Before You Drop the Price: Why a Rate Buydown Saves Buyers More

WA State homebuying strategies

Before you drop your list price or make a lowball offer, read this. A $20,000 seller-paid permanent rate buydown can save a buyer more than $270 a month — nearly three times the savings of a $20,000 price reduction.

Here’s how it works, and why it’s one of the most powerful negotiating tools in today’s market [Read more…]

The Pre-Retirement Mortgage Checkup

preretirement mortgage checkup for washington homeownersIf you’re 5 to 10 years from retirement and you haven’t taken a hard look at your mortgage lately, now is the time. Not because anything is wrong — but because the decisions you make in this window can significantly change what your financial picture looks like when you stop working.

Most people review their investment accounts regularly. Far fewer give the same attention to their mortgage and home equity, even though for many homeowners in Washington State, equity is the largest single asset they own.

Here’s what I look at when a client comes to me in this season of life.

[Read more…]