Residential Real Estate in SW Washington State

Residential Real Estate Services with Passion, Integrity, Knowledge

How to Make a Winning Offer on a Home

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How to Make a Winning Offer on a Home | MyKCM

Today’s homebuyers are faced with a strong sellers’ market, which means there are a lot of active buyers competing for a relatively low number of available homes. As a result, it’s essential to understand how to make a confident and competitive offer on your dream home. Here are five tips for success in this critical stage of the homebuying process.

1. Listen to Your Real Estate Advisor

An article from Freddie Mac gives direction on making an offer on a home. From the start, it emphasizes how trusted professionals can help you stay focused on the most important things, especially at times when this process can get emotional for buyers:

“Remember to let your homebuying team guide you on your journey, not your emotions. Their support and expertise will keep you from compromising on your must-haves and future financial stability.”

A real estate professional should be the expert guide you lean on for advice when you’re ready to make an offer.

2. Understand Your Finances

Having a complete understanding of your budget and how much house you can afford is essential. The best way to know this is to get pre-approved for a loan early in the homebuying process. Only 44% of today’s prospective homebuyers are planning to apply for pre-approval, so be sure to take this step so you stand out from the crowd. Ask your loan officer to do a full pre-approval, all the way through underwriting. Doing so makes it clear to sellers you’re a serious and qualified buyer and it can give you a competitive edge in a bidding war.

3. Be Prepared to Move Quickly

According to the latest Realtors Confidence Index from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the average property sold today receives 3.7 offers and is on the market for just 21 days. These are both results of today’s competitive market, showing how important it is to stay agile and alert in your search. As soon as you find the right home for your needs, be prepared to submit an offer as quickly as possible. In the Thurston County area of our SW Washington market, the average property is on the market for just 5 days. Lewis County is similar — an average of just 18 days on market!

4. Make a Fair Offer

It’s only natural to want the best deal you can get on a home. However, Freddie Mac also warns that submitting an offer that’s too low can lead sellers to doubt how serious you are as a buyer. Don’t make an offer that will be tossed out as soon as it’s received. The expertise your agent brings to this part of the process will help you stay competitive:

“Your agent will work with you to make an informed offer based on the market value of the home, the condition of the home and recent home sale prices in the area.”

5. Stay Flexible in Negotiations

After submitting an offer, the seller may accept it, reject it, or counter it with their own changes. In a competitive market, it’s important to stay nimble throughout the negotiation process. You can strengthen your position with an offer that includes flexible move-in dates, a higher price, or minimal contingencies (conditions you set that the seller must meet for the purchase to be finalized). Freddie Mac explains that there are, however, certain contingencies you don’t want to forego:

“Resist the temptation to waive the inspection contingency, especially in a hot market or if the home is being sold ‘as-is’, which means the seller won’t pay for repairs. Without an inspection contingency, you could be stuck with a contract on a house you can’t afford to fix.”

Bottom Line

Today’s competitive market makes it more important than ever to make a strong offer on a home. Let’s connect to make sure you rise to the top along the way.

 

SOLD!! Affordable Living — 3 Beds, 2 Baths on Your Own Land in Rochester! HURRY!

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10036 180th Wy SW, Rochester, WA 98579

 

Enter into the front door of this clean, tidy & refreshed manufactured home on your own land to see new carpeting, counters, fresh interior paint, many new windows…and so much more! With three bedrooms and two full baths, there’s plenty of room everyone & busy mornings. Master suite is large enough for your king-sized bed w/french doors to its private bath. Spacious kitchen with table space for sunny breakfast mornings. Backyard features just completed new fencing with lots of room for play and pets.

Driveway parking sufficient for several vehicles … and possibly room for future detached shop/garage. Minutes to schools, Hwy 12, Rochester shopping, Grand Mound.

This home is ready to go and will go FAST! Don’t miss out!

  • $240,000
  • MLS #1695764
  • Built in 1998
  • 1,344 SqFt
  • 10,000 Sq Ft Lot
  • $1,924 year property taxes
  • 3 bedrooms
  • 2 baths
  • NO HOA
  • Fully Fenced Yard
  • Off Street Parking
  • Room for Detached Shop/Garage

 

Contact me or your agent for a personal tour. If you’ve not yet prequalified, visit my lending resource page for a list of excellent loan officers.

 

SOLD!! 5-Acre Farm in Auburn with Mt. Rainier View

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You and your animals will appreciate this spectacular Mt. Rainier view property. Spacious NW styling is apparent as you enter the well-maintained home from its 13ft vaulted ceilings & generous picture windows to its bright and open living spaces! Slider off kitchen leads to outdoor patio with brick fireplace and BBQ. Second patio off master provides peaceful privacy. New flooring throughout home along with updated kitchen cabinets, counters, & stainless appliances including a brand new range.

Horses? Alpacas? Goats? The pastures on this 5-acre parcel are fenced & cross-fenced. There are two three-stall barns—one with tack room and matted stalls–plus chicken coop/tractors.

