Posted on

Governor Needs to Explain How New Climate Change NJDEP Mandate Will Be Applied Without Hurting Homeowners, Economic Growth, or Property Rights

48405805 1949025905150546 995640283263664128 o

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ, Senator Anthony M. Bucco called for Governor Phil Murphy to provide clarity on Executive Order 100 which gives broad new powers to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to deny virtually any type of development due to undefined “climate change considerations.”

Continue reading Governor Needs to Explain How New Climate Change NJDEP Mandate Will Be Applied Without Hurting Homeowners, Economic Growth, or Property Rights

Posted on

Property Tax “Senior Freeze” Application Deadline Is October 31st

RS4504 768002491

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The October 31st deadline for eligible residents to apply for the Property Tax Reimbursement Program, or Senior Freeze, is quickly approaching.

What is the “Senior Freeze” program? 
It offers a limited reimbursement for property taxes or mobile home site fees paid by eligible Senior Citizens & Disabled residents on their primary residences.

It is exceedingly important to take advantage of programs like Senior Freeze which may offer some financial relief. This is especially true for families/individuals on fixed or limited incomes. We highly encourage everyone to share information for this & other programs which can be found on our website.

Continue reading Property Tax “Senior Freeze” Application Deadline Is October 31st

Posted on

Ridgewood based “Rebuilding Together” Helps Repair Bergen County Homes

Ridgewood based "Rebuilding Together"

Volunteers in Hackensack at a project sponsored by Oritani Savings Bank Charitable Foundation. National #RebuildingMonth

April 28,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Rebuilding Together is a Ridgewood based organization that helps neighbors who have worked all their lives and have been physically and financially able to maintain their homes in good condition. Now, due to illness, aging, economic hardships, or the loss of a spouse, they are unable to handle the repair work themselves.  Their homes deteriorate or become unsafe. That’s where Rebuilding Together Bergen County can help.

Rebuilding Together brings together corporate and individual donors, skilled trades individuals, community organizations, and hundreds of general volunteers each year.

Together we transform the lives of low-income homeowners by improving the safety and health of their homes and revitalizing our communities.
Our vision: A safe and healthy home for every person

Sign Up for Email Updates

One of 167 Rebuilding Together affiliates across the nation, Rebuilding Together Bergen County serves homeowners throughout the county and has made more than 500 homes safer and healthier since our founding in 1998.

Our programs include National Rebuilding Day (the last Saturday in April), Fire Safety (smoke- and CO-alarm installations and fire-safety education), and Critical Needs (primarily accessibility ramps and, if emergency funding permits, assistance with roofs, heat/hot water, and appliances).

Our volunteers include employees of our local and national corporate sponsors, members of faith-based or civic groups and organizations, as well as individuals from the community.

To volunteer, visit our “Get Involved” page.

For assistance with critical repairs and home modifications, go to the “Who We Help” page.

 

How to Reach Us:

Watch a 5-minute video with Rebuilding Day highlights.

Posted on

Half of Americans can’t afford their house

realestate_forsale_theridgewoodblog.net_13

Half of Americans can’t afford their house
June 3, 2014, 1:58 p.m. EDT

Over half of Americans (52%) have had to make at least one major sacrifice in order to cover their rent or mortgage over the last three years, according to the “How Housing Matters Survey,” which was commissioned by the nonprofit John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and carried out by Hart Research Associates. These sacrifices include getting a second job, deferring saving for retirement, cutting back on health care, running up credit card debt, or even moving to a less safe neighborhood or one with worse schools.“Affordability issues are real and a major hurdle,” says Lawrence Yun, chief economist at the National Association of Realtors, an industry group. Home prices have increased 20% over the past two years while wages have barely gone up, he says. “Only by adding more new supply, via housing starts, can home prices be tamed,” Yun adds. In fact, construction of housing units has averaged around 1.5 million a year for the past five decades, he says, but it’s likely to be less than 1 million in 2014.

What’s more, at least 15% of American homeowners (or residents of 78 counties across the country) were living in housing markets where the monthly mortgage payment on a median-priced home requires more than 30% of the monthly median household income — long considered the maximum for rent/mortgage repayments. Housing costs above that threshold are “unaffordable by historic standards,” says Daren Blomquist, vice president at real estate data firm RealtyTrac. In New York county/Manhattan, mortgage payments represent 77% of the median income and in San Francisco County represents 70%.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/over-50-of-americans-struggle-with-home-affordability-2014-06-03