Seattle - The Mortgage Porter

2024 Mortgage Rate and Real Estate Forecast

January 30, 2024 by Rhonda Porter Leave a Comment

Spoiler alert! I (along with many others) predict that mortgage rates will be below 6% by the end of this year and that we’re going to see a very competitive housing market due to the lack of inventory. I don’t believe we will see home prices come down or a “correction” with home prices. It is so important to make sure that you are fully approved and have your offer structured correctly when you’re ready to buy a home.

Please check out my video for more information and reach out to me if you would like to create a strategy for purchasing your next home!

Filed Under: Economy, Mortgage, Real Estate, Seattle, Video Tagged With: 2024 forecast, mortgage, real estate

RIP RainCityGuide

March 21, 2019 by Rhonda Porter 2 Comments

Update: Since the writing of this post, Dustin has brought Rain City Guide back. I believe most of the post are still there… it’s my understanding that it took quite an effort! Thanks, Dustin!

Rain City Guide, back in the day, was a resource for people interested in all things about Seattle…especially real estate. I was beyond honored to join the RCG panel back in 2007 to represent the mortgage industry. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Opinion, Rant, Seattle, Weblogs Tagged With: raincityguide

The S Word in Seattle is SNOW

February 8, 2019 by Rhonda Porter Leave a Comment

In Seattle, the “s word” is SNOW and it looks like we’re in for a pile of it with this current system.

Snowy street in Seattle WA — Seattle snow from 2014.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Seattle Tagged With: seattle

Good Bye, Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct

January 11, 2019 by Rhonda Porter Leave a Comment

The Alaskan Way Viaduct aka Highway 99, was my preferred route when traveling through Seattle. As someone who lives in West Seattle, Highway 99 (or the viaduct) was a great alternative when traveling to downtown Seattle or north Seattle. I voted against the tunnel twice and will miss the views driving the viaduct. I really wish the viaduct would have been retrofitted or rebuilt instead of the tunnel. Anyhow… I thought I would share a video our family created a few years ago about the viaduct – tunnel. No animals were harmed in this video!

I will really miss the viaduct. I enjoyed the gritty drive and will miss the amazing views. When our beloved JP Patches was at our home for my surprise 40th party, he said our elected officials had “tunnel vision” and I could not agree more.

Filed Under: Just for Fun, Opinion, Seattle Tagged With: alaskan way viaduct, highway 99, seattle, tunnel, viaduct

It’s Hard Being a Home Buyer in Seattle – Here are some tips!

May 17, 2018 by Rhonda Porter Leave a Comment

CNN recently published an article about a couple’s experience buying a home in Seattle. In a nutshell, their seventh offer was accepted with multiple offers well over the list price and they were able to close quickly without contingencies with a large earnest money deposit.

Home prices and lack of inventory (which I hope is starting to change) have created a highly competitive situation for those who want to buy a home in Seattle. Buying a home just about anywhere in the tri-county area these days is not for the feint of heart. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Refinance, Residential Purchase, Seattle Tagged With: bridge loan, delayed financing, fixer, hot, real estate, rehab, seattle, sellers market

Are markets shifting in Seattle?

May 11, 2018 by Rhonda Porter Leave a Comment

This weekend while driving around my neighborhood in Seattle, I noticed more “for sale” and “open house” signs on homes. It’s a welcome sight after how long we’ve been in this tight market with very little housing inventory. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Interest Rates, Real Estate, Residential Purchase, Seattle Tagged With: affordable, interest rates, seattle

Reason to stop paying rent #7: You have a pet

April 24, 2018 by Rhonda Porter Leave a Comment

I love my pets, Rocko and Hitch. We have had pets before we had (our now adult) children. I totally understand someone’s anguish when they are trying to deal with where they are going to live when they have pets. cat and dog snuggling on chair
This morning, I was catching up on Facebook and in our local neighborhood group for West Seattle, a neighbor is worried about if their landlord is getting ready to sell the home they are currently renting. [Read more…]

Filed Under: HomeReady, Interest Rates, Residential Purchase, Seattle Tagged With: Home Ready, low down payment, rent, seattle

Is Renting Getting too Expensive? Consider buying a home

October 30, 2015 by Rhonda Porter Leave a Comment

Zumper 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.