Seattle Area Information & Market News

Seattle Mortgage Rates Drop

Earlier in the week I mentioned that the Employment Report due out on Friday would have an impact on mortgage rates.  As the week went on we saw gradual improvement in the pricing with 4.75% for a 30 Year Fixed becoming more and more available for less cost.   The stock market tumbled on Thursday and continued to fall on Friday morning despite coming back a bit in late day trading.  Thursday we saw Jobless Claim numbers that were higher than expected and Friday had Non-Farm Payroll employment... 

Seattle Japanese Gardens 50th Anniversary

Seattle Japanese Garden The Japanese Garden in the Arboretum is about to end its winter hiatus, reopening on Sunday, February 14, for its 50th Anniversary season. Rated by a garden journal as one of the ten favorite Japanese gardens in the country, Seattle’s Japanese Garden was inaugurated in July 1960, after only four months of construction. It’s now ready to celebrate a half century of giving pleasure to visitors seeking sanctuary and a connection to nature. The concept of adding a Japanese... 

Residential Housing Statistics in King County December 2009

I was just asked this week how is the Real Estate Market in King County since I mentioned earlier about Snohomish County. Well here is information which was requested about King County. Northwest Multiple Listing Service (MLS) reported as following statistics for Dec 2009. Jan 2010 stats will be published in the coming weeks. We still got 21 months of inventory in King County while Snohomish County got 19 months of inventory of homes for sale. UNITS ACTIVE PENDING SOLD DEC 09 UNITS 6,918 ... 

Seattle Mortgage News For The Week of February 1st

The end of January saw mortgage rates holding fairly steady within a small range throughout the week.  The average for a 30 Year Fixed Conventional loan as reported by Freddie Mac dropped slightly to 4.98% from 4.99% the previous week.  What is somewhat surprising is that the rates held steady amidst a week that had several economic reports that came out with numbers that were more negative than what the market expected.  Existing Home Sales = Market Expected 5.9M – Actual was 5.45M New... 

First Time Home Buyers Guide – Part 3

8. GET INSURANCE No one would drive a car without insurance, so it figures that no homeowner should be without insurance. The essential idea behind various forms of property and real estate insurance is to protect owners in the event of catastrophe. If something goes wrong, insurance can be the bargain of a lifetime. What kind and how much? There are various forms of insurance associated with home ownership, including these major types: Title insurance: Purchased with a one-time fee at closing, title... 

Residential Housing Statistics in Snohomish County December 2009

What is going on with the real estate market in Snohomish County? As being a Snohomish County resident and a Real Estate Agent, I feel as I need to share the factual numbers which are published every month by Northwest Multiple Listing Service (MLS)  with my clients. I often get calls from my active buyers asking “when to buy”. My sellers are asking me “when you sell”. Each party wants to know how long to wait before pulling the trigger.  My answer is “when it is the... 

Tie The Knot on Valentine’s Day 2010 in Kirkland, WA

How about a romantic Valentine’s Day wedding in Kirkland, WA? Valentine’s Day inspires many couples to say “I do”. Red, white and pink are the colors of the day!  Red or white wedding dress, fresh flowers in pink, red and white, bridesmaids in varying shades of pink and red dresses and the groomsmen’s tuxedos with red accents…. Romance is in the air! Downtown Kirkland opens its doors to romantic couples, their friends and family for a very special event on Valentine’s Day 2010.  Special... 

First Time Home Buyers Guide – Part 2

4. LOOKING AT HOMES Some 6 million new and existing homes are sold each year. There is no shortage of housing options, but with so many choices the challenge becomes finding the property which best meets your needs. The housing market is complicated because the stock of homes for sale is always in flux. If it were possible to have a complete list of every home for sale at this very moment in a given community, such a list would become obsolete within seconds as new homes become available and properties... 

Seattle Mortgage News For The Week of January 25th

The beginning of 2010 was marked by higher mortgage rates but we continued to see some improvement with the third week of declines in a row.  The average for a 30 Year Fixed Conventional loan as reported by Freddie Mac dropped to 4.99% from 5.06% the previous week.  That was in a week that had little economic reports/news but interest rates dropped based upon economic concerns with money flowing out of the stock market and into bonds last week.  This week should hold more economic news such... 

First Time Homebuyers Guide Part 1

For a first time homebuyer the whole process of purchasing a home can be a bit daunting at first thought.  It doesn’t need to be if you have the right people you are working with.  That also goes for any person purchasing a home in the ever evolving real estate and mortgage market.  Here’s a guide to approaching the process of buying a home in 10 steps: 1. ARE YOU READY? Knowledge and experience are the keys to successful real estate transactions. One of the keys to making the home... 

Seattle Mortgage Rates in 2010

Two weeks into the new year and the average rate for a 30 Year Fixed Conventional Mortgage is at 5.06% as reported by Freddie Mac.  That’s lower than the previous two weeks but nowhere near the record lows we saw in 2009 when the average got as low as 4.71%.  So the big question is where are mortgage rates headed in the upcoing year?  Should we expect to see more rates in the 4’s or are we headed back to the 6’s?  There are many signs that point to the 4’s being a thing...