Windermere Professional Partners’s Blog

Windermere Professional Partners’s Bloghttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/A blog all about Windermere Professional Partners. If you like real estate then you should be checking us out.en-usWed, 09 Feb 2011 16:33:00 GMT10GDRSSFeeds v1.0Tacomas Housing Recovery according to CNNhttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2011/02/09/tacomas-housing-recovery-according-to-cnn<div id="hedDek" sizset="75" sizcache="10"> <h1 sizset="75" sizcache="10">Housing markets: Best recovery bet</h1> <h2>Home prices are poised to fall in most markets this year, but 2012 will bring a rebound. Here are the 10 large metro areas that will record the slargest price gains.</h2> </div> <div id="galTitleNav" sizset="76" sizcache="10"> <div id="galTitle">Tacoma, Wash.</div> </div>  <div id="galText" sizset="17" sizcache="21"> <div style="width: 340px" id="imgRelatedsContainerNorm" sizset="17" sizcache="21"><img alt="Tacoma, Wash." src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/galleries/2011/real_estate/1102/gallery.best_recovery_bets/images/tacoma_wash.ju.jpg" width="340" height="255" /> <div class="relNoCap"></div> <div class="slideRelateds" sizset="17" sizcache="21"> <div class="slideRelatedsInner" sizset="17" sizcache="21"><br />  </div> </div> </div>  <div class="dataField"><strong>Median home price:</strong> $240,000</div> <div class="dataField"><strong>Drop since market peak:</strong> 27.9%</div> <div class="dataField"><strong>Forecast gain by 9/2012:</strong> 11.8%</div>  <div id="cnnslideBlurb_text"> <p>Tacoma is a mini-Seattle, situated right next door to the Washington capital. It's an important port, a rail terminus and enjoys easy access to the mountains and Puget Sound. It does have a more blue-collar history than Seattle, with oil refining and paper manufacturing playing big roles its economy even today. <br /> <br /> It also has the advantage of more developable land. "King County (Seattle) is built out," said Lennox Scott, CEO of John L. Scott Real Estate. "A lot of the new single-family-home development is going into the Tacoma area." <br /> <br /> There's a price difference between the two markets with Seattle houses selling for about 50% more than Tacoma's. As recovery proceeds, that gap will shrink a little, and Tacoma homes will appreciate more rapidly. <br /> <br /> "There will be a shortage of supply in the more affordable price ranges," said Scott, "and that will put pressure on prices."</p> </div> <div class="byline">By Les Christie, staff writer</div> </div><P><a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2011/02/09/tacomas-housing-recovery-according-to-cnn" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2011/02/09/tacomas-housing-recovery-according-to-cnn#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Windermere Professional Partnershttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2011/02/09/tacomas-housing-recovery-according-to-cnnWed, 09 Feb 2011 16:33:00 GMTWatch out for home appraisal problemshttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2011/02/07/watch-out-for-home-appraisal-problems<span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'">One of the final hurdles in a real estate transaction has become one of the trickiest to overcome in today's market. After negotiations are completed and a price is agreed, an appraisal is needed to secure financing. In recent times, however, the appraisal process has become more complicated. Resulting problems can mean delays, added costs, and even the collapse of the deal.</span> <p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'">According to Walt Molony of the National Association of Realtors in October, up to 16% of transactions have had problems related to appraisals. "There's been a pendulum swing in appraisals, from foolishly lax to overly restrictive," said Molony.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'">Given recent history, it is not surprising that the appraisal system has changed. Unrealistic valuations were one of the underlying causes of the recent bubble. Buyers paid more and borrowed more to purchase homes in what turned out to be an unsustainable market.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'">Congress reacted by drafting the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) and subsequent Appraiser Independence Requirements. These requirements protect the independence of the appraisal process by placing a firewall between appraisers, who work for a fee, and the other parties involved in the transaction whose compensation may be commission based.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'">Although intended to reduce the chance of an appraiser being unduly influenced there have been other consequences. The distance between the appraiser and the other parties has led, in some cases, to a lack of consistency and continuity.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'">The current market makes valuations more complicated. Added to the general drop in prices over the past couple of years, is the number of homes in a short sale or foreclosure situation. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'">One further factor is the risk-averse stance of lenders. After suffering losses from financing homes at inflated prices, banks and other lenders are naturally cautious when accepting an appraisal. As appraisers must now take into account recent sales in the area, there have been reports of appraisals coming in under the sales price and even the build cost of homes. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'">In response to growing concerns, the Appraisal Institute, released tips to help homeowners and buyers make sure their sales are completed in a timely manner</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'">"Too many consumers in this struggling real estate market face problems with appraisals," said Appraisal Institute President Joseph C. Magdziarz. "But rather than passively endure delays in closing a sale, homeowners and buyers can take proactive steps to avoid pitfalls." ...(Continued)...</p><P><a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2011/02/07/watch-out-for-home-appraisal-problems" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2011/02/07/watch-out-for-home-appraisal-problems#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Windermere Professional Partnershttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2011/02/07/watch-out-for-home-appraisal-problemsMon, 07 Feb 2011 14:08:00 GMTTacoma's Plans for the future- Check this outhttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2011/02/01/tacomas-plans-for-the-future-check-this-out<div style="border-bottom: medium none; text-align: left; border-left: medium none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; text-decoration: none"> <table style="width: 528px; height: 23px" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="528"> <tbody> <tr valign="bottom"> <td> <div><font size="+1" face="arial"><em>TheNewsTribune.com</em></font><br /> <font size="+3" face="arial"><strong>Section: Tacoma</strong></font> </div> <div> </div> </td> <td style="width: 223px; height: 58px" align="right"></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> <div style="border-bottom: medium none; text-align: left; border-left: medium none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; text-decoration: none"> <hr /> </div> <div style="border-bottom: medium none; text-align: left; border-left: medium none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; text-decoration: none"><font size="+2" face="arial"><strong>Mayor of Tacoma outlines big plans for city</strong></font> <br /> <br /> <font size="-1"><strong>DEBBY ABE; Staff writer</strong></font> <br /> Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland laid out an ambitious agenda Monday night for the City of Tacoma in 2011, starting with finishing projects the city already has under way. </div> <p style="border-bottom: medium none; text-align: left; border-left: medium none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; text-decoration: none">In Tacomas first State of the City address in recent memory, Strickland told a crowd at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center that the city needs to support previous investments while pursuing new opportunities that build on Tacomas strengths.</p> <p style="border-bottom: medium none; text-align: left; border-left: medium none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; text-decoration: none">Among the most high-profile tasks on the citys to-do list that Strickland cited: </p> <p style="border-bottom: medium none; text-align: left; border-left: medium none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; text-decoration: none"> Finish renovation, in time for the April opening, of Cheney Stadium, home of the Pacific Coast League champion Tacoma Rainiers, in what will likely be the nicest minor league stadium in the entire United States.</p> <p style="border-bottom: medium none; text-align: left; border-left: medium none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; text-decoration: none"> Finish construction of LeMay  Americas Car Museum for its fall opening.