Maybe it’s just because I’m getting older, but it has become increasingly evident that sellers do not possess the same pride of ownership that they have in years past. Used to be that sellers would scrub, vacuum and clean every nick and cranny of their home in preparation for a new homeowner. As the sale was already completed, this was …
Should Sellers Do A Pre-Inspection?
There was a brief and nominally informative article in the Sunday Seattle Times: Sellers should consider paying for inspection early in process One of our most important responsibilities as listing agents is carefully reviewing the “Seller Disclosure Statement“, also referred to as “Form 17“. It is a requirement in the State of Washington that this form be completed by just about every …
Lending Supply and Demand
If you were among the multitudes calling your lender last week when mortgage rates dropped, you may also have been disappointed when you finally got through. On the heels of the FED’s historic 3/4 point rate reduction mortage rates temporarily dropped to as low as 5.125%. [See the LA Times Article “Interest-rate drop spurs frenzy of refinancing calls”.] But something …
Diana’s Opinion Published in the Seattle Times
The “Letters To The Editor” section of the January 19 edition of the Seattle Times featured Diana MacDonald’s opinion regarding Elizabeth Rhode’s prior article “RealEstate Anxiety: What’s Next in ’08?” from Dec 30, ’07, which I also panned here under the title “Not The Sharpest Tool” (see Selling Concerns under categories, about 3 articles down from the top). Read Diana’s published opinion, …
Professionalism Lacking Among Local Agents: Cost To The Sellers…..
Diana and I thought we would take advantage of a nice day to preview some of the listings being held open in the Madison Park and Broadmoor neighborhoods. We viewed some nice listings, but were taken aback at how we were, or were not, greeted by the respective listing agents. Listing No. 1: A beautiful $1.8M home in Madison Park. …
The City, The Burbs, or The Sticks: What Are the Real Costs?
Location, Location, Location. The oldest cliche in real estate. How does one determine the real costs associated with the location of a home purchase? It is one of the most common, and challenging, aspects of satisfying home buying needs. She wants new. He wants close in. To get new means living farther from work. To get close to work means buying a …
Bank of America Acquisition of Countrywide
Bank of America agreed to purchase the remaining 84% it didn’t own for $4.1 Billion Dollars last week. Aside from a few regulatory hurdles it appears to be a done deal. The acquisition follows B of A’s August, 2007 investment of $2 Billion for stock in the company in an effort to stabilize Countrywide amidst looming foreclosures and credit woes. Hindsight points to B …
HOTEL?
Think “hotel” when fixing up your home to sell. What an awesome concept! I sure wish I had thought if it, but credit goes to others from this article in the Sunday Times. What a wonderfully simple concept to convey to our clients. For years we have tried different explanations, often getting puzzled looks in the process. Who hasn’t stayed …
New Domain Name for the Redmond Real Estate Blog: WINDERBLOG.COM
I have expressed to “the powers that be” at Windermere for some time the importance of business blogging. As it is done by General Motors, the many sites devoted to Microsoft, and even Boeing, corporate blogging is an important part of any successful corporate image policy today. Perhaps it will be replaced by something else tomorrow, but for now, if a company …
Not The Sharpest Tool….
Did you see the Sunday Seattle Times front page article by Elizabeth Rhodes? This condo owner, Paul Kelly, that is crying the blues over his inability to unload his $639,900 condo is NOT typical, as Ms. Rhodes would lead Times readers to believe. His situation is an anomaly, due almost entirely to his own folly, not the current real estate market …