Tacoma, WA 15 Year Mortgage Rates in Tacoma, WA have hit  4.50% (4.610apr)  with a 1pt loan fee.  By switching from a high 30 year fixed rate to a low 15 year rate, homeowners can save thousands of dollars over the life of their loan.  On a 30 year loan, the first payment consists of approximately 90% interest and only 10% towards principal.  Compared to a 15 year loan, where 60% goes towards interest and 40% goes to reducing the loan balance.  For those wishing to payoff their mortgage by retirement age, a 15 year mortgage is a great home loan option.  The best mortgage...is the one paid off!   Kevin, I wanted to thank for the referral this past month.  Aaron was a pleasure to work with.  The transaction went very smooth and I wanted to thank you for a flawless closing.  I look forward... 03/16/2009

Hello...and thanks to everyone who has commented on seeing me quoted on the front page of yesterday's News Tribune.  Working with homeowners to prevent foreclosures is a true passion of mine.  Here's the link in case you missed it.  Please forward it to anyone who might need help with their mortgage and encourage them to call me:  http://www.thenewstribune.com/331/story/650731.html Also, I wanted to share a unique opportunity to learn firsthand about the current real estate market.  This Friday, I am hosting a Bank Owned Blitz.  Please join me at 9 AM at my office, Keller Williams Tacoma; we will travel to the Pierce County foreclosure auction, tour some bank owned homes, and end with lunch to discuss what we've seen.     There is no cost, but please email or call me 376-4717 to RSVP. 03/12/2009

Last August I wrote a blog post using this pic as a clue to see if anyone still remembered Never Never Land.  Gone but not forgotten Never Never Land still exists in the hearts of some of us. While cruising through the Internet today I stumbled across a rare find.  It seems that an intrepid reporter from the Tacoma Sun named Morgan Alexander has found the figurines that once graced Never Never Land in Tacoma's Point Defiance Park.  Follow this link to see the pics "Click Here"   For those of you that didn't grow up in the area, Never Never Land was on every kid's wish list when visiting Point Defiance.  Located on the 5 mile drive near Fort Nisqually, Never Never Land was a place where fairy tales came to life for children.  Maybe there is still some hope that Never Never Land will some... 03/10/2009

 Tacoma/Pierce County Homeowners: FORECLOSURE INTERVENTION WORKSHOP Learn how to stop foreclosure now! For more information: www.dfi.wa.gov/consumers/education/foreclosure/prevent_foreclosure.htm   SATURDAY March 14th 10:00am - 6:00pm Registration begins at 9:00am   Evergreen College Tacoma Campus 1210 6th Ave Are your mortgage payments increasing? Are you worried about losing your home? Did you get a loan you can't afford or didn't understand? Do you feel like you were misled by professionals who helped you get your loan? Has your income been reduced? Come to this FREE seminar and learn about  the foreclosure process, income tax issues in foreclosure, safe refinance products and more.  Know your legal rights and options. Bring your loan documents! Certified Mortgage Counselors and Loan... 03/03/2009

Need a great first time home buyer program?  Our Great Start Loan provides an initial interest rate of 3.75% with the stability of a fixed rate.  Loan Type:  Owner occupied purchase only.  Borrowers must not have owned a home for 5 years or longer.  Loan Term:  30 Year fixed only Maximum Loan Amount:  $417,000 Property Type:  Detached and Attached single family residences, 2 Units.  No manufactured homes Interest Rate:  20% Down 3.75% first 2 years then 5.75% for the remaining term (5.504 apr)                             15% Down 4.75% first 2 years then 6.25% for the remaining term (5.991 apr) Here's how the program works: Sales Price:    $300,000 Down Payment:  $60,000 Loan Amount: 240,000 @ 3.75% = $1,111.47 principal and interest * taxes and insurance not includedPayment year 2-28 ... 03/02/2009

This Tuesday 3/3 from 6-8 PM is the Keller Williams Tacoma Investor Networking Night, where you can come and hear a relevant guest speaker and mingle with other real estate investors.  Our guest speaker this month is Cindy Slettevold, with Off The Financial Grid.  Cindy is experienced in many areas of real estate from residential to commerical and she combines this knowledge with savvy financial planning and annuity options that can bring real value to investors.    You can check out more at www.OffTheFinancialGrid.com and I have attached an article Cindy wrote about using the equity in your home to provide steady income in retirement for your review as well.  I hope to see Tuesday at 6 PM at the Keller Williams office in Tacoma- 5825 Tacoma Mall Blvd.  Please give me a call or email to... 03/01/2009

