Fall 2022 SJ Real Estate Magazine

The Moriuchi Group is a team of real estate professionals dedicated to bettering the lives of the people in our communities. Pairing our expertise in the local market with innovative marketing strategies and an innate desire to do well and do good, we will provide you with a comprehensive approach to meet all of your real estate needs. When you work with the Moriuchi Group, you are getting the focused attention of a specialized agents with the support of a talented team. By working as a team, we are each able to play to our strengths to bring our clients the level of care, attention, and flexibility they deserve throughout the entire process of buying, selling, or renting. We look forward to working with you.

The

Gutter GUIDE

The upkeep of your home is deeper than the interior maintenance.

Oftentimes, indoor inspections, plumbing and decorating tends to take priority over outdoor matters, but when you remember the good outdoors, it’s best to take care of those issues as soon as possible.

Gutter maintenance can be a tedious task, even if you know what you’re doing, however, it’s a task that certainly can be left up to the professionals. Not only are they out there, they have spoken in regard to the process of proper gutter maintenance and want residents to be prepared this fall, as well as every season.

The fall is here and this is the time of year that leaves and acorns are scattered everywhere, including your roof. The purpose of gutters is to manage the water flow during rainy days and storms, which protects the foundation of the house and ensures that water spills out at select locations. Any extra debris that

GUTTER

continued from page 6

clogs them or obstructs the clear pathway for the water and is where the issue lies. Failing gutters have water overflowing from the front and back. When that happens, fascia boards and wood rot and the gutter itself begins to sag. When it comes to the experts on this matter, Gutter Guys’ technician Mike Williams lends eight years of experience to New Jersey residents “Gutters aren’t rocket science. You just have to keep up with them,” Williams says. “You have to actively look for gutter damage or else it goes unnoticed … it’s very dependent on the frequency of rain.” It’s a task that’s typically recommended two to six times a year, but two to three times in the fall and at least once in October, according to Williams. This is especially important to residents who live in wooded areas or have trees in the vicinity of their home. “It’s not a fun job,” says Williams. “People don’t seem to like ladders,” he says, an annoyance for both technicians and homeowners. Despite the disinterest, gutters don’t clean themselves, but there are multiple methods to do so. One, for example, is known as a “gutter guard.” According to Williams, this is an “effective form of maintenance” and keeps large and small debris out of gutters, which makes the water flow easier. Filters, sheets and helmets aren’t nearly as reliable. The installation process is simple. The gutter guard is cut and placed between the starter course and the first course of the shingles. From there, ceramic-coated screws are screwed to the lip of the gutter. It is not screwed, nailed or glued to the roof. With Gutter Guys, their gutter guard comes with a lifetime, no clog warranty that’s a bonus for customers who might please see GUTTER, page 8

Office: 856-235-1950

Office: 856-235-1950

Cynthia BeeChler

Cynthia BeeChler

Sales Associate Cell: 732.690.0888 cynthiabeechler@gmail.com www.cynthiabeechler.com

Office address: 202 W. Main St. Moorestown, NJ 08057

Office: 202 W. Main St. Moorestown, NJ • 856-235-1950

Sales Associate Cell: 732.690.0888 cynthiabeechler@gmail.com www.cynthiabeechler.com

Office address: 202 W. Main St. Moorestown, NJ 08057

GUTTER

continued from page 7

like to try this successful product. Most don’t take joy in cleaning up messes, especially when it requires a lot of time and attention to properly balance yourself on a ladder to pick up leaves and acorns, but it has to be done. There are multiple ways to handle the situation, being proactive in your maintenance so the problem doesn’t have time to worsen and knowing your options on which products there are. Even if residents go with the gutter guard, proven to be an effective tool or even screens or filters, they aren’t limited to one solution. “Rely on gutter tech specialists, not roofers,” Williams advises residents who may not understand that roofers aren’t the best option for this sort of delicate job. The next time residents fret about who or what will take care of this common problem, it’s essential to know it’s fine to have their mind in the gutter and the earlier, the better. 

BY KATHY CHANG

Increasing interest and inflation rates are relatively ‘slowing down’ the frenzy of the real estate market of the past two years.

That is how real estate agents describe their outlook on the fall real estate market.

“It’s still a strong seller’s market,” said Ron Bruce, of Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices, Fox & Roach Realtors in Mullica Hill. “In Gloucester County, inventory is five percent lower than last year. There are less houses on the market. Buyers still want to move and cannot find a house.”

And sellers are still getting multiple bids above the asking price.

“It’s just not as extreme,” Bruce said, who has been a licensed real estate agent since 1985.

