It is becoming a lot easier to find free packing materials if you're moving in Bothell.With more and more people becoming environmentally conscious, a lot of packing materials are being passed on from one mover to another and are being reused until they need to be passed on for recycling.   Here are a few tips to help you find packing materials for free when you are moving in Bothell.   1. Use your sheets and blankets   Repurpose your sheets and blankets and put them to good use.  You can easily pack fragile objects by rolling them up in blankets and sheets. Your tea towels can also be used to help wrap your dishes. This is an ingenious way of packing since it will save you the hassle of packing up these linens in their own separate boxes.   2. Visit local retail stores   Think big w... 05/03/2011

The spring market still remains sluggish for home sales in Bothell, Lynnwood and Mill Creek Wa.  The amount of available homes for sale in all of these areas is at just about the lowest inventory levels in the last year. Mill Creek has approximately 100 homes on the market, followed by Lynnwood with 448, and Bothell with 575 homes listed for sale. The median selling prices are at the lowest marks in over 3 years, both Bothell and Mill Creek, just last week, started to see signs of trending upward. The Lynnwood market has been at its bottom and has consistently remained there since March 2011. All 3 areas are either at or close to near their lowest inventory levels in the last 3 years. Bothell and Mill Creek are starting to show ever-so-slight signs of inventory levels increasing. The d... 05/02/2011

    When you are looking for a loan for your Bothell real estate, and you are having trouble borrowing money from the bank or other financial institutions, you may have to consider your other options. For some, these options might include not getting their ideal house or investment property. For others, they may contact a private lender. Should the lender feel interested and believe that the venture is relatively safe, they may lend you the money.   Promissory note   A promissory note is one of the papers that you will need to sign in order to obtain the loan. It is the agreement that has been reached by both parties and is considered a legal obligation once signed. The note contains important details about the transaction for both parties. You will have to pay back the amount loaned an... 05/02/2011

    With the news of Bothell’s downtown revitalization project home developers have aggressively been building new home communities in and around Bothell.   Currently there are 539 active home listings in the Bothell area, 141 our new homes, 101 short sales and the rest are re-sales.  Traditionally the busy home buying season starts after Easter and last until late June.  We haven’t been in a traditional market since spring of 2007.    In the Bothell area we would normally see the homes for sale inventory increase from May until mid to late summer. The 3 year charts shows that when inventory levels increase prices start to come down. Conversely, when inventory levels are low prices start to increase; the chart shows inventory starting to increase along with the median prices, could thi... 04/29/2011

    There are a few really neat features that you can use on the Internet to view Bothell  new homes as they appear on the street and in the neighborhood. Sometimes you'll be able to use Google maps to see a picture of the home and the other houses in the neighborhood and other times you may have to use Google Earth to see it.  Google maps  If you type in "Google Maps" in your search engine, you'll be brought to the Google Maps application. You'll need to type in the address of the Bothell new home community that you want to view and click enter. Be sure to enter "Bothell” after the street address so that you can see the right house in the right city.  At this point you'll be viewing a map on the right-hand side of the page. There will be a red circle or a balloon showing the exact loca... 04/29/2011

Addies 5th Birthday Party - Good Friends - Spectacular WeatherTomorrow our beloved granddaughter turns 5.The entire universe waited with breathless anticipation for her arrival.And everything has been better since she was born.We cannot go back to a time where she was not.She has been adored and beloved by any and all who have ever known her.A very small party was hosted to celebrate the monumental, world changing event of her turning five.The world clapped its hands. The sun came out. God smiled. And her grandpa is proud! 04/25/2011

Congratulations, Josh and Emily on the Close of Your New Home!Congratulations, Josh and Emily on the Close of Your New Home!Josh and Emily were a dream to work with.First of all, we knew them from our church and from the premarriage class my wife had hosted.They had gotten married, settled into their careers and established themselves.With steady jobs, good credit, no debt and enough money for down payment and some reserves - they were ready.They found me online at www.philipleng.com and made full use of our online search system, www.kirklandhomevalues.com. Emily was on target and on task, searching diligently and communicating with our team consistently.The home they chose was a three year old bank owned home. It was in very good shape, and had dropped from the original price of $383,... 04/07/2011

