REALiTY BiTES
REALiTY BiTESi turn REALTY into REALiTY
Archive for April, 2011
REALiTY Homes For Sale
Where Are They Now?
Check out these homes that have been featured on TV REALiTY series. Now that the TV series have ended, these homes are on the market…
Read the article and view the photos HERE.
Property Disclosures – What Sellers Need To Know
Seller Property Disclosure Form
In an earlier post, I discussed the topic of property disclosures, and what it means for buyers. You can read that post HERE. If you’re a seller, you may already be familiar with the disclosure form, and may even think that it’s totally unnecessary and a burden to complete. After all, who reads these things anyway, right? Well, I’m proposing that you look at this document from a completely new perspective. Read the rest of this entry »
In Honor of Easter…
In Celebration of Easter
I never enjoyed eating those little peeps, even when I was a small child. My mom loved them though. I still remember how quickly they became stale and hard as a rock in those little yellow cellophane packages. I always wondered what happened to them, and now I know…
If you know where this framed portrait resides, be the first to comment below with the correct location and score yourself a $5 Starbucks gift card! Here’s a hint: It’s somewhere in Seattle, WA.
Property Disclosures – What Buyers Need To Know
Since 1995, sellers in Washington State have been required by law to provide to potential purchasers a document titled “Seller Disclosure Statement”. This disclosure comes in a few different forms, depending on whether you are purchasing an “Improved” property (home, condo, etc.), “Unimproved” property (generally raw land), or “Commerical” property. Whichever type of property you are purchasing, the purpose of the disclosure is the same. It is provided so that you, the buyer, have information about the property that you may not have known otherwise unless you were the seller. Read the rest of this entry »
Fun on the Water…
I love seeking out new and interesting places to visit. I also love finding typos in signs, packaging, etc. Here is a place I visited last summer when I came across this sign. If you are one of the first 5 people to tell me exactly where this is, I’ll send you a $5 Starbucks card. Hint: It’s on the waterfront somewhere in the greater Puget Sound area of Washington.
4 Things Your Agent Won’t Tell You (But I Will)…
Selling a home can be a daunting task for sure. Some consumers go through the process only once or twice in a lifetime. Others go through it every few years or so. Regardless of how experienced you are (or think you are), I’ve got a few things to share with you.
#1 – You Can Cancel Your Listing Agreement at ANY Time.
If you have your home for sale and you want to cancel your listing with your current Realtor, you can. Most real estate agents try to secure a 6 month listing agreement with a home seller. There are some valid reasons for this. In the current real estate market, homes take longer to sell, and most agents want some assurance that they will have time to adequately market the home. There are real monetary expenditures at risk for the agent, including house flyers, print advertising, Open House expenses, and much more. There are also valid reasons why you might want to cancel your listing agreement. I will describe in a later post some of the reasons why you might want (or need) to cancel your listing prior to the expiration date, but just know that you can. Read the rest of this entry »
Do You Want to Flip a Home in Woodinville?
You’ve heard the naysayers. Prices are down, and you can’t make money in real estate any more. WRONG!
CNNMoney ran an article recently about the opportunities some investors are finding in various parts of the country. Real estate is local, and what happens in other parts of the country like Florida, may not be provide the same experience here in the Seattle WA area. Fortunately for us in the Pacific Northwest, we appear to be recovering, if only slightly.
Cottage Lake Opportunity
You’ve heard the stories about the pristine car that grandma drove but was always garaged and has very low
miles on it? How about the home that grandma lived in for 50 years? Unfortunately, it was neither updated nor maintained like that mythical car. But, where there is work, there is opportunity.
This is one of the least expensive homes in the neighborhood and could have great potential once cleaned up. It isn’t lakefront property but it’s only a 5 minute walk to the lake (or 2 minutes if you make friends with your neighbors on the lake). The kicker is that it backs to a large tract of open space that isn’t likely to be developed, and offers great views of nature.
Myths do Exist in REALiTY
Speaking of grandma’s car, my dad once picked up a pristine ‘68 Mustang from a little old lady in San Francisco. Her son owned the car before he died, and the car sat in the garage for a few years until she cleaned it out.
If you’d like to read the CNNMoney article, click HERE. And if you’d like to see the inside of the home or make an offer on it, give me a call! You’d better hurry though because I’m working with 2 investors already who may have an interest in it…
Fredericks Appliance Sale
Over the years, I’ve purchased many appliances for my homes and apartments. Fredericks Appliances has been my supplier because I trust the owner, Eric Blakemore, to stand behind the products that he sells. I’ve mentioned his store and customer service in prior posts, and now I’m shamelessly promoting his upcoming sale at the end of this month. Click HERE to see the ad for his store.
The sale is on April 29, 30, May 1st.
Is It Time To Buy Again?
Sometimes I’m a bit slow on the draw. Today is no exception. Here is an article that was published in late March that I just came across. It’s a long one, so get your coffee cup ready…
In a nutshell, it’s an interview with Mike Castleman, CEO of Metrostudy, a company that tracks real-time data on the country’s inventory of new homes. You can read the article HERE.
I try to bring a balanced view of the housing market by providing a variety of articles, each with unique and different perspectives. As always, feedback is welcome…
Do You Pay Taxes?
Today is the deadline for filing your 2010 income taxes. I read an article on CNN.com that I found interesting. The title of the article is “45% don’t owe Income Tax“. As an American, I believe that we should be paying our fair share of taxes. But (and you knew this was coming), I feel that government should be better at managing the money we pay.
Tax Myths
Below is a video from CNN that explains some of the tax myths that abound…
Do you think you are taxed too much? Too little? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave me a comment…
