Some Highlights
- Since inflation is increasing the cost of goods and services, it may make sense to look for an energy-efficient home.
- Energy prices have increased over the last year, so look for energy-efficient features in your home search.
- If you’re looking to buy a home this year, work with a real estate expert so you have a partner to help you consider which features are most important to you.

Shea Merritt is a licensed New Jersey real estate agent with eXp Realty, working with buyers and sellers across Middlesex, Monmouth, and Ocean counties. He grew up in Old Bridge. He writes here about the arithmetic behind a move: what a house would actually bring today, what the tax line does to a monthly payment, and how to compare offers on their terms rather than on the top number. If you are weighing a sale or a purchase, send him the address and he will run the numbers on it.