Lovely one-level homes on land are rare. Don’t miss this one!

Move right in!

 

  • $700,000
  • MLS# 1696123
  • Built in 1977
  • 2,030 SqFt
  • 5 Acres
  • $6,932 year property taxes
  • 3 bedrooms
  • 1.75 baths
  • Private Patio Off Master
  • 2 car garage
  • 2 Barns, Storage Shed, Chicken Coop/Tractors
  • Private Septic & Well
  • Gated

Contact me or your agent for a personal tour. If you’ve not yet prequalified, visit my lending resource page for a list of excellent loan officers.

 

SOLD! Amazing Sunsets — Perfect Starter Home in Awesome Commuter Location / 3 bedrooms / 1 bath / Auburn-Kent East Hill

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Lovely updated home just minutes from Hwy 18 is a commuter’s dream!

All one level–no stairs & most of the hard work is DONE! New roof & living room flooring in 2020 plus new furnace, A/C & septic in 2016. Cozy up to the wood burning fireplace indoors…or spend quality s’mores time at the firepit in the huge private fully-fenced backyard. There are 2 outbuildings on the property with electricity; great for a workshop, seasonal storage, chicken coop, etc. Bonus room adds extra space for theater, playroom or ? Convenient updated bath can also be accessed from master bedroom.

And … Oh My! The Sunsets from here are AMAZING!

Move right in!

View 360 walk through and Video Tour by clicking the above photo or HERE

Contact me or your agent for a personal tour. If you’ve not yet prequalified, visit my lending resource page for a list of excellent loan officers.

Buyers: Are You Ready for a Bidding War?

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Buyers: Are You Ready for a Bidding War? | MyKCM

With businesses reopening throughout the country and some experts indicating early signs of a much-anticipated economic recovery, more homebuyers are actively entering the housing market this summer. Today, housing is truly driving the U.S. economy forward. With so many buyers looking for homes to purchase and so few houses for sale right now, there’s a disconnect between supply and demand. This imbalance is pushing home prices upward while driving more bidding wars and multiple-offer scenarios. Danielle Hale, Chief Economist at realtor.com explains:

“People are surprised that prices are rising, not falling, because in the last recession home prices fell, the difference this time is the severe shortage of homes for sale…We are seeing bigger price increases with [a limited] number of homes…That is likely to lead to more competition and potentially multiple offers and bidding wars.”

According to the recent Realtors Confidence Index (RCI) survey conducted by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), this trend is growing:

“On average, there were about three offers on a home that closed in May, up from just about two in April 2020 and in May 2019 (2.3 offers).”

HousingWire also indicates:

“42% of homeowners who made a purchase during the January to May time period ended up in a bidding war, demonstrating the strong demand for homes amid low inventory.”

With more people returning to work we’ll continue to see the number of interested buyers increase. So, if you’re among the many people looking for a home to buy this summer, it’s important to ensure you have the right guidance from the start. This way, you make sure your offer stands out from the crowd when it really counts. Here are two tips to follow.

1. Hire a Trusted Local Expert

A trusted local real estate professional matters more than ever right now, as noted in a recent survey shared by NAR. In fact, according to respondents, 54% of buyers and 62% of sellers indicated that “Particularly during the pandemic, a real estate agent’s guidance is especially valued.”

We’re not in a normal market. We are in one of the greatest health crises our nation has ever seen. The pandemic has had a dramatic impact on the journey consumers must take to purchase a home. To successfully navigate the landscape today, you need a true expert on your side.

2. Get Pre-Approved for a Mortgage

When there are more buyers than sellers on the market, the process to find a home becomes much more challenging. One way to show you’re serious about buying a home is to work with a lender to get pre-approved for a mortgage before starting your search. With a pre-approval letter, sellers will see your true desire to buy this year, potentially helping your offer rise to the top.

Bottom Line

If this is the year you’re ready to buy, let’s connect to get the process started so you can make sure your offer is a strong one when the competition heats up.

SOLD! — Perfect Longview Investment Home With Possible ADU!

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Enjoy sunsets and views from the wrap-around deck in this well maintained basement rambler! The wooded, end of the road acre lot means there’s loads of privacy with views of Longview city lights all the way to Rainier, OR. I’m told fireworks are visible above the River on special occasions!

This property could also be a great investment property … Live upstairs with large living, kitchen, dining, bath, master while renting the lower level with it’s own kitchen, bath, 2-3 bedrooms & separate entrance. Apartment/adu?

View 360 walk through and Video Tour by clicking the above photo or HERE

Contact me or your agent for a personal tour. If you’ve not yet prequalified, visit my lending resource page for a list of excellent loan officers.

SOLD! Easy Living in Lacey’s Lexington Neighborhood! 2-Bed/2-Bath/1-Step!

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A relaxed lifestyle beckons from this immaculate home in the Lexington neighborhood, conveniently located in Lacey. Super commuter into JBLM, or I-5, this home beckons a buyer looking that enjoys beautiful landscaping without lawn mowing or weeding worries! (Front yard maintenance is handled by the HOA.) so you can put your feet up!

