New Jersey residents are in better financial shape than most others across the country, according to a new study by one of Wall Street’s regulators.  But the results still show New Jersey residents need to do more to make themselves secure financially. The nationwide survey, conducted by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has found that folks in New Jersey are more likely than most to spend less than what they earn, set aside money for rainy days, and save for their children’s education.  These are very sound money management principals but they are ones that will stimulate buying.

The median New Jersey home sold for $273,900 in the first quarter of 2013 and $292,200 in fourth quarter 2012, indicating -0.5 percent and 5.3 percent growth over the respective quarters one year prior. Some of the state’s most influential real estate analysts, eluded that this year’s home prices will settle three percent higher than last. That being said, “Now is the time to buy”!   This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for someone to buy at the bottom of the market with once-in-a-lifetime mortgage rates.  Don’t miss the window.

Overview of the Neighborhoods of the Philadelphia / South Jersey Region

Old City Philadelphia

Old City Philadelphia is just as the name says the oldest part of the city founded by William Penn in 1681. Old City is one of the most historic areas of the United States. It is where the Declaration of Independence was first read and where the Constitution of the United States was written. It was the site of the nation’s first capital.

Center City

The Center City area of Philadelphia is the area where most suburban residents work, and where most tourists stay. It is home to most of the large businesses in the city as well as the central transportation hubs serving the region.

South Jersey

South Jersey consists of eight counties: Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Mercer and Salem. It stretches from the city of Trenton to the tip of Cape May and from the Delaware River to the Atlantic Ocean

South Jersey Attractions

As winter, hopefully, will soon turn into spring, there’s no better time to explore the great shopping opportunities of South Jersey. With many towns that still remind us of what shopping used to be when we were young, South Jersey is an often forgotten gem.

While many residents routinely head towards the big shopping malls in King of Prussia, Franklin Mills, Cherry Hill or Deptford, others, who are looking for those really special items, will be venturing to the unique shopping areas of some of the regions small towns. South Jersey is the perfect place to get away from the mad rush of the malls and shop like our parents and grandparents once did when those mega shopping complexes were just the dream of developers in the middle of the last century.