</p> <p style="border-bottom: medium none; text-align: left; border-left: medium none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; text-decoration: none">Make $4 million in repairs to residential streets, including construction of accessible curb ramps, and spend another $11 million on overall street improvements.</p> <div style="border-bottom: medium none; text-align: left; border-left: medium none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; text-decoration: none">Develop a long-term plan for the Tacoma Public Library and find a way to fund it.<br /> Improve and beautify downtown Tacomas Pacific Avenue from Seventh to 17th streets, the section she called Tacomas front porch.</div> <p style="border-bottom: medium none; text-align: left; border-left: medium none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; text-decoration: none">Strickland spoke at the BE Green/Tacoma Shift Happens gathering at the convention center, a daylong sustainability seminar and networking event. An estimated 250 to 300 people heard her speak.</p> <p style="border-bottom: medium none; text-align: left; border-left: medium none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; text-decoration: none">The talk was billed as the first-ever State of the City address by a Tacoma mayor. Audience members chuckled when Strickland playfully ended the speech like a president giving the State of the Union address: Thank you, very much, and may God bless Tacoma, Washington. Good night.</p> <p style="border-bottom: medium none; text-align: left; border-left: medium none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; text-decoration: none">While the speech may have been the first State of the City address delivered by a Tacoma mayor in recent decades, former Tacoma Mayor Harry P. Cain wrote what amounted to a State of the City address on Sept. 11, 1942, according to an e-mail Monday to The News Tribune by C. Mark Smith, whose biography of Cain is about to be published.</p> <p style="border-bottom: medium none; text-align: left; border-left: medium none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; text-decoration: none">Monday, Strickland emphasized the need for Tacoma to form public-private partnerships. </p> <p style="border-bottom: medium none; text-align: left; border-left: medium none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; text-decoration: none">Twenty years ago, the city made strides with significant public investments,she said, referring to the renovation of Union Station and construction of the Washington State History Museum and the convention center.</p> <p style="border-bottom: medium none; text-align: left; border-left: medium none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; text-decoration: none">Its really easy to spend your own money. Whats tricky is to get people to invest in your city,she said. We now must focus on attracting more private investment. This will require a shift in how we approach business and how government approaches business.</p> <p style="border-bottom: medium none; text-align: left; border-left: medium none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; text-decoration: none">The city has taken steps the past year to support small business, including elimination of the city portion of the business and occupation tax for firms making $250,000 or less in annual gross revenue. </p> <p style="border-bottom: medium none; text-align: left; border-left: medium none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; text-decoration: none">But Tacoma needs to market itself as a convention and event destination and work with business to attract private investment to build more hotels, she said. It can encourage job creation and growth in health care by focusing on Tacomas Medical Mile, with St. Joseph Medical Center on one end and MultiCare on the other end of Martin Luther King Jr. Way.</p> <p style="border-bottom: medium none; text-align: left; border-left: medium none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; text-decoration: none">Instead of chasing the shift, Tacoma, let us be the shift, she said.</p> <p style="border-bottom: medium none; text-align: left; border-left: medium none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; text-decoration: none">Daniel Briggs, who plans to open a slow food deli in Tacoma later this year, called Stricklands speech fantastic.</p> <p style="border-bottom: medium none; text-align: left; border-left: medium none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; text-decoration: none">He originally planned to start up in Seattle but opted for Tacoma after discovering how the city had cleaned up the downtown core. Strickland exemplified what he finds attractive about the city's business climate.</p> <p style="border-bottom: medium none; text-align: left; border-left: medium none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; text-decoration: none">I liked how she focused on small business and talked about the investments we're making for the future, he said.</p> <p style="border-bottom: medium none; text-align: left; border-left: medium none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; text-decoration: none">Debby Abe: 253-597-8694 <br /> debby.abe@thenewstribune.com </p> <div style="border-bottom: medium none; text-align: left; border-left: medium none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; text-decoration: none"><br /> <br /> Read more: <a style="color: #003399" href="http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/02/01/v-lite/1525403/mayor-outlines-big-plans.html#ixzz1CkQEhNOe">http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/02/01/v-lite/1525403/mayor-outlines-big-plans.html#ixzz1CkQEhNOe</a></div><P><a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2011/02/01/tacomas-plans-for-the-future-check-this-out" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2011/02/01/tacomas-plans-for-the-future-check-this-out#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Windermere Professional Partnershttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2011/02/01/tacomas-plans-for-the-future-check-this-outTue, 01 Feb 2011 14:15:00 GMTAre you using your technology?http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/11/05/are-you-using-your-technology<div>  </div> <div>  </div> <p style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt">I would like to share with you an email received by our very own Michael Robinson, after sending his new client a listing update.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt">Thank you! That is very informative. I am very pleased to<br /> know that the hits increased quite a bit on the two properties we cancelled<br /> with Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx and brought to you guys. I've attached a copy of my<br /> spreadsheet so you guys can see how many days it took to get a certain<br /> amount of hits with Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx versus the number of days it took you<br /> guys to get the same or more. for example it took WPP 18 days to get 26<br /> agent published hits on 6014 S Warner. It took Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx 57 days to<br /> get 24, or basically three times as long to get two fewer hits. (Not to<br /> mention you guys accomplished this at a much slower time of year.) Very<br /> encouraging! <br /> <br /> Thanks again, <br /> <br /> <br /> Mark Lawson</span></p> <p>With that being said, it proves using the technology provided, allows you to be a better broker than Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx. Frankly, I call that a Smackdown!</p> <div> </div><P><a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/11/05/are-you-using-your-technology" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/11/05/are-you-using-your-technology#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Windermere Professional Partnershttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/11/05/are-you-using-your-technologyFri, 05 Nov 2010 11:30:00 GMTWindermere Professional Partners wins the Windermere Foundation Video Contesthttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/10/01/windermere-professional-partners-wins-the-windermere-foundation-video-contest<p style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 12pt"><span style="color: black">                The Windermere Foundation is celebrating its 20<sup>th</sup> anniversary and over these 20 years, Windermere agents and associates have assisted countless families with their generosity and commitment to community through the Windermere Foundation. Windermere celebrated the Windermere Foundation’s 20 years by giving each office around the area the chance to win $2,000 for the Windermere Foundation that their office is most passionate about. </span>Windermere Professional Partners of Tacoma, WA, was announced as the winners of the Windermere Foundation 20th Anniversary Video Contest for their Multicare Treehouse Dinner video entry.