We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jeffrey Halpern a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jeffrey , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

The state of the market for the next couple years looks as though less and less first-time homebuyers are being priced out of the market by several factors: mortgage interest rates (which are holding back the sellers who bought or refinanced when the rates were at 2.5-3%; lack of inventory; competition with investors (especially corporations) who are buying block of single families to rent out, and in many cases back to the seller who may be in pre-foreclosure or short sale (this gives the seller, now tenant, a fistful of money, the avoidance of ruining their credit by foreclosure, and the embarrassment of having to move because of the aforementioned). And, because real estate uses a trickle-up theory, the move-up homes have also been affected. However, it is not all doom and gloom, and there are opportunities as well. Sellers need to realize that they will still sell for top dollar and with the equity they have attained, may be able to buy with cash and avoid the high interest rates. The other trend I am seeing are divorce rates seem to be rising among the empty nesters. Known as gray divorce. I am working with a couple now who are going through the traumatic event, however, they are ok with it, they just want to sell to move on with their lives.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have been a NJ licensed real estate agent since 1985 and a NJ Real Estate Broker since 1987. I was running my family’s deli business until my father decided it was time to sell. That’s when I decided it was time to look at my next step of my career. As a college grad with a BS in Business Administration concentrating in marketing, I did not want to slice bologna for the rest of my life. However, I believed in the entrepreneurial spirit and felt real estate was my best option. Once I went through the pre-licensing course and passed it the first time, I joined a company, Cirkus Real Estate Group, originally because I liked the building it was in and then by admiring the business model of my first Broker Arthur Cirkus. At the time, they were the largest condo conversion company in Northern New Jersey. The learning experience was tremendous. Within a year I was managing their Residential Division, then joined their conversion team (one of the first true real estate teams in the area) and then being named the Director of Marketing (my marketing degree paid off).
From their I joined several other companies as either Broker of Record, Broker-Manager, part of a new construction team, General Manager, etc..
But I wanted more, so in 2015, I became a certified real estate instructor. Teaching licensing classes and continuing education (including an approved CE course written by myself), training agents, coaching, and directing a real estate school. I was paying it forward by giving homage to those who mentored me in my career by helping others in this industry.
All this while still selling real estate and developing a small team know as the Halpern Real Estate Group, while being part of the current company I am with now.
In the meantime, I am very involved with my community, Denville. I was active in Rotary and recently took on the role of Chairperson of the Downtown Denville Business Improvement Committee Design Committee. (Definitely a mouthful.)
I am extremely proud of how I have hopefully changed lives for the better through assisting buyers, sellers, landlords, and tenants for their housing needs and to help the community I live in be a better place.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

I have played a part in many of my clients lives whether it be from joy or tragedy. The one that comes to mind is from joy to tragedy and hopefully back again. Several years ago I was working with this wonderful family and found them a home, we also became friends. Soon after that, I was asked to sell one of their family’s properties in another community in which the couple went through a divorce in which the husband was living there. The home was in very poor shape and several years prior, their son committed suicide in the bedroom on the second floor. When I say the house was in poor shape, it was bad. Plus the seller was a hoarder. We eventually sold the home. In the meantime, my original client’s mom lived in another home with her adult son, who murdered his mom and then committed suicide. (It was also discover that he was sexually abusing her prior to that. Eventually, they put the house on the market, which was in worse shape then the aforementioned listing I had. Plus there was a reverse mortgage on it in which they owed what the home was worth.
I placed it on the market as-is for 300k in which we received 6 offers. No offer higher than 306. But those would not cover the entire reverse mortgage and any other closing fees. So I went back to the highest offer and told them if they came to $335. They would get the house. The buyer agreed. The one sticking point was that the buyer was getting an FHA loan, of which the appraisal would also include a habitability req. The buyer agreed to do the work (including the clean-out of approximately 10 dumpsters of garbage. The were approved for the mortgage. Then we go to find out that the 335k wasn’t, convering all the cost because a credit card of the mom was an added lien to the property. My client did not have the money to pay it off, as she spent almost everything she had on the house I originally sold her and all costs associated with this current home just to avoid a real estate tax foreclosure and utilities. So to assist, I gave up a portion of my commission and the attorney gave up a portion of his fee. We closed.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

My experience and no excuses attitude to make the deal work. Besides just clients reaching out, I receive several calls from associates regarding the business. Rules and Regis, contracts, references of all types of professionals.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bit.ly/jeffhalpernrealtor
• Instagram: Jeffhalpern_realestate
• Facebook: Jeffrey Halpern, Realtor
• Linkedin: Jeffrey D. Halpern, CSP
• Twitter: @jeffhal14377976
• Youtube: GETREALestate

Image Credits
Jeffrey Halpern, Corinne Carlson, Masyn Halpern