Seattle RE Chat: Qualified Mortgage (QM) and Ability to Repay (ATR) Rules

In this episode of Seattle Real Estate Chat, Jim Reppond and I discuss recent changes to mortgages with “qualified mortgage” and “ability to repay” which rolled out earlier this month.

Seattle RE Chat is a weekly live show that Jim Reppond and I co-host every Tuesday morning at 10:00 am PST at www.seattlerechat.com via a Google Hangout.  Join us next Tuesday!

What May Impact Mortgage Rates this Week: January 20, 2014

1560492_10151836164426046_1986095200_nWoooo whoooo SEAHAWKS!! Okay, I know that winning the NFC Championship against the 49er’s has nothing to do with mortgage interest rates… I just couldn’t help myself 🙂

This week’s economic calendar is very light. Markets, as well as our office, were closed yesterday to observe Martin Luther King Day.

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2014 Predictions for the Seattle Real Estate and Mortgage Trends #SeattleREchat

In this year’s final episode of Seattle Real Estate Chat (we’re coming back in 2014!), Jim Reppond and I review 2013 and make a few prediction for 2014 regarding the real estate market and mortgages in the greater Seattle area.

We will resume our regular scheduling of Tuesday mornings at 10:00 am PST for Seattle Real Estate Chat on Tuesday, January 7, 2014.

Thank you for watching our show – I hope you’ll tune in next year. 🙂

When an Appraisal Comes in Low: Seattle Real Estate Chat

In the last episode of Seattle Real Estate Chat, Jim Reppond and I discuss what happens when an appraisal comes in low for a home purchase. Since appraised values are based on comps (recently closed homes), the data used to determine an appraised value is often “lagging” behind current home prices. Factor in bidding wars when prices may be escalated along with HVCC (regulations that do not allow lenders to select appraisers) and it’s not entirely uncommon to have an appraisal come in lower than the offer price.

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Seattle Real Estate Chat: Mold, Asbestos and Lead – Oh My! [Video]

This week’s episode of Seattle RE Chat featured a special guest, James Mallory, President of Environix. James shared a lot of important information about mold, asbestos and lead, all of which can be potentially be found in Seattle area homes.

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Seattle Real Estate Chat: FHA’s Back to Work

In this week’s episode of Seattle Real Estate Chat we discuss FHA’s “Back to Work”. Back to Work is a newer extenuating circumstance that allows people who had a short sale or foreclosure to be able to buy again as long as the short sale or foreclosure happened because of a loss of income at no fault of their own (due to actions by their employer). You can read more about FHA’s Back to work program here.

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Seattle Real Estate Chat: Title Insurance

On Episode 6 of Seattle Real Estate Chat, we’re joined by Barbie Van Horn of First American Title and Escrow.  Barbie address what title insurance is and why it’s important for Washington State home buyers. She also addresses sewer capacity charges for King County, Snohomish County and Pierce County.

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Seattle Real Estate Chat: When your Real Estate Agent or Mortgage Originator “wears two hats” [Video] #SeattleREchat

Our most recent episode of Seattle Real Estate Chat focused on real estate agents or lenders who wear two hats. Jim Reppond of Coldwell Banker Danforth and I discuss transactions where a buyers lender is also their real estate agent OR when the buyer works with the listing agent (listing agent is both sellers agent and buyers agent). Sometimes a buyer may believe the listing agent is working for them, when the listing agent may only be working for the seller. It can be a complicated situation.

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