It may seem counterintuitive, but historically, as interest rates rise, so do homes prices. Check out the graph below. Every dramatic mortgage increase has also given rise to home prices. Waiting to buy will cost more than an increase in interest rates, the home will cost more too.
Steve Hill and Sandra Brenner
Best In Client Satisfaction
Windermere Real Estate
BrennerHill.com
call/text 206-769-9577
Historically, real estate has always been a great investment. Check out this graph below. Real estate has outperformed the Dow Jones, the S&P and NASDAQ since Jaunuary 2000. Even with the housing bust, real estate proves to be a great investment.
If you are considering an investment in real estate, either as a primary residence or an investment property, give us a call, we can point you in the right direction.
Steve Hill and Sandra Brenner
Windermere Real Estate
call/text 206-769-9577.
Are you thinking of selling your home? Are you dreading having to deal with strangers walking through the house? Are you concerned about getting the paperwork correct? Hiring a professional real estate agent can take away most of the challenges of selling. A great agent is always worth more than the commission they charge just like a great doctor or great accountant. You want to deal with one of the best agents in your marketplace. To do this, you must be able to distinguish the average agent from the great one. Let us help.
If we were hiring an agent to sell my home today, we would require that they:
Too many agents just take the listing at any price and then try to the ‘work the seller’ for a price correction later. Demand that the agent prove to you that they have a belief in the price they are suggesting. Make them show you their plan to sell the house at that price – TWICE! Every house in today’s market must be sold two times – first to a buyer and then to the bank.
The second sale may be more difficult than he first. The residential appraisal process has gotten tougher. It has become more difficult to get the banks to agree on the contract price. A red flag should be raised if your agent is not discussing this with you at the time of the listing.
You will be moving your family to a new home. Whether the move revolves around the start of a new school year or the start of a new job, you will be trying to put the move to a plan. This can be very emotionally draining. Demand from your agent an appreciation for the timetables you are setting. I am not suggesting that your agent can pick the exact date for your move. You just want the agent to exert any influence they can.
It is imperative that your agent know how to handle the challenges that will arise. An agent’s ability to negotiate is critical in this market.
Remember: If you have an agent who was weak negotiating with you on the parts of the listing contract that were most important to them (commission, length, etc.), don’t expect them to turn into Superman when they are negotiating for you with your buyer.
If you haven’t yet picked your new home, make sure the agent is capable and willing to help you. The coordination of the move is crucial. You don’t want to be without a roof over your head the night of the closing. Likewise, you don’t want to end up paying two housing expenses (whether it is rent or mortgage). You should, in most cases, be able to close on your current home and immediately move into your new residence.
There is a reason you are putting yourself and your family through the process of moving. You are moving on with your life in some way. The reason is important or you wouldn’t be dealing with the headaches and challenges that come along with selling. Do not allow your agent to forget these motivations. Constantly remind them that selling the house is why you hired them. Make sure that they don’t worry about your feelings more than they worry about your family. If they discover something needs to be done to attain your goal (i.e. price correction, repair, removing clutter), insist they have the courage to inform you.
Good agents know how to deliver good news. Great agents know how to deliver tough news. In today’s market, YOU NEED GREAT AGENTS like Steve Hill and Sandra Brenner.
Steve Hill and Sandra Brenner
Best In Client Satisfaction
Windermere Real Estate
BrennerHill.com
call/text 206-769-9577
Above is a graph of the movement of the 30 year fixed mortgage rate since the beginning of 2012.
Some buyers are waiting to see if interest rates will come back down before making a decision about buying a home. Though no one can guarantee where rates will be in a few months, we don’t believe waiting is a good strategy.
Most experts believe rates may actually move higher. The Mortgage Bankers Association, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the National Association of Realtors are in unison projecting that rates will continue to climb.
With home prices increasing and interest rates projected to also increase, the cost of buying a house could quickly increase rather dramatically.
If you are searching for today's best rates on home mortgages, give George Runnels at Washington First Mortgage a call, he can find you the best terms for new or refinancing a home loan. 206-604-4545
Curious about interest rates and how they can affect your purchasing power? Give us a call or text to learn more.
Steve Hill and Sandra Brenner
Best In Client Satisfaction
Windermere Real Estate
call/text 206-769-9577
BrennerHill.com
The housing recovery is creating jobs and helping bring the economy back.
