by Linda
in Buying Property,RE Market Updates,Selling Property,Whidbey Island
In keeping with the spirit of the holidays and the winter solstice, the National Association of Realtors issued a news release yesterday announcing a continuing rise in the sale of existing homes in November 2011. We can all hope that the housing market may at long last be moving in a positive direction. Challenges lie ahead for certain, but a bit of good news is as welcome as a sunny day in December like we are having today!
Here’s a portion [...]
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Recently Whidbey Island Realtors received an email from the Whidbey Island Board of Realtors alerting us to a new ordinance regarding Ebey’s Reserve. Here’s an excerpt from a letter from Island County, the Town of Coupeville and the Manager of Ebey’s Reserve that was addressed to all “Whidbey Island Real Estate Professionals.”
On 10/3/2011 the Board of Island County Commissioners adopted the new Unified Code and Design Guidelines for all development within Ebey’s Reserve. The Code and Guidelines become effective 1/1/2012.
The [...]
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In doing research about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, I came across something buried in the Federal Housing Finance Agency website that blew my mind. Called the House Price Index (HPI), it measures geographic (region, state, city) home price trends. It took about 5 minutes to realize that I just discovered the proverbial “Canary in the Mineshaft” when it comes to predicting real estate values in WA.
The HPI is defined as follows:
The HPI is a broad measure of the [...]
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Affordable Beach homes
The Whidbey Island Affordable Vacation Home Tour was a great success! If you were not able to make it to this tour you will be happy to know there will be another tour in early spring 2011. Everyone enjoyed the diverse selection of affordable homes toured, from brand new condos in Langley, to some of the best vacation getaway homes on both the west and east sides of the island.
Sellers provided snack foods at [...]
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It is not unusual in my business for a client to make a political comment to me during a conversation, especially in the heated political environment we are in today.
Over the years I have decided that it is best to not acknowledge in any way these comments beyond a smile. Even that can be dangerous. It is not that I do not have opinions. Just ask my family. It is just that I believe as a [...]
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I have always felt it was important to be associated with the best company in any market segment. So when I got out of college I went to work for one of the best restaurant chains in the west. After that I sold incredibly good food service products to those fine restaurants with Carnation, the best food service company in the US. Decades ago, when I decided to work in real estate full time, I looked for [...]
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Most of us today are concerned about our environment, and recycle paper products with enthusiasm. We try to not use paper products when we can avoid it, and we read our magazines and newspapers and then recycle them too.
That is why it is a mystery to me why some sellers insist on having a flyer box. Granted, not everyone wants one, but if you drive around you will see that many people have them, and they [...]
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by Linda
in Buying Property,RE Market Updates,Selling Property,Whidbey Island
It is a good time to buy on Whidbey Island. Interest rates are low, and there is excellent inventory.
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The catch phrase has been around for some time, and can be used to describe homes without any real substance behind it. In the last few years it has taken on a new definition with the public’s concerns about energy costs and global warming.
But buyers do need to beware of the loosely used marketing term “green”. There are now third party certifications that can be included when sellers put their homes on the market. The [...]
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Get your eggs lined up
Bank of America announced a new program for their mortgage holders who are upside down in value on their current mortgages with B of A. Borrowers must demonstrate a hardship in making current payments, and be at least 60 days delinquent on the loans and owe at least 120% of the current home value. Borrowers with second mortgages or home equity lines of credit will not qualify in certain cases. The bank looks first [...]
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What is important to do, and what is not, for properties I represent for sale? In my profession I must ask this question for each of the properties I represent every day.
First and foremost, it is important that I make sure that my clients properties are being presented in an inviting way to the buying public. This means that I have the highest quality photos and marketing text. This creates for the buyer [...]
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Looking at Whidbey Island Real Estate Statistics ending Dec 2009, our year to date sold homes finished ahead of last year. Active listing inventory is down but I think that may have more to do with it being December, and we will need to see what happens in the early months of 2010 to give any weight to this statistic. The year to date sold prices is down ( -11% ) on South Whidbey. [...]
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It’s a fact, if you are a seller, and someone wants to buy your home, they will need an appraisal for their loan. Much of the time they will also want to have an inspection on the property as a contingency. The inspection usually comes before the bank gets around to ordering an appraisal. Most inspections cost the buyer $500 to $550. They usually pay before the inspection, or at the time of [...]
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There are many changes happening in the way lending institutions are having to do business. Some of these are now affecting the appraisals on your home if you are selling and if you are buying the one you may want to purchase. Please read the article below and if you would like to discuss it, please do call.
Appraisal Industry Gets Shaken Up Written By the Demco Law Firm, P.S.
Recent changes to federal regulations that [...]
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