During an ‘extreme’ listing, Bruce said he had 103 appointments and had to close the bids after 25 to 30 offers in four days.

COMMUNITY. COMMITMENT.

Whether you’re buying or selling a home, we have a singular focus on your goals—and the expertise and resources to achieve them. No wonder we handle 1 of every 6 real estate transactions in the region.

foxroach.com we support our community $8M donated Thank you for trusting us to help you with one of your most important investment decisions. We take great pride in serving you and in being the local real estate company that gives back to our communities.

OUR CUSTOMERS

larry

ScentOF A HOME THE

BY CHLOE YANUSH

The right smell can make all the difference in the atmosphere of a home; it can bring you back to a specific moment in your past, stir up emotions and make you feel relaxed. How a room smells can have a huge impact on how being in that room makes you feel, so it makes sense that it might also make someone more inclined to buy a home.

“It’s very important, a pleasant scent can make people feel at home and comfortable,” says real estate agent Michelle Arnold of Moorestown, NJ. Arnold believes that scent can have a profound effect on how a home makes someone feel, and potentially their likelihood to purchase it.

However, subtlety is key, “whether the scent is good or bad, if it is too overpowering it is going to have negative effects,” says Arnold. An overwhelming scent can trigger people’s allergies, make them feel sick and create an unpleasant atmosphere.

Additionally, when it comes to scents, one smell does not always fit all. If you

are looking for a way to add a good scent to your home for an open house or viewing, it is important to keep the scent neutral, to limit the chances of offending someone with a smell that they hate.

“Anything fresh and clean like fresh linens or lemon is always good all year round,” says Arnold. When you are showing your home to potential buyers, you want them to feel like it is clean inside. This starts with making sure everything is deeply cleaned, but adding a fresh scent can really emphasize your hard work to buyers.

If you are showing your home during the holidays, a seasonal scent is a great option as well and can lift the spirits of anyone who enters your home. During the winter months, according to Arnold a fresh pine scent can be very inviting, or something light like cinnamon. In the spring, a lightly floral smell can also go a long way in making people feel happy while they tour your house.

While a candle might seem like an obvious option to add an inviting scent to your home, Arnold warns against having an open flame especially when she is showing other people’s homes.

please see SCENT, page 18

And more recently for example: With lower interest rates at two to three percent in April, Bruce received 24 offers on a listing with offers $50,000 over the asking price.

In August, with interest rates rising to five to six percent, Bruce received five offers on a listing with offers $20,000 over the asking price.

“Interest rates are a big factor,” Bruce said of the change in the market. “Buyers are not going overboard.”

With that said, since inventory is still low, there’s ‘still a ways to go’ getting to a ‘normal’ market, he said.

“Low inventory, high home values and high interest rates have made home ownership a challenge for buyers,” said Kathleen Boggs-Shaner, of Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Fox & Roach in Haddonfield, Camden County.

“I have, however, seen buyers balk at overly inflated list prices as they are

weighing interest rates more heavily now,” she said.

Buyers who were not successful in buying a home in May or June, have had to adjust their budget expectations as rates have increased.

For Galit Abramovitz Winokur, of Compass Inc. in the greater Philadelphia area, the Mainline and Southern New Jersey, the increase in interest rates that came up in May seemed to happen overnight, leading into the traditionally slower months of the summer market when people are traveling for vacations.

As the real estate market moves into the fall, Winokur believes buyers will move on from the ‘shell shock’ of the increase of interest rates and adjust their budget and expectations accordingly.

Chris Twardy, of Berkshire Hathaway

Homeservices, Fox & Roach Realtors with offices in Mt. Laurel, Burlington County and Society Hill in Center City Philadelphia, said the real estate market frenzy of May 2020 was a perfect storm.

He believes they will never see such a market again.

With the rise in interest rates and rise in gas prices, the market is moving towards

its ‘traditional, historical’ movements with a slowdown in the beginning of September - people busy with the start of school etc., Twardy said.

He expects an uptick for eight weeks until Thanksgiving then a slowing down during the holidays as people visit family through the end of the year. 

SCENT

continued from page 15

“I wouldn’t take the responsibility of having a candle lit in someone else’s home,” she says. If you are showing a home that is not yours, or you are nervous about the possibility of an accidental fire, it might be a good idea to stay clear of any candles.

Some good alternatives that will still add to the atmosphere are wax melts, which do not require any open flame. Another option could be letting a pot of water simmer with herbs, spices and fruits. If you are looking for a lower maintenance option, a quick spritz of room spray can give just the right hint of scent.