</p> <p style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt"><span style="color: black">                </span>On May 20, 2010 many realtors and staff from Windermere Professional Partners gathered at the Multicare Treehouse to volunteer their time to cook a dinner for the families staying there. The dinner was a great success and because there was so much food they even went into Tacoma General Hospital to invite some patients and their families to come down and share in the dinner. Multicare Tree House is a facility near Tacoma General Hospital that provides housing for adults or children and their families that are patients at Tacoma General Hospital or Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital. It was established to accommodate families that travel a long distance to the medical facilities and need a place to stay. You can view Windermere Professional Partner’s Tree House video entry at <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59b_1LIkzok"><u>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59b_1LIkzok</u></a></p><P><a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/10/01/windermere-professional-partners-wins-the-windermere-foundation-video-contest" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/10/01/windermere-professional-partners-wins-the-windermere-foundation-video-contest#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Windermere Professional Partnershttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/10/01/windermere-professional-partners-wins-the-windermere-foundation-video-contestFri, 01 Oct 2010 10:39:00 GMTD.A.S.H. Fundraiser (updated)http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/09/29/dash-fundraiser-updated<div><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt">Tickets for this event can now be purchased $20 each. To purchase at the 19th street office talk to Sandy Land or Cindy Buck or to purchase at the 21st street office talk to Robyn Rothwell or Judi Duncan.<br /> <br /> Hey Everyone! A DASH Fundraiser is coming up in October. Check out the flyer below for all the info. If you would like to donate/contribute any items to the auction please contact Jessica Alexander at 253-777-6455 or at <span style="font-family: Verdana"><span style="font-family: ; font-size: 12pt"><a style="font-family: ; font-size: 12pt" href="mailto:jalexander@windermere.com">jalexander@windermere.com</a></span></span></span><img alt="" align="left" src="http://windermerepropartners.com/images/dash_fundraiser2.jpg" width="477" /></div> <div style="font-family: Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt"><span style="font-size: 8pt"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt"><br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> The </span><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt">DASH Center is a performing arts center in Hilltop, Tacoma. It stands for Dancing, Acting, Singing, and Harmony. The DASH Center has successfully helped many kids stay out of gangs by giving them activities to do after school and on weekends.</span></span></span> </div><P><a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/09/29/dash-fundraiser-updated" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/09/29/dash-fundraiser-updated#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Windermere Professional Partnershttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/09/29/dash-fundraiser-updatedWed, 29 Sep 2010 10:18:00 GMTWindermere Foundation 20th Anniversary Video Contesthttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/09/28/windermere-foundation-20th-anniversary-video-contest<div><span class="UIStory_Message">Congrats to WPP for winning the Windermere Foundation 20th Anniversary Video Contest! We just won $2000 for the Tree House, A Place for Families! Way to go everyone!! So proud to be a part of WPP!</span> <div> </div> <div>Check out the video here: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59b_1LIkzok">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59b_1LIkzok</a></div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> </div><P><a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/09/28/windermere-foundation-20th-anniversary-video-contest" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/09/28/windermere-foundation-20th-anniversary-video-contest#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Windermere Professional Partnershttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/09/28/windermere-foundation-20th-anniversary-video-contestTue, 28 Sep 2010 11:36:00 GMTRock the Foundationhttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/09/21/rock-the-foundation<div><span class="UIStory_Message">Check out Rock the Foundation, an intimate concert and dinner auction benefiting Tacoma General's Emergency Room! We support Multicare and encourage everyone to attend this event in support of the TG Emergency Room. Read below for full event details. </span></div> <div><strong><br /> </strong><strong>Its not too late to reserve a seat!</strong></div> <p>Join us at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center in your <em>cocktail attire</em>. Ties are optional for the gentlemen.</p> <p><strong>6:00 p.m.  Pre-Funk Happy Hour.</strong> Enjoy one of our signature drinks, the <em>Neutron Dance</em> or <em>Fire</em>, along with sushi, Dungeness crab and passed appetizers. Enjoy the DJ hosted music while you socialize with other guests. </p> <p>This is the time to <em>purchase a $50 raffle ticket</em> to support our cause. Win a four-night stay at the Westin Kierland Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona, complete with airfare and a car rental. </p> <p><strong>7:00 p.m. Dinner and Live Auction. </strong>A wonderful meal has been planned for our guests including an heirloom tomato salad, a duet of chicken and prawns, and a chocolate pyramid dessert. Enjoy fine dinner wines courtesy of Walla Walla Vintners and Bunchgrass Winery.<br /> <br /> <strong>8:30 p.m. The Pointer Sisters. </strong>Need we say more? The Pointer Sisters are as crowd-pleasing as ever. <em>Bring your dancing shoes!</em></p> <p> $250 per person or $2,500 for a table of ten.<br /> <br /> To request an invitation, please send us an <a href="mailto:melinda.lowe@multicare.org"><u>email</u></a>.<br /> <br /> Email us at <font color="#444444"><a href="mailto:melinda.lowe@multicare.org"><u>melinda.lowe@multicare.org</u></a></font>. <br /> <br /> Check out the official website here: <a style="color: #0000ff" href="http://www.multicare.org/home/rock-foundation">Rock the Foundation </a></p><P><a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/09/21/rock-the-foundation" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/09/21/rock-the-foundation#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Windermere Professional Partnershttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/09/21/rock-the-foundationTue, 21 Sep 2010 13:01:00 GMTFood Baskets are Here!http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/09/09/food-baskets-are-here<div>Hey everyone the food baskets are here for the Windermere Partners with Hunger Relief Organizations to break the Guinness World Records event. So let's help break the Guinness World Record by bringing in some food. Click on the photo for full details.</div> <div><a href="http://blog.windermere.com/windermere-partners-with-hunger-relief-organizations-to-break-guinness-world-record/"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-629" title="fill the bowl" alt="fill the bowl" src="http://blog.windermere.com/files/2010/09/fill-the-bowl.jpg" width="451" height="720" /></a></div><P><a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/09/09/food-baskets-are-here" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/09/09/food-baskets-are-here#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Windermere Professional Partnershttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/09/09/food-baskets-are-hereThu, 09 Sep 2010 11:07:00 GMTWindermere Partners with Hunger Relief Organizations to Break Guinness World Recordhttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/09/03/windermere-partners-with-hunger-relief-organizations-to-break-guinness-world-record<p class="post_author"><em>by</em> <a title="Posts by Tara Sharp" href="http://blog.windermere.com/author/tara-sharp/"><u>Tara Sharp</u></a> </p> <div class="std_text"> <p>Do you want to work with your community to relieve hunger in the Northwest? Do you want to help break the <a href="http://bit.ly/cLwfYo"><u>Guinness World Record</u></a> for collecting the most pounds of food in a single location? Windermere is partnering with the <a href="http://bit.ly/aN2xR6"><u>Emergency Food Network</u></a> and <a href="http://bit.ly/ayrJi1"><u>Northwest Harvest</u></a> to collect one million pounds of food to “<a href="http://bit.ly/bQvWLt"><u>fill the bowl</u></a>” in Tacoma, WA.</p> </div> <div> <a style="color: #0000ff" href="http://blog.windermere.com/windermere-partners-with-hunger-relief-organizations-to-break-guinness-world-record/">Click here for the rest of the article and more information.</a></div> <div> </div> <div>Windermere Professional Partners will be getting boxes in both offices at the beginning of next week and the food will be collected on the 15th of September. Let's help them break the world record!