Lenders Don’t Want Your House With the huge number of homeowners facing foreclosure, it is true that your lender does not want your home. In fact, mortgage lenders are also victims in this crisis (believe it or not) as well. Your problem has become their problem! With 8 homes in every 1000 currently in foreclosure (and many, many more on their way), banks are in no hurry to take your home. They will run themselves out of business if they were to take back the homes of all their high risk mortgages. Most lenders are willing and eager to find a way to keep you in your home. The key is to act sooner rather than later so you have as many options available to you as possible. Don’t let fear keep you from contacting your lender to see if there is a workout plan available to you.   05/05/2012

South King County Housing Slump Creating Phenomenal Real Estate Deals The current downturn in the South King County real estate market (that makes news headlines) is not all bad news. The historic fall in South King County home prices, coupled with rock-bottom interest rates on mortgages, could mean the deal of a lifetime for home buyers. With home prices falling as much as 30% (or more) in some parts of the country the past year, many home buyers are learning they can afford homes in areas they once believed were out of reach. ATTENTION SOUTH KING COUNTY HOME BUYERS! 05/05/2012

Hard to believe as I look out the window that today more or less marks the unofficial beginning of garden season here in the Pacific Northwest. It’s a heavy grey day outside and has been raining and blowing like nuts since yesterday afternoon. Oh wait. The sun's out. Give it a few minutes. Now it's hailing. Actually, that’s about right for our Spring weather. In our yard, May 1st has always been the earliest that baby vegetables go into the garden, flower pots get hung and planters dressed up for the summer. We’re fortunate to have a huge garden plot, which also means that lots of weeding, soil turning, and fertilizing also takes place about this time of the year. Gardening is a huge part of our PNW lifestyle, especially here in the suburbs where I work to assist Buyers in their home pu... 05/01/2012

Housing Upgrades That Don’t Pay Before you dive into a major renovation project to give a house your special signature, consider how long you’re likely to stay in the house. A lot of people get into trouble by going into a home they’re only going to be in for a relatively short period of time, and they start doing renovations and additions that are sort of on their fantasy list, but they’re not going to be there long enough to really enjoy. Here are four reasons to proceed with caution, particularly if you want to maximize your chances of a profitable resale later on. 1. High maintenance – If your upgrade requires too much upkeep, buyers may view it as more of a nuisance than an asset. A prime example is an in-ground swimming pool, which can cost a small fortune to install, secure, heat... 04/28/2012

Home Staging: Get Help Selling Your Auburn House Home staging, a method of presenting an Auburn home in its best light in order to appeal to the broadest audience base, has gained recognition through several popular cable television programs such as “Designed to Sell” and “Sell This House.” It can range from simply repainting walls to tearing them down, or from changing window treatments to replacing windows. It now offers many more varied services to the client, such as moving in and resettling, event staging, holiday decorating, de-cluttering and organizing and one-day re-design. Home staging has boosted Auburn home sales prices on many occassions, as well as quicken the amount of time the home stays on the market. Getting references for home stagers and checking those references is e... 04/28/2012

Fill out my Wufoo form! Save your Personal Puget Sound Area home searches and your favorite houses with a FREE account. Fill out the form to opt-in to receive email notification of new listings that meet your Puget Sound Area real estate search criteria. You have the control to change your search, set up listing alerts and gain control of your home search process. No Hassle and no Questions Asked. Contact Us When YOU are ready! 04/27/2012

Stay up to date on all New Construction properties in your specific area of Pierce of King County.     To see the most recent list of New Construction homes in your area of choice just fill out the form below and we will send you a list of home.   Review the list, send us back questions, ask for more information about the projects or just have fun looking.   When you are ready to take the next step let us know and we will work with you as your New Construction Buyer's Agent.  We know New Construction - we can represent you.      <a href="http://homefrontrealty.wufoo.com/forms/z7x3k1/" data-mce-href="http://homefrontrealty.wufoo.com/forms/z7x3k1/">Fill out my Wufoo form!</a&am... 04/26/2012

