Bill Sauneuf's Real Estate Times

Toy Run Before the Rains -- October 18, 2008

2008-09-25T02:12:55Z

Here's your chance to do some good and have a great time riding!! You can help the children and the families helped by:
          - The Salvation Army of Anacortes,
          - Pregnancy Choices of Mount Vernon, and
          - Lydia Place of Bellingham (a Domestic Violence Shelter)

TOY RUN BEFORE THE RAINS - October 18, 2008 - Anacortes ELKS

YOU are invited to participate in the TOY RUN BEFORE THE RAINS
being put on by the Anacortes Elks #1204, Anacortes, Washington.

DATE: October 18, 2008

TIME: For Anacortes - Breakfast 8 am. Leave on Poker run 9-11 am. Return by 4pm for Poker Run results, Raffle and Chili / Spaghette (yum!). If leaving from Mount Vernon Elks or Bellingham Elks, leave time is still to be determined.

COST: Rider Registration - $25 per bike / per rider (bike with passenger = $50.00), includes BBQ. Breakfast $5.00 - All you can eat!
PLEASE NOTE - IF YOU PREREGISTER AT THE OYSTER RUN, IT ONLY COSTS $20 Per rider/per passenger!!!

WHO THIS BENEFITS: The children and families of Skagit and Whatcom Counties served by the Salvation Army (Anacortes, WA), Pregnancy Choices (Mount Vernon, WA), and Lydia Place (Bellingham WA - a domestic violence shelter)

PREREGISTRATION: We would like everyone to preregister at the Oyster Run (September 28, 2008 - Anacortes, WA). You can do this at the Elks Lodge, 1009-7th Street, just off Commercial

- OR -

MAIL IN REGISTRATION: Mail your check with your contact info, including complete name, address and phone number to:

          TOY RUN BEFORE THE RAINS COMMITTEE
          Anacortes Elks #1204
          1009 - 7th Street
          Anacortes, WA 98221-4105

See the Official Toy Run Before the Rains web-site for more details!

The Oyster Run is Coming to Anacortes!!

2008-09-25T01:58:20Z

Sunday Spetember 28, 2008
(Though Many People Enjoy the Full Weekend)

For the Best Information about the Oyster Run, please visit the official web-site at: http://www.oysterrun.org/

The Oyster Run is an annual Motorcycle Rally in Anacortes. Thousands of motorcyclists and guests will be there for the fun!!

It is the Largest Motorcycle Run In The Pacific Northwest!!

Check it out, you'll be glad you did!!

-Bill

My Meeting with the Governor!

2008-09-14T01:36:35Z

well, the future Governor anyway....

My Dad and I went to the Skagit Speedway this evening to watch the Coach Corral Season Championship Races.

Dino Rossi came to the event too! He seemed to be having a great time. He was up in the announcing booth. He waved the Green Flag to start one of the championship races. He went around meeting people, shaking hands, and posing for pictures with people... I was one of them!

We had a brief conversation.

I said "When you beat her again in this election, please make sure it counts! Leave no doubt in the spread."

Dino's response "We're going to finish what we started."

That was really about it, other than the photo-op.

He's a nice man that came out to the track with two of his kids, Jake and Joseph, and had a good time.

He had my vote 4 years ago and he will have it again in 2008.

Go Dino!!

Only 8 Days until the 2008 SICBA Home Tour | Skagit County Washington

2008-09-04T15:17:04Z

The 4th Annual Skagit Island County Builder Association Home Tour is coming in 8 days!

September 12, 13, 14    2008
- Friday           Noon - 6:00pm
- Saturday 10:00am - 6:00pm
- Sunday   11:00am - 5:00pm

The first home on the tour is a listing of mine. It is a beautiful home built by Chaffey Homes. The plan is called the 'Sheadon'. It is a 5 bedroom, 3.5 Bathroom, 3,731 Square Foot home with a beautiful view of Otter Pond. Click Here for the Full Details.

Here is the page from the 2008 SICBA Home Tour's Tour Book.

Driving Directions:
From I-5, take the #227 exit, go East on College Way to State Highway 9, South approximately 2.7 miles to Nookachamp Hills Development on the left. Turn left on Nookachamp Hills Drive to top of hill and continue on. The Chaffey homesite is to the left, viewing Otter Pond.

We Hope to See You There!

Things are picking-up!!

