Closing Costs differ for the buyer and the seller. We'll explain here the role of all parties involved and the estimated costs. Briefly, the Seller pays for the real estate Commissions and the Excise tax to the state and the city. Also, both Seller and Buyer pay half of the Title and Escrow fees. How much do you pay in commissions? Historically, commissions were 6%, Continue Reading
Buying a Home vs Renting? Home Buying Tips and Tricks
Charles Holmes talks here about the advantages of Buying a Home over Renting. In addition, for first time buyers, he gives some tips that will help to find your dream home. Finally, he talks about the characteristics you need to pay attention to when looking for properties by yourself. This is part of last week's video presentation made by Charles Holmes. You can listen to the full video here. Continue Reading
Opportunity Zones
This is an interview with Charles Holmes about Opportunity Zones, which came up in a discussion with a client. We think this information might be useful for you. What is an “Opportunity Zone”? An Opportunity Zone is an area designated by the federal government tax code for development. So it's an area that's more in need like an impoverished area. If you invest money in that Opportunity Zone you Continue Reading
Real Estate Market Report 1st quarter 2019
Spring market marked by Lower Mortgage Interest Rates and New Listings coming to the market It's 2019 and the market is hopping. Around March it stalled, started sliding badly in May, and was all but dead by November. There was virtually no sign of life in February when it was snowing and then BAM! Spring sprung and so did the market. Although I had some residential work near Continue Reading
Market Slowdown
Whoa Nellie! Market Slowdown is here. I got a message from Zillow on Monday letting me know someone was interested in talking to me about a condo we had for lease. This was the second condo a client of ours was leasing; it had failed to sell in a reasonable amount of time. In both cases, the owners were concerned the unit would sit empty through the holidays and probably till next Continue Reading
Financing your new home or property
How to get a loan for your new home or property In today’s market, there are multiple options for financing your property purchase or investment project. Whether you’re planning on buying your first home, moving up to a hilltop mansion, or constructing your next multi-family complex, funding is one critical element of the process. The pendulum has swung far from the days of loose Continue Reading
How to Buy a House in the hot Seattle Market…or any market
Avoid being burned, battling for a bungalow in wild real estate wars. Take a deep breath and follow these four simple tips for buying a home in the hot Seattle Market...or any market. Be more competitive, without risking your nest egg. Shop In a lot of ways, buying a home is no different than buying a car, a television, or a banana for that matter. You can learn a lot just by spending time Continue Reading
2nd Real Estate Market Report
The slowdown has arrived! After years of rocketing prices, the Seattle market has reached the apex of its trajectory and is stalling. The better neighborhoods are holding on and the best houses are still receiving competing bids, but many properties are sitting unsold and prices are softening. In this Issue of our Quarterly Market Report, you will find our usual overview of the Continue Reading
