Buying a Home? 4 Demands to Make on Your Real Estate Agent

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Are you thinking of buying a home? Are you dreading having to walk through strangers’ houses? Are you concerned about getting the paperwork correct? Hiring a professional real estate agent can take away most of the challenges of buying. 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 ...

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How Long Do Families Stay in a Home?

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The National Association of Realtors (NAR) keeps historic data on many aspects of homeownership. One of the data points that has changed dramatically is the median tenure of a family in a home. As the graph below shows, for over twenty years (1985-2008), the median tenure averaged exactly six years. However, since 2008, that average is almost nine years – an increase of almost 50%.

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Buying is Now 37.7% Cheaper Than Renting in the US

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The results of the latest Rent vs. Buy Report from Trulia show that homeownership remains cheaper than renting with a traditional 30-year fixed rate mortgage in the 100 largest metro areas in the United States.

The updated numbers actually show that the range is an average of 17.4% less expensive in Honolulu (HI), all the way up to 53.2% less expensive in Miami & West Palm Beach (FL), and 37.7% nationwide!

Other interesting findings in the report include:

  • Interest rates have ...
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A Look at Inventory Levels…

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I consider myself a geek.  I love geeking out over numbers and in Real Estate there is no shortage of numbers to geek out over. For those of you that have read or watched my market updates in the past, you know that one of the indicators I like to watch is “Months of Inventory”.  This can help you figure out if you’re in a balanced market, a seller’s market or a buyer’s market. In general, 0-3 months worth of ...

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Multiple Offer Strategies for Home Buyers

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In the market we are having an inventory challenge with our real estate market. There are simply not enough homes right now for sale to meet the buyer demand. Many homeowners are sitting on the sidelines, happy about what the increase demand is doing for home values, but they don’t want to tap into their home’s growing equity by selling their home and moving up for fear they either can’t find a home that was worth their leaving or they ...

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Video Tour of 4401 212th St Ct E, Spanaway WA 98387

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Absolutely turn key home in Classic View Estates! All the updating has been done for you! Newer roof, newer siding, newer vinyl double pane windows, HUGE composite deck for entertaining with a view of Mount Rainier! All of this on a shy 1/2 acre lot in a quiet gated community. Lots of room for gardening, RV parking, toy storage, you name it it’s all here! Don’t miss the HUGE storage area in the garage either! 4 Bedrooms. Living room up, ...

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This month in Real Estate – January 2016

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The video above gives you a good national perspective. Here’s how the stats break out for the three county area (Pierce, Thurston and King County).

In Pierce county we closed out 2015 selling 13,273 homes, that’s up from 11,307 in 2014, a 15%. Pierce county finished the year with 2,001 Active listings compared to 2,752 active listings in 2014, a 27% DECREASE. So when you combine more homes selling with fewer homes on the market, that means we have LOW INVENTORY!! ...

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7602 Agate Drive SW, Lakewood, WA 98498

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Wow! Rare find in Oakbrook! This stunning rambler in Oakbrook has been well cared for by the owner and it shows throughout! Tile roof, sprinkler system, manicured landscaping, the list goes on and on! Two separate living spaces are rare in a rambler, but we’ve got it here! Large rooms with large walk in closets! Bath off the master! Entertainment sized deck out back! Plenty of parking! Large Walk In Pantry! Close to Schools, shopping and parks! Don’t miss out ...

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US Home Values Gained 1.1 TRILLION in 2015

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Well if ever there was a doubt that recovery is underway, this article from RIS Media drops the mic on it! In 2015, home values across the US gained 1.1 Trillion dollars. (If someone wants to cut me a check for 1% of that, I’m pretty happy . . .anyone?) The article goes on to mention that we’re still 782 Billion off the high-water mark set in October of 2006, but not to shabby to be less than a Trillion ...

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