Gimme your Best Interest Rate with NO Closing Cost

February 9, 2021 by Leave a Comment

Your best interest rate with no closing costsThe other day, a Redmond homeowner contacted me for a quote to refinance their home. They specifically requested scenarios for “lowest possible interest rate without paying any points or closing costs“. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Refinancing & Home Equity Tagged With: , , , ,

Recent Interview in the Seattle Times about Seattle Homebuyers

October 8, 2020 by Leave a Comment

I’m honored to have been quoted in the Seattle Time‘s yesterday in Katherine Khashimova Long’s article “Autumn of heartbreak for home shoppers as Seattle-area prices hit new record highs”. My quote wound up being a tid-bit in the article and I thought it would be interesting to share some of the points that we discussed during the interview. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Home Buying, Seattle & Washington Real Estate Tagged With: , , ,

Waiving Your Financing Contingency: What Washington Homebuyers Need to Know

September 4, 2015 by 2 Comments

waiving financing contingencies in Washington StateIn competitive markets, buyers sometimes feel pressure to waive contingencies to make their offer stand out. Before you do — whether it’s the financing contingency, the appraisal contingency, or both — here’s what you need to understand about the risks involved.

What Is a Financing Contingency? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Home Buying Tagged With: , ,

Avoid Delays with Appraisals

June 4, 2015 by 8 Comments

Washington State has a couple of regulations that require certain safety features are installed in a home before a buyer can purchase it. When these items are not installed in the home at the time of the appraisal, or if the appraiser cannot easily find them, then the appraiser or underwriter will require that these items be installed prior to closing. This can potentially delay the closing and/or increase cost if the appraiser has to go back to the property to re-inspect for the missing items.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Home Buying Tagged With: , , , , , ,

When an Appraisal Comes in Low: Seattle Real Estate Chat

November 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment

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.

Jim Reppond of Coldwell Banker Danforth and I host Seattle Real Estate Chat every Tuesday morning at 10:00 am Seattle time via a Google Hangout.

Filed Under: Home Buying Tagged With: , ,