Huge mid-century home on a private park-like lot. Updated kitchen, hardwoods throughout the main floor's vast livingroom and dining area. Three bedrooms on main level. Daylight lower level has a huge family/rec room with second fireplace, a fourth bedroom and another bonus room and/or office. Downstairs also houses the utility room and a workshop. Home has updated electrical, newer furnace and roof and new windows, many triple-paned. Easy parking for several cars, awesome deck and hang-out yard!

View this recently sold House or see all my home sales

View this recently sold condominium or see all my home sales

Corner unit in a vintage, 1928 brick building. Rows of leaded-glass windows for maximum light, high ceilings, beautiful woodwork, hardwood floors & all the charm intact. Updated kitchen w/ plentiful cabinetry. Large bedroom w/ ample closet. Bonus room has custom built-ins, great office or den. First floor unit but sits high off the street for privacy. Has secure garage parking & storage room. Most furnishings included. Right by Safeway and few blocks to restaurants, parks and shopping!

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Comfortable Craftsman home w/ numerous updates & charm intact. Pride of ownership neighborhood w/ park w/in 1 blk. Detached alley access garage, hardwoods, new dishwasher, updated copper plumbing, great bsmt ceiling height w/ bright can-lighting updates, spacious closets, easy-care yard, wood-burning fireplace, built-ins & updated tiling. Lovingly cared for and restored over the last 8 years. Potential in attic.

Elegant penthouse w/open floorplan & 10' ceilings to enhance feel of spaciousness. Limited view of Space Needle & Bay, enough to see New Years Fireworks from home. Rich chocolate hardwood floors, gas fireplace w/granite surround & stylish mix of granite/tile & laminate trims. End unit w/lots of natural light, kitchen w/stainless appliances & eating bar that opens to living areas. Deck, elevator to secure garage & ALL appliances included! Condo faces a quiet street in a HOT West Seattle location!

Fabulous remodel with breath-taking views that go on forever! Stunning Olympic Mtns and Puget Sound sets the stage for this beautiful home. Upgraded throughout with Gourmet Kitchen and top of the line appliances and fixtures; Kohler rain shower, porcelain tub; french doors that opens to deck; Must see!! P.S. Friendly dog, Scooter and cat, Angel. Please make sure they stay inside the house. Thanks.

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Cute Ballard home just blocks to Loyal Heights Community Center. Lovely hardwoods lead you through the open living area with fireplace to warm the winter evenings. Large kitchen floods with natural light and has a bay window overlooking the backyard. An entertainment deck sits off the back off the home for outdoor dining and relaxing, Backyard has great sun for veggies and alley access to the attached garage with workshop space. So close to all of Ballard's shopping and restaurants!

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 In the past lenders wanted two months worth of pay stubs from your new employer but… in this crazy market, lenders now want more. Some lenders require 5 to 6 months worth of pay stubs.  This is something you absolutely have to take into consideration while shopping for your dream home. The market has indeed slowed down a bit but still, no seller in their right mind should accept an offer that has a closing date of more than 3 months out. So when you are shopping, and when you are finding the right lender be sure to ask how many pay stubs you need for documentation. This can affect which lender you choose, depending on your time line. It can be very stressful to find this out after a deal has been accepted, and now as a buyer you have to convince the seller to wait. (Something most sellers are already tired of doing.) I bring up this point because in the past two weeks, I have had this happen with a client and with another agent in my office. Be prepared, be aware, and enjoy life’s changes, even when they happen at the same.

Talk to you soon!

Erin Goodwin

RE/MAX Mutual Realty

206.251.4259

After packing boxes and getting ready to move, they only had 2 days to wait, everything fell apart. It turned out they got a 1^st and 2^nd mortgage (very common) and the appraisal for the first mortgage went great and then… the 2^nd mortgage wanted to appraise the property, and it didn’t pan out. This poor couple. They were so close to getting the keys, 2 days away in fact and then the deal completely crashed. They seem to be alright now, and figure it wasn’t meant to be. I think that house is still on the market (truly a sad story). Their story is a great example however, of why hiring an agent is extremely important.

It is our full time job to be on top of everything, and we are. The couple probably had an inspection on the property, but probably didn’t inspect the sewer (many buyers don’t even think of doing this and in my opinion you’d be extremely foolish not too. It can cost tens of thousands of dollars later if there is a problem.) The couple probably didn’t get an accurate market analysis for the home. Which you should always, always do before purchasing or selling. There are so many thing that an agent does for their client that the average buyer is probably unaware of. Most buyers don’t know that there are over 50 people involved in the entire process from the buyer, the lenders, underwriters, inspectors, appraisers…. Shouldn’t every buyer have one person designated to making sure that everything is in order?

I think you get my point. All buyers should be represented and if I didn’t make that completely clear here is one more thing to think about; all prices are based upon the seller paying out commissions, typically 3% to the selling agent and 3% to the buyer’s agent. If you feel you must represent yourself, make sure that the offer you are making is 6% less then what the market price of the home should be. Sellers are the ones that pay for our service, not buyers. Chances are unrepresented buyers are not getting the ‘deal’ they think they are.

Talk to you soon!

Erin Goodwin

-         The tax credit is available for first time buyers only. (This is someone who has NOT owned a home in the last 3 years. If you are married and your spouse has owned in the last 3 years you do NOT qualify)

-         The tax credit does not have to be repaid. (In the past you did have to repay it but not now!)

-         You must live in the property you purchase, and it must be your principle residence.