</div><P><a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/09/03/windermere-partners-with-hunger-relief-organizations-to-break-guinness-world-record" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/09/03/windermere-partners-with-hunger-relief-organizations-to-break-guinness-world-record#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Windermere Professional Partnershttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/09/03/windermere-partners-with-hunger-relief-organizations-to-break-guinness-world-recordFri, 03 Sep 2010 12:58:00 GMTAvoid Last Minute Surprises On Your Loan Applicationhttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/09/01/avoid-last-minute-surprises-on-your-loan-application<div class="block"> <h1>Watch your credit; others are</h1> <p class="summary"></p> <p class="byline">By <a href="http://search.nwsource.com/search?searchtype=cq&sort=date&from=ST&byline=Kenneth%20R%2E%20Harney"><u>Kenneth R. Harney</u></a></p> <p class="source">Syndicated columnist</p> </div> <div class="clear"></div> <div style="display: none" id="stBackgroundLabel" class="backgrounds"> <p class="relatedlabel">Related</p> </div> <div class="body"> <p>WASHINGTON — On second thought, never mind.</p> <p>Despite earlier reports to the contrary, it turns out your mortgage lender will not have to pull a second full credit report on you hours before closing on your home purchase or refinancing.</p> <p>In a clarification of a policy announced earlier this year, mortgage giant Fannie Mae now says applicants will need to come clean about any debts they've incurred since they submitted their mortgage application — or debts they never disclosed during the application. But a formal pre-closing credit report will not be mandatory to confirm their creditworthiness.....<a style="color: #0000ff" href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/realestate/2012705624_harney29.html">Check out the rest of the article here</a></p> </div><P><a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/09/01/avoid-last-minute-surprises-on-your-loan-application" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/09/01/avoid-last-minute-surprises-on-your-loan-application#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Windermere Professional Partnershttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/09/01/avoid-last-minute-surprises-on-your-loan-applicationWed, 01 Sep 2010 10:33:00 GMTHousing Markets That Will Be Strongest by 2014http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/08/06/housing-markets-that-will-be-strongest-by-2014<p><span class="UIStory_Message">Once again the Washington area is at the top of a list, this time its number one in Housing Markets That Will Be Strongest By 2014, it's a great time to live in the Northwest! <a style="color: #0000ff" href="http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/housing-markets-that-will-be-strongest-by-2014">Check out the article, "Housing Markets That Will Be Strongest by 2014." </a></span></p><P><a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/08/06/housing-markets-that-will-be-strongest-by-2014" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/08/06/housing-markets-that-will-be-strongest-by-2014#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Windermere Professional Partnershttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/08/06/housing-markets-that-will-be-strongest-by-2014Fri, 06 Aug 2010 09:24:00 GMTHousing's Powerhouse Lobbyistshttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/07/06/housings-powerhouse-lobbyists<object id="cnbcplayer" height="380" width="400" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" > <param name="type" value="application/x-shockwave-flash"/ /> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/ /> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"/ /> <param name="quality" value="best"/ /> <param name="scale" value="noscale" /> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"/ /> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"/ /> <param name="salign" value="lt"/ /> <param name="movie" value="http://plus.cnbc.com/rssvideosearch/action/player/id/1535032423/code/cnbcplayershare"/ /> <embed name="cnbcplayer" PLUGINSPAGE="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" bgcolor="#000000" height="380" width="400" quality="best" wmode="transparent" scale="noscale" salign="lt" src="http://plus.cnbc.com/rssvideosearch/action/player/id/1535032423/code/cnbcplayershare" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" /> </object><P><a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/07/06/housings-powerhouse-lobbyists" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/07/06/housings-powerhouse-lobbyists#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Windermere Professional Partnershttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/07/06/housings-powerhouse-lobbyistsTue, 06 Jul 2010 09:29:00 GMTWhy We Stand for National Anthemhttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/06/29/why-we-stand-for-national-anthem<div>Contributed by Shirley Knoop</div> <div>   </div> <div>   In honor of the the 4th of July holiday here is a post about Tacoma History.  I bet you didn't know that standing for the National Anthem originated in Tacoma. Check out this great article from "The Senior Scene," written by Bonnie Dickson.</div> <div> </div> <div> <img align="left" src="http://windermerepropartners.com/images/nationalanthem2.jpg" width="562" alt="" /></div><P><a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/06/29/why-we-stand-for-national-anthem" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/06/29/why-we-stand-for-national-anthem#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Windermere Professional Partnershttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/06/29/why-we-stand-for-national-anthemTue, 29 Jun 2010 13:04:00 GMTFannie Mae: Walk Away and You Will Payhttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/06/28/fannie-mae-walk-away-and-you-will-payRic Arredondo wanted to share this great article on Fannie Mae and mortgages. Check it out at <a style="color: #0000ff" href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/37901895">Fannie Mae: Walk Away and You Will Pay</a><P><a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/06/28/fannie-mae-walk-away-and-you-will-pay" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/06/28/fannie-mae-walk-away-and-you-will-pay#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Windermere Professional Partnershttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/06/28/fannie-mae-walk-away-and-you-will-payMon, 28 Jun 2010 10:00:00 GMTCommunity Service Day 2010 (UPDATED)http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/06/16/community-service-day-2010-updated<div><font size="3" face="Verdana"><a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/1705971/windermere-community-service-day-2010-update-" rel="bookmark"><strong><u><font color="#1e77b9">Windermere Community Service Day 2010 (UPDATE)</font></u></strong></a> </div> <div>So <a title="windermere community service day" href="http://www.windermere.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.libraryHTMl&contentID=115329" target="_blank"><u><font color="#1e77b9">Windermere Community Service Day 2010</font></u></a> was last Friday and it was a great time. We showed up to the DASH building around 8:30 am and promptly set to work. We did some landscaping on the outside first.<br /> <img alt="" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/0/8/1/5/ar127714847651805.JPG" width="441" height="246" /></div> <p>Then we set to work painting the outside.</p> <p><img alt="" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/3/6/8/6/ar127714853468634.JPG" width="593" height="320" /></p> <div><br /> And we painted inside as well.</div> <div>Before<img alt="" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/4/0/3/0/ar12771486003041.JPG" width="584" height="344" /></div> <p>After<img alt="" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/1/7/7/7/ar127714863677713.JPG" width="588" height="344" /></p> <p>Overall, <a title="windermere community service day" href="http://www.windermere.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.libraryHTMl&contentID=115329" target="_blank"><u><font color="#1e77b9">Windermere Community Service Day 2010</font></u></a> was a great success and we had a great time helping out DASH.<img alt="" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/8/4/2/7/ar127714874672484.JPG" width="657" height="371" /></p> <p _extended="true">Check out more <a title="windermere community service day" href="http://www.windermere.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.libraryHTMl&contentID=115329" target="_blank"><u><font color="#1e77b9">Windermere Community Service Day 2010</font></u></a> photos at <a title="facebook page" href="http://www.facebook.com/windermerepropartners?ref=ts" target="_blank"><u><font color="#1e77b9">Windermere Professional Partners facebook page</font></u></a></p> <p>Not only is <a title="windermere community service day" href="http://www.windermere.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.libraryHTMl&contentID=115329" target="_blank"><u><font color="#1e77b9">Windermere Community Service Day 2010</font></u></a> a great opportunity to give back to the communities where we live and work, it also gives us a chance to work together. We clean, landscape and repair parks, playgrounds, schools, shelters and community buildings. For <a title="windermere community service day" href="http://www.windermere.