team reba: Is three really a crowd in today's homes?
- 01/17/13 08:05 AM
REALTOR Magazine came out with this article about changing floor plans in new construction. I'm finding that we need it in the Pac NW due to the influx of multiple ethnic groups that have traditions of an parent coming to live with a young couple once they have children. There don't seem to be nearly enough floor plans that allow for this kind of household environment.
It's a different version of "3's a crowd" only because the adults want, and deserve, to have more privacy than you'd allow for a small child. A version of a double master would be nice, … (2 comments)
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team reba: Got a New Year's resolution to find new tools for listings? WalkScore!
- 01/04/13 01:27 AM
Having an open house is for the seller's benefit and it's true that you (the agent) and the house should be in your best condition to face the public. For sellers, that means be sure to pick up clutter and put away anything valuable that you don't want to see walk off during the open house because there are still people who will hunt for easy goodies at these events.
But there's a good way to consider walking as part of a strategy for marketing when looking at your listings. New Year's is a time when people have new plans for their … (19 comments)
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team reba: No Fluff Savvy Home Buyer Seminar- Level 1, January 26, 2013 Seattle
- 01/02/13 02:26 AM
01/26/201310:00 am - 12:00 pm
RE/MAX Metro Realty Inc. office
RSVP to Classes@TeamReba.com by 01/24/2013
Cost: FREE!If you’ve been wondering what the state of the real estate market is like in Seattle and the general King/Snohomish/Pierce County area, now is your chance to get a No Fluff reality check. We’ll have Team Reba real estate brokers and a 30+ year veteran local mortgage lender (Eric Aasness of Wells Fargo) on hand to help you learn how to navigate today’s new realities of buying real estate. On the agenda will be 3 major topics: 1) Credit repair processes, how credit is scored, … (0 comments)
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team reba: Puget Sound Clean Air offers a great buy back program for wood stoves!
- 12/18/12 03:58 AM
From our friends at Puget Sound Clean Air we get word about this great, new program out of the Pierce County area!!!!
Leave your old flame behind….It’s no secret. Older, uncertified wood stoves and inserts are dirty, less efficient and pollute the air – both inside your home and the air around your neighborhood.
$1.5 million in funding is now available to help remove, recycle or replace the estimated 24,000 uncertified devices in the Tacoma-Pierce County Smoke Reduction Zone. If you live within this zone and have an uncertified stove or fireplace insert installed in your home, we can help you … (3 comments)
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team reba: Make sure your holiday season is safe from fire hazards!
- 12/10/12 08:50 AM
It's the time of year that people want to be festive (no matter the holiday they observe) but with it comes some potential fire hazards. Please read these tips if you'll be decorating for the holidays.
Safe and Happy Holidays to everyone!!!!
… (3 comments)
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team reba: Santa takes Seattle off the naughty list and makes us nice!
- 12/10/12 08:40 AM
Seattle is now on the list... guess it isn't just Santa making a list and checking it twice...
http://www.dsnews.com/articles/nahb-list-of-improving-markets-hits-201-up-by-76-2012-12-07
In this article from DS News they report that NAHB has its list of improving markets and there is a big bump up of cities that are now improving. Me and my team at Team Reba have been watching this trend occurring in Seattle's metro market since April 2011 and saw when the turnaround began. Now, we just need our unemployment rate to drop closer to 5-6% to really heat it up in all market areas. Outlying cities are still … (0 comments)
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team reba: Push your local representative to extend the Mortgage Debt Relief Act!
- 12/03/12 09:03 AM
We in Team Reba definitely support this measure for extending the Mortgage Debt Relief Act (instituted in 2007 and expanded in 2009 to 2012) while we continue working through financial workouts on mortgages for many Americans. We still have 2-3 years to go, at least, before we're out of this mess.
http://www.dsnews.com/articles/forty-one-ags-sign-letter-urging-congress-to-extend-debt-relief-act-2012-11-20
If you haven't already contacted your representative to support this measure, please do so soon!
… (0 comments)
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team reba: Foreclosure rates overall are down31% over last year.... sort of...
- 11/01/12 10:26 AM
While we're hearing some good news about other parts of the country starting to ease out of the recession because foreclosure rates are down 31% over last year, what isn't noted in this report is that WA State is still seeing a slight increase in foreclosures with roughly 80,000 homes at risk. I just sat through a presentation yesterday by a premier speaker on the subject as he gave an economic forecast. It was interesting to get his perspective and to see much of what I talk about in my posts showing up in his analysis too.
Washington was behind the … (2 comments)
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team reba: are you prepared for a NW wind storm and power outages?
- 11/01/12 10:17 AM
Given the aftermath of the storm/Hurricane Sandy, we in the NW should prepare ourselves for the kinds of storms we routinely get and help in preventing power outages. This article in the Renton Patch also has an attachment available for storm emergency planning, a good thing for every household.
Even in my neighborhood that doesn't have above ground power lines, it's important for us to watch out for clogged storm drains because overfilled storm drains can also overflow and affect underground pathways that may be nearby holding power lines.
Many cities have online options for reporting trees that need removed or trimmed … (0 comments)
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team reba: Investors in 1031 exchanges need to be mindful of year end timelines
- 10/31/12 07:40 AM
From our friends at API Exchange – a good reminder for investors who may be doing 1031 exchanges at this time:
Important information for investors beginning a 1031 exchange from October 18 – December 31, 2012
The time frame an exchanger has to complete the acquisition of a replacement property in a 1031 exchange ends at midnight on the earlier of the 180th day after the date the relinquished property was transferred – or – the due date (including extensions) for the income tax return for the taxable year in which the transfer of the relinquished property occurs. (U.S. Treasury Regulations … (0 comments)
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team reba: Zillow opens the kimono on foreclosure homes and shadow inventory
- 10/26/12 10:24 AM
I'm going to guess the people who are in financial distress are not going to be thrilled about this change of events. Apparently a new feature coming out on Zillow is going to show pre-foreclosure and foreclosed homes. I can understand showing inventory that may be potentially up for sale soon and seeing a big picture view can be useful if you know how to analyze the data. But, here are some major concerns about what will come out of this new feature.