Home Defects – Every Home Has Them   We’d all like to buy the perfect home. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t exist. Even new homes have defects. That’s why it’s important to have any home you buy inspected by qualified professionals-even if it’s brand new. You’ll undoubtedly discover defects during your inspections. In fact, you should hope that any significant defects are uncovered before you remove your inspection contingency from the purchase agreement. It’s far worse to be surprised after closing by unanticipated repair expenses. Armed with a complete assessment of the current condition of the property, you can make an informed decision about whether to purchase the property in its present condition. Or, you may want to renegotiate the terms of your purchase agreement with the seller.... 04/22/2012

5 Steps to a Quicker Home Sale   In a hurry to sell your home? Here’s how to make sure you give yourself the opportunity to snag the best price in shortest amount of time. 1. You have to seriously undercut the competition – Selling a home in a down market almost inevitably means settling for a disappointing price. But to unload your home fast, you’re going to have to dip 10% to 15% below what comparable homes in your neighborhood recently sold for. You still may not be able to compete with foreclosures and short sales, but at least you stand a chance of getting buyers to notice your listing. 2. Outside fixes have the biggest impact – Since your house won’t be cheaper than the distressed property down the street, it has to look much better. But you may not have the time or money to redo ... 04/21/2012

3 Money Mistakes to Avoid   During times like these, every mistake you make with your money is even more costly. We’d like to share 3 important money mistakes to avoid during this financial crisis . 1 – Don’t Keep Cash at Home! Many bank failures has people wondering if their money is safe in a bank. One of the worst things you can possibly do is to start stashing your cash under your mattress (or in a dresser drawer). If you have your money in an FDIC-insured institution, your deposits are now covered up to $250,000 per individual. Your money is safer there than in your home, where it’s at risk of being stolen, or being lost in a disaster (like a fire). 2 – Don’t Skip Payments! This may sound like an obvious tip, but don’t stop making payments. If you’re in danger of falling behind or ... 04/21/2012

What is going on in the Auburn WA real estate market?  Below are some charts that shed a little light on the all too confusing real estate market.  Inventory is down, sales are up and prices are still declining.  The months of inventory is very short which should dictate a seller's market and prices should start to increase.  Simple supply and demand equation.             Statistics not compiled or published by NWMLS.” Equal Opportunity Housing All information deemed reliable, but not guaranteed” 04/15/2012

Auburn WA continues to be an area where distressed property sales make up almost half of all closed residential sales. It's also an area where homes are selling quickly and within 99% of asking price. Using information gathered gleaned from the local Multiple Listing Service, shows that for the period January 1 through March 31, 2012 the important numbers are: 215                Total number of completed (closed) sales of residential properties 51                  Number of New Construction properties sold $61,750       Low price $620,000   High price $219,950    Median price $228,741    Average price 123 Days    Average Days on Market (the amount of time before a home listing receives an offer and it is accepted by both the Seller and the Buyer) 5 Months! Approximate Absorption rate (t... 04/12/2012

Puget Sound Home Buying Techniques Puget Sound Home Buying Techniques Buying a Puget Sound area home is an exciting and important life event. Being a first time home buyer means you will have many decisions to make — and just as many questions that need answering. Buying your first home is a huge step. These helpful Puget Sound home buying tips may reduce confusion about mortgage payments and the cost of buying a house: Get pre-approved – Buyers should always get pre-approved before they begin house hunting. Buyers should get a written pre-approval from a reputable mortgage lender before they start shopping for a home. Calculate your mortgage payments – Buyer’s mortgage payments might be the same or less than rent payments. The (principal and interest) monthly payment on a $200,000, 30... 04/10/2012

Home Appraisals: Who’s to Blame for Low Estimates? Auburn Area Homes Appraisals: Who’s to Blame for Low Estimates? Who exactly IS at fault when an appraisal comes to a less-than-desirable valuation? And what IS a home appraisal based on? Appraisals are typically handled through the mortgage company and appraisers are often selected from a network of appraisers with which the lender company is affiliated. They’re an unaffiliated third party. Often times, there’s confusion because the homeowner is informed about the cost of the appraisal by the mortgage company/banker, when actually there is no mutually beneficial relationship. 04/03/2012

