Have you been considering a “mother-in-law” apartment or backyard cottage? This type of dwelling is technically referred to an accessory dwelling unit aka “attached dwelling unit” (ADU) or detached dwelling unit (DADU). [Read more…]
Are you considering an ADU?
April 30, 2024 by Leave a Comment
My Initial Thoughts on the Middle Housing Class
April 19, 2024 by 1 Comment
Wow!
Thursday, our classroom at our Kent office was packed with real estate agents wanting to learn the latest on the new zoning laws impacting neighborhoods in Washington. Richard Hagar did an amazing job covering this complicated subject. If you are a real estate agent, appraiser or city planner, I highly recommend attending one of his classes. The class focuses on the impacts of state regulations HB1110 and HB1337. [Read more…]
What’s Happening with Real Estate Agent Commissions?
March 19, 2024 by 1 Comment
Last Friday, NAR (the National Association of Realtors) announced a settlement which included a major change to real estate commissions. This settlement still needs court approval to be finalized.
Several media sources have been spreading misinformation about commissions with headlines including that buyers agents will no longer be compensated. This is far from accurate. [Read more…]
Visiting Open Houses? You Need to Be Fully Preapproved
March 2, 2024 by 2 Comments
It’s fun to visit open houses on the weekends. You may be picturing yourself living in the home, enjoying the backyard or perhaps making a few home improvements to really make it “yours”.
If you’re even thinking about buying a home, I strongly encourage you to get fully preapproved before you find yourself at an open house wanting to present an offer.
Here are some steps I recommend for anyone considering buying a home. [Read more…]
Home Improvement and Construction Loans
February 29, 2024 by 1 Comment
There are many options available for financing home improvements not to mention using cash or available funds.
What type of program is used may depend on the scope and amount of funds needed for the project. We can help you with everything from a home equity line of credit where you can do the work yourself or a full construction loan if you’re working with a vacant lot or a complete tear-down property. Larger projects may require a general contractor and/or to have the contractor approved by the lender.
Loans that do not require a general contractor are our home equity line of credit, stand-alone second mortgage or a cash-out refi. With the home equity loan of credit or second mortgage, you could keep your existing first mortgage (if there is one).
Here are some possible programs to consider: [Read more…]
