buyer: Team Reba's May Monthly Real Estate Updates!
- 05/01/15 07:05 AM
Hello May!
The whole team here at Team Reba cannot get enough of this beautiful weather! We are ready for all the May flowers and what the later spring months are going to bring! The local real estate market has been growing and now is the perfect time to take advantage of this stable market. Whether a home buyer, looking to sell or looking for an investment, Team Reba is the Team for you! Our #1 goal is always to be apart of YOUR success.
Here is a link to my “May Real Estate Update“:
This Newsletter is full of interesting and useful information … (0 comments)
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buyer: Why working out is good for your real estate career...
- 01/30/13 08:27 AM
So, I'm in my mid-40's and I try and stay in pretty good shape both because I like how it feels (and looks) plus it helps offset some arthritic spine issues from a long ago car accident. Well, today my heavy duty workouts helped me in more ways than one.
I have a buyer client who is purchasing a short sale where the power has been completely cut off (truly all electrical wires coming in were vandalized) and the water has been shut off. Come to find out today when we had the water turned on to do an inspection with … (1 comments)
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buyer: Need to find a permit for the home you're buying? Or to see if any exist?
- 04/05/12 01:55 AM
Excellent Q&A about home issues in this attached article link called Beauty of the As Built Permit, including how to find out about permits on a home with additions, etc. So timely since a client just emailed me this morning about just such a topic... We'd closed on their sale last week and they had the sellers direct contact info, but she still emailed me to ask the question. I forwarded her request, plus let her know that the local City of Seattle Dept of Planning & Development has a website that lists permits back to 1983 where she could look … (2 comments)
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buyer: What is the policy in your area about reporting number of bedrooms on septic and advertising a listing?
- 03/23/12 03:33 AM
Here in WA State licensees are not supposed to list incorrect numbers of bedrooms on their listings if the property is only approved for a certain number based on septic design. Below is a posting from our local NWMLS about the issue.
Reminder ~ On-Site Sewage Systems and Number of Bedrooms When inputting a listing with an on-site sewage system, the number of bedrooms you input must not exceed the number of bedrooms for which the on-site sewage system is approved. For example, if the property has four bedrooms, but the on-site sewage system was only approved for three bedrooms, then … (0 comments)
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buyer: Cash seems to be coming out of the wood work for buyers right now... Seattle and Bellevue area
- 01/26/12 08:10 AM
I've noticed more buyers with all cash offers coming out of the woodwork (so to speak) in the past 3 weeks than ever before. With prices in our area having improved for buyers throughout the past 5 years, it's not surprising to see new buyer activity, but this level of cash coming into play is unprecedented for my past 9 year career in the industry. I'm seeing it from my own buyers (investors of $50-200k properties) and as the listing agent of well-priced properties (in the $400k ranges).
Anyone else seeing this same kind of activity?
… (0 comments)
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buyer: Were you serious about wanting to sell your home? A few remarks from the buyer's point of view... to the seller and the listing agent
- 12/09/11 07:28 AM
I just tried to schedule some showings for a new client who is in a HURRY to buy a home so they can not only get out of a limited 2 month corporate housing option, but because the wife is pregnant and they don't want to move while she's in 3rd trimester. Our goal of buying a home within a month means we're out SERIOUSLY shopping. If you don't make your home available today, we may choose not to come back. Unfortunately, the first place I called for our tour won't be available to us because of a child's birthday party.
