How cute am I? I live at Harstene Point in Mason County. It is a gated community and the wildlife here is encouraged to hang out. You are not supposed to feed us, but I can tell you it happens... and I love it. There is a lot to do here at the "Pointe." They have a pool with hot tub for soaking, miles of trails, a marina, fitness center, lagoon, tennis courts and fantastic views from just about anywhere of Mt. Rainer, the sound or Olympics. They are not so keen on letting me in the pool or the tennis courts.If you would like a personal tour of Hartstene Pointe just call my friends- Dinah Griffey and Michelle Roethle and they will show you around.For more info go to... TheNorthwestlife.com 03/05/2009

Please see the bottom of this post for updates and lots of great comments below that! Original title of this blog was "The Home Affordability Refinance Program" (corrected from 'affordability' to 'affordable') once the program title had been verified. As announced in February, the terms of the $75 billion foreclosure mitigation plan were released today. You can read the CNBC article here. Here are my Cliff Notes: The Home Affordable Refinance Program will be available to 4 to 5 million homeowners whos mortgage is currently owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac and aimed primarily at people facing 'imminent hardship.' Borrowers would be required to demonstrate the hardship to their servicers, such as job loss, reduction in income or a looming payment increase that cannot be met. Cash incent... 03/04/2009

YES: I realize this is not the first time I've referenced Star Trek in a blog entry; NO: I've never been to a Star Trek Convention. Not that there's anything WRONG with that... Sing with me now: 'Star-Trekkin' across the Universe...'   What a week this has been! Here are a few highlights: Stocks up, rates worse, stocks down, rates worse... Guideline changes-- mortgage insurance is getting tighter, good for FHA... Tax credit -- can claim it on 2008 taxes??? Seattle rated #1 in how many different ways? Through it all, I know this for certain: Now is a GREAT time to buy! Buyers, remember: on the way down, you have the leverage; on the way back up, the seller has it. And the only way to see the bottom perfectly is through your rear-view mirror so stop reading this and get out there! GO GO G... 02/27/2009

Rates have had a bad run over the last couple of days and we're back solidly into the fives. Well, 5 at least... 5% Rate / 5.152% APRP&I payment: $2,238.55Loan amount: $417,000Equity: 20% / Credit Score: 740Loan Program: 30 Year Fixed Hey, looks like we are back to a maximum conforming jumbo loan amount of $567,500. 10% down for a conventional loan, 3.5% down for an FHA loan... And for first time home buyers, the 2009 tax credit can be applied to 2008 taxes if you haven't already filed or you can file an amended return! As always, thanks for reading --James Wirth 02/26/2009

Ok, if that's not enough to get the fence sitters off their duff and into their Realtor's car, also consider this: There are currently 15 million students in colleges and they're not all going to move back home after graduating; 60% of current marriages will soon need two households due to divorce; According to a Harvard study we need 2.7 million MORE homes than are currently in existence by 2011; In order to get an interest rate comparable to today we'd have to go back to England 315 years ago. Talk about historic low; The only way to see the bottom of the market is by looking in the rear-view mirror. The leverage for the buyer is on the way down; the seller has it on the way up. On which side will you make your offer?   Thanks for reading! --James Wirth 02/26/2009

Foreclosures: bail out or fail out? While many of the details have yet to be made clear regarding the foreclosure rescue plan, there is certainly no lack of media coverage. The article was written for the New York Times and carried by the Seattle PI (they are cutting back after all), calling the $75 Billion dollar plan 'more ambitious than expected.' So far so good... Read the article here. Mortgage rates-- it's a photo finish! Rates finished basically even on the week. Here's how we ended the day: 4.875% Rate / 5.026% APRLoan amount: $417,000Down payment/equity: 20%Loan program: 30 Year FixedMinimum credit score: 720   Tax Credit! Tax Credit! Get your Tax Credit! These details are more readily available than much of the rest of the stimulus law: First Time Home Buyers making $75K for a... 02/20/2009