2008-09-04T13:19:24Z

Business is picking-up!! My appointment windows for this weekend are all booked solid. Between 2 Open Houses and a group of Buyer appointments it is going to be a busy weekend! Wohoo!!

How is business where you are? I keep seeing posts about the market has bottomed and business is picking up, etc...

In my area, Skagit County Washington, I'm seeing a lot more "Sold" and "Sale Pending" signs, especially in the lower third of the market. Again, Wohoo!!

I'm not trying to brag, I'm trying to see just how wide-spread this market rebound is! The market is clearly stabilizing. The post I did last week about 30 States had Positive Changes in House Prices over the last year!" clearly demonstrates that the rebound has begun... I'd like to get a feel for just how far it is going to go.

Good News for Washington Real Estate!

2008-09-03T03:47:01Z

Washington State has had a pretty slow year for real estate sales. The number of sold homes is well down on the year from last year's great run. There are several areas that have seen overall price declines in the last year. There has been plenty of depressing news in the media. - Depressing, I know... but read on, it gets better!

There is plenty of GOOD news to report on the Wshington State Real Estate Market as well.

According to the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) 2nd Quarter 2008 House Price Index, Home prices across the State gained .56%. That's not saying much.

However, if you look at the past 5 years, Washington State home prices have STILL gained 61.4%.

If you want to look even farther back; Since 1980 home prices in Washington State have gone up an amazing 405%

Looking at the last year period ending June 30th, 2008, Washington State currently ranks 30th in Percent Change in House Prices. However, Washington State has performed better than ALL 29 of the higher ranking states over the last 5 years. Washington State has performed better than 28 of those States since 1980.

Buying real estate is supposed to be a long term investment. Real estate is not stock. You don't sell it on a daily, weekly, monthly, or even yearly basis! At a minimum real estate should be a 3-5 year investment for it to pay off well.

Metropolitan Statistical Area	National Ranking	1 Year	Last Quarter	5 Year
Bellingham	146	0.34	-1.46	73.00
Bremerton-Silverdale	185	-1.04	-0.91	70.49
Kennewick-Pasco-Richland	74	2.27	0.78	19.18
Longview	188	-1.27	-2.04	51.91
Mount Vernon-Anacortes	181	-0.80	-2.98	62.62
Olympia	162	-0.14	-1.73	66.22
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton	163	-0.18	-1.04	61.00
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett	154	0.07	-0.91	60.42
Spokane	53	3.03	-0.04	66.66
Tacoma	183	-1.01	-1.60	64.58
Wenatchee	71	2.37	-0.21	75.56
Yakima	16	4.71	1.26	36.74

As you can see, the Last Quarter has seen price declines in most local markets. When you look at the 1 Year outlook for the State, the market has been basically flat... Some local markets markets are up, some are down.

The big news is in looking back over 5 years, a much more reasonable time for a real estate investment. In that period, 9 out of the 12 local markets in Washington State GAINED OVER 60% despite the currently flat market (the 3 ALL gained as well, just not as much).

Again, it bears repeating, real estate is not stock! It is a long-term investment Looking back to 1980, only 10 States have out-performed Washington State for the house prices percentage gains.... That ain't bad!

Agents. Are you experiencing a market rebound? I work primarily in Skagit County and we have seen a big turn-around. The July Statistics from the NWMLS Residential Home Recap showed Skagit County gaining 3.92% over last July. My sales have been up in August. What's happening in your area?

The News Media is starting to See the Housing Recovery/Rebound!!!

2008-09-01T19:32:36Z

Over the last few days, I've been Pointing out the GOOD news in the Real Estate Market. The media is starting to recognize the recovery/rebound!!

There is a lot of GOOD news out there to be found!

Here are some examples:

Existing-homes sales rise, inventory swells Reuters August 25th, 2008
Home Prices Still Falling, but the Pace Is Slowing New York Times, August 27th, 2008
US housing sales increase in July BBC News, August 25th, 2008
US government 'bazooka' may save Fannie, Freddie AFP, August 30th, 2008
Existing Home Sales Increased 3.1 Percent in July Bloomberg.com, August 25th, 2008
US house figures in surprise rise BBC News, August 7th, 2008
Good News for California Housing Los Angeles Times, August 20th, 2008

With all of the GOOD news out there, its becoming clear that The Housing Market is Rebounding!

Have you seen POSITIVE stories in the news? There are more out there, please point them out here!!

