There was a nice little article in the Seatttle Times Saturday Real Estate section which offered suggestions for increasing the appeal of your home to potential buyers. While there are some helpful tips, you may need more significant help if your property has been lingering on the market for more than 60 days. I spent the early part of my real estate …
Mortgage Madness Follow-up
I just spent about an hour on the phone with Ron Delfs at Equity Northwest, our preferred lender [ron@equitynorthwest.com]. Ron had reviewed my previous post, so I asked him candidly what he thought about The Mortgage Professor’s article in The Times. He thought it was good, but that “down here on the ground it’s about 10,000 times worse”. Here’s the …
Mortgage Madness: The Professor Got It Right!
Clients look to us to provide answers regarding the media blast this week concerning the the stock market and related credit industry concerns. Sellers are wondering if they will ever sell, and buyers are wondering if this is the righ time to buy. It is interesting that media headlines have folks buzzing about the future of housing and credit when …
The Most Important Thing to Check BEFORE You Buy: The Commute!
This is our 2 cents regarding the importance of checking out a neighborhood before you buy. The Seattle Times has an article July 18, 2007 about the importance of getting to know a neighborhood before making a purchase. Isn’t it great just tooling around looking at neighborhoods on a sunny weekend day. Somtimes those days lead to a compulsive disaster: …
Seller Disclosure Responsibility NOT What Buyers Often Think.
This is a difficult subject. Rather than get into the ethical arguments, of which there are many, I want to get the principal across that is most important: Although sellers are required to provide a property disclosure statement, it does not absolve buyers from the responsibility they have to themselves e.g., if you are injured in an auto accident, and …
Appraisal Problems…..
The Seatttle Times Friday the 13th Real Estate section Q & A by Elizabeth Rhodes sites a low appraisal problem on a condo sale. While the explanations offered are fairly brain dead with respect to what actually happens in such a situation, it inspired me to write about 2 recent transactions wherein the appraisals played pivotal roles unlike that which …
Buyers Getting a Leg Up?
In the Seattle Times 7/7/07 Saturday Business section, an article describes a slower market, and how it is helping buyers. We have predicted for some time that conditions were ripe for increased inventory and slower sales. However, we also believe that this condition will give way to increasing sales activity as the year ends, and will be stronger in 2008. …
Rhodes: What Commission For Agent Covers
There are many real estate issues with which we have disagreed with Elizabeth Rhodes of the Seattle Times. However, we genuinely have to thank her for accurately, and considerately, explaining commission structures. See her article here. Further, Ms. Rhodes is to be commended for the thoughtfulness that guided her to use the insightful remarks of the President of the Washington …
Prices Up and Market Slowing?…Explanation
I was looking in the Sunday Times for something to write about this week. Nothing much of interest. Rhodes wrote about finding a good agent: ask for referrals, credentials, interview 3 that are experts in your area of interest, pick one. Not complicated. Looking for something interesting to discuss in the Times archives, I came across an article from June …
Reply From Elizabeth Rhodes Concerning Prior Post….
As follow-up to the prior post, I joined an on-line Q & A hosted by Elizabeth Rhodes and Matthew Gardner. I submitted several questions, all of which went unanswered. However, Ms. Rhodes was kind enough to take the time and send an email explaining several aspects of her reporting. Number 1, she is a reporter. I guess that justifies stories …