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.libraryHTMl&contentID=115329" target="_blank"><u><font color="#1e77b9">Windermere Community Service Day 2010</font></u></a> each office selects a project that best serves its community needs.<br /> <br />  After all, real estate is rooted in our communities. And an investment in our neighborhoods gives us all a better place to call home.<br /> <br />  Past projects for <a title="windermere community service day" href="http://www.windermere.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.libraryHTMl&contentID=115329" target="_blank"><u><font color="#1e77b9">Windermere Community Service Day</font></u></a> have included cleaning, landscaping, painting and light carpentry to benefit senior citizens centers, facilities for physically and mentally challenged children and adults, public schools, low income housing and emergency shelters, among others.</p> <p> This year <a href="http://www.windermerepc.com/"><u><font color="#1e77b9">Windermere Professional Partners</font></u></a> is proud to announce we will be spending our <a title="windermere community service day" href="http://www.windermere.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.libraryHTMl&contentID=115329" target="_blank"><u><font color="#1e77b9">Windermere Community Service Day 2010</font></u></a>  by helping the <a href="http://www.thedashcenter.org/"><u><font color="#1e77b9">DASH Center</font></u></a> improve their studio facilities. The <a href="http://www.thedashcenter.org/"><u><font color="#1e77b9">DASH Center</font></u></a> is a performing arts center in Hilltop, Tacoma. It stands for <a href="http://www.thedashcenter.org/"><u><font color="#1e77b9">Dancing, Acting, Singing, and Harmony</font></u></a>. The <a href="http://www.thedashcenter.org/"><u><font color="#1e77b9">DASH Center</font></u></a> has successfully helped many kids stay out of gangs by giving them activities to do after school and on weekends. We support the <a href="http://www.thedashcenter.org/"><u><font color="#1e77b9">DASH Center</font></u></a> and the good work they do for the community so we want to help them by improving their facilities. For <a title="windermere community service day" href="http://www.windermere.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.libraryHTMl&contentID=115329" target="_blank"><u><font color="#1e77b9">Windermere Community Service Day 2010</font></u></a> we will be painting, gardening, and doing any other jobs they need completed. <a href="http://www.windermerepc.com/"><u><font color="#1e77b9">Windermere Professional Partners</font></u></a> is proud to help out such a great organization and is excited for <a title="windermere community service day" href="http://www.windermere.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.libraryHTMl&contentID=115329" target="_blank"><u><font color="#1e77b9">Windermere Community Service Day 2010</font></u></a> <a href="http://www.windermere.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.libraryHTMl&contentID=115329"><u><font color="#1e77b9">on June 18<sup>th</sup>.</font></u></a></p> <p><a title="windermere community service day" href="http://www.windermere.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.libraryHTMl&contentID=115329" target="_blank"><u><font color="#1e77b9">Windermere Community Service Day 2010</font></u></a> has been recognized by several local and national organizations for its community improvement projects.<br /> <br /> Real estate firms across the country have adopted similar programs.</p> <div>   It's this Friday!!! This year </font><a style="color: #0000ff; font-size: 12pt" href="http://www.windermerepc.com/"><font face="Verdana">Windermere Professional Partners</font></a><font size="3" face="Verdana"> is proud to announce we will be spending our </font><a style="color: #0000ff; font-size: 12pt" href="http://www.windermere.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.libraryHTMl&contentID=115329"><font face="Verdana">2010</font></a><font size="3" face="Verdana"> </font><a style="color: #0000ff; font-size: 12pt" href="http://www.windermere.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.libraryHTMl&contentID=115329"><font face="Verdana">Community Service Day</font></a><font size="3" face="Verdana"> by helping the </font><a style="color: #0000ff; font-size: 12pt" href="http://www.thedashcenter.org/"><font face="Verdana">DASH Center</font></a><font face="Verdana"><font size="3"> improve their studio facilities. The </font><span style="font-family: 'Verdana', 'sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt"><a style="color: #0000ff" href="http://www.thedashcenter.org/"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana', 'sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt">DASH Center</span></a> is a performing arts center in Hilltop, Tacoma. It stands for <a style="color: #0000ff; font-size: 12pt" href="http://www.thedashcenter.org/">Dancing, Acting, Singing, and Harmony</a>. The <a style="color: #0000ff; font-size: 12pt" href="http://www.thedashcenter.org/">DASH Center</a> has successfully helped many kids stay out of gangs by giving them activities to do after school and on weekends.</span></font> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt">We support the <a style="color: #0000ff; font-size: 12pt" href="http://www.thedashcenter.org/"><font face="Verdana">DASH Center</font></a> and the good work they do for the community so we want to help them by improving their facilities. For <a style="color: #0000ff; font-size: 12pt" href="http://www.windermere.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.libraryHTMl&contentID=115329"><font face="Verdana">Community Service Day</font></a> <a style="color: #0000ff; font-size: 12pt" href="http://www.windermere.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.libraryHTMl&contentID=115329"><font face="Verdana">2010</font></a> we will be painting, gardening, and doing any other jobs they need completed. <a style="color: #0000ff; font-size: 12pt" href="http://www.windermerepc.com/"><font face="Verdana">Windermere Professional Partners</font></a> is proud to help out such a great organization and is excited for <a style="color: #0000ff; font-size: 12pt" href="http://www.windermere.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.libraryHTMl&contentID=115329"><font face="Verdana">Community Service Day</font></a> <a style="color: #0000ff; font-size: 12pt" href="http://www.windermere.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.libraryHTMl&contentID=115329"><font face="Verdana">on June 18<sup><font size="2">th</font></sup>.</font></a></span> </div><P><a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/06/16/community-service-day-2010-updated" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/06/16/community-service-day-2010-updated#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Windermere Professional Partnershttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/06/16/community-service-day-2010-updatedWed, 16 Jun 2010 09:24:00 GMTTreehouse Dinnerhttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/06/14/treehouse-dinner<div><a style="color: #0000ff" title="Matt Francis" href="http://www.windermerepc.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/agent/agent/9643">Matt Francis </a>put together this great video of the recent <a style="color: #0000ff" title="Treehouse" href="http://www.multicare.org/home/tree-house-place-2">Treehouse</a> Dinner that staff and realtors from <a style="color: #0000ff" title="windermerepc.com" href="www.windermerepc.com">Windermere Professional Partners </a>volunteered to help at. </div> <embed height="385" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/59b_1LIkzok&hl=en_US&fs=1&" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed><P><a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/06/14/treehouse-dinner" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/06/14/treehouse-dinner#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Windermere Professional Partnershttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/06/14/treehouse-dinnerTue, 15 Jun 2010 09:08:00 GMTTop 10 Mistakes When Buying A Homehttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/06/04/top-10-mistakes-when-buying-a-home<div>I stumbled onto this great blog post from Total Mortgage Services from Milford, Connecticut on Active Rain, check it out. You can check them out at <a style="color: #0000ff" href="http://www.TotalMortgage.com">Total Mortgage</a> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><strong><em>(</em></strong><a href="http://www.totalmortgage.com/"><u><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Times New Roman"><strong><em>http://www.TotalMortgage.com</em></strong></font></u></a><strong><em>)</em></strong></span></div> <div> </div> <h2 style="margin-top: 2px"><a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/1678430/top-10-mistakes-when-buying-a-home" rel="bookmark"><strong><u><font color="#1e77b9">Top 10 Mistakes When Buying a Home</font></u></strong></a> </h2> <p>If you're like most people, purchasing a home is the biggest investment you'll ever make. If you're considering buying a home, you're likely aware of the complexity of the endeavor. Because of the numerous factors to consider when purchasing a home, it's important to prepare as best you can. Some common home-buying principles and caveats are presented here for your consideration. By keeping them in mind, you'll help create a successful and more enjoyable experience. These Top Ten lists are by no means exhaustive. Since your home could cost you 25 to 40 percent of your gross income, it's important to conduct research, ask questions and study the process carefully.