Good News for California Real Estate!

2008-09-01T01:05:28Z

The problems of the California Real Estate market are affecting the real estate markets of the entire country. Something needs to be done about it! So I'm going to try to help start the recovery by pointing out the good news.

Attn. California agents; Are you seeing an increase in Buyer Activity since President Bush signed the Housing Bill at the end of July?? I'd love to hear about it!! Please comment about it, blog about it, and most importantly tell your customers about it! A grassroots marketing campaign to get the market rolling again can make a huge difference!

For this blog, I'm going to talk about the bad news, then I'll point out the GOOD news. - Yes, there is GOOD news in California Real Estate!

We can't ignore the bad news end expect to have credibility when talking about the good news. So, here's the bad news of California...

Of the 50 States, California was the worst performing state for the Percent Change in house prices for the 4 Quarter period ending June 30, 2008. The market price of homes fell 15.8% over the last 4 quarters.
Of the 292 Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Divisions measured by the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, 12 or the 20 worst performing areas were in California, including ALL of the bottom 6.
Home prices in both Merced and Stockton California fell over 30% in the last 4 quarters.

Wow, that part sucked! There are a lot of people that have been hurt by this year's market. My parents live in California, so do my Grandparents, so do my Cousins, so do many of my friends. I was born and raised there. I care a lot about California and the people there!

Enough of the doom and gloom. Here's the good news!

EVERY Market in California had prices rise in California over the last 5 years. Real Estate is not stock. You don't buy and sell it on a daily, weekly, monthly, or even yearly basis... It is a long term investment!

Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Divisions	5-Year

Bakersfield	61.58
Chico	41.66
Fresno	47.50
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale (MSAD)	63.12
Madera	54.99
Merced	8.57
Modesto	15.15
Napa	30.79
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward (MSAD)	28.79
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura	37.14
Redding,	47.06
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario	47.23
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville	22.07
Salinas	24.21
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos	27.60
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City (MSAD)	36.73
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara	35.72
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles	34.88
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine (MSAD)	45.10
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta	21.92
Santa Cruz-Watsonville	30.86
Santa Rosa-Petaluma	20.75
Stockton	9.54
Vallejo-Fairfield	17.63
Visalia-Porterville	60.45
Yuba City	29.45

Los Angeles, one of the largest markets in the Country has Still had a 63.12% price increase over the last 5 years.
Merced and Stockton, the 2 hardest hit markets in the Country still have gained value over the last 5 years.

Do you think California is going to stay down forever? The draw of California, its people, its natural beauty, its educational system, its agricultural and manufacturing base, the Silicon Valley, the Napa Wine Country, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, etc... Ha, California's real estate market will come back strong, and soon! It wouldn't surprise me if California goes from worst to first in a year or two.

Yesterday, I wrote a blog about the fact that there is good news about Florida's Real Estate Market.

California Agents, please speak-up!!

Good News for Florida Real Estate!

2008-08-30T10:56:56Z

The Florida Real Estate Market Is Having A Terrible Year.

(Please read-on, the story gets much more positive!!)

Everybody knows this. Its no surprise.

Florida has the third worst real estate market in the country. Only California and Nevada are worse off.

Overall, Florida Real Estate Prices have fallen 12.4% in the last 12 months.

The 'Sky is Falling' on Florida Real Estate and we're coming into hurricane season.

How can a real estate agent make it in Florida? By finding the GOOD and telling people about it. A lot!

"Prices have fallen in the Great State of Florida, what better opportunity to 'Buy Low and Sell High!' There are great bargains to be had."

Of the 20 worst performing markets in the country over the last year, Florida has 7 of them. However, real estate is a long term investment. ALL 7 of these markets have STILL experienced at least a 30% gain over the last 5 years, despite the troubles over the last year according to the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight 2nd Quarter 2008 House Price index (page 27) Real Estate is not stock. You're not supposed to sell it on a daily, weekly, monthly, or even yearly basis. Looking at Florida, you don't have to hold it for 5 years to be very profitable, despite the troubles of the last year.

Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Divisions	5-Year

Naples-Marco Island,	45.2
Port St. Lucie,	33.58
Cape Coral-Fort Myers,	37.49
Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, (MSAD)	49.87
Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice,	37.80
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville,	45.07
Punta Gorda,	33.42

The Nation's housing market is about to get a big shot in the arm from the recently signed Housing Bill. Florida Real Estate will not stay down forever. It is too good a place to live! Buyers will start coming out when they feel the bottom is near. They'll start buying the best deals and the market WILL RECOVER.