1. Families already dealing with stress of bad financial situations may be targeted by scammers.
2. Families in foreclosure … (2 comments)
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team reba: Is that an egress window and a closet or are you just glad to see me?
- 10/25/12 03:00 AM
Yes, I know, it's a strange title but it's to make a point. There are many sellers out there who don't recognize, or perhaps just realize, that it's always better to be more realistic in the marketing remarks of your home than to over-sell.
I just had this discussion with an investor seller of mine as we were about to put a new flip on the market. He wanted me to advertise the home as a 4 bedroom home because they'd made an extra room off the open area in the basement. He thought that just because it had a window and a … (3 comments)
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team reba: City of Seattle has positive news on job growth for 2012!
- 10/19/12 09:41 AM
We always like hearing good news about employment because it's a driving force behind real estate values. Richard Conlin, on the Seattle City Council, sends out a monthly newsletter that gives a lot of information about the happenings in the Seattle employment and neighborhood development divisions of the city. In this past newsletter he provided positive news on employment gains within Seattle and the surrounding areas. While it's a bit higher in concentration within Seattle, at least overall it is positive for our entire region and, as we all know in real estate, strong employment helps to bolster home values.
Here … (4 comments)
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team reba: Renton continues to improve local habitat & create new infrastructure.
- 10/11/12 01:39 AM
I'm proud of yet another cool project that Renton has helped to make a reality in the Puget Sound region. So many good things to come out of this project, part of which includes cleaning up a salmon stream to try and help bring back our local stocks to sustainable numbers and connecting to the foothills trail system.
You can read all about the project at this link from Renton Patch.
What I love about living in this city is that we have a diverse community that is constantly striving to improve itself with thoughtful projects. Helping to redeem waterways that … (1 comments)
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team reba: Renton's inaugural Oktoberfest! is this weekend!!!!
- 09/27/12 07:38 AM
I am very excited about the news that Renton is hosting its 1st ever Oktoberfest this weekend, Sept 28-30th!!! I've been a fan of the one in Fremont for 2 decades now, but this will be so nice to have one closer to my current home in the Talbot Hill area of Renton.
Groupon has a discount option for anyone interested in going too, so you can't beat the deal!
… (0 comments)
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team reba: Are mortgage/loan officers stretching the ethics of credit rescoring?
- 09/18/12 08:48 AM
We have several transactions that me and my team are working on currently where we're discovering loan officers and mortgage brokers who are sorting out credit issues while their buyer client is under contract. What we're all wondering is how did these folks truly get "pre-approved" if they didn't have the right score to begin with?
Is anyone else running into the same issues in their transactions?
To me, it almost seems to be grounds for a seller to cancel a contract if the buyer wasn't up front with the information. However, the scarier part is that we're finding out many of … (0 comments)
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team reba: Yes, I got married! No, I am not changing my name... for my credit.
- 09/13/12 04:27 AM
A challenge many female real estate brokers run into when changing marital status is the inevitable question of whether or not we're going to take our husband's name. It's funny, because in many cultures, it is not common for a woman to change her name but in mainstream American culture we have an expectation of it. My husband and I have already discussed it and it doesn't make sense for me to change my name, Reba Haas, after building a 10 year strong real estate business with Team Reba and an entire career (25 years) using my maiden name. One of the other women … (4 comments)
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team reba: Don't be surprised by a foreclosure while negotiating a short sale
- 09/07/12 03:57 AM
It has happened countless times since the beginning of the recession and it may continue on for a bit longer depending on the processes in each state and at each bank. What most people (including real estate brokers) didn't know is that banks are set up in "silo" business models typically and they often don't have computer systems that speak to each other. They've been working on it, but these are ENORMOUS internal projects with a lot of working parts and software programs that were never designed to talk to one another.
I know this because I came to real estate from … (1 comments)
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team reba: How to save money on an exterior paint job for your home...
- 08/28/12 03:10 AM
We're close to the end of the summer here so if you're going to get that exterior paint job done, do it before our 55 degree days come back. You'll want warmer weather to get the job done right! Around the Puget Sound, that means you'll likely have till early October to get it done.
Many people want to hire out the big job of painting their home, but the cost is often a big chunk of cash that not everyone has available. In today's economy, where people are being more conscious of watching expenses, there are ways to still get … (2 comments)
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team reba: Make sure your gift funds for a home purchase don't defy IRS rules...
- 08/28/12 03:05 AM
Because we've seen "gift funds" from family showing up more commonly in home purchases for help on down payments and closing costs, it's worth reading a bit about how the IRS views these and what the limits are for each party involved (gifter/giftee)...
The link below leads to a Q&A session on the subject and does a concise job of explaining current rules... these are subject to change each year so always check with your CPA or on the IRS website for the most current details/amounts allowed.
http://lowes.inman.com/newsletter/2012/08/27/news/199408
… (2 comments)
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REALTOR Magazine came out with this article about changing floor plans in new construction. I'm finding that we need it in the Pac NW due to the influx of multiple ethnic groups that have traditions of an parent coming to live with a young couple once they have children. There don't seem to be nearly enough floor plans that allow for this kind of household environment.
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