The News Tribune blog has a great article today about my very favorite lunch spot, Infinite Soups.  To celebrate their anniversary they will be giving customers free cupcakes from Corina Bakery.  Um. Yeah. I'll totally be there. For those of you who have never experienced it's magic, here's how it works.  They make about 30 home made soups per day.  You call ahead and listen to the recording that tells you what they are, (this is where I narrow it down to my 3 possible choices) and then head over.  They are located next to City Lights on the corner of 6th & Tacoma.  Their shop is tiny, so bring a coat in case the line goes out the door- which it sometimes does. Once there, you can sample the different soups and order them to go.  They cost between $2.75-$5.00 depending on how big your b... 02/25/2009

$169,950 Townhouse 3 Beds 3 Baths These days, it seems the majority of my time looking at homes with buyers is focussed on homes that are priced under 200k.   There are a lot of reasons for this, most of them having to do with how much buyers want to be paying for their mortgage each month.   A lot of my clients are buying their first or second house and would prefer that their monthly payment not exceed $1,500. The great silver lining of the whole housing kurfuffle is that there are finally some really great homes under $200,000 in Tacoma.  There are even some great homes under $150,000.  Not suprisingly, this has become the most popular price range, and the good houses in this group tend to sell more quickly than homes in other price ranges.  Below you'll find the stats on the under ... 02/25/2009

I live and work in Tacoma Washington. The little brother of Seattle Washington the self appointed coffee capital of the world. I love coffee. I drink it all of the time. I worked for seven years for a major Seattle coffee company and had access to more coffee than one could drink in a lifetime. Trust me I tried, oh I tried but the beans just kept coming. When I moved back to Tacoma six years ago I left my job in Seattle and along with that I left my loyalty to the coffees from Seattle. Recently I was rewarded with the best coffee I have ever had. It was right here in Tacoma within TWO MINUTES of my home. Right under my nose is Satellite Coffee Co. Above Supernova Hair & Tattoo. This small shop serves the BEST coffee I have ever had. The barista took her time. It looked like she rejected... 02/22/2009

Besides making the new tax credit a true credit that does not have to be paid back, the Federal Government also made it possible for people to treat their new home purchase as if they bought it on Dec. 31st of last year. This opens the door for buyers to immediately amend their 2008 return to get their credit refund faster! Of course, buyers may also elect to wait until they file their 2009 return if their income calculations for 2008 were causing less of a refund. Any agent that has had closings for first time buyers since January 1st should take the opportunity to connect with their past clients and bring this to theior attention. They will thank you for it and they may know someone that needs to buy a home now also! 02/21/2009

Wintergrass 2009 started yesterday and runs through Sunday. 200 musicians, 30 bands, 6 six stages, 4 venues. Great Bluegrass music is featured all weekend in downtown Tacoma. You can find out more by visiting the Wintergrass website here. If you are looking to get out this weekend and see Tacoma then this is one of the best reasons you have to get out and visit Tacoma!   02/20/2009

Homebuyers, Rejoice. Buying a house in 2009 just got even easier. The President signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 this week. The bill is a $780 billion package, with about 35% of the package devoted to tax cuts (mostly for 2009) and the rest to spending intended to occur in 2009 and 2010. The major part that agents have been watching for, (especially agents like me- 80% of my clients are buyers) is the tax credit. Previously, there was a credit of $7500 that had to be paid back. Not anymore! – The bill provides for a $8,000 tax credit that would be available to first-time home buyers for the purchase of a principal residence on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009. The credit does not require repayment. Most of the mechanics of the credit will be ... 02/19/2009

The News Tribune did an excellent article today about the 2009 Property Tax Assessments that came out on Friday in Pierce County. I thought this article was very well researched and (however you feel about property taxes) gives good insight into what they're thinking over at the Assessor Treasurers Office. Here is a link to the cities (including Tacoma!) that actually saw DECREASES in property taxes this year. On average, property tax bills went down for Tacomans by -.87%.  We were joined by UP (-1.3%), Fife (11.43%), Puyallup (3.66%), Fircrest (1.44%), and Lakewood (1.34%).  Certainly the pecentage of property tax we're paying does not reflect the loss of value in these same areas, which is the focus of much of the News Tribune's Article. For more Tacoma Real Estate Information visit G... 02/15/2009