-         The tax credit is equal to 10% of the home’s purchase price up to a maximum of $8,000. (As long as you buy something for at least $80,000, you get $8,000 back.)

-         The credit is available for homes purchased form January 1, 2009 until December 1, 2009.

-         Single taxpayers with incomes up to $75,000 and married couples with incomes up to $150,000 qualify for the full tax credit.

You claim the tax credit on your federal income form. Home buyers should complete an IRS form 5405, to determine their tax credit amount. Then the government sends you your check.  What another great reason to buy! Home prices are down and the government wants to give you money.

This information was gathered from the National Association of Home Builders. For more information visit their website at www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com for more information… or call us!

Talk to you soon!

Erin Goodwin

You probably are aware that President Obama signed the Economic Stimulus Measure. There is a lot to know about this package and many opinions floating around about it's features. One feature I would like to point out is the $8,000 in tax credit that one can get for buying a home in 2009. If you are a first time home buyer, or have not owned a home in the past three years, you are eligible. With your 2009 purchase you receive $8,000 to take care of some of your 2009 tax debt. Better yet, if there is any unused portion towards your taxes, the government will actually write you a check for the remainder! This credit is 'free money' in the sense that you do not have to pay it back IF you keep the house for three years or longer. There are a lot of itty bitty details to this deal so if you are interested, call me, and I will point you in the direction of the legal explanation. Me thinks it's a pretty good deal and a pretty good reason to buy this year if you were already thinking about it. LOTS of houses out there to look at, you will get the pick of the litter!   Susanne

Please come with any questions you may have. In the meantime you can take a virtual tour of this Greenwood condominium for sale.

As always please do not hesitate to give me a call at 206-412-4663 if I can answer any questions before the open house, or if you would like to book a private showing.

Susanne Stauffer and Erin Goodwin
RE/MAX - Mutual

I read this story in the NWREporter that we get e-mailed to us from the NWMLS. I thought it was interesting as it is a builders take on the real estate market. Chick Shinn thinks we have hit the bottom. Here is the article:

Having experienced five market downturns, Chuck Shinn believes the current cycle offers a "once in a lifetime opportunity" for builders who prepare for the recovery. The 35-year veteran of the homebuilding industry outlined a series of action steps during a presentation last month at the Northwest Builders Show in Bellevue.

Housing is now in the worst phase of the cycle, the founder of Shinn Consulting stated, citing "non-existent buyers," high inventories, falling prices, high rates of foreclosures, tight cash and other indicators.

On a more positive note, Shinn believes the freefall has stopped, with 2009 poised to be a transition year. Housing starts should bottom out by first quarter 2009, he told his audience, but prices will continue to fall. "We need to get back to 2002-2003 pricing," he remarked.

Shinn, who became an active builder/remodeler in 1976 and was honored at Builder of the Year in 1985 and Colorado Industry Man of the Year in 1987, faults front page coverage for thwarting the recovery. When market news moves off the front page, consumers will be back, he declared.

The best phase of the housing cycle is "around the corner" and this recovery phase will take many – including builders – by surprise. Builders typically miss cycle turns by six to nine months, he noted, as he urged audience members to start preparing now.

In preparing for the upswing, Shinn recommends three action steps: (1) monitoring leading predictors, including general local housing market predictors such as net employment changes, building permits and new automobile sales, (2) monitoring existing home market predictors such as number of homes listed and sold price to asking price ratios, and (3) monitoring internal company information predictors such as percentage of contingent contracts and voluntary cancellation rates.

Shinn expects a slow recovery, probably lasting through 2009 and into the first half of 2010. In general, it will not be obvious the market has turned, he commented, adding, "Waiting until the upturn is apparent is too late."

Along with his speaking engagements and educational seminars, Shinn, who holds an MBA and PhD in business administration, is the author of numerous articles to help homebuilders improve their management and profitability. His website (shinnconsulting.com) recently added webinars by various presenters. New topics will be added each quarter.

Susanne

The Wall Street Journal recently reported: “The Federal Reserve's plan to buy half a trillion dollars of mortgage-backed securities by June 2009 boosted the mortgage-bond market Wednesday, and more gains are expected in this market for securities guaranteed by the congressionally chartered housing-finance companies Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae. That is good news for homeowners, as higher mortgage-bond prices and lower yields translate into lower mortgage rates for borrowers.”       

Many sources are reporting that this will push mortgage rates below 5% and some banks, HomeStreet Bank for example, have already fallen below that mark. This is great news for both buyers and sellers. I don’t care if I am biased, now is a great time to buy! Erin and I e-mail each other ‘I can’t believe this price’ houses daily. I wish I had loads of money to buy up all sorts of property right now.  

Of course, I understand the dark side of things… employment, or lack of it for most people I know. That does put a damper on things… have to have a job to buy a house. My number one resolution for 2009 is ‘positive thinking’ going into the new year to put some new energy our there for all of you!    Susanne

Our prices however, have not dropped significantly. In most areas we are down in sales price around 4%. Considering what most markets have experienced… 15% drops, I feel pretty lucky.  I think of Seattle this way, there is only so much land here. We are surrounded by mountains and water. There will always be a demand to live here because our space is limited. Seattle is home to the best coffee in the country for crying out loud. Who doesn’t love our culture and our coffee?

To sum things up, I really believe this year will be better than last year. Seattle is a wonderful thriving city. Real Estate may go up and down in the coming months but there is no place I’d rather live or do business.