Steve Hill and Sandra Brenner
Best in Client Satisfaction
Windermere Real Estate/FN
call/text 206-769-9577
BrennerHill.com
Not every real estate broker is a REALTOR®, be sure to ask if your broker is a REALTOR® before you buy or sell a home. A REALTOR® abides by an enhanced code of ethics.
Check out this video to learn more: http://youtu.be/PhkgUaqFzOQ
Steve Hill and Sandra Brenner
Broker | REALTOR®
Windermere Real Estate/FN
Seattle-Northwest
BrennerHill.com
206-769-9577
If you’re like many of our clients, you’ve probably come across a few things in your home that you’d like to upgrade or renovate. There are lots of home projects that aren’t too complicated to complete if you have a good guide. In that spirit, we thought we'd share four great channels on YouTube full of home maintenance and repair videos.
These channels have videos for a wide range of jobs and even include some reviews on tools you might want to have handy. You can save a lot of money (and really enjoy your home) when you learn more about taking care of it.
Here are our top four picks:
HomeAdditionPlus
?http://www.youtube.com/user/HomeAdditionPlus
AskTheBuilder.com?
http://www.youtube.com/user/AsktheBuilder
Ron Hazelton?
http://www.youtube.com/user/ronhazelton
VideoJug?
http://www.youtube.com/user/VideoJug
If you need additional resources to improve your home for sale or to stay, give us a shout, we are always happy to provide you with the right people!
Steve Hill and Sandra Brenner
Best In Client Satisfaction
Windermere Real Estate
Call/Text: 206-769-9577
Clutter driving you nuts? Did you move in with someone only to find you have duplicates of everything from headboards to can openers? Here are 7 tips to help you make the most out of small spaces:
1. Weed out the extras. A yard sale will alleviate some clutter and a trip to the local Goodwill even more. A good rule of thumb: Anything you haven’t needed in a year can go.
2. Bookcases are for more than books! Your walls are your vertical friends for storage, and good book shelving can include plants, valuables, artwork and more.
3. Wall-mount entertainment systems. Television / cable / DVD cabinets are so pre-2000! Free up floor space by going with sleek bolt-in mounts. (Just make sure they’re anchored properly!)
4. Don’t pile it, hang it! This is especially true in kitchens where you can use pot racks, hanging baskets, and even wall-mounted shelving units.
5. Maximize cabinets and closets with organizers. Poor use of cabinet space can easily waste more than 30% of usable “hidden” space. There’s great hardware out there to tune up the interior of your cabinets and closets.
6. Go below. A raised bed is a great way to free up storage space equal to the square footage of your bed. Using baskets and drawers can ensure the below-the-bed storage remains tidy as well.
7. Paint light. Dark walls make small rooms feel smaller. For those rooms that feel a little too close for comfort, dial up the brightness with a fresh coat of a light colored paint.
Remember: Organization and smart storage can turn a tiny home into a cozy abode.
Of course, if you’re ready to upgrade your home rather than squeeze the last few inches out of your existing space, get in touch! we’d be happy to help you search for a new home today!
Steve Hill and Sandra Brenner
Best In Client Satisfaction
Windermere Real Estate
Call/Text: 206-769-9577
When you are ready to buy or sell, give us a call; we are ready to put our experience and knowledge to work for you!
Steve Hill and Sandra Brenner
Best In Client Satisfaction
Windermere Real Estate Seattle – Northwest
ceel/text 206-769-9577
Usually when real estate brokers start talking about referrals, people assume they’re hunting for new listings or more buyers to represent. This isn’t one of those posts!
In fact, we wish more people would come to us looking for referrals in the community. A good real estate broker knows people in the community you can trust, and we're always happy to provide the connection.
If you think about it, brokers pretty much interact with all of the people dedicated to protecting, improving, or maintaining your biggest asset: Your home. Whether it’s a local insurance agent, an honest contractor, or a crack crew of yard and maintenance people, brokers are great sources of “who you should know.” (We’re also reliable sources of locals-only community info!)
It’s too bad that brokers are often involved only in the sale or purchase of a house. We prefer to think of ourselves as a lifetime consultant to our clients, and providing the names of people we would stake our reputation on is simply a part of my ethical obligation to serve.
When you need a referral, please give us a call or shoot us an email. We are more than happy to connect you with the right people.
Steve Hill and Sandra Brenner
Best In Client Satisfaction
Windermere Real Estate
Call/Text: 206-769-957
© 2017 Windermere Solutions, LLC
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