Interior door replacement can be done in many ways. Concerns vary, but the overarching issue is generally whether your doors should be stained or painted, in accordance with the existing millwork in your home. In my humble opinion, painted doors with stained millwork looks odd, even if they are nicely painted 6-panel doors. Until recently, stain grade doors were very …
Drain Your Hot Water Heater…
Click Image to Enlarge I have heard over the years that it is a good idea to periodically drain your hot water tank. It is one of those things that I may have remembered to do about 3 times out of 20 years of home-ownership. Today I stumbled upon an article which sheds some light on the matter, and I …
Want New? A Finished Home Is Your Best Bet!
Today, when it comes to new construction, there is only one way to buy: a finished home, not a pre-sale wherein a home might just be getting started, or is still a vacant lot. Why? you might ask. Consider the following: 1. Nothing is more costly to a homebuilder than an unsold finished house. He is paying interest every day that …
Housing Predictions For King County and South Snohomish
Everywhere we go people ask us the same question, “how are things in real estate?” Depending on our energy level at that point in time, our answer might take 10 seconds, or 10 minutes. Sometimes people ask because they are truly interested from a personal standpoint. Sometimes it’s too find out if we are suffering as much as the media says …
This Is As Bad As It Gets
As reported at CNN.com, Youngstown, OH is demolishing scores of buildings that have remained abandoned in order to convert the costs of infrastructure and maintenance into open space. “Under the initiative, dubbed Plan 2010, city officials are also monitoring thinly-populated blocks. When only one or two occupied homes remain, the city offers incentives – up to $50,000 in grants – for …
Housing Pessimism: Get Over It….
I suppose it is not fair to ask today’s prospective home buyers what all the fuss is about. Given the daily onslaught of negative media coverage of housing and the economy, it is permissible to be concerned about whether or not to take the plunge. However, I don’t understand the hand-wringing, mind warping fear that has gripped many home shoppers to …
WaMu: From Bad To Worse…….
A few quotes from today’s Seattle Times article: “It’s always emphasized growth over all other aspects of its business.” “they had to reach down to a new level of the marketplace. They had to seek out a lower quality of customer than they were used to dealing with.” “Even though there was weakness in the market, they put their foot …
Hallelujah!
After 3+ years of refuting, critiquing and criticising the writings of The Seattle Time’s Elizabeth Rhodes on real estate matters, the Times has finally heard our pleas and replaced her with a new, actual Real Estate Editor. Meet Cindy Zetts. In her first article for the Times in yesterday’s Real Estate section, Cindy quickly demonstrates that “SHE GETS IT!” She has …
Skin In The Game
It makes sense. If we are to believe that there is a simple preventative measure which will reduce the chances of another mortgage market meltdown, “skin in the game” is a good place to start. Getting rid of 100% financing is a foregone conclusion. But what about the 97%, 95%, and 90% loans? It requires little change in the market …
California Dreamin’/Burnin’
We set out for the Los Angeles area last week to get a little first hand knowledge from local real estate agents on the state of their market. I was fortunate enough to meet Denine Kerns, CRS of Prudential California located at Corona del Mar, a toney oceanside community about 40 minutes South of L.A. Denine specializes in estate properties and …