Sammamish, WA

25 pound Turkey, 10 pounds of mashed potatoes, moms recipe for stuffing and gallons of gravy, yams, green bean casserole, cranberry jello, lots of pie, 20 members of the family over for dinner, 9 kids from age 3 through 19 laughing, playing and having fun as a family; great!

Having Dad over to carve the turkey; Priceless!

Often we are berated for being arrogant, well not me anyways, but a REALTOR I know gets harangued that he or she loves to see their face in print.

Well I found just the place where their image can be immortalized. Heck their image could be handed down as a family heirloom. At Simply Silhouettes you can send photos to be converted to silhouettes.

In all seriousness, I highly recommend Simply Silhouettes for that perfect gift this holiday season. Simply Silhouettes will create custom-designed silhouette products like holiday cards, stationery, apparel, wall prints and more.

With the holiday season right around the corner many sellers are wondering if they should keep their home on the market or wait for brighter days. Before I get into that here's a great video to get you in the mood.

Amazing Perth Christmas Lights 2008 - Watch today’s top amazing videos here

Now back to the business of selling your home during the crazy holiday season. Rule number one, ensure you have the right price. It's important to ensure you are priced to move in the next 30 days. Next to get your home sold in this environment you can't just be competitive you must be compelling. In The Seattle Times published a great article by Lisa Pemberton-Butler it outlines Do's & Don'ts of holiday home sales.

To get your home sold during the holidays DO:

• Keep your home warm, if you have a fireplace gas or wood, keep it going.
• Keep the home well lit, put up Christmas lights just don't go too crazy.
• Be accommodating, this will separate you from many other home sellers during the holiday season.

To get your home sold during the holidays DON'T:

• Overdo holiday decor. A nice holiday wreath on the door or a modest tree would be perfect.
• Go overboard with holiday aromas. Less is more.
• Be a "Scroodge" be realistic with the price your expected to get for your home.

In conclusion, remember you can sell your home during the Holidaze. Just remember to price it right and remember your dos and don'ts.

Beware of Bandits this Thanksgiving, Silent Sunday

We've been hosting our family Thanksgiving feast the past couple years and frankly have inadequate room in our refrigerator. We put a few items out on our deck to keep cool; it was near freezing so temperature was no problem. Late that night, after everyone had gone home we had some bandits drop in for some stuffing.

Sammamish WA Bank Owned homes stats for October 2009

Active: 6

Pending: 0

Sold: 1

Other: 0

Total: 7

	Bedrooms	Bathrooms	Square Feet	List Price	Selling Price	DOM
Minimum	3	2.50	2,110	$329,900	$320,000	14
Average	4	2.93	3,196	$596,214	$320,000	43
Median	4	2.75	2,740	$495,000	$320,000	30
Maximum	5	3.75	5,320	$924,950	$320,000	80
Total Dollar Value					$320,000

Average DOM Breakdown and Average % of List Price received on Solds by Market time:

	0-30 Days	31-60 Days	61-90 Days	91-120 Days	120+ Days
No. of Listings	1	0	0	0	0
Breakdown %	100.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00
Avg SP % LP	97.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00

Some of the best deals in Real Estate are REO or Bank Owned Real Estate.  Banks are in a hurry to sell a home and they intentionally price it 20% below the market.  A Bank Owned home is property that goes back to the mortgage company after an unsuccessful foreclosure auction. You see, most foreclosure auctions do not even result in bids. After all, if there was enough equity in the property to satisfy the loan, the owner would have probably sold the property and paid off the bank. That is why the property ends up at a foreclosure or trustee sale.

Foreclosure sales begin with a minimum bid that includes the loan balance, any accrued interest, plus attorney's fees and any costs association with the foreclosure process. In order to bid at a foreclosure auction, you must have a cashier's check in your hand for the full amount of your bid. If you are the successful bidder, you receive the property in "as is" condition, which may include someone still living in the property. There may also be other liens against the property.

Since what is owed to the bank is almost always more than what the property is worth, very few foreclosure auctions result in a successful sale. Then the property "reverts" to the bank. It becomes an REO, or "real estate owned" property.

If your looking for a detailed list of REO(Bank owned real estate) Properties Simply sign up to receive Sammamish WA Bank Owned Properties updates.