</p> <p><a title="Home Purchase Center" href="http://www.totalmortgage.com/home-purchase-center.asp" target="_blank"><strong><u><font color="#1e77b9">Buying a home</font></u></strong></a></p> <p>1. Looking for a home without being pre-approved. As a potential buyer competing for a property, you'll have a better chance of getting your offer accepted by being as prepared as possible. Consider this hierarchy of preparedness:</p> <p>* Neither pre-qualified nor pre-approved</p> <p>* Pre-qualified</p> <p>* Pre-approved</p> <p>The benefits available at each level can be easily understood when viewed from the seller's perspective. Imagine you're a seller in receipt of multiple offers to purchase your property. A complete stranger (buyer) is asking you to take your property off the market for at least the next two to three weeks while they apply for a loan. As the seller, lets consider the type of buyer you'd prefer to deal with.</p> <p><strong>Neither pre-qualified nor pre-approved</strong></p> <p>This buyer provides no evidence that they can afford to purchase your property. You may wonder how serious they are since they're not at least pre-qualified. <strong></strong></p> <p><strong>Pre-qualified</strong></p> <p>This buyer has met with a mortgage broker (or lender) and discussed their situation. The buyer has informed the broker regarding their income, expenses, assets and liabilities. The broker may also have seen their credit report. The buyer provided you with a letter from the broker stating an opinion of what the buyer can afford.</p> <p><strong>Pre-approved</strong></p> <p>This buyer has provided a broker written evidence of income, expenses, assets, liabilities and credit. All information has been verified by a lender. As a result, much of the paperwork for this buyer's loan has been completed. This buyer will probably be able to close quickly. They provide you with a letter (pre-approval certificate) from the lender. You're as certain as possible that this buyer can close. As a potential buyer, you can see that being pre-approved will give you the best chance of getting your offer accepted. This is critical in a competitive situation.</p> <p>2. <strong>Making verbal agreements</strong>. If you're asked to sign a document containing instructions contrary to your verbal agreements--don't! For example, the seller verbally agrees to include the washing machine in the sale, but the written purchase contract excludes it. The written contract will override the verbal contract. More importantly, your state may require that contracts for the sale of real property be in writing. Do not expect oral agreements to be enforceable.</p> <p>3. <strong>Choosing a lender just because they have the </strong><a title="Current Mortgage Rates" href="http://www.totalmortgage.com/current-mortgage-rates.asp" target="_blank"><strong><u><font color="#1e77b9">lowest rate</font></u></strong></a>. While the rate is important, consider the total cost of your loan including the APR , loan fees, discount and origination points. When receiving a quote from a lender or broker, insist that the discount points (charged by the lender to reduce the interest rate) be distinguished from origination points (charged for services rendered in originating the loan). The cost of the mortgage, however, shouldn't be your only criterion. Have confidence that the company you select is reputable and will deliver the loan with the terms and costs they promised. If in the final hours of the transaction you determine that the lender has suddenly increased their profit margin at your expense, you won't have time to start again with a different lender. Ask family and friends for referrals. Interview prospective mortgage companies.</p> <p _extended="true">4. <strong>Not receiving a Good Faith Estimate</strong>. Within three business days after the broker or lender receives your loan application, you must receive a written statement of fees associated with the transaction. This is both the law and the best way to determine what you'll pay for your loan. Bring the Good Faith Estimate (GFE) with you when you sign loan documents. You should not be expected to pay fees which are substantially different from those contained in your GFE.</p> <p>5. <strong>Not getting a rate lock in writing</strong>. When a mortgage company tells you they have locked your rate, get a written statement detailing the interest rate, the length of the rate lock, and program details.</p> <p>6. <strong>Using a dual agent, i.e., an agent who represents the buyer and the seller in the same transaction. Buyers and sellers have opposing interests</strong>. Sellers want to receive the highest price, buyers want to pay the lowest price. In the standard real estate transaction, the seller pays the real estate commission. When an agent represents both buyer and seller, the agent can tend to negotiate more vigorously on behalf of the seller. As a buyer, you're better off having an agent representing you exclusively. The only time you should consider a dual agent is when you get a price break. In that case, proceed cautiously and do your homework!</p> <p>7. <strong>Buying a home without professional inspections</strong>. Unless you're buying a new home with warranties on most equipment, it's highly recommended that you get property, roof and termite inspections. This way you'll know what you are buying. Inspection reports are great negotiating tools when asking the seller to make needed repairs. When a professional inspector recommends that certain repairs be done, the seller is more likely to agree to do them. If the seller agrees to make repairs, have your inspector verify that they are done prior to close of escrow. Do not assume that everything was done as promised.</p> <p>8. <strong>Not shopping for home insurance until you are ready to close</strong>. Start shopping for insurance as soon as you have an accepted offer. Many buyers wait until the last minute to get insurance and do not have time to shop around.</p> <p>9. <strong>Signing documents without reading them</strong>. Whenever possible, review in advance the documents you'll be signing. (Even though some specifics of your transaction may not be known early in the transaction, the documents you'll sign are standard forms and are available for review.) It's unlikely that you'll have sufficient time to read all the documents during the closing appointment.</p> <div>10. <strong>Not allowing for delays in the transaction</strong>. In a perfect world, all real estate transactions close on time. In the world we live in, transactions are often delayed a week or more. Suppose you asked your landlord to terminate your lease the day your purchase transaction was scheduled to close. A day or two before your scheduled closing date, you discover your transaction is delayed a week. In a perfect world, no one is inconvenienced and your landlord is willing to work with you. More likely, however, your landlord is inconvenienced and angry. Will you be thrown out? Will you have to find interim housing for a week or more? The eviction process takes a little time, so the Sheriff won't immediately remove you, but this type of stress-producing episode can be avoided. How? Terminate your lease one week after your real estate transaction is scheduled to close. That way, if there is a delay in closing your transaction, you have some leeway. This approach might cost a little more, then again, it might not.</div> <div> </div> <div> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><em><strong>Total Mortgage Services, LLC (</strong><a href="http://www.totalmortgage.com/"><strong><u>http://www.TotalMortgage.com</u></strong></a><strong>) is an industry leading direct mortgage lender and mortgage broker, having funded over $4 billion in mortgage loans since 1997. Licensed in over twenty states, Total Mortgage offers a variety of products and programs including fixed-rate loans, adjustable-rate loans (ARMs), jumbo loans, FHA mortgages and more. Visit TotalMortgage.com for today's current mortgage rates.</strong></em></p> </div><P><a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/06/04/top-10-mistakes-when-buying-a-home" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/06/04/top-10-mistakes-when-buying-a-home#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Windermere Professional Partnershttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/06/04/top-10-mistakes-when-buying-a-homeFri, 04 Jun 2010 13:02:00 GMTTrends in Real Estatehttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/26/trends-in-real-estate<div>This blog post was contributed by <a style="color: #0000ff" href="http://www.windermerepc.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/agent/agent/10224">Alvin Mullins</a>, he has a great blog, <a style="color: #0000ff" href="http://gigharborhomeselling.com/">check it out here and support him with some web traffic. <br /> </a></div> <div><a title="Permanent Link to Trends in Real Estate ~ 
