’s do the mold in the basement, but don’t go into a whole inspection that’s going to create a can of worms that’s never going to end.”

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“The first suggestion would be to remove major storage,” West said. “It’s difficult to inspect an area when you can’t see the perimeter walls.

“The perimeter walls are important to look at for a number of reasons. Most likely a wood destroying insect inspection will take place in the home and the inspector will need access to verify whether the home has termites or any other types of wood destroying insects.”

West also advised moving stored items and clutter in the basement, garages, bedrooms and kitchens. please see INSPECTIONS, page 23

SOUTH JERSEY REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021

INSPECTIONS

continued from page 22

“When a home is too cluttered, it’s often difficult for the inspector to get through,” he explained. “Sometimes we have to charge a separate fee to come back once stored items have been removed to finish the inspection. Sometimes this happens if the garage is too full of the seller’s personal belongings.”

Another simple fix West suggested is for sellers to make sure all that all light fixtures in the home are working.

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“Quite often on inspections I find that there are non-working light bulbs,” West said. “When light fixtures aren’t working, we note that they should be repaired by a licensed contractor.

“The inspector is not there to change light bulbs, so we would have no idea if there is an electrical issue or a bad fixture.”

Even though McNamara doesn’t advise for the seller to do an inspection, she works swiftly with the buyer after their inspection.

“As soon as the inspection happens, I always call the buyer’s agent to see if there is anything we should jump on that’s a glaring issue and I’ll start getting the estimates,” McNamara said. “And then we have a better sense of where everyone should be because everyone wants to get to the finish line.”

Another shared trait, McNamara says the home inspector usually finds common problems.

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“There’s always one or two electrical issues, whether to reverse polarity of a switch or your GFCI in a bathroom or laundry room, whether it’s the plumbing or trap underneath the sink isn’t updated to code or leaks, there’s so many small items, but they start adding up,” she said.

Her advice to sellers is to address the problems immediately that the buyer’s inspector finds.

“When we go through the process, you realize these issues are going to have to be addressed for this buyer or the next, so it’s best to handle it with someone you are working with,” McNamara said.

Which she has done almost every transaction. ■

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SOUTH JERSEY REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021

urbanto

Suburban

Realtors share their thoughts behind city’s mass exodus to the suburbs

BY ANTHONY J. MAZZIOTTI III

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M

om and pop restaurants, artisanal coffee shops and oneof-a-kind clothing boutiques within walking distance are the hallmark storefronts of every major city. What were once the calling cards to the cityliving lifestyle have slowly but surely made their way outside the city limits in a suburban Main Street renaissance.

When you combine city-like trends and manageable mortgage payments while getting more bang-for-your-buck real estate, what do you get? A boom to suburban living.

Sure, it might be easier said than done in the current real estate climate – there’s way more buyers than sellers according to both Liz Mason of Weichert Realtors and Pat Ciervo of Main Street Realty – but the proof is in the pudding; more people are trading city streets for suburban neighborhoods. please see URBAN, page 25

SOUTH JERSEY REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021

25

Inventory remains low and buyer demand is high. It’s a fast-paced market. You need a responsive agent who will be committed to you.

there’s a long line of sheep waiting to make the jump.

URBAN

continued from page 24

“At least half of my business is people coming over from Philadelphia,” Mason said. “It’s always been true that in Collingswood we meet a lot of people coming over from Philadelphia. I host a lot of open houses in the area, a lot of people are coming from over the bridge, feeling it out. I encourage them to walk around and talk to people.”

It’s not just former Philadelphians flocking to South Jersey. Folks are traveling south from northern cities, too.

“We’re seeing more as they don’t need to live in the city,” Ciervo added. “We’re seeing people come in from New York and Jersey City because they can work remotely. There’s a population shift coming from north to south. It’s been going on for a while; look at the Turnpike.”

Ciervo compared the jump from the city to suburbs like sheep jumping over a fence – the first one crosses, then the second one follows suit and before long

“We’re being discovered,” he said.

“They’re learning how great it is.”

The mass exodus from cities to suburbs can be chalked up to a few things, according to Ciervo and Mason. Ciervo focused on public education, with school systems in suburban New Jersey better than ones in urban Philadelphia.

Whereas someone living in the city would have to spend additional money and stress on a private education, an equivalent public education can be had on this side of the bridge.

Mason, on the other hand, thinks it’s both a combination of the house itself and the location.

“Everyone is tired of being stuck in their apartments,” she said in regard to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “A lot of people in Philadelphia are in apartments, they want to be able to step into their backyard, they want their space.

They’re ready to get out of the crowds.

COVID changed the way people think of home. They need it to be an office, they need it to be a home-school space.” please see URBAN, page 26

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SOUTH JERSEY REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021

URBAN

continued from page 25

Her thoughts hold water – there is more b ang-for-your-buck housing wise in the suburbs. Compare renting a two-bed-two-bath apartment in the Northern Liberties neighborhood of Philadelphia for $2,200 per month or mortgaging $2,400 per month for a three-bed-two-bath house in Haddon Township.

“It’s harder to live in a small space than it used to be.

We’ve never been home this much,” Mason added.

What Ciervo and Mason agree on is the walkability aspect. One thing city-dwellers love is having everything in walking distance. The local grocery store is at the top of the street, a dry cleaner is around the corner and there’s a restaurant on every block.

Recently throughout South Jersey there’s been a Main Street revival – with mom

and pop restaurants, coffee shops and more popping up within walking distance, and the PATCO line to boot there’s very little the city can offer that suburbs cannot.

“You can’t change location,” Mason said.

“It’s an awesome lifestyle here. It’s such a good compromise for so many people.

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“It’s not urban – we call it urban-suburban. It’s a nice, small town,” Mason said.

“It’s a nice transition.” ■

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The truth is, there’s a million different reasons why people move from the city to the suburbs. What it boils down to is folks taking advantage of what South Jersey has to offer. Whether it’s the tax rate, public school system, or the fact that they can have all the fun of living in a city without actually living in a city, people are leaving the cities in droves for the South Jersey suburbs.

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