All Real Estate Is Local...

2008-08-30T04:10:15Z

No, this is not a book review of David Lereah's Book. I've not even read it yet, but from what I've seen on-line it does look good. I'm ordering it from Amazon tomorrow.

I was inspired to write this post by a guy named Kevin. He wrote the only negative comments on my blog post from yesterday about the 30 States that had Positive Changes over the last year!

His comments got under my skin a little. I knew he was wrong about a great many things, but he made me think. Mainly I was thinking about how to prove him wrong or to argue my points well, but I actually had to think about it.

One of the things that he threw at me was: Just like when the pollyannas try to silence the realists with the message "all real estate is local". - I really didn't have to think about that one. It is so clearly a true statement that I only had to look up data to prove him wrong... The argument was easy. There are markets that are good and there are markets that are bad in every State. There always have been and there always will be. They will always be changing.

The media has been reporting the troubles of the real estate industry and they should.. It is newsworthy. However, the stories I've seen/heard/watched almost all seem to make it look like the housing market is bad everywhere. Its not, of course. But, that's the message that has been reported.

I've not seen a national story that says anything "More than half of the States had Real Estate Prices Go Up over the last year" (which is true).

When I was responding to Kevin, I looked up his State, Virginia, in the 2nd Quarter 2008 OFHEO House Price Index just released this week. Virginia is the perfect example of "all real estate is local." There are 8 Metropolitan Statistical Areas covering areas of Virginia in the report. 4 of them had price increases, 4 had price decreases over the last year. The worst market in the State of Virginia had a pretty bad year, ranking 250th of the 292 areas measured. However, in the same State of Virginia, the Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol market was the 14th Best of the same 292 areas measured. Virginia is a pretty small state geographicly, but to have such a huge range of market conditions within that same small State clearly demonstrates the message "All Real Estate Is Local."

Consumer Confidence Improves for the 2nd Month in a Row

2008-08-30T02:23:59Z

On August 26th, the Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index had improved moderately in July. It made further gains in August.

This is one more sign that the housing market is rebounding. People spend more as confidence goes up. Consumer confidence is not as good as it was in December, but a rebound starts at the bottom...

2 months in a row the numbers have increased. We'll just have to wait until September 30th to see if this trend will continue. I believe it will. The optimism that comes with election time will spur on the market and a new President always gives the economy a boost (no matter which party they are from).

Look for the signs in your area. The housing market is rebounding on a national scale. Yesterday, I spoke about the 30 States had Positive Changes in House Prices over the last year! Look for the positive information and discuss it with the people in your office, your competitors, and especially your customers and the public! A few days ago, I posted a Reuters News video called "Housing shows signs of life" that talks about how the worst is over.

Are you feeling the confidence returning? Is your market improving?

Seahawks Smashed the Raiders.... pre-season is finally over!!

2008-08-30T00:21:50Z

Well, the Seahawks just finished beating up the Raiders 23-16.... Unfortunately it wasn't much of a challenge.

But the real news is that NFL Football will Start Next Thursday, September 4th! The Superbowl Champion New York Giants hosting the Washington Redskins.

Yee ha, Football is Back!!

Who's going to take it all this year?? Will the Patriots go for an undefeated season again? Will the Giants repeat (hell no!)? Will Brett Favre do something special with the Jets? - Damn that sounds wierd to say!!

30 States had Positive Changes in House Prices over the last year!

2008-08-28T03:44:24Z

More good news for the real estate industry!!

According to the Office of Federal Housing Oversight's Housing Price Index for the 2nd Quarter of 2008 released August 26th, 30 of the 50 States had positive changes in house prices from June 2007 through June 2008, including our very own Washington State!

Only 4 States (Arizona, Florida, Nevada, and California) experienced overall price declines of more than 5 percent.

The 20 ranked cities in the United States with the worst price declines over the last 4 quarters were ALL in Florida, California, and Nevada.

I really do sympathize with the people of these four fine States. Some of the price declines they have experienced are simply horrible! However, there are 50 States and only 4 with truly bad news for the last year. The rest of the country is simply experiencing a market correction from a rapid increase over the last 5 years combined with some sloppy loan practices that hurt the lending industry. The United States overall had a -1.71% change over the last year (skewed down heavily by the 4 troubled States). However, even with the challenges over the last year, the United States STILL has had a 34.84% increase in home prices over the last 5 years! - How is that supposed to be bad???

