The blog spheres have been going crazy with talk in the past 48 hours with the recent DOJ decision that allows online brokerages to have much more freedoms having access to listing databases. After a day and a half of thinking about it…I figured I would weigh in on online brokerages. Unfortunately, I don’t have the most popular opinion among many of the “traditional real estate” agents so may take some flack in the future for this post…but here goes…

As a full service real estate agent…I don’t understand why we would want to stifle a service that actually helps the consumer. Yes, an online brokerage will provide strong competition to the traditional agents like myself who find our business models challenged greatly. However, it is impossible to deny that real estate is changing. Our industry has always been slow to allow change for fear that it will threaten our livelihood. It is good to see this opportunity for change happening now. …more

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This seems to be the thing that I am hearing constantly from sellers out there today. While the market is a difficult one to be a seller in…it isn’t an impossible one. Many factors and tactics that you and your agent can do will increase the chances that your home will actually sell in today’s market. However, you must have realistic expectations.

1) Your home will likely not sell in the first week or two on the market…it may take some time to get the right buyer in the door.
2) You cannot over price your home in today’s market…there are too many good deals out there for potential buyer to waste time viewing your home.
3) Many people preach price, price, price….but don’t overlook pictures, pictures, pictures. With 85% of home buyers starting their search on the internet…your home needs to have pictures that stick out and drive them into your home. The days of crappy pictures being uploaded to the internet need to be over…people need to see something visually stimulating. …more

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A few months ago when the Economic Stimulus Package was passed…there was lots of news about the new Conforming Loan Rates for jumbo loans. People were very excited at first saying that this would fix so many things…however, at the time…there were many skeptics, including me. Over the past month or two as this all has come into effect…unfortunately, many of the skeptics have been proven right.

Thankfully, the government has been quick to notice the problems that have been occurring and have been working hard to fix things. In the past couple of weeks we have begun to see rates drop on jumbo loans as well. There are still many questions to be answered and it still stands to be seen if they will allow these changes to become more long term or end at the end of the year. Thankfully, we are starting to see light in the mortgage industry…hopefully this will help out market rebound very quickly. The summer will tell alot!

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Sometimes, coming in last can actually be good. The Puget Sound long withstood the national housing market crisis by continuing to show strong numbers in all areas. In the past few months though we have really begun to see the effects of the national market here locally. However, being one of the last metropolitan areas to feel these effects should actually benefit us when compared to other areas.

Our government has been working over the past several months to correct the mortgage industry and housing crisis we seem to be experiencing. Numerous new bills and policies have begun to take affect recently. Credit standards continue to change. For some markets, this help is coming so late that they have already had double digits losses…with many homeowners facing devastating losses. …more

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With the current market being how it is…I often tell potential sellers to rent their home out if they simply cannot stay in it. This is a much better option than trying to sell your home right now in this market. It WILL recover and become much easier to sell a home in at that point. I know that many people are considering selling because a) they are afraid of the market’s continued downturn or b) something changed in their lives that basically force them. However, my advice is to make these last options until the market makes more of a recovery.

With that said though…if you are considering renting out your home…it isn’t as easy and does come with some of its own risks and dangers. I was reading through today’s Realtor.org website and came across some brief but important things that you should consider if you are going to try to rent out your home/condo. …more

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I’ve posted this link before several months ago on my old blog that is now history…and since it is so fun to play with I decided to go ahead and repost it today for you to see. You can go see exactly what the odds are that it will rain on a specific day. If you are planning an outside event this coming summer…make sure you take a look at this “odds it will rain” chart.

Now, I’m not one to overly get into statistics and psycho analyze everything that I read…but I do find it fairly interesting that some days truly seem to really stick out statistically. One of the biggest observations I see when I look over this chart is that November 19th is statistically the greatest chance of rain…yet the day before and the day after both have a much smaller chance. …more

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Hard to find 3 bedroom, 2 bath, One level condo, w/ATTACHED garage & 1329 sq ft! This unit is only one of just a few in the Beautiful Woodlands community! Designer paint, 9′ceilings, Enormous open kitchen w/tons of oak cabinets & counter space,laundry room,gas fireplace & built-ins. Oversized windows, master bedroom w/walk-in closet & full bath. Enjoy the sounds of the creek & NPGA. All appliances stay! LOW Home Owner Dues!! Tons of open parking! WAY BELOW WHAT OTHERS HAVE SOLD FOR W/O GARAGES …more

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New Price! Total Steal! Cambria Hills Re-sale! Virtually new, w/motivated seller! Hurry, only floor plan on market! Desirable end unit, 1st floor condo. 2 bedrooms,1.25 baths. Chef’s kitchen w/grey tiled counters, maple cabinetry, white doors w/nickel hardware, utility rm & laminate floors in kitchen & entry. Private patio off kitchen w/storage. 2 car parking spaces available! Bonus:Stainless Steel Frig that stays. 9ft Soaring ceilings,sunlight drenched & stylish. Cabana is great for parties, working out, or swim in amazing pool! …more

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