… (0 comments)
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buyer: The power of color - to turn on and off buyers
- 04/11/11 07:46 AM
This weekend I was showing houses to a buyer client of mine and we saw first hand how much color can impact a viewing. Here, in order, was our experience:
1. First house was in a very cute neighborhood with similar homes built in early 1990. Nice exterior sage green color with nicely contrasting roof. Interior was cream colored carpet and walls. Beautiful, elegant, but also invoked the idea that it was definitely going to be a "shoes off" house and that her cats could stain the carpets over time. But still gorgeous and would show off her collected art very … (3 comments)
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buyer: Why you should be sure to review and understand all lending options when buying a property
- 03/15/11 05:47 AM
When you're talking to a lender about getting financing for a home, be sure to talk about the GSE (government sponsored entities like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) and government backed programs (FHA or VA) in detail to know what is best for your situation. Note in this article that Freddie Mac is upping its minimum down payment from 3% to 5% so that may make FHA more the product of choice for some purchasers.
http://www.dsnews.com/articles/freddie-mac-to-require-more-equity-in-purchased-loans-2011-03-07
I'm always surprised at the lack of education that we, the US public, have about mortgages. With more stringent guidelines on lenders, hopefully there is more discussion … (2 comments)
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buyer: Has anyone on AR dealt with a company called Washington Property Solutions?
- 02/09/10 10:14 AM
I've had a buyer's agent submit an offer on a short sale I have listed and in the body of the contract is a request to use this firm, Washington Property Solutions, as a 3rd party negotiator for the deal. I've tried calling their phone number and only get voicemail. Their website doens't list them as attorneys, real estate licensees, or HUD approved loan modification specialists.
My understanding in this area is that unless you are a licensee, you cannot receive payment from a real estate commission in WA State, but yet their fee structure requires the listing agent to pay … (4 comments)
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buyer: Team Reba online newsletter available for November 2009
- 11/09/09 09:09 AM
Here is a link to my "November Real Estate Update":
This Newsletter is full of interesting and useful information that I think you will enjoy whether you are a buyer, seller, homeowner, or renter.
This month's issue includes topics such as:
"Vital Information for First-Time Buyers";"Relieving the Stress of Packing";"Making Your Home Age Appropriate Creates Appeal";"Real Estate Investment Buying Tips";"Extending Homebuyer Tax Credit Best Tool for Sustaining Housing Recovery";
Plus a roundup of November real estate activity as well as much more advice and information.
I hope you enjoy this monthly newsletter. If you have any comments, please e-mail them to … (0 comments)
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buyer: Charting out the new tax credit rules extension and expansion details...
- 11/09/09 09:01 AM
Well, a huge and collective sigh of relief for a lot of homeowners and wannabe homeowners has been let out this week with the passage of the tax credit extension. The big bonus is that there is an expanded package available and so to keep you all abreast of the new changes, here is a link to a chart that spells out all the new details.
For those that weren't aware of it, the expansion part includes a new $6500 tax credit for purchasers who are moving into a different property (must be $800,000 or less) and who have lived in … (0 comments)
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buyer: Converting skills in merchandising experience into "staging" for clients has proved fruitful...
- 10/21/09 09:06 AM
At the early part of my career, I used to manage 3 stores and a warehouse for a locally owned children's furniture store called Kid's Quarters. A big part of my job was to work with my staff and to make sure that the displays were kept up with current inventory/styles and to rotate vignettes into the display windows and on the sales floor. While the store is no longer in business in the Seattle area, the experience I gained in merchandising has stayed with me and for the past 6 years has been useful in my real estate business but now re-titled … (1 comments)
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buyer: More tips for 1st time homebuyer tax credit as we're in the last stretch for late November closings! Be in close contact with your lender.
- 10/20/09 08:01 AM
A couple of days ago, I wrote an article that highlighted issues in King County, WA regarding closings in November 2009 that could impact a buyer's ability to get the $8,000 tax credit for 1st time buyers. More news is coming out that impacts this as well and buyers should be prepared that lenders are wary of the volume that will hit at the end of this month as well and they're putting up barriers for any legal action that may come from a rush of paperwork and deadlines culminating at the end of the month during one of our Nation's … (1 comments)
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buyer: 10/10/2009 Renton Tech College class on Short Sales & Foreclosures sign up deadline is this Thursday, Oct 8th.
