January 25, 2014 by Jo Soss  I am sure by now you have seen the charts with the NEW 2014 BAH Rates for the Naval Base Kitsap area.  Fairly depressing to say the least.  No increase for almost anyone!  Those of us here receiving BAH are lucky to be “grandfathered” into our current BAH allowance.  New military members coming into the are are in for a little surprise.  Bremerton was THE area with THE largest decrease in housing allowance for 2014.  Why?  Most of the headlines or snippets you read when you Google the term 2014 BAH rates shows that there was a 5% increase – largest in the last 5 years.  So why did the Naval Base Kitsap area take such a hit?  Here are some bullet points from the DOD - Each year BAH rates are reviewed and adjusted to account for fluctuations in rent, utiliti... 01/25/2014

Buying During a Deployment: Power of Attorney and What you need to Know Naval Base Kitsap Buyers | Power of Attorney and your Real Estate Purchase First I want to disclose that I am NOT an Attorney and I am NOT authorized to practice law in the State of Washington.  I do however, want to give you some insight on the process of using a Power of Attorney to buy a house here in Kitsap County.  First, off I am a Navy spouse, my husband is active duty currently stationed at Naval Hospital Bremerton.  He purchased the home we live in today while he was on his second tour to Iraq attached with 1st MLG out of 29 Palms, CA.  I had the Power of Attorney, and it was a hassle.  I was working for First American Title Company at the time and had access to Power of Attorney forms and title information... 03/06/2013

A couple of years ago I wrote several articles about Naval Base Kitsap Relocation.  They were very detailed so I turned them into a website of their own.  If you click on this photo below you will be taken to the stand alone blog  NAVAL BASE KITSAP RELOCATION If you are relocating to the Naval Base Kitsap Area take a look and if you need further assistance please feel free to contact me.  04/22/2012

Being a military family I am very aware of several businesses around military bases that offer a military discount.  I know that I can go into Lowe's or Home Depot any day and ask for a military discount and receive a 10% off my total bill.  Some places advertise the discount and some places offer it but don't advertise.  Today I was searching around the area for some specials for the community and found out that several of the stores at the Kitsap Mall are offering Military discounts now until December 31, 2011.  These discounts do make a difference in a military families budget.  Military families on the average are young and there are more lower ranking families who are on the lower end of the pay scale.  Any and all help is very much appreciated for these young families.    Here is... 12/18/2011

    What are you doing with your BAH? Are you giving it to the PPV/Military Housing? Are you giving it to a landlord to pay THEIR mortgage? No matter what you are hearing in the media you have to remember that the market is different for everyone.  Here in the West Sound there are some amazing opportunities for home buyers.   You need to build for your future. Please call me today! As a military spouse I know what questions you have and can answer them for you from the perspective of a member of the military community - a true member.       12/16/2011

  Just a little reminder - Don't forget to give to Toys for Tots.  Toys for Tots is a Marine Corps Reserve community service project.  You will see Marines in their dress blues at malls, shops and local businesses soliciting donations. If you see one of their barrels please make sure you drop something in.  On the Toys for Tots official websiteyou can find a drop location, or take your donation to any ToysRus. Toys for Tots is very special to many families in our great country.  The toys collected will be given to families in need in many areas.    My husband who is in the Navy was stationed with a Marine Corps unit in Anchorage, Alaska during the years of 2006-2009 and would gear up every year to go out "on remote delivery" for Toys for Tots. The Alaska Marines do this every year prior... 12/02/2011

Interest rates have been so low for so long that home ownership for military members using their BAH has actually been a reality.     Never before has the military population owned a higher percentage of homes. The days of base living has changed drastically. With most installations switching over to PPV the climate has changed.  The thought of waiting until retirement to purchase a home has become a scary thought in this economy.    So as a military member do you purchase a home? It is a very complicated process which needs some investigation and education before making a decision. You should ask yourself some questions like these at the minimum.   Do I have upfront money to buy a home? Can I get financing? Is my tour of duty going to be longer than 2 years before the next PCS? Will I ... 09/29/2010