Interest Rates at All Time Low!" href="http://gigharborhomeselling.com/2010/05/25/trends-in-real-estate-interest-rates-at-all-time-low/" rel="bookmark"><strong><u><font size="5"><br /> <span style="font-size: 14pt">Trends in Real Estate ~ Interest Rates at All Time Low!</span></font></u></strong></a></div> <div> <p>Recently my broker, <a title="Windermere Professional Partners" href="http://www.windermerepc.com/blog/2010/05/25/mortgage-rates-at-new-lows/" target="_blank"><u>Windermere Professional Partners</u></a>, pointed to a CNBC report that said interest rates were low due to the economic crisis in Europe. I thought that was interesting given the current real estate market. Go <a title="Mortgage Rates at New Lows, Thanks to Europe's Debt
 Crisis" href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/37315821" target="_blank"><u>here</u></a> to get that article.</p> <p><a title="Bankrate.com" href="http://www.bankrate.com/"><u>Bankrate.com</u></a>, which has been keeping track of mortgage interest rates for over 25 years, notes that the current interest rate on a 30-year loan is now at 4.87%. This rate is the lowest rate ever since Bankrate.com started keeping track. Even jumbo loans which are of prime interest in Gig Harbor are at all time lows. A jumbo loan – currently defined as a loan for over $417,000 – is now listed at 4.5%, which is down from close to 6% at this time last year.</p> <blockquote> <p>“It’s the best time in our generation to buy,” says Mark Zandi, chief economist at <a title="Moody's" href="http://www.moodys.com/cust/default.asp"><u>Moody’s</u></a>. “It may be the best time in any generation. Mortgage rates are so low and with homes prices down and lots of inventory, you couldn’t pick a better time to buy ….</p> </blockquote> <p>So a couple of questions come to mind. First, why are interest rates at an all time low, and why aren’t more people in the market to buy a house, since this is a historically great time to buy?</p> <p></p> <h2>Why are interest rates at an all time low?</h2> <p>Well, we can thank Greece and the rest of the European Union for our low interest rates. Rates were already historically low even though they had been lower in the last couple of quarters of 2009. But with the danger of national debt defaults in Europe, U.S. Treasury-issued securities became the safest port for national investors like China, Japan and Canada.</p> <p>This buying spree in U.S. Treasury securities caused their value to go up which in turn causes all sorts of interest rates or the cost of money or capital to go down, including mortgage interest rates. There are other factors as well – for instance, <a title="Mortgage Backed 
Securities" href="http://gigharborhomeselling.com/2010/05/11/trends-in-real-estate-what-to-do-about-fannie-mae-freddie-mac/" target="_self"><u>mortgage backed securities</u></a>, which I’ve explained before, have also been gaining in value because the mortgages now backing those securities are less risky due to lenders (who first issue the loans) tightening up the credit requirements.</p> <p>But the current impetus is definitely that the world money markets are looking at the U.S. as a safe haven again. There is even talk in Germany and France of returning to the Mark and the Franc which were their national currencies prior to joining the Euro, although not many believe this will happen. But as long as Germany mainly covers for the weaker countries in the Eurozone like Greece, Portugal and Spain, the European securities and currency will fall. This means higher prices for U.S. Treasury securities and low interest rates here.</p> <p>This situation will not last and may not last through the summer for a number of reasons. The Europeans have already taken steps to guarantee loans to the poorer countries which should ease the pressure on the credit markets there. The U.S. debt continues to grow and will exert pressure on U.S. Treasury securities, making their price go down, which will in turn cause interest rates to rise. The most current projections are calling for interest rates to rise to 5.5% by the end of the summer, according to economists with the <a title="National Realtors 
Association" href="http://www.realtor.org/"><u>National Association of Realtors</u></a>.</p> <h2>Why aren’t more people buying houses now?</h2> <p>You would think most people, especially the ones who were trying to ride out the bubble and wait for it to hit bottom before buying a house, would say now’s the time. Home prices are low and are back to pre-2005 levels. Interest rates are at an all time low. It’s a no-brainer, right?</p> <p>And in April, sales of existing homes rose 7.6%, but that was due to the artificial inducement of the <a title="Tax Credit" href="http://gigharborhomeselling.com/2010/04/13/spring-brings-u-s-housing-renewal-as-aid-ends/" target="_self"><u>Tax Credit</u></a>, which we also discussed here. This rise was fueled in the lowest or entry level home market. In Pierce County that would be in houses from $150,000 to $250,000 as all regions are different. Gig Harbor would be slightly higher.</p> <p>Prices of homes actually rose 4%, but again, that was mainly in the entry level home market, and was probably a reaction to more demand in that market. Prices above $350,000 either remained stable or fell in the Gig Harbor market because inventories rose. Nationwide the inventory is at 8.4 months. Again, inventory is how long it would take to sell all housing at the current demand rate. For Gig Harbor in April, the inventory over all price ranges was 15 months. The National Association of Realtors rates a healthy housing market as somewhere between 3.5 and 4 months of inventory.</p> <p style="text-align: center"><iframe height="600" src="http://post2web.trendgraphix.com/FactsAndTrends/Post2Web.aspx?FtId=e4e980bd-b7ef-4d3a-9f96-58ecfd1ba933" frameborder="0" width="600"></iframe></p> <p style="text-align: left">Yet a recent Harris survey commissioned by the<a title="National Apartment Association" href="http://www.naahq.org/Pages/welcome.aspx" target="_blank"><u> National Apartment Association</u></a> found that 76% of the consumers they surveyed would rather rent than own a home. 64% responded that the main reason was freedom from major maintenance and 50% voiced financial concerns as reasons they would rather rent than own.</p> <p style="text-align: left">So what is it going to take to get this housing market going? Certainly not gimmicks like the Tax Credit or buying time as with the recent loan modification program from the government. No, with 50% of the respondents saying financial concerns were keeping them from purchasing homes, it is jobs. While there have been some signs of recovery and our region is better than some, jobs will lead to more house sales and the housing market will lead the country to a full economic recovery.</p> <h2 style="text-align: left">What can you or I do?</h2> <p style="text-align: left">In every economic depression and recession this country has ever had, the housing market has always led the recovery. But people will not invest in a home if they are losing their jobs or uncertain they will have a job.  I cannot help someone who has lost their job or is fearful of losing their job. However, if you are not in that situation, then I can help you buy a home in the best market this country has ever seen with the lowest interest rate this country has seen in a long, long time.</p> <p style="text-align: left">We can both make sure our legislators represent us and work for more job creation instead of less. We can make sure they place no impediment on the ownership of homes. In Washington, every one percent rise in the cost of purchasing a home means 13,000 fewer people can do so. We can both be active and watch for taxes raised or new taxes created which will kill jobs and harm the housing market.</p> <p style="text-align: left">Let’s work together to help our economy recover. Let me help you participate in the recovery by purchasing a home. You and I will be glad you did! If you have any questions on Gig Harbor or Pierce County real estate, please call me at 253-225-2158 or go <a title="Contact Me!" href="http://gigharborhomeselling.com/wheres-alvin" target="_self"><u>here</u></a>.</p> </div><P><a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/26/trends-in-real-estate" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/26/trends-in-real-estate#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Windermere Professional Partnershttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/26/trends-in-real-estateWed, 26 May 2010 10:55:00 GMTMortgage Rates at New Lowshttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/25/mortgage-rates-at-new-lowsTake advatage of this now!!! Thanks to the European debt crisis, mortgage rates are currently at new lows. Hovering between 4% and 5% these low mortage rates won't last long. Check out the article, <a style="color: #0000ff" href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/37315821">"Mortgage Rates at New Lows, Thanks to Europe's Debt Crisis,"</a> to read about the rates.