Facing south with high ceilings and large windows, loads of natural light from all directions accent the home’s open concept & outstanding visual details. Meal prep is easy in the well-designed kitchen or cozy up to the gas fireplace & watch a movie on cool evenings.

Private patio, 2-car garage, corner lot! Super well maintained: new roof in 2019, recently updated furnace, H2O heater, paint & carpet. Move right in!

View 360 walk through and Video Tour by clicking the above photo or HERE

Contact me or your agent for a personal tour. If you’ve not yet prequalified, visit my lending resource page for a list of excellent loan officers.

What You Can Do to Get Your House Ready to Sell

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If selling your home is your 2020 goal, let’s get to work preparing your home and setting it up for listing as soon as you’re comfortable. LOTS of homes are being listed even during this COVID-19 slowdown.

If you need to get going on your listing, we’ll take precautions to be as safe as possible for you and any buyer, including quarantine considerations: limited numbers of people in the home, loads of photos and virtual tours, sanitizers, booties,and so on.

If you want to wait until things settle down a bit, this is a perfect time to begin getting your home ready, however. Here are a few tips to help you get started.

Some Highlights:

  • Believe it or not, there are lots of things you can do to prep your house for a sale without even going to the store.
  • Your real estate plans don’t have to be completely on hold even while we’ve hit the pause button on other parts of daily life.
  • Tackling small projects from cleaning the corners you may normally skip to tidying up your yard are easy and necessary wins if you’re thinking of listing your house and making a move.

 

What You Can Do to Get Your House Ready to Sell | MyKCM

Looking to the Future: What the Experts Are Saying

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Looking to the Future: What the Experts Are Saying | MyKCM

As our lives, our businesses, and the world we live in change day by day, we’re all left wondering how long this will last. How long will we feel the effects of the coronavirus? How deep will the impact go? The human toll may forever change families, but the economic impact will rebound with a cycle of downturn followed by economic expansion like we’ve seen play out in the U.S. economy many times over.

Here’s a look at what leading experts and current research indicate about the economic impact we’ll likely see as a result of the coronavirus. It starts with a forecast of U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

According to Investopedia:

“Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the total monetary or market value of all the finished goods and services produced within a country’s borders in a specific time period. As a broad measure of overall domestic production, it functions as a comprehensive scorecard of the country’s economic health.”

When looking at GDP (the measure of our country’s economic health), a survey of three leading financial institutions shows a projected sharp decline followed by a steep rebound in the second half of this year:Looking to the Future: What the Experts Are Saying | MyKCMA recent study from John Burns Consulting also notes that past pandemics have also created V-Shaped Economic Recoveries like the ones noted above, and they had minimal impact on housing prices. This certainly gives hope and optimism for what is to come as the crisis passes.

With this historical analysis in mind, many business owners are also optimistic for a bright economic return. A recent PricewaterhouseCoopers survey shows this confidence, noting 66% of surveyed business owners feel their companies will return to normal business rhythms within a month of the pandemic passing, and 90% feel they should be back to normal operation 1 to 3 months after:Looking to the Future: What the Experts Are Saying | MyKCMFrom expert financial institutions to business leaders across the country, we can clearly see that the anticipation of a quick return to normal once the current crisis subsides is not too far away. In essence, this won’t last forever, and we will get back to growth-mode. We’ve got this.

Bottom Line

Lives and businesses are being impacted by the coronavirus, but experts do see a light at the end of the tunnel. As the economy slows down due to the health crisis, we can take guidance and advice from experts that this too will pass.

How to Find the Perfect Real Estate Agent

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How to Find the Perfect Real Estate Agent | MyKCM

There’s a ton of real estate information available in the news today and on the Internet. It can be extremely confusing, especially in times of uncertainty like we’re facing right now.

If you’re thinking of buying or selling this year, you need an agent who can help you:

  • Make sense of this rapidly evolving housing market
  • Navigate everything from virtual showings to new online marketing strategies
  • Price your home correctly at the beginning of the selling process
  • Determine what to offer on your dream home without paying too much or offending the seller

Dave Ramsey, a financial guru, advises:

“When getting help with money, whether it’s insurance, real estate or investments, you should always look for someone with the heart of a teacher, not the heart of a salesman.”

Hiring an agent who has a finger on the pulse of the current market will make your buying or selling experience so much easier.

So, how do you identify who truly understands what’s happening right now? How do you know who will take the time to simply and effectively explain what today’s market conditions mean to you and your family?

Check out the agent on social media. What are they posting on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and more? Are they using their social media platforms to share relevant, helpful information, or are they just posting memes and recipes? The best agents are committed to educating the consumer so they can feel confident when buying or selling a home.

Bottom Line

What agents are posting online will help you determine who meets the criteria Dave Ramsey suggested you look for: someone with the heart of a teacher. Let’s connect today, so you can work with a true trusted real estate professional.