Bothell Washington - A Great Place to Call Home Growing up in the Puget Sound area I have been to Bothell on more than one occasion. Bothell is that sleepy town between Kirkland and Everett to the North and South and Woodinville and Lake City to the East and West. It's a smaller town but still booming with just about everything one could want in a residential, rural area. Although part of the Seattle Metro Area, Bothell is located on the border of King and Snohomish county. Bothell is home to about 33, 000 people within the city limits and the charm and heritage of the city make it a wonderful place for families to grow and people to prosper in this 100 year old town. Here are some local links that might be of service to you: Bothell News & Information City Facility Locations Community ... 03/14/2011

Brad Albin - Rainier Inspections, Inc.Brad Albin - Rainier Inspections, Inc.Today was the inspection on a home I had sold. The inspector was Brad Albin - Rainier Inspections, Inc. When I got to the house, I asked my client what process she had gone through to select Brad Albin - Rainier Inspections, Inc. She said - “He is on your list of preferred inspectors.” I said, “I know, but how did you choose him? “Oh,” she said. “That was easy. I just took your list and started calling. The first inspector that answered, that cared about me enough to personally answer the phone - I chose!”So that is how Brad Albin - Rainier Inspections, Inc. was chosen for this particular job. She had already read the 12 posts I had done about home inspections, so was well versed in what to expect out of the in... 02/23/2011

Bellevue Short Sales:Will I Still Have To Pay Property Taxes If I Do A Bellevue Short Sale? Bellevue WA – The Stop Foreclosure Institute recently received a question from Paul. Here is Paul's Question. "I am thinking about a short sale, but I am behind on my property taxes. Will I still have to pay them if I short sale my home? Max. " Discover how other sellers successfully did a short sale to avoid foreclosure by clicking here. Here is the answer to Paul's Question: In most cases your lender will pay those property taxes. Property taxes are a first priority lien on a property. That means that if a property is foreclosed upon, then they still have to be paid. They don’t go away for any reason. Bellevue Short Sales:Will I Still Have To Pay Property Taxes If I Do A Bellevue Short Sale? T... 02/11/2011

Josh and Emily Nelson Buy Their First HomeJosh and Emily Nelson Buy Their First HomeIt started with an email a while back regarding the task of buying a first home..Hi Phil, my husband and I have recently decided to start the process for purchasing a home.  You may not remember us, but we were lucky enough to have you for our Pre marriage class about a year ago, then I was Emily Lutz and he was Joshua Nelson.  When we started discussing what agent to use, your name was almost the first to our minds.  We have already kind of started looking for houses in the Bothell/Woodinville/Lynnwood area, from 250,000 to 300,000 and found a few.  But we don't know how to proceed from here. I can't wait to hear back from you,Emily NelsonMy answer?Hi Emily and Joshua,Thanks so much for your email.I am... 02/10/2011

  Bellevue Short Sales: Why Should I Short Sale? It Costs You Nothing. Bellevue WA – This is a continuation of a former article about short sales. We often get asked if a short sale is even worth the effort. “Why don’t I just let the bank have the property”, sellers tell us. “I don’t ever think I’ll be able to fix my credit to be able to buy another house. ” Discover how other sellers successfully did a short sale to avoid foreclosure by clicking here. Short sales are worth the extra effort. They enable you to buy another home much faster than you would have to wait if you experience a foreclosure. Bellevue Short Sales: Why Should I Short Sale? It Costs You Nothing. And they cost you nothing. All the costs are covered by your lender. Now, I’m sure you’re thinking, “I might have to pay ... 01/24/2011

Sonoma Villero Condominiums are located in Bothell, WA just north of Kirkland. One of my favorite condo/townhome communities on the eastside. Sonoma Villero offers 1,2,3 bedroom condo/flats and 2,3 townhomes with attached single car-tandem garage. Sonoma Villero was built in 1998/1999 and was converted from apartments to condominiums in 1999/2000. There are 240 units within the community, an outdoor pool, workout room, club house, media center, jacuzzi, and a designated car wash station. The graph shown below is the current real estate market activity in Sonoma Villero: View Larger Map  Helpful links: Sonoma Villero Homeowners Association - HOA Request a resale certificate from CDC Management Company - Resale Certificate Search for homes currently available for sale in Sonoma Villero? 01/17/2011