- 10/07/09 04:56 AM
Short Sales & Foreclosure - Demystifying the Process Saturday, October 10th , 10am - Noon
The financing and housing crisis has hit Washington residents with 1 in 10 homeowners owing more than their home is worth. What does this mean to you as a homeowner, seller, or potential investor buyer? Learn what a Short Sale is (it isn't a fast process) and how it relates to and differs from a foreclosure. How do Short Sales work and who are the best candidates for doing them? What are the timelines for each process? And more importantly, if you're involved in one what can you expect? … (0 comments)
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buyer: July 2009 Team Reba Real Estate Newsletter
- 07/01/09 09:47 AM
Here is a link to our "July Real Estate Update":
This Newsletter is full of interesting and useful information that we think you will enjoy whether you are a buyer, seller, homeowner, or renter.
This month's issue includes topics such as:
"The Contract Offer: What Price to Start With";"Campaign To Extend and Expand Housing Tax Credit";"Going Green May Help Sell Your Home";"Housing Starts Are Up Again";"Selling Your Home May Be Influenced by What Buyers Can't See";
Plus a roundup of June real estate activity as well as much more advice and information.
We hope you enjoy this monthly newsletter. If you have any comments, … (0 comments)
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buyer: When is it appropriate to have the Closing Agent close out utilities on a sale? Short sale and Foreclosure purchasers take note!
- 06/29/09 06:00 AM
This is likely to be a more specific post to the WA area, but it all depends on your local MLS and the forms used in your transactions. But, since this is both for agents and the public to check out, hopefully it will get people thinking no matter where they live and to do what is appropriate for their own locale.
In WA State we have statewide forms that are available to MLS members that are attorney drafted and approved fill-in-the-blank forms. These are copyrighted forms and not for public consumption or sale. The way agents are allowed to do what … (2 comments)
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buyer: Happy to see movement in the local Seattle market area
- 06/16/09 03:25 PM
I like to watch the daily market statistics and as the summertime has approached the seller activity has stayed steady with around 600+ new listings coming on each day. We also have seen pending sales increasing to the 200-300+ daily range and closed sales have increased as well.
What was interesting to see though in the MLS statistics for May was the increase in pending sales that failed. January's failure rate was about 2.7% and it slowly increased each month to 5% in May. Everyone I've been talking to has noted that appraisers and financing are the biggest culprits of these … (3 comments)
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buyer: Tip on Lakeridge and Bryn Mawr listings, and what we learned about MLS area info
- 06/16/09 02:34 PM
A while back we took a listing that is in the Lakeridge neighborhood of south Seattle, very near where Bryn Mawr is located. The difference between the two areas as noted in the MLS is 380 versus 360. We had been stymied by a lack of agent and buyer showings at the house and couldn't figure out why it seemed to get so little traffic. About a week ago, as I had to re-activate the listing from expired back to active, I had the MLS change the area since it's within the 1/2 mile range that they allow for using various … (0 comments)
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buyer: April 2009 newsletter has a little bit o' something for everybody
- 04/03/09 11:32 AM
Here is a link to my "April Real Estate Update":
This Newsletter is full of interesting and useful information that I think you will enjoy whether you are a buyer, seller, homeowner, or renter.
This month's issue includes topics such as:
"Five Ways to Wow Buyers";"Where Housing is Headed";"What You Need to Know to Buy a Home Today";"Investor Report: Refinancings";"Seller's Home Appeal for Today's Market";
Plus a roundup of March real estate activity as well as much more advice and information.
I hope you enjoy this monthly newsletter. If you have any comments, please e-mail them to us. Or, if you … (0 comments)
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buyer: Got a low credit score and want to buy a house or condo? FHA may be your answer...
- 03/21/09 08:14 AM
I've run across several people lately who would like to buy a home but who also tell me they are struggling with credit score issues and down payment funds. For these folks it might make sense to look into FHA financing, which has lower thresholds than conventional financing products right now for credit scores and down payments. Depending on who you're talking to (lender-wise) the minimum low score will be either 600 or 620, I've heard both thrown around recently from 2 different lenders.
For 2009 the minimum down payment level is 3.5%, just up from 3% last year, but that's still … (1 comments)
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Hello May!
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