Is Renting Getting too Expensive? Consider buying a home

october_2015_seattle_rentsZumper has released their fall rental report revealing that Seattle has the 10th most expensive rents for a major city in the nation for one bedroom apartments.  Zumper reports that the average rent in September for a one bedroom in Seattle is $1600. That’s up 0.6% from the previous month and up a whopping 7.1% compared the last quarter. Zumper reports that a 2 bedroom apartment averaged $2200 for rent in Seattle. In May, I wrote about how a 2 bedroom in Seattle was averaging $1907 for rent.

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Steps in the Mortgage Process when You are Buying a Home

iStock_000003709509SmallThe process of getting a mortgage consists of several stages and typically takes anywhere from 30 – 45 days (or more) depending on how prepared you are, what mortgage program you have selected and if it’s a purchase, the closing date may dictate how long the process will take. The steps below may not take place in the exact order I have listed and some steps may happen simultaneously.

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Waiving your financing contingency?

mortgageporter-thinkingThe greater Seattle real estate market is hot. With the lack of inventory, some home buyers have found themselves in a position where they feel they need to waive their financing contingency or the appraisal. I see this strategy happen when home buyers have been competing with multiple and/or cash offers.

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You just “won” the highest bid on a hot Seattle home… now what?

2015-04-29_0814The Puget Sound Business Journal recently posted an article about a 1,100 square foot home in Ballard that sold $158,000 over list price. There is no denying that Seattle’s real estate market is hot largely due to lack of inventory and rising rents. (A’ hem…if you have been considering selling your Seattle area home, now could be the time).

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Affordable homes in Seattle?

2015-03-21_0844This month, Seattle Magazine released their annual edition that covers the best neighborhoods in the greater Seattle area. This year, they featured the “most affordable neighborhoods” near Seattle. It’s no secret that home prices and rents in Seattle have been climbing due to lack of inventory. However, there are neighborhoods that are not located too far from Seattle where home buyers can get more for their money.

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What is Delayed Financing?

MortgagePorterHourGlassHouseIn today’s competitive housing market, we are seeing more buyers using “all cash” to purchase their homes. Delayed financing allows home buyers who pay cash for a home to obtain cash out, using a refinance, without it being treated as a “cash out” refi. A “cash-out” refi has stricter requirements, including having to wait 6 months after closing before being able to refi. Delayed financing allows home owners to recoup the cash used to purchase the home.

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Coming Soon: 2015 Property Tax Bills

detctiveIn a couple weeks, King County along with others, will begin posting property tax bills for 2015. This may be a non-event for most…unless you’re in the process of buying a home and your debt-to-income ratios are tight. It’s possible that should the tax assessor decide the home you have a contract on now or during the next month has a higher value, and therefore a higher tax bill, that this may jeopardize some loan approvals and/or transactions.

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eBook: Financing Your First Investment Property

This is the second edition of my slide-book, Financing Your First Investment Property.

In this edition, loan limits and mortgage programs have been updated.

If I can help you with the financing of your first (second or third) investment property located in Washington state, please contact me!