| |
kitsap: Wanna make $25??? - 02/05/09 07:42 AM
All it takes is a $250 initial investment, and after 30 days you will be rewarded with an additional $25!
No it's not a scam, or a pyramid set-up, or any of those other get-rich-quick schemes. It's exactly the opposite.
Woman's Day magazine is doing a year-long series on finances and saving money. They have partnered with ING Direct to offer a special savings program to encourage readers to start saving.
If you are a new customer, you can sign up with ING Direct through a link at Woman's Day's website for a special "Orange" savings account. It is done via … (9 comments)
|
kitsap: To Refi, or Not to Refi? That is the question... - 02/05/09 07:13 AM
Hopefully this post will help you find the answer. When is the right time to refinance? With interest rates so low, it seems like refinancing your home loan might be a good idea. What are the determining factors?
There are a couple of things to look at when considering a refi. First, do you have any equity in your home? If you owe $250,000 for your home, and you owe a total of $245,000, you probably won't be able to refinance unless it is a VA loan. And VA loans are a whole different ball game.Now, as far as whether the rates … (2 comments)
|
kitsap: The Boat Shed Restaurant is a Pleasant Surprise - 08/25/08 01:17 AM
Want to go out for a nice dinner, but don't want to spend a lot? Want a view but don't want to pay for it? Consider The Boat Shed restaurant in Manette in East Bremerton!
The restaurant sits almost underneath the Manette Bridge, and if you aren't looking for it you could miss it! The unassuming entrance will leave many doubting the quality, right until they open the front door and smell the tantalizing food from inside.
Get a table by the window. From your seat, you will have a view of the bridge, the USS Turner Joy, and the Seattle-Bremerton … (9 comments)
|
kitsap: Special Event: Wine Tasting and Dinner at Cosmos September 7, 2008 - 08/25/08 12:01 AM
Wine aficionado and Foodie Mike Watkins is pairing with Cosmos Deli in Port Orchard to offer a fantastic Wine Tasting and Dinner to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!
Sunday, September 7 at 5:00 pm, Mike and Cosmos will provide a sensational gourmet dinner paired with five, yes FIVE different wines. Dinner includes an antipasti, braised beef short ribs with smashed yukon gold potatoes, and grilled sweet peaches with gelato and honey.
Dinner is followed by a silent wine auction, including bidding for a Magnum of 2005 Bordeaux.
All proceeds benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, an organization which helps patients … (3 comments)
|
kitsap: The Kitsap County Real Estate Snapshot Today, July 23, 2008 - 07/24/08 12:13 AM
Right now, right this very moment in Kitsap County, WA, there are 2,591 single family homes for sale, according to the local Multiple Listing Service. Yes, that's right, 2,591 homes for sale through local real estate agents.
That's a lot of competition for a small number of serious homebuyers!
In the last 30 days, only 210 single family homes have sold and closed, again according to the Multiple Listing Service. What does that number mean to you if you are currently trying to sell your home, or if you are thinking of selling your home in the near future?
If the … (4 comments)
|
kitsap: "Well, I don't have to, but..." - 05/19/08 10:58 PM
Apparently, there is a checklist at many of the larger brokerages in Washington State for agents to follow during a transaction. These checklists are inaccurate, and if brokers and agents were paying attention, they might realize this.
Lately, agents have been asking me for a copy of the earnest money check when I represent the Buyer. Today, I had an agent get very huffy with me when I explained that since Mutual Acceptance was Friday, I actually had two business days to collect the earnest money check. Therefore, our deadline for collecting it was actually tomorrow. I also told her that I … (7 comments)
|
kitsap: "Have we hit bottom yet?" - 05/14/08 02:08 AM
"I want to buy a house when the prices are at their lowest."
"How long before the market turns around again?"
"I'll wait a while longer til prices drop a bit more."
"Buy low, sell high" doesn't apply only to the stock market - it applies to real estate as well. However, the problem that plagues stock investors also plagues the real estate investor -- how do we know we have hit bottom?
As real estate agents, we listen to the financial experts, monitor the economy and the real estate market in general, watch the national trends, track home prices and … (9 comments)
|
kitsap: A Successful Valentine's Day - 02/14/08 02:38 AM
I got a jump start on Valentine's Day pop-by visits this year, and spent the better part of two days reconnecting with my old sphere. I bought some cute little plastic jars at Walmart, filled them with candy, and delivered them to some people I haven't spoken to in a while.
