It’s that time again for your monthly newsletter! Notice QR codes seem to be back? While I like QR codes and think they are handy I sure hope we all can “experience” some of the beautiful places the Pacific Northwest has to explore in person and soon!
Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2019 is starting out, and will be, an amazing year for you and yours.
I am reaching out to you today to share some VERY exciting news. It has been wonderful to help so many families find homes, investment properties, save homes for those that needed it with my short sale and foreclosure knowledge and help others sell as they transition into something more comfortable for their changing lifestyle. I have been blessed by many of you referring me to your friends, family and colleagues. Thank you!
Life IS ever changing and because of the ever-changing nature of the real estate market, it’s imperative that my clients have the most up-to-date information available. My philosophy is that the market waits for nobody, and that’s why I pledge to go beyond the standard level of service even after your home has closed. I always want my clients to feel free, and comfortable, to contact me with questions, referrals for home repairs, or to just say hi!
With change in mind I am excited to announce that I have officially brought on an amazing, buyer’s specialist to assist me in providing the quality of service I want to give my clients and they deserve. Please help me in welcoming Britt Maltos to my team!
I am excited to partner with a Realtor who, like myself, is from Washington. I feel it gives us so much more knowledge of the neighborhoods we are helping families in. Britt grew up in Ballard and lives in Edmonds with her husband and kids. I grew up in Lynnwood and then the north Seattle area. My first apartment was in Ballard before moving to Redmond for many years and finally settling in the Everett/Snohomish area with my family.
I like to say we’re your local homegrown Real Estate team!
When you have Real Estate needs you want someone who knows the prospective area inside and out, someone who will not only find you the best property for your needs, but the best neighborhood as well. A team that can direct you to which loan product works best for you and knows of many that will save you money along the way. A team that now gives CASH back to our local community heroes (firefighters, EMS, law enforcement, teachers, healthcare, and military) when they buy or sell a home with us. A team that is qualified to help seniors with downsizing or lifestyle changes and providing a senior discount (new)!
That’s where we come in: We can provide you with information that will inform your real estate decisions. So, rest assured that as long as you’re in the market, we are committed to be your neighborhood specialists and more.
Even if you are not considering buying or selling a home now, if any of your friends, family or colleagues express an interest and would appreciate the level of service we provide please, feel free, to give out our contact information. We would be happy to chat with them and promise to take great care of them.
Thank you, It is so rewarding to help families make their real estate dreams come true.
New home sales hit highest level in 9 years!
Millennials still believe in the homeownership dream even if they can’t afford to buy
Housing market across the U.S. finally starting to look healthy
Salary needed to buy a home in 19 major U.S. cities
Tips for staying out of debt
Calculate how much house you can afford
King County’s eco-remodeling tool provide tips for going green for your next home renovation
Four colors that may hurt a home’s sales price
7 percent of Puget Sound homes are underwater, compared with 12 percent nationally
A teardown a day: Bulldozing the way for bigger homes in Seattle, suburbs
BLS stats show Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue is #7 Metro area for fastest job growth
What does Vancouver’s housing market implosion mean for Seattle?
Seattle home-sale market provides small hint of slowdown
You need an annual salary of $83K to afford a home in Seattle
Everett welcomes the film industry, an important economic driver for local businesses
I hope your week is a great one!
Jen Murrweiss | Remax Elite | 425-422-7243
Why Pay A Commission??
Considering selling your home by yourself? Is it worth it? Only the home owner can answer that question but experience has shown that many for-sale-by-owners find that it’s not. Before making a costly mistake plus an astronomical amount of time and wasted energy consider the benefits, from A to Z, you receive from working with a Real Estate Professional:
Advertising– We have proven marketing strategies to get you the best exposure and your agent should be rocking out the info on your home non-stop.
Bargain– research shows that 77% of sellers felt their commission was “well spent.” For the other 33% – I say they should have gotten another agent. We must work for you to reach a common goal for all! Look I don’t get paid if I don’t do my job and sell your house period. So why would I not want to do my best?
Contract Writing– An agent can supply the standard forms that are written by lawyers to protect all parties in the transaction which in turn speeds things up. If you sell by yourself you need to hire a lawyer to draw up the docs. How much does that cost?
Details– There is millions of them trust me. An agent frees you from handling the many details of selling a home. Getting an offer is the easy part holding the transaction together, after, is where the details really count.
Experience and Expertise– In marketing, financing, negotiation and more. If your agent does not seem to know the ropes get another one!
Financial Know How– An agent is aware of the many options for financing a sale and can make sure your home qualifies for as many as possible to open up the buyer pool.
Glossary- A real estate professional understands, and can explain, real estate lingo
Homework- Agents are informed through research and experience , an agent will know your market and the areas they work in daily.
