Getting A Loan Today Saturday, September 26th, 10am - Noon Media coverage today leads us to believe no one can qualify for a home loan. Nothing could be further from the truth. Learn how you can prepare yourself to get the best loan for your situation and how to identify when a loan product fits your purchasing goals, plus identifying "junk fees" and more: •·        The importance of credit scoring, how it is determined, and what you can do about it •·        The loan approval process-from start to finish including qualifying factors •·        New and renewed loan programs: •o   Low down-payment options (FHA, grants, gov't bond) •o   Energy efficient (Green Loans) •o   Conventional and non-conventional financing Instructors: Paul McFadden of The Legacy Group and Reba Haas of Team Reba/R... 08/01/2009

I just have to chime in on this awesome 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 landing on the moon. I'm of the age where this so totally captured my imagination forever... (Talk about a personal Paradigm Shift!) See, The Paradigm Shift. My brother Steve and I were absolutely glued to the TV on this one. We were of the generation totally inspired by the words of president John F. Kennedy in his 1962 speech: "We choose to go to the Moon..."  My folks bought a new refrigerator around 1960. Steve and I hauled the box it came in up to our bedroom and made a (Gemini) space capsule out of it. We had all kinds of gizmos we created with buttons, toggle switches and lots of small lights you could turn on and off with kits we had put together (intended for other purposes, of course). We could play in that ... 07/20/2009

Robert Fulford's column about the word "paradigm" I love words... I have for many years had the habit of looking them up when I’m writing. It’s not that I don’t necessarily know what they mean. I just don't ever want to use a word unless I've really lived with it. At times I choose a word when writing then wonder, “does this mean what I think it does?”   I’ve been working on an article for the past couple of weeks. It’s not coming very easy at all. It has a lot to do with one of the favorite terms of our time… "Paradigm Shift”… So, as dictated by my habit, I check my usual resources and “Google it” to see if I’m using it properly and does it mean what I think it means? I stumbled upon Robert Fulford’s column… a must read. I’ve been laughing for hours and I will never look at the word “p... 07/19/2009

Social Media is an exciting journey... I love the fact that it’s still in its infancy and a rapidly evolving medium. I get to explore, which is absolutely one of my favorite things to do in the world. Yet, most days my journey is designed with a purpose. I need to stay focused, leave where I am, Point A, accomplish a million things along the way, and get to point B by a specified time. Sometimes I think I have a little time (because I'm not remembering) so I get off the information super highway (sorry, couldn't resist) and opt for the back roads. I check my Google map, the time, it looks easy... I should still arrive on time. There in fact lies the challenge... Like taking a country drive, I see the road just ahead, it turns up a hill through the trees (and wow) it looks so beautiful. ... 07/14/2009

  Let’s go back to 1969 - 1974 for a minute. (web 0.0) It was a different recession. Actually, two separate recessions side by side. The 69-70 recession was attributed to the Fed’s raising interest rates. The recession of 73 - 74 was blamed on OPEC for raising oil prices and the Vietnam War. It would appear we’re in a somewhat similar (yet more complicated) mess today.   As an emerging adult embracing my American dream, that was the world I entered into at 20 something.   Some of us here on AR recently have shown a little frustration about things and change. It is a challenge for sure to stay positive, an even bigger challenge to make things happen in this wacky unpredictable market. We’ve all revealed a little fear; we stumble on occasion trying to keep a positive attitude. We hurt (a... 07/09/2009

Episode 3: Matt and Rene' talk to The Virtual Meeting Coach, Meri Walker... excerpt... In their jobs as the Pacific NW internet marketing team for Ticor Title, Matt Sweet and Rene Fabre, spend a big chunk of their time helping Realtors, bankers, and other folks in the real estate industry understand why the old models of advertising and business communication don’t work anymore… and why the new models do. As Rene likes to say, young and old alike, people all over the world have become “searchers.” We go online daily now to self-educate and to find what we need. So, the question is, how can people possibly choose to buy your products or services unless they can easily find your compelling presence online? Matt jokingly called this third conversation, “I Get By With A Little Yelp From My ... 07/04/2009

One of the most important things we can do in this great big social media experiment we are currently involved in is to simply stay in the conversation. We don't need to agree, that's not what it is about. We just need to keep talking (ie: communicate, participate). No one knows it all, infact most of us know very little... Yet, if we keep getting together, experiment, and keep talking and sharing our experiences, the closer we are to understanding the new reality and age that is emerging. Regardless of our own personal opinions, it will be what it will be. In music we use the term: "You gotta be bad before you can be good." And history demonstrates over and over, Bad often = Good, according to the public (consumer). This isn't the first worldwide web, excuse me! Our web history actuall... 07/03/2009

Take a look at the City of Renton webpage about the great Independence Day Celebration at Coulon Park on Lake Washington in Renton. Saturday Afternoon Party, Saturday evening Fireworks. Thank you to all the sponsors and the City Employees who work to make this great while our families can party.This great day is sponsored by the retail establishments in the Landing, so make sure you support our local businesses. Enjoy the day with your family, friends and neighbors and if you are thinking of relocating to Renton take a look at the city website and you will see how much is happening in our community.Our freedom has been earned and paid for by our service men and women. When you see a military person or their family this weekend make sure and take a moment to say thank you and express yo... 07/03/2009