LEAVING ON A JET PLANE...... That's the song that I sing when my husband heads out on a deployment. Yep, he is in the Navy but I have never had the pleasure of being involved with a Navy command. We have spent all of our years together hanging out with the Marine Corps. Deployment can be a very difficult time in a military family's life so; we have to find the positives. Saving all the deployment pay is one! The first tour to Iraq that my husband went on was my first deployment experience as a military spouse. I knew a little about the extra pays and was eager to learn more. I did pay attention at the Deployment Brief. I took all the pamphlets and brochures I could carry. I remember the LtCol standing at the front of the meeting room leaning on the overhead projector and emphasizing abo... 07/30/2010

  I am sure you have heard all the doom and gloom from a million different news reports concerning the lending industry mess, how several loan programs once available are no longer, how zero down loan programs are almost non-existent and how hard it is right now if you have little to zero money available for a down payment.  But wait; are you a military member or a veteran?  If you are the news isn't as bad.  With your VA Guaranteed Home Loan benefit you can still obtain a loan with no down payment and a fixed interest rate that is as good as or better than a conventional mortgage rate.  This is the time for a VA Loan! What a great benefit to those of you that have served our country!     What is a VA Guaranteed Home Loan?   Many have the misconception that the military is the organiza... 07/27/2010

The other day one of my new buyers hooked up with a new lender in the area. This lender asked my buyer how they found me. You see my buyer is from the East Coast. My buyer told the lender that he looked online - on the internet and saw that I was everywhere. He told me this story and then he told the story to the home inspector the day we were having the inspection on his house done. I work with a lot of relocation buyers here in Kitsap County - home of Naval Base Bremerton, Naval Base Bangor, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Naval Hospital Bremerton. I work very hard to be everywhere they search. Here is a sample. 04/14/2010

Just recently, I attended a ceremony at the Naval Undersea Museum here in Keyport WA when they opened a new exhibit commemorating the 50th anniversary of the launching of the ballistic missile submarine USS George Washington (SSBN598). The 'Georgefish' was commissioned on December 30, 1959 and saw 55 deterrent patrols over a period of 25 years. She was decommissioned in January 1985. I proudly served on-board the Geo. Washington as a Radioman from the Fall of 1976 to the Summer of 1979. Pictured is Tudor Davis (left), a torpedoman's mate on the original crew, and TMC(SS) Peeling (right) who was a Chief Torpedoman's Mate on the final patrol. I published an article about this event on my Kitsap Sun blog, 'Everyday CK' P.S.  According to the Urban Dictionary, the term 'Bubblehead' has two... 01/13/2010

This past Friday, I had the distinct pleasure of attending the opening of a new exhibit at the Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport WA. The purpose for this new exhibit was to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the launching of the USS George Washington (SSBN598), the first nuclear ballistic missile submarine. As a former crew member of the 'Georgefish,' attending the ceremony brought back a flood of fond memories - the comradery of my shipmates, the pride and dedication of the crew, the hard work and sacrifices made to successfully carry out our mission. To read the full story, go to my blog on the Kitsap Sun, "Everyday CK." ~     o     ~     o     ~     o     ~     o     ~     o     ~ Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless ... 01/10/2010

The Kitsap County home for sale inventory is down 25.4% from the same time in 2008.  That is the largest drop in inventory in the Puget Sound area.  So, with inventory down is it still a buyer's market?  What is a buyer's market? A very simple way to explain the definition of a buyer’s market is a simple statement such as, a market which has more sellers than buyers. Low prices result from this excess of supply over demand. So how does the real estate profession calculate statistics to arrive at the conclusion there is more supply than demand ? Most real estate professionals define market conditions by using the absorption rate formula. So what is an absorption rate? An absorption rate is the mathematical representation of the relationship between supply and demand. The total quantity o... 01/05/2010

I experienced a ‘First‘ in my real estate career the other day. In my 10+ years as a professional agent, an appraisal for one of my listings here in Kitsap County WA came in ‘under‘ value. In other words, an appraiser was sent out to determine if the home they were buying was worth what they had agreed to pay my Sellers. Unfortunately, the Appraiser's NOV (Notice of Value) posed a significant shortfall from what both Buyers and Sellers had previously agreed to pay per contract. Did I happen to mention that the Buyer's are using VA financing? Yes, that's right Virginia, the Curse of the VA Appraisal STRIKES Again! For those of you familiar with my articles here on ActiveRain and over on SOUNDBITEBLOG, you know that I've written on this topic on a number of occasions, such as: "Very Arbit... 12/27/2009

