JonErik Johnson's (jonerik) Blog

I have been watching the Kirkland condo market very close for about 5 years now. I watched the spike in prices in 2006, not knowing that it was a spike at the time; an unsustainable high in values. As the influence of distressed properties takes hold of the market today, I am witnessing a disturb...

I had a Real Estate Transaction that was on the Closing table, and it was about to self destruct. If it weren't for Chicago Title and their Escrow Team in Bellevue Washington, the transaction would have needlessly fallen apart. Elizabeth Peterson is one of those "All-Star" performers; in a market...

                                        Your Cash flow analysis today, may not work into the summer months. I am not a financial expert, but I have some important information I need to share. Much of this information is found in the news, being careful of the message spread through media and on t...

Why wonder about what it takes to buy a home in today's Real Estate Market when you can get up to date, current information from your trusted neighbors. The average consumer has many questions regarding the First Time Buyers and moving up buyers Tax Credit. There is limited time to move on this o...

Being a Real Estate Professional, I happen to see a lot more negative stuff than your typical Person. One thing I an seeing a lot of, is people in financial trouble not exercising their rights. Open the mail, and call the bank when they send a letter. Don't ignore the issues, because the bank wil...

My team puts on a seminar in Kirkland 3 times a month. We educate people on how the wholesale property market works, how it relates to the current economic crises. We look at Property sales in Retail, Short Sale, Auction and Bank Owned Property Markets. How one can effect the other, and how you c...

The other day I was at the auction marketing a hard money source my team has access too. I met a nice couple that were attempting to buy a specific distressed property. They showed up at the auction with a preapproval letter from the bank, which will not qualify them to bid on properties at the a...

I have been researching local properties for a couple of clients that have poor credit, but they do have some money for a down payment. They have a steady job, but can't find a way to finance the property. I now have access to many owner finance properties, several of which my team has listed on ...

Foreclosure properties are quickly becoming a "visible" way to make money or build your investment portfolio, but what other options are there and is there a better way...with less risk? In the foreclosure arena, you first need cash, 10% to 25% of purchase price, then hard money may be the only w...

King county, Seattle Washington area, generally has an average of 6-months of properties in inventory actively listed on the NWMLS. Today, we are exceeding 8-months of inventory, which translates into properties sitting on the market longer than we are used to here. Builders are now offering pric...