Auburn WA Real Estate | February Homes Sold 2012 During the month of February Auburn had 73 homes sell.    This includes detached homes, town-homes and manufactured homes on owned land. How exciting to be in a new home for all of the family gatherings! These Auburn WA homes actually had a transfer of home ownership. Contracts complete and Lender funds available. The home buyer and seller signed all of their documents and escrow prepared the closing packages. Once all the I’s were dotted and the T’s crossed there where deeds recorded at the King County courthouse that transferred the property into the new home owner’s name! If you want to learn more about how we transfer property in Washington State a really great site to visit is the Escrow Association of Washington site. There you can ... 03/21/2012

Before You Invest in Auburn Rental Real Estate Before You Invest in Auburn Rental Real Estate It’s easy to get thrown off by the appearance of a property, your emotions, or what the media is saying. Here are four ways to avoid making that mistake: Reality Check One: Who is Your Target Market? If the property is a good fit for your target market, it doesn’t matter if you wouldn’t live there. A renter may cherish the property. Reality Check Two: Are You Emotionally Involved? Emotions shouldn’t be involved in buying a rental property, but it’s something to be wary of. If, at any point in the negotiations, you feel you can’t walk away from the deal, you need to take a step back and review everything! When your emotions are involved, you can’t make rational decisions. Reality Check Three: Ar... 03/20/2012

Need to Remodel Your Auburn WA Home? Remodeling: Which Area is Best? Thinking of remodeling your Auburn WA home? Trends and times have changed. It used to be that the best place to invest your remodeling dollars was in the kitchen or bathroom updating. But to make your renovation dollar go furthest, focus on the part of the house everyone sees first. Replace or repair your siding! Payback: 82% to 87% Cost: $10,000 to $13,000 for the typical house. When it makes sense:Your existing siding is visibly worn or has suffered damage (from a storm, for example).     Originally Posted at: Homefront Realty 03/08/2012

Selling your Auburn WA Home | Will Anyone Want to Look? Selling Your Auburn WA  Home: Will Anyone Want to Look? According to statistics, 80% of all new home buyers will use the Internet to check things out and then do a “drive by” on their own before ever contacting  a real estate agent to see the house. Will anyone want to even see your home? Does your house pass the initial “Curb appeal” test? To give your home curb appeal – think “white glove clean”. The operative word here is PICKY! No old newspapers or junk mail lying about, no recycle bins and not a weed in sight. Selling an Auburn house can make a person into an eternal nagger! Teenagers wash their car and leave the sponge and bucket on the driveway; younger kids come in and drop pucks and gloves at the front door and bikes are a... 03/08/2012

Yesterday while on Facebook I saw a news article from King5's home page titled "Home prices fall to 2004 Lows". Of course I had to click the link and read the article.  The article written is in conjunction with the release of the NWMLS's statistics for February.  Every month there is a press release from the MLS and every month there is usually some kind of write up about the information at the local papers and news channels.  I had already seen the press release and looked at the data.  These articles usually only discuss the broad market here in Puget Sound and most of the commentary if for entire counties.  King County is fairly large and can have several different types of markets within the King County market.  There wasn't much data presented in regards ot the title so I thought ... 03/07/2012

Buying a new construction home is a bit different than purchasing a resale home – one that's been previously owned by someone else. You'll need to be familiar with a few tricks of the trade, along with understanding a bit about how the process works. These 20 tips to buying a new construction home are just the starting point on your way to the new construction home of your dreams. When you're ready, I'd be delighted to be of assistance to you! 1. Use your own Broker/Agent ALWAYS use your own Broker/Agent; doing so will help ensure that you get what you want. Understand that the sales reps you meet at a new construction community are likely really representatives of the Seller – the Builder, corporate owners, developers, whomever – that are there to present their product, answer your que... 03/06/2012