January 2015

The headlines agree mortgage interest rates have dropped substantially below initial projections. Many who are considering purchasing a home, or moving up to their dream home, might think that they should wait to buy, because rates may continue to fall. A recent article on the Economists’ Outlook blog by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) provides insight into one major factor in the...

If you are thinking about purchasing a home right now, you are surely getting a lot of advice. Though your friends and family have your best interests at heart, they may not be fully aware of your needs and what is currently happening in real estate. Let’s look at whether or not now is actually a good time for you to buy a home. There are three questions you should ask before purchasing in...

Now that the housing market has stabilized, more and more homeowners are considering moving up to the home they have always dreamed of. In most areas, prices are still below those of a few years ago. Also, interest rates are still near 4%. However, sellers should realize that waiting to make the move while mortgage rates are projected to increase probably doesn’t make sense. As rates increase,...

Every home must be sold TWICE! Once to the buyer, and once to the bank appraiser if a mortgage is involved. The second sale may have just become more difficult. A new program announced by Fannie Mae may slow down the home-sale closing process by causing more disputes over prices between sellers and buyers. In a recent Washington Post article they explained the basics of the program: “Starting...

There are many people out there who debated purchasing a home over the course of the last year, but ultimately did not. Whatever their reasons were for delaying, let’s look at whether the decision to wait to buy made sense. What happened in 2014? The 30 year fixed rate on January 2, 2014 was 4.53% as reported by Freddie Mac. Looking at the chart below, your monthly mortgage payment with principal...

KIRKLAND, Washington (Jan. 6, 2015) - Real estate brokers around Western Washington reported a strong finish to 2014. December's sales outpaced the same month a year ago by double digits, according to new figures from Northwest Multiple Listing Service. "December was one of the best Decembers on record," observed J. Lennox Scott, chairman and CEO of John L. Scott Real Estate upon reviewing the...

The holiday season is behind us, time to focus on what exciting new experiences 2015 can bring! If you are planning on becoming a homeowner, or moving up to the home of your dreams in 2015, here are four great reasons to consider buying a home now, instead of waiting until spring. 1. Prices Will Continue to Rise The Home Price Expectation Survey polls a distinguished panel of over 100 economists,...

Tony is a true pro that supported us from VERY early (couple years before listing) and through the entire process with no business (‘have to sign me up first’) type pressures – THANK YOU!  He always found time to respond in a timely manner and communicate the plan, any updates, and offer general assistance in words an inexperienced seller could understand. He minimized unknowns to us and that made...

Last week, we reported on the financial reasons that the New York Times felt that homeownership was important. The Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University performs a study every year surveying participants for the reasons that American’s feel are most important in regards to homeownership. There’s No Place Like Home The top 4 reasons to own a home cited by respondents were not...