Fannie Updates Investor & Second Home Policy  Highlights •·         Limited to 10 properties financed in total (this includes primary residence and any other properties). •·         Commercial properties or those greater than 4 units do not count toward the 10 property rule •·         Properties titled to and financed by an entity (LLC, etc) do not count toward the 10 property rule •·         Down payment options vary depending on number of units and number of properties financed   Qualifying •·     Easier to qualify than what most people realize •·     Entire down payment must come from borrowers own funds, no gifts allowed •·     Seller contributions cannot exceed 2% of the sales price •·     Cash Reserves Required - depending on number of properties owned •·     Anticipated cash flo... 02/10/2009

I went to the Tacoma Home and Garden show this last week, and it was a lot of fun. I took my daughter, and we spent the day. We saw a lot of great products and met some great people. As we were leaving that night, a strange noise caught my attention, and I was awe struck by the flags displayed in the wind just outside. They towered over the city below, and I got chills as I thought of all of those who had given so much to allow them to fly free here. To stand above the city as a symbol of protection and mite, yet resting above us proclaiming acceptance and peace. It was a remarkable moment, and though I was chilled to the bone I could not break my gaze as I stated the pledge of allegiance quietly to my self in honor of the great presence I was in.  To all of you who made this moment in... 02/04/2009

The News Tribune is reporting that construction on the Midtown Lofts on 11th & Fawcett have halted construction due to financing issues and laid off 40-50 construction workers who were constructing the building. While it is frustrating to see completed buildings like The Walker and The Roberson mostly empty with units languishing and going up for rent, as far as I know this will be the first half-completed condo building in Tacoma. (Please correct me if I'm missing one!) According to the article, the building is "overbuilt" for the developer to convert it to rentals. Check out the full artical at the News Tribune here. For more Downtown Tacoma Real Estate Information visit Get Real Tacoma.       02/04/2009

2008 was a wild and scary ride for most of us. And most of us spent a lot of time thinking and talking about the housing market and the burdensome cost of transportation. Now that we're done with our presidential election and one month into the new year, I thought it would be interesting to take a look back specifically at the stats for Gasoline and Housing for the beautiful city of Tacoma, WA. Draw whatever conclusions you will from the data. I personally think the data raises more questions than answers. Is there a coorelation between these two graphs?  Will lower gas prices boost confidence? Was the election a major influence on both? For Gas info, I went to www.gasbuddy.com and created my own chart for Tacoma. As for housing information for Tacoma, WA, I checked out Cyberhomes.com t... 02/02/2009

I was in Tacoma the other day and drove by this strange building. As I past by it read Museum of Glass. Oh I get it now. I visited their website and here is what they had to say. The Museum of Glass is a hot destination. Come experience our exhibitions with work by world-renowned contemporary artists and be enthralled by artists in the Hot Shop making artwork from molten glass right before your eyes. Hours & Admissions General admission is $10, and hours vary between winter and summer. Current hours are: Open Wednesday through Saturday 10am to 5pm, Third Thursdays 10am to 8pm, Sunday 12pm to 5pm.Find out about admissions discounts and summer/winter hours » Visit them at www.museumofglass.com 02/01/2009

Roxanne Hugging Her House By Roxanne Murphy Having an obsession isn’t always such a bad thing. At least that’s how I feel after the experiences that I went through in finding and buying the gorgeous Eastside home that I’m sitting in now. In 2003, I was a determined 27-year-old, and I had my sights set on one thing, and one thing only: Selecting and purchasing my first house. I had a good job, excellent credit, and my father loaned me $10,000 for a down payment. I first went into the process with some trepidation, but I did my research, and quickly discovered that getting everything going would be much easier than I ever could’ve imagined. In taking the first step, at the time, it seemed like everyone in my life was a mortgage broker. Instead of playing favorites amongst them, I did a v... 01/30/2009

Jacob Rose of Better Properties Real Estate and the fabulous blog, Tacoma Untapped, is reporting that the McCarver Neighborhood is one step closer to getting a mixed use building! For those not familiar, McCarver is the name of the the neighborhood being bon out of the area between Hilltop and University of Washington-Tacoma.  This particular development is something many of the neighbors have been waiting for!  Shops?  Coffee? A....Grocery Store? Check out Jacob's story here.  For more Tacoma Real Estate Info, check out Get Real Tacoma.   01/29/2009