Over the last 5 years, Arizona STILL gained 62.68%, Florida STILL gained 54.03%, Nevada STILL Gained 50.81%, and California STILL gained 41.81% despite the losses of the last 4 quarters.

It is time for the news media to put away the "Chicken Little - The Sky is Falling" type stories. The truth is that the nation's real estate market is rebounding.

- I've posted the top 30 States in the comments section, CLICK HERE to see them.

A Housing Shortage in Skagit County?

2008-08-27T22:22:40Z

Since President Bush signed the Housing Bill on July 30th, I've experienced a huge surge in business! I was curious to see if it was simply me having some good results, or if there has been a shift in the market. I ran a search of homes for sale in Mt. Vernon, Burlington, and Sedro Woolley priced under $300,000. There are currently 422 Active listings in the Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS). There are an additional 101 homes that have Contingent/Pending transactions on them. That is a very healthy number! It indicates that a Seller's Market is on the way! A healthy market is generally regarded as having 6 months of inventory. Assuming that all of the Contingent/Pending transactions close in the next 30 days, we'll have a shortage of homes under $300,000. There would be just over a 4 month inventory of homes. Market swings generally begin in the lower price ranges. After all, to buy a bigger or better home most people need to sell a smaller or less expensive one.

The July 2008 sales for all of Skagit County Residential Homes showed a 3.92% price increase over last July's sales prices. The number of Closed Sales is still significantly less than we had last year, but the Pending Sales figures for July are much more in balance with last year's numbers. All of the signs are there for a market that is rebounding in a big way! Consumer confidence is going up. Sales are going up. Prices are going up.

The news media will probably catch on to this in the next couple months. The doom and gloom stories are already disappearing and are now being replaced with the "Glimmer of Hope" and "Good News for a Troubled Market" type stories. Next, we'll likely see the "Rebounding Market" stories...

If you've been waiting for the market to "bottom out" before you buy, look around and you'll find that it is happening right now.

The press is catching on.... The market has hit bottom!

2008-08-27T16:18:37Z

I just watched the video below reported by Conway Gittens of the Reuters news agency. The real estate market nationwide had a nice rebound in July, offering hope that the worst is over!

Consumer confidence showed a sharp rebound as well...

Enjoy the video!

I've been experiencing a solid resurgence of business since President Bush signed the Housing Bill at the end of July. The inventory of homes priced under $300,000 in Mount Vernon, Burlington & Sedro Woolley is down to a 4 month supply of homes, suggesting a Seller's Market... Thats right, I said a Seller's Market.

Believe it.... It is coming.

78 Feet of Big Lake No-Bank Waterfront | Mount Vernon, WA

2008-08-27T14:52:49Z

Just Listed:

78' of Beautiful Big Lake No-Bank Waterfront go with this nice appx. 7,800 sqft lot on a peaceful dead-end street on the sunny side of Big Lake. Bring your plans and build your waterfront dream home!

Plat of Record Certification showing that is IS eligible to be considered for development permits is on file.

Bring your imagination and your building plans to this fantastic property! Your dream home awaits!

Asking Price: $385,000

Click Here to go Directly to the Listing & Printable Flyer

Good News for Existing Home Sales Nationwide!!

2008-08-25T11:25:33Z

In an article released today, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) announced that existing-home sales rose in July to the highest level in 5 months!!

In the article, NAR's chief economist Lawrence Yun states that home prices in some regions could soon increase!

How does this relate to our little corner of the world in Skagit County??

I looked at the market activity. There are all the signs of a healthy market...

In the towns of Mount Vernon, Burlington, & Sedro Woolley, there are 773 Active residential homes on the market. There are 126 with Pending/Contingent Sales. This number shows a healthy market with a 6.13 month inventory of homes. - A 6 month inventory of homes is generally used as the break point in reporting on the market. More than a 6 month inventory is generally regarded as a Buyer's Market, less than 6 months of inventory is a Seller's Market. As I said, a nice healthy market...

I took a closer look at the Mount Vernon, Burlington, & Sedro Woolley market for homes priced under $300,000. Inventory is way down!! There are currently 430 Active residential homes and 97 with Pending/Contingent Sales. A 4.13 month inventory! A Seller's Market all of a sudden. The Buyer's have come back! Yes, a lot of them are looking to take advantage of Short Sales and Foreclosures, but it is a good start and a clearly healthy market.... One that is ripe for a price increase!