Real estate is a tough market. With high-levels of competition and homeowners that are desperate to sell their homes, you can’t always expect people to disclose all information about their home-sometimes you just need to be persistent. Close to fifteen-percent of homes that are purchased have some sort of broken fixture or serious repair needed. Beyond simply asking questions, getting a realtor and requesting inspections, there’s a list of things you can do to make sure you don’t buy a broken home. Consumer report says look out for staining and discolorations as they can be signs of mold or infestation. Check the interior walls for large cracks because they can be the result of foundation problems. Small cracks on the interior are usually the result of wood shrinkage and aren’t a big de... 02/20/2009

Buying a suburban home is popular because of their generally high quality and affordability. But sometimes the amount of gas used just to get to work everyday can offset any kind of affordability one get from living in a suburban home. This trend was the inspiration for live/work residences. A live/work residence is a home built especially for those who want to work from home. Working from home increases quality of life by eliminating commute and allowing you to work in a comfortable environment. Live/work homes are considered semi-custom and have these characteristics built into the home itself: built-in shelves, pre-wired for internet, well defined independent exterior entrance and sometimes even have signage. So the question is, would you buy a live/work residence? Is this idea to cu... 02/19/2009

It was a day at the beach for interest rates today after a modest improvement yesterday afternoon. Here's what we're seeing for a minimum credit score of 720: 4.875% Rate / 5.026% APRLoan amount: $417,000Down payment/equity: 20%Loan Program: 30 Year Fixed The past couple of days have brought consecutive price improvements landing us back under 5% after a few weeks of climbing rates. Those who continued to float when we were at 4.5%, this is a second chance to lock-in a rate with a 4 in it. There is certainly no lack of news to comment on and yet I have remained relatively quiet and will yet delay a bit longer while the details become sufficiently clear. But here are a few considerations: Yes, higher loan amounts through Fannie, Freddie, and FHA are on their way. If they use the same med... 02/18/2009

In the current economic client, many are wondering if they should buy a home. In many places the home values have dropped low enough that buying a home is less expensive than renting a home. But some problems still linger. For instance, many are worried they can’t get a home loan because banks have raised the standards for who they’ll lend to. Others are concerned that they don’t have enough money saved up for a down payment. But most people are just concerned with the real estate market itself and don’t want to risk buying a home and having to watch its value plummet. Good news for home buyers is that buying homes is now easier than it has been in twenty years. The federal government is offering up to $7,500 dollars in tax credit for home buyers as incentive for buying homes. For many ... 02/17/2009

This Sun Valley condo was vacant, and the owners needed to sell it quickly. The original walls were white, and the carpeting was forest green. It was necessary to re-paint the walls and replace the carpeting with warm tan tones to unify and expand the space. The kitchen cabinets were also painted, and the white and green counter tiles were replaced with Kashmir Gold slab granite surfaces. The owners had me purchase and install furnishings for the entire home located in the upscale market of Warm Springs. The first clients to arrive at the open house bought the condo for full price! They also loved the furnishings so much that they purchased the entire household in addition to the selling price. As an experienced stager and decorater, I chose furnishings to compliment the architecture of... 02/14/2009

The National Association of Realtors recently made a statement from President Charles McMillan, entitled: Housing Stimulus and Stabilization Will Help Economic Recovery (That's an active link if you'd like to view the statement, but the title summarizes it well-enough) In a separate letter to Realtors that was forwarded to me and became the basis for this post (thanks Louise), NAR reiterated that the steps being taken through TARP, TALP, the new Treasury plan and the Housing Economic Stimulus Bill are all positive moves that will help the current crisis. Here's my struggle with this -- it seems like an awfully expensive price-tag for what we're getting. That's a bold statement I know, but let me explain... no, there's too much... let me sum up: $  Tax Credit: I was disappointed it wasn'... 02/13/2009

Not me, apparently... my apologies for the lack of postings in the past couple of weeks. Quite the buzz in the news today and I was tempted to rush out with a blog entry on the new tax benefit and how it will work. Except one thing: WE DON'T REALLY KNOW YET! Stay tuned for more on that soon. Here's the rate today: 5% Rate / 5.152% APR P&I payment: $2,238.55Loan amount: $417,000Equity: 20% / Credit Score: 740Loan Program: 30 Year Fixed As always, thanks for reading! --James Wirth 02/11/2009