Of course once I wrote my post about when the BAH rates would be out I knew that Military.com would have it posted the day before.  Here is my first post and then the link to Military.com with the PDF for all the states. UPDATED: Click this link and it will take you to the Military.com site for BAH - be sure you remember to look at with or without dependents. Also, remember that the rate is most likely for your base and not the city where you might live.  Look at your last LES for the correct Zip Code. This new rate will be reflected in your paycheck you receive on January 15th, which covers the pay period Jan 1st through January 15. 2010 Basic Allowance for Housing Rates   Naval Base Kitsap | 2010 BAH Rates - Only 2 more Days Well, it’s almost that time of year! How many times over the... 12/15/2009

Well, it’s almost that time of year! How many times over the last few weeks have you seen the question posted on military boards across the net? If you look in the right places you will always find the right answer.  I don’t hold much stock in military boards when it comes to important information. I always make sure that I find the source is a .mil site.  That way you know the information is correct. Here is the link that gives the date - Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) The Department of Defense, Per Diem, Travel and Transportation Allowance Committee page is one worth making a bookmark!   I will be writing about and posting the Naval Base Kitsap new rates as soon as they come out so be sure to check back!     Similar Posts   Naval Base Kistap | BAH - Tax Breaks - HomeOwnership Tax ... 12/14/2009

Being a licensed real estate professional here on the beautiful Kitsap Peninsula in scenic Washington State, I have the honor and privilege of serving a sizeable military community, consisting primarily of active-duty US Navy service members and their families stationed at Naval Base Kitsap. As such, a large percentage of the Buyers and Sellers I represent are involved with VA Financing. As a Navy veteran and former submarine sailor, I know firsthand the benefits of using a VA home loan. We bought our first two homes using VA Financing. It's one of the few ‘Zero-Down‘ loan products still available in today's lending market. Unfortunately, there are some potential pitfalls associated with VA financing, especially as it relates to VA Appraisals. To get the full scoop, go to VA ('Very Arbi... 11/08/2009

I am sure lots of area home-buyers have thought this was approved a couple of weeks ago, however the President just signed the Bill this afternoon.  The original 1st time home-buyer credit was extended and there was a new provision inserted to allow for higher income and for home-buyers who would like to be move-up buyers to receive a credit of $6,500 with certain restrictions.  This next week I will be posting more in-depth about this bill but wanted to give an update and some quick facts.   Home-buyers must sign a contract before April 30 and close by June 30. Single buyers can now earn up to $125,000 and still get the full credit while a married couple can earn $225,000. First-time buyers -- those who have not owned a home in the past three years -- still qualify for an $8,000 rebate... 11/06/2009

Rhonda Porter over on Facebook published the link to the CBS MoneyWatch.com site so I thought I would share the news.  Of course we still need President Obama to sign the extension so contracts pending in escrow still need to be processed with the November 30th deadline until he signs it this week.  This should take some pressure off a couple of escrows I have that are set to close by November 30th.  With all of the days the county is closed and the Thanksgiving Holiday, November closings were getting a little stressful. $8,000/$6,500 Tax Credits Are A Done Deal. What’s Next? - CBS MoneyWatch.com Source: moneywatch.bnet.com With the Thanksgiving Recess just three weeks away, Senators burned the midnight oil last night to clear the way for the $8,000/$6,500 tax credit extension Senate C... 11/03/2009

I am sure you have heard all the doom and gloom from a million different news reports concerning the lending industry mess, how several loan programs once available are no longer, how zero down loan programs are almost non-existent and how hard it is right now if you have little to zero money available for a down payment.  But wait; are you a military member or a veteran?  If you are the news isn't as bad.  With your VA Guaranteed Home Loan benefit you can still obtain a loan with no down payment and a fixed interest rate that is as good as or better than a conventional mortgage rate.  This is the time for a VA Loan! What a great benefit to those of you that have served our country! I want to make sure you understand what a VA Guaranteed Home Loan is.  There are still several myths out ... 10/01/2009