What a great experience! My ego is HUGE right now!
My pop-bys took me about three times longer than I expected, because I ended up chatting and catching up with so many people. We talked about their kids, their grandkids, their jobs, my son, their church, real estate, the Relay for Life, their … (9 comments)
|
kitsap: Can You Buy with BAH? - 01/13/08 04:10 AM
"We want to buy a house, and we're probably going to use our VA loan. Can you tell us how much we can afford? We'd like to keep our payments below our BAH."
I can't tell you how many times I have heard young military couples (and a few singles) tell me this. It's a good goal, but I have to tell you that, depending on your expectations for a home, it may be difficult, if not impossible, to accomplish this goal. Don't get me wrong, it does happen, but it usually takes some re-prioritizing and perhaps settling a little.
Allow me to … (10 comments)
|
kitsap: Recycle Your Christmas Tree in Kitsap County - 12/29/07 03:12 AM
The Christmas hoopla is over. Time to take the lights down, pack away the ornaments, put away the inflatable "Frosty" lawn spectacle (or, in my family's case, the Home Depot and Lowe's cars currently racing across our front lawn), and make your home look a little less glitzy.
Now, what to do with the tree? Let's face it -- we live in the Pacific Northwest. Most of us have real Christmas trees. Some of us even cut our own. Seems a shame to waste them.
Don't! Recycle those trees instead! Kitsap County makes it so easy. Trees are accepted for recycling at most facilities … (3 comments)
|
kitsap: Your home's personal website - 12/22/07 10:46 PM
Kitsap Real Estate is changing. From Bremerton to Seabeck, Port Orchard to Poulsbo, Silverdale to Kingston, the way we Realtors do business is steadily becoming more and more influenced by the internet. At Realty Station our goal is to stay ahead of the times!Many people these days do not begin their home search with a Realtor. Up to 82% of today's homebuyers begin their search on the internet. Why then are so many agents only running print ads, or worse, putting up a sign and waiting for something to happen?My team depends heavily on internet marketing to find buyers to purchase … (10 comments)
|
kitsap: DON'T send a Christmas card to our soldiers..... - 12/12/07 06:09 PM
It's a nice idea, really. I was about to send one myself, until my husband, currently stationed aboard the USS John C. Stennis, stopped me.
"That's nice, honey, but it'll never reach anyone."
At first I didn't believe him, but then we watched the news last night. It was covered on at least ABC News and Fox News. The information has also appeared in the Associated Press and the New York Times.
Any mail not addressed to a specific soldier, whether they are currently stationed on a military base overseas, in the US or at a medical center, will not be delivered. … (8 comments)
|
kitsap: Sorry for the offer, but.... - 12/02/07 10:38 PM
I read someone else's featured post today, and found many of the comments very interesting, almost as interesting as the blog post itself. There are so many things in real estate that frustrate us, but before we rush to judge, I think we should all take the time to realize that there are always two sides...
Mr. Seller's Agent,
I am submitting a very low offer on one of your properties. Please, do not be offended, or angry, or upset with me, the agent, for submitting this. Also, please do your best to help your sellers not be angry or offended. Allow me to explain...
Please know that I … (12 comments)
|
kitsap: Scholarship Money Available for Military Children - 12/01/07 05:42 AM
Your eligible child can receive scholarship money for winning an essay contest sponsored by military commissaries! Every commissary that receives an entry from an eligible applicant will give away $1,500 in scholarship funds through the 2008 “Scholarships for Military Children” program.
Applicants must be under 21 and planning to attend or currently attending college, or under 23 and currently attending college. Scholars must have a 3.0 GPA based on a 4.0 scale, and must be in the DEERS system, meaning he or she must hold a current military ID card.
Scholarship funds are available to unmarried children of active-duty, retired, Reserve … (2 comments)
|
kitsap: KitsapWithKids: Dr. Seuss Comes Alive in Port Orchard - 11/29/07 08:40 PM
Western Washington Center for the Arts is performing a wonderful musical adaptation of several Dr. Seuss books. This show is sure to please children of all ages, and parents as well!