Information– If you have a real estate question, and agent will know (or can get the answer)
Juggle showings– We agents handle all showings and the 10 phone calls of anxious buyers who want to be the first one to get in and see.
Keep your best Interests in mind– It’s our job! Selling you home is emotional and you need to trust your agent with information to help them help you.
Laws– A real Estate professional will be up-to-date n real estate laws that affect you.
Multiple Listing Service– Our number one tool to get your home out there to over 5,000 agents with potential buyers. Bringing you both together.
Negotiation– An agent can handles all price and contract negotiations.
Open Houses– A popular marketing technique that gives you exposure.
Prospects– Our network is huge and with reverse prospecting we know what other agents are looking for. In turn helping to produce potential buyers.
Qualified Buyers– You don’t need any looky-loos! You need Pre-approved buyers! Or if cash you want to see proof of funds. We make sure that is the case.
Realtor- An agent who is a member of the National Association of Realtors and subscribe to a strict code of ethics.
Suggested Price– An agent will do a market analysis to establish a fair price range. I also go a step further and visit other for sale properties in the area to see how we can stand out from the crowd.
Time- How much time are you willing to put into selling on your own? Believe me it can be huge and its one of the most valuable resources that an agent can provide.
Unbiased Opinion– Most owners are too emotional about their home to be objective. Of course they are! They have lived there, raised their kids, remodeled and have many memories. Someone wanting to buy your home has none of that and honestly does not care. It’s what is in it for them and if it fits their needs. This is one of the hardest thing a home-owner needs to do is emotionally remove themselves from their home. Stand back and look at it from stranger’s eyes. Not an easy task!
VIP– That’s how you will be treated by your agent and if not get another one! No excuse… period.
Wisdom- A knowledgeable agent can offer the wisdom that comes with experience.
X Marks the spot– An agent is right there with you through the final signing of papers and can help you coordinate moving plus so many things you may have never thought about.
Zero-Hour Support– We are there to support you!
And just for fun do you know the Founder of the FOR SALE BY OWNER used a Real Estate Agent to sell his home? Not only him but Dave Ramsey too and he recommends it!
Are you looking for a home this winter? If so it could be a long wait to find that perfect one and you will need lots of patience.
Historically after Thanksgiving inventory of homes on the market are down 15%. Last year it was down 25% on average nationwide. So far it seems that might be a pretty accurate percentage this year too. Home prices in the Snohomish County have also gone up. For example the Northwest Multiple Listing report for the year shows some pretty good numbers.
The Bothell/Kenmore/Kirkland/Woodinville area shows in 2011 Median Price was $372,990 and at the end of 2012 $400,000.
Lynnwood/Edmonds/Mill Creek/Mukilteo areas show 2011 Median Price $299,900 ending 2012 at $339,000.
Marysville/Lake Stevens/Snohomish/Smokey Point areas show 2011 at $239,900 as the Median and at the end of 2012 $259,450
For the areas above only 620 total active listings at the end of 2012 versus 2011 with 1204. That is almost half. The majority, of course, were short sales and bank owned but it shows a definite change is happening and predicted to creep up more in the spring.
This will help more distressed home-owners who are starting to recover from delinquencies and can finally start to consider refinancing giving them some relief. It’s an important start to a healthy Real Estate Market.
Another sign of improvement is a lot of new home construction again. I occasionally work and sit in a new home plat that is priced in the high 4K range and another in the 200K range. Buyers are coming in and all saying the same thing: I have been looking for a while and there is not much out there. My advice? You need a good agent that will be right on top of your search and listen to you. Don’t wait! When they tell you there is a hot one you need to go see it ASAP. And don’t be surprised if there are multiple offers. If it’s in a good location, good conditions and the right price it will go fast. I have seen bidding wars this year bringing the asking price up $10,000-$25,000. NO JOKE! Buyers just can’t believe it when they offered 5K over asking price and they didn’t get it. Bottom line? Offer what you will not bang your head against the wall if you don’t get it. Like the saying says “put your best foot forward” FIRST.
A few years ago you could play around a bit but, no longer, otherwise you will be putting in offer after offer and not get the house you want. Another mistake I see is many potential home-buyers thinking short sales are the best deal. NOT! To add to this further- 3 out of 4 fail. I know this first hand as I negotiated a short sale for a seller of mine and we had no problem getting offers; it was a great property. The problem was 3 buyers backed out before we got bank approval and we had to start over again. Causing major frustration for my sellers and me. You see each time I had to redo the paperwork, beg the bank to take another offer and start negotiating all over again. If you have your heart set on a home that is a short-sale you must commit yourself 100% to that home or do not waste your time. Why? Because on average you will wait 3-9 months.