Purple [born in or to the purple, of royal or exalted birth: Those born to the purple are destined to live in the public eye.] If you want to enhance your presence and carve out your own royal estate on the web you need to show up as a noble in the Google Index. In order for that to happen there are a few basic fundamentals that must take place. Your profile is your most important foundational building block. Make sure that everywhere you are on the web that uses a profile is detailed, well written, and complete. You need to walk right up to the Google Index, knock on that door and tell them in a clear loud voice with authority three things... Who you are. Where you are. What you do.   Do you have a Google Profile? This is in all likelihood the most important profile you can have online... 07/03/2009

All-Natural Pest Control That's Effective And Safe For Kids And Pets In between visits from the exterminator, it's not uncommon to see the occasional ant, spider or roach or insect around the house. In fact, Sunday evening a group of us neighbors were having a bbq in Ashburn our townhome community in Renton and someone started digging up a small crack in the sidewalk. Then of course the ants came out to see what was up. OH MY GOD...... Spray the ants ...... so they were drowned in gobs of ant killer chemical.... Everyone had a different opinion. Leave them alone, kill and burn them all, move the chair, flee madly running and screaming. It was pretty fun for a few seconds. Me of course grew up farming and a few little ants don't cause too much problem. But what to do about it? One soluti... 06/30/2009

At the start of the year, the "experts" made a lot of predictions about the U.S. economy and what to expect in 2009. Some said housing would riseSome said housing would fallSome said mortgage rates would riseSome said mortgage rates would fallAnd nobody predicted just how big the government's stimulus package would be.Now, on June 30, with the year officially half-over, it's as good a time as any to remember that people are much better at interpreting the past than predicting the future. Economists can make educated guesses about the future, but they're guesses nonetheless. It's like watching the Weather Channel. A meterologist can look at the data and say it's going to rain next week, but the forecast is never 100%. As Gary Keller, founder of Keller Williams Realty, said last fall, "r... 06/30/2009

My partner, Michael, and I were walking our dogs on Saturday along the Cedar River Trail in Renton and came upon the new off leash dog area being installed by RUFF - or Renton Unleashed Furry Friends. It's a huge 5 acre area by the trail and just across the Cedar River from the Renton Community Center.  There is a small dog area for little guys that don't want to be overrun by the big dogs and loads of space to run for the others. I hope you'll get out and enjoy this new space with your furry friend and I hope you'll also help fund the efforts of RUFF!  They do have their 501c3 status and will be looking to do more fundraising for long term care of the park and potentially more of these dog parks in the future.  They've piggy backed on the success of long time COLA (Citizen's for Off Le... 06/29/2009

What is Your Home Worth, What Did the Neighbors House REALLY sell for? Gary McNinch Team Market Snapshot Online and Current from the NWMLS My home website is www.RentonHomeFinder.com My twitter handle @RentonHomeFindeMy facebook page is Gary McNinch on FacebookMy Active Rain website is Gary McNinch Team on ActiveRainGary McNinch Team Realtor Renton WA Real Estate Keller Williams Realty Renton WA. Call us 206-696-2329, email Gary@GaryMcNinch.com tweet us, text us, or send us a snail mail. We like to hear from our many satisfied clients. 06/20/2009

The Rules Of Receiving A Cash Gift For A Downpayment On A Renton Home Tighter mortgage guidelines since late-2008 are forcing home buyers to make bigger downpayments. Anecdotally, the change has led to a surge in buyers taking gifts of cash from family members. Especially First Time Home Buyers taking advantage of the $8,000 Tax Credit. If you're among those accepting a cash gift from family, it's important to know that you can't just deposit the money in your bank account. There is a proper way to accept a cash gift and it requires 3 distinct steps: Complete and sign an acceptable gift letter Document the gifter's withdrawal of funds with teller receipts Document the giftee's deposit of funds with teller receipts See, mortgage lenders pay close attention to gifts-for-downpayments. For... 06/20/2009

  Residential Transaction Study 6/3/2009 Project description: Renton 98059 SFD's (nonwaterfront)   monthly market Most recent transaction: 5/26/2009 Market (homes): 8161 month year sales mrkt% $/sqft avg price *median Jun 2009           May 2009 11 0.1% $161 $393,445 $349,950 Apr 2009 28 0.3% $161 $396,614 $379,975 Mar 2009 27 0.3% $164 $389,360 $382,500 Feb 2009 25 0.3% $164 $398,583 $379,950 Jan 2009 10 0.1% $174 $417,866 $449,000   property characteristics   1 story 4449 w/ bsmt 2,057 platted 6,924 1.5 story 222 avg bsmt sqft 1,096 avg lot sqft1 14,590 2 story 3447 w/ garage 6,139 unplatted 1,237 3+ story 8 avg garage sqft 520 avg lot sqft2 77,086 avg % imprvd 62% avg year built 1981 avg bldg sqft 2,194 avg # beds 3 avg # baths 2       1avg lot sqft of all platted properties 2avg lo... 06/03/2009