"Seussical" the musical, once played on Broadway, is a charming menagerie of many different classic children's books including The Cat in the Hat, Horton Hears a Who, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Green Eggs and Ham, plus 13 other literary creations.
Through December 16, WWCA will present the show on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, and Sundays at 5 pm. The musical is being performed at the WWCA Playhouse at … (0 comments)
|
kitsap: KitsapWithKids: Chuck E. Cheese in Silverdale - 11/28/07 01:05 AM
Ways to Spend a Winter
The first in a series of ways to spend rainy, cold, winter afternoons with your kids in Kitsap County.
Silverdale is the retail hub of Kitsap County. It is also the home to the county's newest indoor attraction for kids. Chuck E. Cheese has arrived in Kitsap County!
Chuck E. Cheese is well-known as the place kids go to run around and play video games while noshing on pizza and breadsticks. Meanwhile, Mom and Dad can have a salad and pizza of their own, while sipping on a beer.
Or, skip the food altogether! Buy a Chuck E. cup, and … (5 comments)
|
kitsap: KitsapWithKids: Introduction - 11/28/07 12:42 AM
Ways to Spend the Winter
I've lived in the Pacific Northwest for 16 of the last 20 years of my life. I should be used to the winter weather by now. Problem is, it isn't just winter weather. It's winter, spring and fall weather. It's nine-months-of-the-year weather. It's cold-and-damp, what-will-we-do-inside-again-today weather.
Don't get me wrong, summer more than makes up for the wet months. It's glorious and beautiful and, well, perfect. But ugh, the gray skies that come in October!
Well, in the past, I just (excuse the pun) weathered through the weather. However, now I have a three-year-old. How do I entertain … (6 comments)
|
kitsap: The Accuracy of Zestimates: A Conversation with Rich Barton - 11/26/07 03:58 PM
During the National Association of Realtors Conference and Expo in Las Vegas, I had an opportunity to hear Rich Barton, Chairman and CEO of Zillow.com, speak about Zillow's interactions and future plans for the real estate community. He was an excellent speaker, very animated in his remarks, and actually very funny. I had a chance to speak with him following his presentation. The information was enlightening, and I feel much more prepared now to deal with another of technology's challenges.
In case you've been living under a rock for the last two years, Zestimates are the estimated values that Zillow places on … (14 comments)
|
kitsap: 2145 E. Highlands Street, Bremerton, WA 98310 - 11/26/07 05:02 AM
Wonderful Craftsman-style home for sale in one of Bremerton's most sought after neighborhoods, Manette!
Charm of yesteryear abounds in this home with four bedrooms and one and three-quarter baths. Large one-story home with finished basement has more than 2,000 square feet.
Views of the city, sound, and ferries from the covered deck of this home.
Relax in your living room with coved and coffered ceilings and original red oak hardwood floors. Old World warmth with the conveniences of today.
Watch the ferry come in while making jam in your kitchen with fruit picked from your own yard.
Cuddle by the fire in the lower family … (10 comments)
|
kitsap: Education Grants for Military Spouses - 11/26/07 03:48 AM
Military spouses often have special challenges finding and maintaining a career when following a spouse between different duty stations. Many career fields are not "portable", and those that are often require special training. Child care and cost of education becomes an issue.
Many military spouses who maintain a career often sacrifice high-paying jobs to follow their active duty sailor or soldier every time they a relocated, which can happen as often as every six months to two years. Military husbands and wives find it difficult, if not impossible, to train for a new career in high-demand, easily-transferable fields, due to the cost … (4 comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Marlene Scheffer, Realtor to Kitsap County, WA
Bremerton,
WA
More about me…
Realty Station
Address: 2135 Sheridan Road, Suite F, Bremerton, WA, 98310
Office Phone: (360) 377-5699
Cell Phone: (360) 689-6836
Email Me
Here you will find my thoughts and insights into the real estate market in general, as well as tips for Sellers, Buyers, current Homeowners and other real estate agents. Many of the market updates will apply specifically to Kitsap County, in other words, Silverdale, Bremerton, Poulsbo, Port Orchard, Kingston, and all areas in between. Many of the trends seen in Kitsap will overflow to surrounding cities, such as Gig Harbor, Belfair, Allyn, and even Bainbridge Island. I hope you will find this blog helpful and useful.
 Links
Archives
|
;)
;)