For Buyers waiting for the market to bottom out around here.... Get out there and Buy... The market HAS ALREADY HIT BOTTOM here!!

Going Green with Chaffey Homes

2008-08-22T17:14:29Z

Hi,

I'm in the Chaffey Model Home in Nookachamp Hills in Mount Vernon. In a few minutes Megan Doyle & Elisa Filoni from Puget Sound Energy's Energy Efficiency Services division will be changing out ALL of the light bulbs in the model home from the traditional incandescent type to the new Energy Star high efficiency light bulbs!

We're all very excited to be promoting the Green movement. Chaffey Homes has always been a responsible builder, now as the newer technology, terminology and environmentally friendly standards are being developed, Chaffey Homes is at the forefront.

Chaffey Homes recently built an environmentally friendly concept house with Dave and Anna Porter. To date, over 10,000 unique visitors have toured their home. You can both see it and read all about it on their web-site. It won The 2008 NAHB Green Custom Home Builder award and a host of other awards.

If you would like to learn more, please call Bill Sauneuf at (360) 708-2929.

Any word on the Bill to SAVE the Down Payment Assistance Programs?

2008-08-22T12:08:03Z

Hi,

I know that the Downpayment Assistance Programs are on the blocks to go away at the end of September thanks to the recently signed Housing Bill. However, I also know that there is a new Bill specifically trying to save the Down Payment Assistance programs.

Do you know where that Bill stands? Is it likely to pass? Personally, I like the DPA system. That or Zero Down FHA loans... Either way, I'm good with it.

Thanks for your feedback!

Are You Seeing a Surge in Market Activity??

2008-08-22T00:45:45Z

Since President Bush signed the Housing Bill at the end of July, I've experienced a huge surge in market activity. July was dead quiet and August has felt like Summer in Real Estate... I've listed a great new house, received an offer on one of my listings, and written 3 offers. - I'm not trying to gloat.

I am curious!!

Are you feeling a surge in market activity?

-Bill

Home Warranty companies... #$%@!

2008-08-19T15:10:15Z

I have recommended to my Sellers for years that they include a Home Warranty as part of their listing.

They are a nice incentive for Buyers, they deflect a lot of after closing angst over something that goes boink after closing.... In general, I think they are a good idea.

For years, I have been recommending the AHS Home Warranty program that is offered for $300. I've had a couple customers make claims and they've had reasonable results. All fine and good, until recently.

When my most recent listing (1716 Marde Place, Mt. Vernon, WA 98274) signed their listing agreement, they agreed that providing a Home Warranty was a good idea so we completed the form for the $300 AHS Home Warranty.

After inputting the listing, I called in to AHS and registered the customers. I told the sales rep that the customers signed-up for the $300 plan. The rep took the order, just like usual. No problem, right??

Wrong!! I got the confirmation receipt in my email and AHS had put the charge down as $410, not the $300 that my customer agreed to. Of course, this must be a mistake, right? Wrong!! I called in to AHS to figure out what happened to get it fixed.

They told me that the $300 plan is no longer available. The new plan, that is supposed to cover more stuff, costs $410. They told me that they have had a transition period since April to a new form. I checked my office display stand (stocked by the AHS rep) and we still had the old forms.

"Sorry, that program is no longer in our system. Your customers will have to pay the $410."

Ya, right.... I let her know that I'll speak with the customer and let them know the rates of the competitors.

Here's the good news.... The 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty company only charges $255... Wohoo! I called them up, the sales rep had new riders, brochures, etc.. to me in 2 days and life is good.

When I took the problem to the customer, I had a cheaper than the original option...

What's your experience with the Home Warranty companies????

-Bill

Foreclosure Hype and Nonsense…

2008-08-18T00:58:05Z

It seems that the only real estate news making headlines these days is about foreclosures and how much that rate has increased in a large chunk of the country.