Another one of my clients, a buyer, bless her heart, was the most patient client I have ever had. We put an offer on a short sale in January of 2012. She finally closed on the home in October. The bank also came back with a higher price. They wanted 10K more than we offered. She had been waiting so long and loved the house so we went ahead and she finally got to move in before Halloween. If she had not been able to come up in price she would have had to walk because the banks final price is just that, their price. You either go for it or walk.
These are questions and scenarios that buyers must be aware of as they enter the market. I know most potential buyers search all over the web for homes. Sites like Trulia, Zillow, Realtor.com and of course my new favorite; the new and improved Remax.com but, bottom line you are getting old information. It’s great to educate yourself, see what are out there, prices in certain neighborhoods, types of home, new construction and find yourself an agent (hint,hint). I can guarantee you however, if it’s a great home a Realtor is getting their client there first or it already has an offer. Consumer websites are not always up to date. There good don’t get me wrong and some better than others but, they can’t keep up with how fast homes go pending. I even have verbiage that I copy and paste to respond to consumers that contact me when the information is on a home that is not available. I always check on there request, of course, it just happens 9 out of 10 times the home they are asking about it not available any longer so I have a response ready. I wish it was not the case because I want to get you in and show you a home you want to see. Reality is however y re, take a need to get their first.
Well take it in stride March is coming and with the first pop of bulbs the Spring buying season pops up too with more buyers and more competition on those great homes. A lot of potential sellers are still on the fence and are going to want to make sure they’re going to break even or be able to trade up. It will be an interesting year, in my opinion, to see how it changes. I hope that rates stay low which will bring the buyers and I hope that prices do come up a bit to bring more sellers into the market. We need to have more of an inventory which will bring stabilization of prices and more choices of homes for people.
Here’s to Spring!
FHA MAKING SOME CHANGES TO CONDO RULES
Anyone that has tried to buy a condo knows that if you’re trying to purchase with FHA financing it may limit your choices and can cause great headaches with deals falling through and more frustration than you bargained for.
So why is this the case?
Typically a condo purchase with FHA financing means the development must be FHA approved. There are numerous boxes a lender must select to make sure it is FHA compliant and if not? Either you work with your lender and the Home owner association, which could take months to get it approved or you move on to the next one. Additionally, other types of financing tend to go along with the same guidelines as FHA and if it does not meet FHA standards it may not meet theirs either. So what is a buyer and mostly first time home buyers to do?
There seems to be some good news on the horizon that is getting attention and may help condos get sold instead of sitting vacant and then going back to the bank. Finally, it seems FHA is starting to ease up a bit. On September 13, 2012 FHA implemented some changes that will cause an easing up for prospective home owners and investors. Here are the four main financing changes:
1. The condo to commercial ratio is being relaxed. This means for mixed store/commercial with home units above there can be a mix of 50% commercial. Previously 25%.
Great news in downtown Seattle!
2. Allowance is being made for investors to own ½ the units which is a huge jump up from 10%.
3. Change has been made to the rule on delinquent home owner association dues. Previously it could deny a loan if 15 percent were delinquent 30 days on HOA dues. The change now states 60 days.
4. Condo board certification in regards to liability risks of the condo’s board. Since most boards are made up of home- owners who volunteer, they were reluctant to sign FHA paperwork that could have legal implications if they forgot to add something or checked the wrong box. Now there is some verbiage that FHA recognizes their efforts to verify information. Not sure that will suffice and make members feel relaxed but, at least they are moving in the right direction.
Now I must add that these new rules will not pertain to most individual buyers and mostly will affect areas of resorts and urban developments but, it is very important because it opens the door for more changes in the future. There is talk of loosening the 50% FHA denial if ½ the units were already sold under FHA and they are looking at the owner –occupied guideline.
As an agent I see so many complications with condo/townhomes and as the market is starting to turn more positive, especially here in Snohomish County, it is good to know one of the big players in financing is starting to maybe listen a little bit to move us in the right direction for home-ownership and recovery.
Information taken from The “New York Times”es
You have saved a down payment, cleaned up your credit, have been looking on-line dreaming for months now and finally have found a great Realtor to help you. So now what? Go out looking at homes? Not so fast. You need to find out how much of a house you can buy? It does no good to look at $350K homes when you are more in the 250K range. If you start, believe me, it will be very had to settle in your mind on what you saw and what you can get. You need to meet with a lender and get the good news- “Yes you are pre-approved for a motgage of _____.