Bellevue WA – The Stop Foreclosure Institute recently received a question from Tamra. She is buying a home and her agent is trying to talk her out of short sales. Here is Tamra’s question. “I am looking to buy a home. Some of the best priced properties are short sales. However, my agent won’t show me these homes. She keeps on telling me the prices are lower than the lender will accept and that short sale never close. What should I do? I am really interested in these homes, especially at the price they are being offered at. ” Discover how other sellers successfully did a short sale to avoid foreclosure by clicking here. Here was my answer. Tamra, you should talk to your agent and see what they dislike about short sales. Your agent may have had a bad experience with short sales in the pas... 01/05/2011

The Secret Playroom“Hey! There is nothing here to see. Nothing at all. There is no secret playroom, no nuthin’. Bye!”Thus my 9 year old granddaughter informed me when I inquired as to where all the kids were going.Our younger daughter had installed a light under their stairs. Suddenly the area behind the coats became a Secret Playroom.Shhhhhh!Don’t tell anyone! 12/26/2010

Twitter and the Two Year Olds.My daughter hosted a birthday party this week-end for our two year old grandson.I was amazed at how many people came. Before he was born there were a dozen people in the birthing class. My daughter and son-in-law have kept up with those folks. Calling. Getting together once in a while. Going to multiple events in the lives of each other’s kids.So when they call a party for our little grandson, its not a couple of friends - its an event! Of course, anything they do is extremely well done.Based on wisdom of the ages - you have to give in order to receive. There is a golden rule based on the words of Jesus. “Do to others what you would have them do to you. ”Kind of like Twitter. You get by giving. You follow before you get followed. You build loyalty by being... 12/19/2010

DO NOT! I repeat - DO NOT give Jimmy a Flip for Christmas!My son in law’s younger brother is loving, playful and fun. The kids all love him. Now he has his own son.I was filming my grandson’s birthday party when he took the camera.Oh the wild antics!Soon the camera was flying S patterns in the air. Zooming in on some one’s eye.Going all around my head.It was wild and crazy.I included the video in its entirety. With the warning...DO NOT! I repeat - DO NOT give Jimmy a Flip for Christmas! 12/19/2010

Where to have a birthday party for a 2 year old boy? The Fire Station, of course!My little grandson is turning two years old. His birthday party started off at the local fire station.The two firemen / EMCs were so friendly and courteous! First the introduction and the rules of the visit. Then we got to wander through thier living quarters, including the kitchen, hang out area, and a peek at the bedroom.Then on to the most exciting part - the garage! As he explained, their garage was probably bigger than most people’s garage. And it had different things in it. The kids (and parents) got to get in the firetruck, see how it worked, and sit on the back for a picture. One of the firemen put on their special clothes and explained how they worked. Then we had a real live evacuation. There was... 12/19/2010

[caption id="attachment_1121" align="alignright" width="284" caption="Pay Up Or Else!"][/caption] Bellevue WA - Maybe this is a pet peeve of mine. Or maybe it just seems ridiculous that someone would call a debtor over and over again asking to be paid, when they have already been told the debtor doesn't have the money to pay them. Or maybe it is the fact that I see countless examples of debt collectors breaking the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. But, no one seems to care that they are breaking the law.   The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act forbids collectors from threatening to sue you, but then not following thru and actually filing suit. To get around this rule, they will use language that sounds legal, but isn't. In one situation, a debt collection firm in Buffalo, New York n... 12/08/2010

Bellevue WA - I'm sure you have heard about forensic loan audits. I've heard people say how wonderful they are. "Your lender will approve your short sale right away", claims one. Discover how other sellers successfully did a short sale and request a free consultation by clicking here. An agent told me a story about forensic loan audits. He worked with a woman who was trying to short sales 3 houses. He knew they were short sales and was glad to list them for sale. There was a guy involved who was supposed to be doing all the "negotiating" with the lender. Little did this agent know this guy was trying to flip the houses. This guy had a forensic loan audit done. He claims he paid foreclosure defense lawyers out of his own pocket. He did all this stuff in an attempt to force the lender to ... 11/16/2010