<P><a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/25/mortgage-rates-at-new-lows" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/25/mortgage-rates-at-new-lows#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Windermere Professional Partnershttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/25/mortgage-rates-at-new-lowsTue, 25 May 2010 09:57:00 GMTREALTOR Food Drivehttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/21/realtor-food-drive<font size="2"> The </font><a style="color: #0000ff" href="http://www.tpcar.org/">Tacoma-Pierce County Association of REALTORS</a><font size="2">® members and affiliates sorted 59,520 pounds of food for the </font><a style="color: #0000ff" href="http://www.efoodnet.org/">Emergency Food Network</a><font size="2"> on May 12 as part of the Association's community outreach program.</font> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"> </p> <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt">   We had an incredible response from our members; more volunteers showed up than we expected<span style="color: #1f497d">, </span>said <a style="color: #0000ff" href="http://shelleyclaytonhomes.com/">Realtor Shelley Clayton</a>, who chaired and led the event. We had a great time working together and helping our community. We look forward to coming back to <a style="color: #0000ff" href="http://www.efoodnet.org/">EFN</a> next year!</span> <div> </div>  </div> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt">   While the last couple of years have been hard on most REALTORS®, giving back to the community has remained a top priority for <a style="color: #0000ff" href="http://www.tpcar.org/">TPCAR</a> members. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"> </p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt"><a style="color: #0000ff" href="http://www.tpcar.org/">   TPCAR</a> members are passionate about our community<span style="color: #1f497d">,</span> said <a style="color: #0000ff" href="http://www.tpcar.org/">TPCAR</a> President <a style="color: #0000ff" href="http://www.windermerepc.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/agent/agent/9689">Kevin Mullin</a>. This was another opportunity for us to assist those in need. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"> </p> <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt">   For more than 100 years, the <a style="color: #0000ff" href="http://www.tpcar.org/">Tacoma-Pierce County Association of REALTORS</a>® has worked to unify real estate professionals in Pierce County, serving as a resource center and local political advocate for the mutual benefit of REALTORS® and their clients.</span> <div> </div> <div><img alt="" align="left" src="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/images/Realtors_sorting_food_at_EFN,_2010.JPG" width="384" /></div> </div><P><a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/21/realtor-food-drive" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/21/realtor-food-drive#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Windermere Professional Partnershttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/21/realtor-food-driveMon, 24 May 2010 09:17:00 GMTTova's Tipshttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/21/tovas-tips<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><img alt="" align="left" src="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/images/Tova_Final.jpg" width="413" /></p><P><a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/21/tovas-tips" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/21/tovas-tips#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Windermere Professional Partnershttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/21/tovas-tipsFri, 21 May 2010 10:45:00 GMTLewis-McChord Facebook Pagehttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/19/lewis-mcchord-facebook-page<div>Windermere Professional Partners has assembled a <a style="color: #0000ff" href="http://www.ftlewis-mcchordafb.com/">team of realtors</a> to offer this exceptional service to returning military personel. To go along with our <a style="color: #0000ff" href=" http://www.ftlewis-mcchordafb.com/">Military Website</a> we have also created a <a style="color: #0000ff" href="http://www.facebook.com/search/?post_form_id=34322495ba29f12bdd2a0608db94094a&q=&init=quick&ref=search_loaded#!/pages/Lewis-McChord/125049964187738?ref=ts">Lewis-McChord Face book page.</a> Feel free to write comments, post on the wall, or recommend the page to anyone in the military you know that needs some real estate assistance.  </div><P><a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/19/lewis-mcchord-facebook-page" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/19/lewis-mcchord-facebook-page#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Windermere Professional Partnershttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/19/lewis-mcchord-facebook-pageThu, 20 May 2010 12:29:00 GMTCommunity Service Day 2010http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/17/community-service-day-2010<p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt">   This year <a style="color: #0000ff; font-size: 12pt" href="http://www.windermerepc.com/">Windermere Professional Partners</a> is proud to announce we will be spending our <a style="color: #0000ff; font-size: 12pt" href="http://www.windermere.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.libraryHTMl&contentID=115329">2010</a> <a style="color: #0000ff; font-size: 12pt" href="http://www.windermere.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.libraryHTMl&contentID=115329">Community Service Day</a> by helping the <a style="color: #0000ff; font-size: 12pt" href="http://www.thedashcenter.org/">DASH Center</a> improve their studio facilities. The </span><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt"><a style="color: #0000ff" href="http://www.thedashcenter.org/"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt">DASH Center</span></a> is a performing arts center in Hilltop, Tacoma. It stands for <a style="color: #0000ff; font-size: 12pt" href="http://www.thedashcenter.org/">Dancing, Acting, Singing, and Harmony</a>. The <a style="color: #0000ff; font-size: 12pt" href="http://www.thedashcenter.org/">DASH Center</a> has successfully helped many kids stay out of gangs by giving them activities to do after school and on weekends.</span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt">We support the <a style="color: #0000ff; font-size: 12pt" href="http://www.thedashcenter.org/">DASH Center</a> and the good work they do for the community so we want to help them by improving their facilities. For <a style="color: #0000ff; font-size: 12pt" href="http://www.windermere.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.libraryHTMl&contentID=115329">Community Service Day</a> <a style="color: #0000ff; font-size: 12pt" href="http://www.windermere.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.libraryHTMl&contentID=115329">2010</a> we will be painting, gardening, and doing any other jobs they need completed. <a style="color: #0000ff; font-size: 12pt" href="http://www.windermerepc.com/">Windermere Professional Partners</a> is proud to help out such a great organization and is excited for <a style="color: #0000ff; font-size: 12pt" href="http://www.windermere.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.libraryHTMl&contentID=115329">Community Service Day</a> <a style="color: #0000ff; font-size: 12pt" href="http://www.windermere.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.libraryHTMl&contentID=115329">on June 18<sup>th</sup>.</a></span></p><P><a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/17/community-service-day-2010" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/17/community-service-day-2010#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Windermere Professional Partnershttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/17/community-service-day-2010Mon, 17 May 2010 10:43:00 GMTSeattle-Tacoma-Bellevue Metropolitan Region Strongest in Nationhttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/14/seattle-tacoma-bellevue-metropolitan-region-strongest-in-nation<a style="color: #0000ff" href="http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/05/13/1184566/area-economy-has-muscle.html?story_link=email_msg">Check out this great article</a> from <a style="color: #0000ff" href="http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/05/13/1184566/area-economy-has-muscle.html?story_link=email_msg">The News Tribune </a>showing that the Seattle-Tacoma area ranks first in the country in economic strength.  <a style="color: #0000ff" href="http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/05/13/1184566/area-economy-has-muscle.html?story_link=email_msg">You can see it here.</a> The article says that the rankings do not reflect the lastest "hotspot" or boom town, but the areas that have the best economic foundation. Things are looking up for us in this area. <a style="color: #0000ff" href="http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/05/13/1184566/area-economy-has-muscle.html?story_link=email_msg">Read it here.</a><P><a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/14/seattle-tacoma-bellevue-metropolitan-region-strongest-in-nation" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/14/seattle-tacoma-bellevue-metropolitan-region-strongest-in-nation#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Windermere Professional Partnershttp://windermerepiercecounty.com/blog/2010/05/14/seattle-tacoma-bellevue-metropolitan-region-strongest-in-nationFri, 14 May 2010 10:52:00 GMT