This & That - A Real Estate Blog by Steve Swanson

Washington State Wide Open House Weekend June 27th & 28th

hello Real Estate — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:20:49 GMT

This weekend, June 27th & 28th, thousands of homes for sale across the state of Washington are going to be open for viewing as part of the State Wide Open House Weekend being organized by Realtors throughout the state. The Seattle area Real Estate market is starting to see increased sales, especially in the lower priced homes. Attractive interest rates and [...]...(read more)

State Wide Open House Weekend

Steve Swanson — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 18:48:00 GMT

This weekend, June 27th & 28th, thousands of homes for sale across the state of Washington are going to be open for viewing as part of the State Wide Open House Weekend being organized by Realtors throughout the state. As the Seattle area Real Estate market seems to be heating up, especially with the lowered prices, attractive interest rates, and now the $8,000 first time home buyer tax credit, the idea behind the open house weekend is to create greater visibility for the many homes for sale...(read more)

Ethics in Advertising – I’m having my doubts

hello Real Estate — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:34:51 GMT

I hate misleading advertising. I really do. And I don’t think I’m alone in that. I’m also not that keen on hypocrisy. And trying to figure out mixed messages has never been my idea of fun. Lately, in driving around and previewing homes with clients, we see these riders that say “$8,000 Tax Credit Available”, or [...]...(read more)

Ethics in Advertising - Having my doubts

Steve Swanson — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:41:00 GMT

I hate misleading advertising. I really do. And I don't think I'm alone in that. I'm also not that keen on hypocrisy. And trying to figure out mixed messages has never been my idea of fun. Lately, in driving around and previewing homes with clients, we see these riders that say "$8,000 Tax Credit Available", or "You may qualify for $8,000 Home Buyer Credit". And today, as I'm driving home from the office, on the radio I hear a Realtor ad talking about how "it's...(read more)

$8000 Tax Credit Advance for Downpayment – UPDATE

hello Real Estate — Fri, 29 May 2009 07:28:23 GMT

Previous posts have detailed the Washington State Legislature’s efforts to get the Fed’s $8,000 first time home buyer credit available for use as a home buyer’s down payment at closing. Washington’s Governor Gregoire has signed the legislation that allows the Washington State Housing Finance Commission to make the funds available, however the program’s implementation has stalled at the [...]...(read more)

Update - $8,000 Tax Credit Advance at Closing Still on Hold

Steve Swanson — Fri, 29 May 2009 04:21:00 GMT

Previous posts covered the Washington State Legislature's efforts to get the Fed's $8,000 first time homebuyer credit available to the buyer for use as a downpayment at closing. The Governor has signed the legislation that allows the Washington State Housing Finance Commission to make the funds available, however the program's implementation has stalled at the IRS office. A recent notice from Washington REALTORS® states they are working on alternatives to make this program available...(read more)

Are We There Yet?

Steve Swanson — Wed, 20 May 2009 18:42:00 GMT

Like a ten year old on a road trip, people are wondering if real estate prices have hit the bottom… are we there yet? It goes beyond the usual “how’s the real estate market?” More than ever, it’s: Is this a good time to buy? How do you buy a foreclosure? Is it hard to get a mortgage? Are homes selling … How long would it take to sell my home? What if we buy and prices continue to go down? Are interest rates going to increase? It does seem that prices in the Seattle...(read more)

Housing Activity Surges in King County

hello Real Estate — Wed, 06 May 2009 05:27:40 GMT

In a news release published today by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, pending sales reported by members showed an overall increase of 11.4% from a year ago and up 21.3% from March. Though these statistics are averages of the 19 counties that make up the NWMLS market area, there are areas where the surge in [...]...(read more)

Tax Credit Advance Loan Program waiting for Special Session

hello Real Estate — Sat, 02 May 2009 21:05:04 GMT

Included in the budget passed by the Washington State Legislature is a $25 million dollar fund to implement a Tax Credit Advance Loan Program for First Time Home Buyers. (The definition of a First Time Home Buyer is basically if you have not owned a home in the past Three years.) Introduced by Washington State Treasurer James [...]...(read more)

Using First Time Buyer Credit as Home Down payment

hello Real Estate — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:16:09 GMT

Hot off the Press is news from the Washington State Legislature provided to me by Georgette Ballard, Sr Loan Officer with PrimeLending. This budget provision would help First Time Home Buyers with their down payment thus helping home sellers getting their house sold. If signed by Governor Gregoire, this would be the first program of it’s kind in the country. When the Legislature [...]...(read more)

Ways to use $8000 tax credit to purchase first home

hello Real Estate — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 06:37:51 GMT

I was just reading that the National Association of Realtors is working with the State of Washington in exploring ways that will put the federal $8000 First-Time Homebuyer tax credit and economic stimulus money coming to the state to use at the closing of a sale. I’ll be following this to see if this develops into something real. It would be [...]...(read more)

2009 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit

hello Real Estate — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 07:36:08 GMT

As an update to a previous post, details are now in on the First Time Home Buyer Credit in the Economic Stimulus Bill (formally called The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009). The bill was signed into law on Tuesday, February 17th. Here’s an overview of the provisions in the bill that will benefit First [...]...(read more)

Stimulus – Not all Bad

hello Real Estate — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 08:29:17 GMT

In reading and trying to stay updated on what details that have been made available on the Economic Stimulus package that has apparently been negotiated and agreed, it appears that the proposed $15,000 Home Buyer Tax Credit was a casualty. Sort of. The overall cost of this credit would have been $35 billion. In its place, a more modest proposal was [...]...(read more)

A Real Estate Myth-Understanding

hello Real Estate — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 07:22:58 GMT

Beyond the usual “how’s the real estate market?” …I’m being asked more real estate related questions than ever. Is this a good time to buy? How do you buy a foreclosure? Is it hard to get a mortgage? Are homes selling … How long would it take to sell my home? There is curiosity, confusion, and myth-information. Myth-Understanding [...]...(read more)

New group on Facebook

hello Real Estate — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 11:58:15 GMT

One of my philosophies is to support local business. I especially place emphasis on supporting and promoting the businesses of my friends and clients. An example of the talent is Rob Heim. Rob and his wife Amy used my services to help them sell their Duvall home and acreage. They later called on me to help them find their current home [...]...(read more)

Real Estate Myth-understanding

Steve Swanson — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:40:00 GMT

Beyond the usual “how’s the real estate market?” …I’m being asked more real estate related questions than ever. Is this a good time to buy? How do you buy a foreclosure? Is it hard to get a mortgage? Are homes selling … How long would it take to sell my home? There is confusion, curiosity and myth-information. Myth-Understanding: It is not a good time to buy real estate. It’s no doubt that even our Seattle Redmond real estate market remains sluggish. Many...(read more)