August 2010
Valley Cities Landing — A Perfect Solution for Homelessness in Auburn, WA
August 29, 2010 by Gabrielle · 1 Comment
Housing opportunities for homeless veterans and other homeless individuals working through mental illness in Auburn, WA took a much needed gain on Friday afternoon. As an Ambassador for the Auburn Chamber of Commerce, attending opening ceremonies and participating in ribbon cuttings is just part of the position. However, being touched by the care and compassion [...]
Engaging and Vital Real Estate Statistics for Kent, WA
August 28, 2010 by Gabrielle · Leave a Comment
Over the last few days, I’ve blogged a bit about market updates: Boring but Invaluable Statistics for Auburn and Tedious but Crucial Statistics for Maple Valley, Washington. After yesterday’s Maple Valley post, one reader from another site where I also post these stats, chimed in to say “why are you calling these Tedious?” Hmmm. With [...]
Tedious but Crucial Real Estate Statistics for Maple Valley, WA
August 27, 2010 by Gabrielle · Leave a Comment
Similar to the Boring but Invaluable Statistics for Auburn posted yesterday, Maple Valley, WA where my office resides and located about 15 minutes northeast of Auburn, has it’s own set of Tedius but Crucial Statistics. Tedious but Crucial Statistic #1: As with much of the area, home prices have fallen a bit in Maple [...]
Boring But Invaluable Real Estate Statistics for Auburn WA
August 26, 2010 by Gabrielle · 2 Comments
Yeah, I know … stats are boring. Especially putting them together every month. But when helping a seller understand what they need to do to sell their house … or why they’ll likely get the price under discussion, or why a buyer could/should pay a particular price for a home, they’re invaluable. So here’s boring, [...]
What You Own — FREE Home Inventory Software
August 24, 2010 by Gabrielle · 1 Comment
Keeping track of “stuff” is critical–you’ll need a list such as this should you ever need to make an insurance claim. Be sure that you also periodically print a report listing your belongings and keep it in your safe or offsite (even better!). Thanks to Brett Pickett for this helpful link. I liked what CNET [...]
Buy Now? … or Wait?
August 22, 2010 by Gabrielle · Leave a Comment
I bought my first home in the mid-’70′s, and then bought again in about 1983. Even though interest rates were “obscene,” (seems like ours was somewhere around 17.5%) somehow we managed to make it work. Builders and sellers routinely bought down rates and prices were considerably lower. I was reminded of this fact this morning when receiving [...]
How Much House Can You Afford?
August 22, 2010 by Gabrielle · Leave a Comment
Like most agents, I talk almost daily with folks considering a home purchase. We talk through all of their wants and picture their dream house in vivid color. Within a very few minutes, however, I start asking the tough questions: “How much can you afford?” “Have you been preapproved?” “With whom?” “May I refer a [...]
15 Things Your Buyer’s Agent Should (Will!!) Do For You
August 21, 2010 by Gabrielle · Leave a Comment
My daughter is currently shopping for a house outside of Washington State, where I’m licensed and practice. Although I cautioned her and her husband against making sign calls and suggesting (strongly!) that she work with a Realtor I interviewed on her behalf and recommend, they decided to make a sign call and then moved forward [...]
Help for Underwater Homeowners?
August 16, 2010 by Gabrielle · Leave a Comment
Almost everyone I talk with these days is … as I am … backwards on their home loan-to-value ratios. Many of us bought our homes in the early 2000′s and then even refinanced them or added home equity loans somewhere in the 2005-2007 days, bringing our total home loan indebtedness to a number that is [...]
Turtle Burgers
August 16, 2010 by Gabrielle · Leave a Comment
This is totally off base as far as real estate goes, but just enough fun that I thought I’d share. I received this recipe this morning from a southern friend and am quoting it intact. I can tell you that as “bleagh” as this is to me, my husband thought this looked fantastic! Must be a [...]
What is a Deed-in-Lieu?
August 12, 2010 by Gabrielle · Leave a Comment
A Deed-in-Lieu of Foreclosure is a process where the lender agrees to take the deed to your home rather than pursue a foreclosure action against you for nonpayment of your loan. This option is easiest where there is only one mortgage, and where there are no other liens. Depending on your lender, a payment might [...]
Sometimes a Short Sale is Just NOT the Right Answer!
August 9, 2010 by Gabrielle · Leave a Comment
I like to consider myself a resource for sellers who are considering their options. Should they pursue a short sale? Should they just walk away? Should they just try to hang on no matter what? Recently I had an opportunity to meet with a wonderful couple that were truly truly trying to do “the right thing,” [...]
Is a Loan Modification for Me?
August 9, 2010 by Gabrielle · Leave a Comment
A number of considerations should be made when you are either in trouble already with your current mortgage, or anticipate that you might be soon. One excellent option might be a loan modification, which is designed to reduce the amount of your mortgage payment to no more than 31% of your gross income. Unfortunately as [...]
Should You Refinance Your Home?
August 9, 2010 by Gabrielle · Leave a Comment
If you feel you have sufficient income to continue making payments on your home, but need to lower the payments, one of the best choices — providing current interest rates are justifiably less than your existing rate — is to refinance the home. By refinancing, you may be able to remain with your existing lender, [...]
Thanks to Everyone — Another Sale Closed!
August 6, 2010 by Gabrielle · Leave a Comment
Mission accomplished! The Seller of this little wonderful little house left a legacy for the new Buyer family — “Here’s a place where you can raise your own young children, with places to run and play and shout and sing. We loved it and know you will too.” This transaction was simple and surprisingly quick! With [...]
