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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Do you own a rental property in Seattle? Read this!

Seattle_RRIOIf you own rental property located in Seattle, you need to be aware of fairly new requirements, created by the Seattle City Council, to register your investment property. This city ordinance, the Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance (RRIO) impacts landlords and property managers who have multiple units to those who have just one rental home. There are some exceptions, check the ordinance for more information.

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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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The 2014 Outstanding Loan Originator is…

2014-11-07 21.02.42 I am honored, humbled and amazed to be a finalist in three categories at this year’s Business and Humanitarian Awards Gala, which took place on Friday. This annual event is organized by the Washington Association of Mortgage Professionals to recognize Washington real estate professionals (mortgage, real estate brokers, title and escrow) who are the epitome of their profession.

To receive the award for Outstanding Loan Originator was a complete surprise to me, despite being a finalist. I wish I would have prepared something to say when the award was presented. Between the shock, the bright lights and the 200 plus glamorous faces staring up at me, I was almost rendered speechless.

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Should I attend Seattle Agent ReBoot or Greater Seattle RE BarCamp?

Easy answer: BOTH! 🙂

Full disclosure, I am one of the organizers of this years Seattle RE BarCamp which will be taking place next week, Thursday, March 13, 2014. And I am planning on attending both Seattle Agent ReBoot and Seattle RE BarCamp next week.

Why? Because these two events offer two unique experiences.

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First Seattle Snow of 2014

Last night we went to bed thinking we would just have a dusting of snow in the morning… we woke up to about 3 inches of the white stuff in the Alki neighborhood in West Seattle.  I thought I’d share a few photos from our morning walk with  our puppy, Hitch.

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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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How’s the Market?

This is a question I’m often asked about the greater Seattle/Pacific Northwest region. Since I focus on helping people with mortgages to buy or refinance their homes, I defer these types of questions to local real estate professionals.

I recently posted this question with the challenge that the real estate agents keep their response to one sentence or roughly 140 characters. Here are some of the replies I received.

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