If you are planning on selling your home soon, and looking for a way to emphasize cleanliness and comfort to potential buyers, adding the right scent can go a long way. Consider the time of year, then try something that is going to help buyers envision a life in your home.

Treatment WATER

BY SAM DONNELLON

So, you bought your forever home. You did your due diligence, matched your family’s needs to the size, design and location of your new residence, ran all the required tests –asbestos, radon, buried tanks – and conducted the final home inspection.

Home free, right? Unfortunately, no.

There’s still the specter of ‘Forever Chemicals’ haunting your forever home. And, more importantly, you and your family.

PFAS or PFOAS – forever chemicals -are a family of more than 7,000 synthetic chemical compounds that have been in use since the 1930s. Short for per and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS are used in a variety of applications, from non-stick pans used in everyday cooking to food packaging, structural resins in building materials, polishes, waxes, cleaning products – the list is longstanding and constantly expanding.

“It’s in our microwaveable popcorn bags,

Finding the Right Home

What type of neighborhood is most important to you?

a. A busy downtown area with lots of shops and restaurants.

b. A rural feel with land all around. c. A suburban area with schools and neighbors close by.

How much yard work and outdoor maintenance are you willing to do?

a. Zero. I’d like someone else to take care of the yard, snow removal, etc.

b. Bring it on. I am willing to shovel, mow and care for a large amount of property.

c. I am ok with yard work but would prefer a smaller area to care for.

How much are you willing to spend on homeowners’ association fees?

a. Whatever it takes to make sure someone is handling maintenance. b. None. I’d rather not pay an association fee.

c. I’m not sure. Maybe a little, but it would have to fit into the budget really well.

What is most important to you?

a. Being around a lot of people and activity.

b. Having a lot of property. c. Great schools.

How important is resale value to you?

a. It’s not something I’m thinking much about.

b. Very important. I would like to sell this property for as much as possible down the road.

c. I’m not sure.

please see QUIZ RESULTS, page 25

Ron Bruce

Kathleen Boggs-Shaner

Chris Twardy

Michelle Arnold

WATER

fire-retardant foam -- it’s everywhere,” says Joseph Brown, owner of All Safe Water Technologies in Tabernacle.

PFAs take ‘forever’ to break down, even after they enter our body. So far, they have been linked to studies involving kidney, pancreatic and testicular cancers, and associated with ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, pregnancy-induced hypertension, increased cholesterol and decreases in infant birth weights. Those are just early findings. Scientists and health experts expect more will be added as research continues.

Founded in 2005, All Safe now provides service to homes and businesses in Burlington County, Ocean County, Camden County, Atlantic County and Gloucester County. In the time he has been in business, Brown has witnessed and adjusted to the growing discoveries of toxins and pollutants in our water supply, both through city-supplied systems, and in ground well systems – of which a large number of homes in South Jersey -- Medford, Medford Lakes, Tabernacle, Shamong, Mansfield, Columbus to name a few – receive their water supply.

Besides PFAs, well-water may contain other contaminants such as arsenic, uranium, radon, manganese, nitrate and bacteria, that can be naturally occurring, but often originate from nearby land uses. Firms such as All Safe test for these

continued from page 20 please see WATER, page 25

contaminants and tailor the water treatment technology accordingly.

“If you are using well- water you might be trying to treat low PH or lead or radiation,” Brown says. “If you’re on city water, you might be trying to treat chlorine or still radiation and the VOCs and pharmaceuticals. You’re trying to remove all the calcium, magnesium, and limestone hardness out of the water. And more importantly, the chlorine. We understand why they’re using the chlorine to disinfect, but the negative is that chlorine is also a carcinogen.”

Refrigerators filters get some of this, he says, but not all. Same with filters attached to sinks. Water filtration units that use granular activated carbon (GAC, also called charcoal filters) or reverse osmosis (RO) can both be effective in removing the PFAS compounds. But while RO is more appropriate for treating water at a single location such as the kitchen sink, GAC is more appropriate when treating all of the water used in the home.

It’s why there’s no silver bullet when it comes to home water treatment systems. Systems can run from $1,200 to $3,500 and upwards.

“I always believe in giving two or three options and educating people and letting them make their own decision,” says Brown. “You’re more or less buying a water plant, based on your needs. Do I want to buy a minimum? Do I want to buy a better one? The best one? The best one for you does not have to be the most expensive one by any means.

“Truth is the middle of the line is a lot of times the best altogether.” 