  Residential Transaction Study 6/3/2009 Project description: Renton 98058 SFD's (nonwaterfront)   monthly market Most recent transaction: 5/26/2009 Market (homes):10983 month year sales mrkt% $/sqft avg price median Jun 2009           May 2009 26 0.2% $146 $353,245 $324,500 Apr 2009 20 0.2% $157 $351,160 $313,607 Mar 2009 21 0.2% $139 $280,911 $258,950 Feb 2009 15 0.1% $164 $382,017 $405,000 Jan 2009 9 0.1% $166 $339,756 $308,000   property characteristics   1 story 6990 w/ bsmt 3,838 platted 10,047 1.5 story 386 avg bsmt sqft 1,061 avg lot sqft1 11,369 2 story 3585 w/ garage 8,047 unplatted 936 3+ story 2 avg garage sqft 456 avg lot sqft2 96,217 avg % imprvd 60% avg year built 1977 avg bldg sqft 2,147 avg # beds 3 avg # baths 2       1avg lot sqft of all platted properties 2avg lot s... 06/03/2009

  Residential Transaction Study 6/3/2009 Project description: Renton 98057 SFD's (nonwaterfront)   monthly market Most recent transaction: 5/21/2009 Market (homes): 1650 month year sales mrkt% $/sqft avg price median Jun 2009           May 2009 8 0.5% $122 $269,258 $257,500 Apr 2009 4 0.2% $147 $425,517 $471,034 Mar 2009 2 0.1% $180 $276,500 $165,000 Feb 2009 3 0.2% $152 $493,354 $549,900 Jan 2009 3 0.2% $161 $346,917 $305,000 property characteristics 1 story 1009 w/ bsmt 1,018 platted 1,553 1.5 story 353 avg bsmt sqft 952 avg lot sqft1 7,788 2 story 277 w/ garage 398 unplatted 97 3+ story 1 avg garage sqft 460 avg lot sqft2 10,842 avg % imprvd 61% avg year built 1947 avg bldg sqft 1,994 avg # beds 3 avg # baths 2       1avg lot sqft of all platted properties 2avg lot sqft of all unpla... 06/03/2009

  Residential Transaction Study 6/3/2009 Project description: Renton 98056 SFD's (nonwaterfront)   monthly market Most recent transaction: 5/26/2009 Market (homes): 6050 month year sales mrkt% $/sqft avg price median Jun 2009           May 2009 16 0.3% $162 $325,281 $306,000 Apr 2009 16 0.3% $168 $357,125 $305,000 Mar 2009 15 0.2% $190 $327,753 $300,000 Feb 2009 14 0.2% $177 $300,297 $293,000 Jan 2009 11 0.2% $159 $345,073 $320,214 property characteristics 1 story 3785 w/ bsmt 1,784 platted 5,723 1.5 story 141 avg bsmt sqft 1,002 avg lot sqft1 8,548 2 story 2112 w/ garage 3,675 unplatted 327 3+ story 0 avg garage sqft 451 avg lot sqft2 17,671 avg % imprvd 52% avg year built 1972 avg bldg sqft 1,928 avg # beds 3 avg # baths 2       1avg lot sqft of all platted properties 2avg lot sqft o... 06/03/2009

  Residential Transaction Study 6/3/2009 Project description: Renton 98055 SFD's (nonwaterfront)   monthly market Most recent transaction: 5/26/2009 Market (homes): 4140 month year sales mrkt% $/sqft avg price median Jun 2009           May 2009 7 0.2% $213 $354,026 $270,000 Apr 2009 12 0.3% $146 $271,767 $282,500 Mar 2009 11 0.3% $181 $364,223 $324,000 Feb 2009 7 0.2% $153 $299,811 $292,581 Jan 2009 5 0.1% $117 $288,326 $290,000 property characteristics 1 story 2444 w/ bsmt 1,452 platted 3,729 1.5 story 118 avg bsmt sqft 1,061 avg lot sqft1 12,345 2 story 1559 w/ garage 2,865 unplatted 411 3+ story 0 avg garage sqft 465 avg lot sqft2 65,149 avg % imprvd 60% avg year built 1977 avg bldg sqft 2,067 avg # beds 3 avg # baths 2       1avg lot sqft of all platted properties 2avg lot sqft of ... 06/03/2009

It comes up in my conversations all the time. A client of ours is at a listing presentation and the seller asks, "What kind of marketing are you going to do on the web?" This can be a daunting question. You know it in your own head, but how do you give the seller a good simple overview of your online marketing strategy without boring them to tears, talking street geek, or painting yourself into a corner? They probably don't want to hear about the numerous professional networks and social media sites you belong to online. Nor the hours and hours you spend on Active Rain blogging and commenting. They may not understand your relentless tweeting dedication to all things web2.0 in a supreme effort to claim your maximum Google Juice Award by attending camps, classes, workshops, and events...T... 06/01/2009