How to Leverage your Lender when Making an Offer [Video] #SeattleREchat

In our most recent Seattle Real Estate Chat, Jim Reppond and I discuss how to leverage our lender when making an offer.

Tune in for our next Seattle Real Estate Chat on Tuesday, 10:00 am Seattle time where we talk about lenders or agents who wear two hats – such as agents who represent both the buyer and seller (dual agency) or an agent who’s also the loan originator.

Seattle Real Estate Chat is a weekly show that Jim Reppond and I host on a Google/YouTube – join us!  We are also on Twitter @SeattleREchat or search #SeattleREchat.

If you’re looking for a mortgage lender to help you with the purchase of your home in Seattle, or anywhere in Washington state, I’m happy to help you!

 

Updating your Preapproval Letter

Updating your preapproval letterI’m often asked by home buyers “does my preapproval letter expire” or “what happens if we don’t find a home in a few months”. Preapproval letters should include two dates: when the letter was prepared and when the preapproval expires.  Fear not, most of the time, it should just take providing a couple documents to your loan officer so they can “dust off” your application and provide an updated pre-approval letter.

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What is the difference between a Preapproval Letter and a Loan Commitment Letter?

prequalified preapproved or preunderwrittenLast week I shared how it’s pretty much mandatory that if you are a home buyer making an offer on a home located in the greater Seattle area, you better be equipped with a strong preapproval letter from a reputable lender.

Some home buyers are taking this a step further and requesting a Loan Commitment Letter from their lender. What’s the difference?

There are actually three levels of qualifications that a potential home buyer may have after contacting a lender. Please keep in mind that not all lenders may have the same standards or definitions as what I’m posting here.

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The biggest issue with buying a home today in Seattle

buying a home in seattleUPDATED: This original post from 2013 was updated in March 2026.

Yesterday I met for coffee with one of my clients who is hoping to buy a home in a Seattle area neighborhood for around $600,000. They have already taken one of the most important steps in the home buying process by getting preapproved for a mortgage. [Read more…]

A Strategy for Seattle Home Buyers: I Love Your Home Letters

The Wall Street Journal writes about a strategy home buyers in hot housing markets are using to get their offers accepted in hotter housing markets. From WSJ:

“In an echo of the last housing boom, ardent pitch letters from eager home buyers are popping up again in hot U.S. real-estate markets like Silicon Valley, Seattle, San Diego, suburban Chicago and Washington, D.C., housing economists and real-estate brokers say.

The heartfelt missives, often accompanied by personal photos, aim to create an emotional bond that can give their writers an edge—especially in situations where multiple bidders are vying for the same house. And the reappearance of buyer pitches, also known as love letters, offers further evidence that the housing market is rebounding after a five-year slump.”

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