FINDING THE RIGHT HOME QUIZ RESULTS

continued from page 22

If you answered mostly A’s: You might want to look at a town home or condo property. They are generally located closer to downtown areas and they will not require as much upkeep. However, they will require a homeowners’ association fee.

If you answered mostly B’s: You should look at single family homes in the municipalities you are interested in. They will provide you with more space and more responsibility.

If you answered mostly C’s: Keep your options open. Your preferences could swing either way, so look at all that is available to you.

Quiz created by Rebecca L. Forand

E. KOONS

NJAR Circle of Excellence PLATINUM Award 2020, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2012

NJAR Circle of Excellence Gold Award 2021, 2019, 2014 -13 akoonsbhhs@gmail.com www.annekoonsrealestate.com Direct 856-795-4709 or Cell 856-261-5111 1401 Route 70 E., Cherry Hill, NJ 08034

Sold

in a Day

Cherry Hill Lovely 3- bedroom rancher with newer kitchen and appliances, newer bathrooms, large, fenced in yard on a corner lot. Newer brick & siding front, freshly painted thru out, 1 large car garage, laundry room, all appliances included, recessed lights and light fixtures & crawl space. Close to 295 and the Woodcrest high speed line. Realistically priced at $285,000

open staircase leading you to a bar area, home theatre, powd er room, kids’ area and workshop. There is a powder room on the first level, large laundry room which leads out to the 3 -car side garage. Realistically priced at $939,900

off the family room and kitchen and total privacy. Walk into this lovely home with custom doors and glass side panels into a 2- story foyer with hardwood floors, curved staircase and custom chandelier. Large dining room with cathedral ceiling, recess lights, hardwood floors lots of bright sunshine thru the many windows and you have room for a very large table which is great for holidays. Custom Buzzetta kitchen a real cooks delight with Viking, subzero and kitchen aid appliances and loads of storage. Granite countertops, custom tile backsplash, recess lighting, custom molding around cabinets, large center island with seating, hardwood floors, surround sound, plus a large eat in area, wine fridge & additional cabinet storage. Two story family room with a glass wall overlooking patio and backyard with gas fireplace, custom built -in and open to the kitchen area. This home has 4 large bedrooms, 4 ½ baths, 1st floor office with built -ins. Large laundry room leading to a huge 3 car garage. Finish basement with full bath, lots of storage. Realistically priced at $995,000

2 car garage, & a large deck off the kitchen area overlooking the open space. There are newer LED recessed lights in the kitchen and bathrooms,

ceiling in the foyer and a tray ceiling in the living and dining rooms, large eat -in kitchen

5 burner wolf cooktop, subzero

to the deck. 1st floor Primary suite with large bath and his and her closets and tray ceiling. Upstairs has 2 bedrooms each with their own bathroom and good size closets. Finish walkout basement that has a powder room, storage area, office area and play area for kids. Realistically priced at $749,900

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO STEVEN, NICOLE & JOSH

….

Now more than ever, EXPERIENCE counts, that is why you need to call our Aunt Anne, because she has the EXPERIENCE, COMMITMENT, PASSION & KNOWLEDGE to help you in selling or buying a home.

Give Our Aunt Anne A Call Today at 856-795-4709

doors

ANNE

Cinnaminson This richly appointed home backs to green acres and gives you total privacy in the quiet gated community of Meadowview Village. The beautiful grounds are maintained by the Hoa so you can come and go without worrying about your property always looking fabulous. Also included is a tennis ct, a bocce ct, a putting green, a great fitness center & a great clubhouse. This home was expanded when the current owners built it and has 3 bedrooms, 3 full baths, 2 powder rooms, a walk out finished basement,

cathedral

with granite counter tops, double ovens,

refrigerator, Woodmode kitchen cabinets, plus dining area and

leading

Voorhees Beautiful custom contemporary home with 1st floor Primary suite with huge Primary Bath with jacuzzi tub, extra -large shower, 2 separate vanities, 2 walk -in closets and tray ceiling, first floor study with hardwood floors, paneled walls and built -in shelving, 2-story foyer with glass doors, curved staircases to the 2nd level & hardwood floors. Large dining room with hardwood floors and living room with 2 story ceiling, wall of windows over looking the back yard. Gourmet kitchen with white high glos s cabinets with black granite countertops and Subzero, Viking and Thermador appliances with a large eat -in area overlooking the deck and backyard. Kitchen is open to the 2-story family room with loads of natural sun light and a gas fireplace with granite surround. Upstairs you will find a princess suite, 2 other bedrooms and a Jack & Jill bathroom all have great closet space. T he finished lower level is accessed off the foyer where there is an