Further exasperating the jumbo loan picture is the idea that Wall Street is going to segregate the new Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans that exceed the former conforming limits. This is going to limit the interest rate relief originally sought by the increased conforming loan limit initiative. Read this article from the Associated Press.
Fed Help Not Really Enough For King County….
Daniel Billett of Response Mortgage in Seattle plans to refinance as soon as the new loan limits are confirmed. The Saturday Seattle Times featured a cover story by Katie Hafner of the New York Times concerning the Federal stimulus packagerecently signed into law. (For some reason, the Seattle Time’s on-line version is not available, so this link takes you to …
Where is the Economy Headed?
Ben Bernanke looked about as comfortable as Roger Clemens at a Congressional hearing on the economy yesterday. In case he didn’t know, all the help the Feds are talking about is HAPPENING TOO SLOW! The credit crisis is actually a crisis when banks won’t lend to banks, never mind to you and me. The credit crunch is real! Be very …
Redmond Ridge East: Here It Comes…..
Nice coverage by the Seattle Time’s Ashley Bach on Redmond Ridge East, the final phase of the master planned community East of Redmond. Redmond Ridge, with the development of a nice, user friendly commercial core of businesses and services, coupled with the Trilogy Golf Course, is a great place to live. Murray Franklyn agreed to purchase this final phase from …
This Guy Is Smart, But I Could Have Saved Him The Time………;->
Having built a home in unincorporated King County a few years ago, I was introduced to the quagmire known as the building permit process at the King County Department of Development and Environmental Services [“DDES”]. The fees, the time, the various departments and their processes, was enough to ensure that I would not try it again. Having worked with several …
Gutters Revisited Before Spring Rains
Maybe you cleaned your gutters in the Fall, but now is good time to check for plugged downspouts and all downspout connections before the Spring rains arrive. A client recently reported that their crawlspace filled with water during the last heavy rain. Worse than the hassle of renting a pump to clear the crawl space was the water that the furnace …
When and How to Transplant Trees
If you have trees that should be moved because they are either getting too large for their location or too close to your house, now is the time to start planning that move. It should happen within the next two months according to a paper from Washington State University. We have about a dozen trees that need to be moved …
Watch For Miscellaneous Fees i.e., Check Your HUD Statement
I mentioned in a previous post that home buyers/borrowers will need to be on their toes as lenders will be trying to maximize profits from each transaction, at least in the foreseeable short term. The only way to know what you are being charged is by carefully reviewing your HUD [“Housing and Urban Development”] statement that you receive from your escrow …
My Favorite Yard Tool
Although this was an entry in a Monday Morning Coffee email last fall, I’ve had requests to publish this information here to make it readily accessible for those of you that wish to pass it on. Those of you that know me are aware that I love tools, all tools. But one of my indispensable favorites is my Echo PB …
TREX Decking: It’s Not Working
TREX decking took the industry by storm over 15 years ago. But now, as we see more and more homes with TREX decks that are over ten years old, the truth is…..it does not age well. Prone to discoloration, there is no way to restore color. Prone to swelling, similar to LP siding, it is impossible to replace pieces of …