N.J. house got $75k over asking price. The big selling point? Huge 4-season room windows.

A single family home in Howell found it’s wow factor in a unique way.

Since the pandemic it’s typically a home gym, office or a pool that sells a house. But in this case, it was walls of windows in a four seasons room that overlooked the large backyard.

The four season room motivated prospective buyers to make 18 offers — all of which were over the $545,000 asking price. It closed for $620,000.

The colonial, located in the Oak Glen section of Howell, has four bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms in about 2,000 square feet.

During the open house, “it got to a point where I was an air traffic controller in the kitchen, answering questions,” said David Rosenbaum of Ellen Rosenbaum Real Estate. “The most common question was not pertaining to the home or questions about ages of the mechanicals. It was ‘how high do you think it’s going to go for?’”

Rosenbaum went through all the offers with the sellers, including price, downpayment and terms and then they negotiated with the two most qualified buyers.

The buyer who won the bidding war, in addition to the standard price and terms, “also had a strong connection to the neighborhood and the owner felt that was a good connection,” he said.

Homes in New Jersey sold for 102.8% of list price in May, according to data from New Jersey Realtors. That’s down from 104.8% of list price a year ago.

Despite the bidding war during this sale, Rosenbaum said, buyers are gaining ground on the market in general.

“The times where the seller holds all the cards are over,” he said. “And there are moments in deal where buyers can begin now to renegotiate items.”

The past three years buyers have waived inspections and appraisals to sweeten their offer.

“Home inspections, not too long ago were for informational purposes only and in extreme cases people didn’t perform them,” Rosenbaum said. “I’m seeing buyers perform the inspection and start to ask for credits on big items — roofs, siding, electrical and structural.”

Are you an agent, buyer or seller who is active in this changing market? Do you have tips about New Jersey’s real estate market? Unusual listings? Let us know.

More coverage:

Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Allison Pries may be reached at apries@njadvancemedia.com.