Have you ever wondered how they come up with what they do and what formula is used? The chart below is a handy guideline to reference what your payment would be based on your income and how much home you can afford. Look how interest rates play into this. Its huge! For example, we bought our house in 1998 and paid a whopping 7.25%! Look at the difference today versus then. In other-words you can afford more house now. I bank with BECU and checked current rates today they are at 3.881% for a 30 year. In the 4rth quarter of 2012 rates were about 3.36%. There coming up!
We know these great rates wont last forever so if your on the fence take a look at what your payment would be and see if it makes sense for you. For example here in Snohomish County rents are around the monthly payment for a $300K single family home. Crazy huh?
If you decide now is the time contact me and lets get started !
| Interest Rate | 3.25% | 4.25% | 5.25% | 6.25% | 7.25% |
| 200,000 | |||||
| Monthly Payment | $1,266 | $1,377 | $1,496 | $1,620 | $1751 |
| Monthly Income | $3,246 | $3,542 | $3,835 | $4,155 | $4,489 |
| Hourly Pay | $18.73 | $20.37 | $22.12 | $23.97 | $25.90 |
| 250,000 | |||||
| Payment | $1,572 | $1,712 | $1,860 | $2,015 | $2,179 |
| Income | $4,032 | $4,389 | $4,768 | $5,168 | $5,586 |
| Hourly | $23.26 | $25.32 | $27.51 | $29,81 | $32.23 |
| 300,000 | |||||
| Payment | $1,879 | $2,046 | $2,223 | $2,411 | $2,606 |
| Income | $4,817 | $5,246 | $5,701 | $6,181 | $6,683 |
| Hourly | $27.79 | $30.27 | $32.89 | $35.66 | $38.55 |
| 350,000 | |||||
| Payment | $2,185 | $2,380 | $2,587 | $2,806 | $3,034 |
| Income | $5,603 | $6,103 | $6,634 | $7,194 | $7,780 |
| Hourly | $32.33 | $35.21 | $38.27 | $41.50 | $44.88 |
OPEN HOUSES!
Bordering Mill Creek/Bothell and South Everett you will find 5 new homes tucked back on a culdesac. These are not any ordinary homes but absolutely extrodinary with builders touches and quality that you do not see everyday.
Come and see me Friday 1/11 and Saturday 1/12 from 1-3 p.m. You will fall in love!
12315 31st Ave SE, Everett 98208
Huge lots in Silver Lk~GREAT location! Private, dead-end street and lot will be mostly fenced. Features 4 bdrms, 2.75 bath, HUGE master bedroom (16×24!!) includes 5-pc master bath! Office/den downstairs *WITH CLOSET* so can be used as possible 5th bedroom!!, formal dining, rec room w/ fireplace AND living room. You’ll appreciate this builder’s attention to detail and design.
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For details on these homes please click here
You’ve started to look for a sweater in the evenings and found yourself wearing jeans again. You’re ready for winter, but what about your house? Take these easy few steps to save yourself money and possibly damage to your home in the coming cold winter months.
BACK ON THE MARKET BUYER FINANCING FAILED. I want to get this one sold. Make us an offer! Your friends will be jealous of what a beautiful home you have! Just take a look at what all this Lake Stevens Rambler has to offer. High end everthing with a unique bonus that you will love!
Relocating? I specialize in Relocation for Boeing and others. Here is some great information on the very popular Lake Stevens area.
History of Lake Stevens
Believed to be named after Governor Isaac I. Stevens, Lake Stevens was first settled in 1886 on a 160-acre homestead along the east shore. By 1890 the first town in the area, “Ferry,” was established. Its name was later changed to “Hartford,” and it served as the main link from the famed Monte Cristo timber and mining resources to the world.
In 1905 a railroad spur was built by the Rucker Brothers Timber Company, linking Hartford with Lake Stevens. Two years later Rucker Mill was opened, located along and in the north cove of the lake (original pilings can still be seen in the old lake outflow area just south of the boat launch). In 1919, the mill, which became known as the “world’s largest sawmill,” burned and was partially rebuilt. When it burned a second time in 1925 the mill was dismantled and Lake Stevens lost the very industry which caused its founding. However, by then a flourishing town was established and continued under its own momentum.
From the 1920’s to the 50’s Lake Stevens was primarily a resort community, with many public and private resort beaches scattered around the shore. In 1960 Lake Stevens incorporated as a City with a population of 900. Soon, its popularity and natural beauty, combined with changing commuter habits, attracted more and more residents, changing its character to that of a suburban community. By 2000 the City had grown to a population of 6,361 in approximately 1.8 square miles. The lake remains the focal point of the greater Lake Stevens community for recreation and as a symbol of our need to provide for a sustainable existence that will protect our natural environment.
Provided by: www.ci.lake-stevens.wa.us
www.snohomishcountyhomes4u.com
Jen Murrweiss RE/MAX Elite 