Buyers are going to the internet in record numbers and what are they going there for? To buy a home. When they go to do a search on the internet what do they find? Realtors selling themselves...not their listings! Remember, people are searching the internet for a home, not a Realtor. At the Golik Group we have developed what we call "Search Specific" websites. These websites are our individual listing websites that rank very high in many Google searches. Looking for "Bellevue waterfront" or "Medina waterfront"?We have several of our sites show up in the top 5. Searching for "Bellevue luxury homes" or "Bellevue luxury real estate" We have 5-8 websites in the top 10 of these searches. While these are more of a narrow focus, these are the buyers we want to be looking for our listings. Whil... 02/08/2009

Interest rate is hitting lowest in the record.  However, forclosure home figure keep adding up.  It seems that not everybody can get in the low rate wave and take advantage of saving big on their home mortgage?  Anybody got input? 01/28/2009

No, really. This one's to the point. 4.75 that is. That's what the rate was on January 27th, 2009. Here's what it looks like: 4.75% Rate / 4.899% APR P&I payment: $2,175.27Loan amount: $417,000Down payment/equity: 20%Loan Program: 30 Year Fixed Rates as of 01/27/09, subject to change without notice, etc. etc. Mortgage rates had climbed back into the 5s for a bit there, gave us all a fright that everyone had missed the boat. But we're back a bit now, hopefully we'll take advantage of these historic lows before they climb again! Thanks for reading! --James Wirth 01/27/2009

A close family member of mine (whose identity will remain undisclosed for their own protection) has jokingly proclaimed that it's acceptable to say something, let's say, non-positive, about someone as long as you follow it up with "bless their hearts" (thus canceling out any potentially inflammatory nature of the preceding remark). Over time this concept has been expounded upon to indicate that any time an individual or party is referenced and the comment followed up with "bless their heart(s)" that the listeners would be aware of the inferred inflammation, even if it was left unspoken.   I received numerous calls and emails yesterday in reference to an article posted over the weekend by the Seattle Times. The article carried a curious-if-somewhat misleading title, that read: Stimulus p... 01/20/2009

Not exactly the way I wanted to come back from a holiday. As much as I'd love to take the day off and watch the proceedings, I'm really just ready for everybody to get to work! Oh -- speaking of which -- On Friday mortgage rates worsened, but that was somewhat expected because historically when the market closes early in advance of a holiday, rates often worsen and then recover after the holiday. NOT TODAY! Boy, they really showed me! Take that James! Ha! 5.125% Rate / 5.279% APR P&I payment: $2,270.51 Loan amount: $417,000Down payment/equity: 20%Loan Program: 30 Year Fixed We may have improved pricing today and if we do, I will post an update. Thanks for reading! --James Wirth 01/20/2009

Individuals who deal in Bellevue condos are in an interesting situation. Not only are they encouraged to spend the time to go above and beyond and give clients looking for Bellevue condos tailored attention, they have to also keep themselves on top of Bellevue condos competitors. Hence why marketing is so essential when it comes to Bellevue condos and why investors are encouraged to tweak their Bellevue condos in a specific area. The current Bellevue condos market is bad and so is the economy. The small amount of Bellevue condos buyers and sellers that are around are looking for money saving opportunities. This shortage in Bellevue condos buyers and sellers also means that investors must be persistent and innovative in where they locate these Bellevue condos opportunities. Lots of Belle... 01/20/2009

This is a little off-topic of my normal posts... With the lightning-speed distribution of news these days, most of us heard of the emergency crash-landing on the Hudson river within minutes of the event. After hearing that most survived, I breathed a sigh of relief and went on with my busy day. The evening news carried additional accounts and confirmed that all pasengers and crew had survived, and again I was relieved, but didn't feel any real emotional connection or reaction. Then on the radio this morning, listening to how the pilot made a daring choice to aim toward the river instead of divert to the airport as instructed; how the first ferry-turned-rescue crafts were pulling people on board within minutes of the landing; how the worst injuries sustained were two broken legs... it st... 01/16/2009