I'm primarily concerned about what happens here... Here in Washington and more specifically here in Skagit County. The typical news story these days describes the turmoil of Nevada, California, Florida, and Arizona... These are the States with the worst foreclosure rates in the country. In Washington State, the reality is far better... See for yourself:

Statewide Rate Rank	State Name	Foreclosure Rate
	United States Overall	1 in 464

1	Nevada	1 in 106
2	California	1 in 182
3	Florida	1 in 186
4	Arizona	1 in 195

26	Washington	1 in 997
	- Whatcom	1 in 1,609
	- Skagit	1 in 947
	- Snohomish	1 in 856
	- King	1 in 1,125
Data Source: Foreclosure Market Data by State - July 2008" by RealtyTrac

As you can see, the news in Nevada, California, etc... is pretty bad, but Washington State has less than half the national average of foreclosures. The press just wants to sell their newspapers or get you to watch their broadcasts by parading the problems of other areas in front of you, because the local story "It ain't that bad" won't sell well.

Foreclosure rates are up on both the national and local scale. That has drawn a lot of attention as it should have. On July 30^th, 2008 President Bush signed the Housing Bailout Bill into law. Beginning in October, there will be $300 Billion Dollars available to homeowners at risk of foreclosure to refinance their high rate adjustable mortgages into a low 30 year fixed rate mortgage that they can afford the payments on. This will lower the foreclosure rate on a National scale.

The market has hit bottom! The foreclosure rate increase that has been the source of many of the problems for the real estate market will be stabilized and stabilized at a reasonable rate. All of a sudden, the people that have been waiting for the market to hit bottom will realize that the bottom is here already and the next boom in real estate will begin.

Mount Vernon Washington House For Sale!

2008-08-15T15:29:11Z

Beautiful Quality Hansell Mitzel Home in Blackburn Ridge! 3 Bedrooms, 2 Full Bathroom Rambler with a Large Open Vaulted Ceiling Living Room. Master with Vaulted Ceiling, Attached Full Bath with Jetted Tub/Shower and a Walk-In Closet. Kitchen with Spacious Dining Area and a Slider to the Large Backyard. Hardwood Entry, Painted Millwork, Raised 4-Panel Doors, Oak Cabinets, Granite, Forced Air Gas Heat and Gas Water Heater, Hardieplank Siding, Varnished Soffits, Security System and much More!

An excellent home in a great Mount Vernon neighborhood!

Quick Facts:
- 3 Bedrooms
- 2 Full Bathrooms including the Master Suite's Double Sink Vanity and Jetted Tub/Shower
- 1,344 SqFt Home
- 7,626 SqFt Lot
- Built in 2002
- Many Luxury Features
- The Asking Price is $284,975

The address is:
1716 Marde Place
Mount Vernon, WA 98274

Driving Directions:
- From College Way, go South on 18th Street, past Blackburn, turn RIGHT on to Marde Place.

Please call Bill Sauneuf at (360) 708-2929 for further details or to request a showing of this great Mount Vernon Home!

Here are some more pictures of this beautiful home!

The Housing Market Has Already Hit Bottom!

2008-08-10T09:38:39Z

The signs are all over the place. The housing market has hit the bottom and is due to spring up in the next couple months.

Here are the basic facts:
- Home sales contracts rose in June. Click here for the Reuters story
- The $300 Billion Housing Bailout Bill has been signed into law. Click here for the Reuters Video
- The gas prices we've all felt the pain from have caused the cost of home building materials to raise sharply. Home builders will have to charge more for new homes in the coming months. If they don't (or are not able to get the higher prices), then they will slow down construction of new homes causing a shortage. The rule of "Supply & Demand" says if supply of new homes goes down, then the price will go up. Plain and simple.

What does all this mean to you? Well, the market activity is picking up, sales are picking up, the news media is seeing all the signs of the market stabilizing but are trying to stick with the problem stories because bad news sells better. The stories are beginning to be comical... "The real estate industry had some good news (sales are up), but something bad thing could happen at some point in the future."

I believe that the stories that will be reported starting somewhere around January of 2009 will be reporting that the housing crisis is over, the market hit bottom in August or September with the Housing Bailout legislation... All the polititicians, especially the newly elected ones taking office, will be taking credit for having fixed the housing industry problems. We'll have a new President who will be taking credit for having fixed the problems and created new jobs and got the economy rolling forward again...

The smart investors are quietly gobbleing-up the real estate on the market now and will be for the next few months. Next Summer, you'll be able to recognize them... They'll be the ones smiling!!

-Bill

Reuters News Video: Pending home sales rebound

2008-08-07T14:58:15Z

According to Reuters, signed contracts for pending home sales rose in June!

Watch the video for more...

Good news for the housing sector!!