This animated video can help you decide to buy vs. rent. It's a straightforward look at some of the pro's and con's of buying and selling. There are so many advantages - from tax deductions, to zero or reduced capital gains tax on certain profits of a future sale of your home, to simply having ownership in a community - that it's important you know before you rule it out. Of course you will want to consult with a CPA or other financial expert to learn about your specific situation.
Don't miss out on the convergence of exceptionally low interest rates, low real estate prices, federal tax breaks for new and current homeowners and the opportunity to take ownership in your community.
EDMONDS, WA -- Seattle Times writer Lynn Thompson wrote a nice article on Edmonds, WA in the November 5, 2009 edition of the paper. It focuses mainly on how the town has evolved and yet kept true to its past, with the shops and stores that have clustered around the downtown area.
It's worth the read. Perhaps over some coffee or breakfast at your favorite eatery.
On Wednesday, Nov 4, the U.S. voted 98-0 to pass the expanded Homebuyer Tax Credit and yesterday, the House voted 403-12 in favor of it as well. The extended and expanded bill now goes to President Obama for his signature. Among the bill's provisions, it will:
For details, check out this summary of the tax credit changes on my Google Docs.
I've also posted a FAQ summarizing homebuyer tax credit changes for those who have further questions.
The United States Senate has passed the home buyer tax credit extension (and expansion) 98-0 and has sent it to the House of Representatives where House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer has said it will likely get passed and sent to President Obama for signature.
I thought this would be a good opportunity to share a cartoon that was developed to explain how the tax credit works. The cartoon states that the credit expires at the end of November, but we'll go on the assumption that it'll actually get extended.
EDMONDS, WA -- As I work with prospective buyers, one of the many questions that seems to come up consistently is about crime in particular neighborhoods. Every since the state of Washington required sex offenders to register, this issue has emerged as one of the more visible and often watched pieces of information in the state.
Did you know that there is a website run by the Washington Association of Sheriff and Police Chiefs that allows you to see how many (and what level) of sex offenders live in a particular area? The good news is that this information is really easy to access. You can get sex offender living information from this link. The bad news is that "they're everywhere."
But rather than be a cause for alarm, I think we should realize how much of an issue this is and be mindful of our surroundings and those around us. It's our unfortunate reality these days.
Just click on the county you want to search and then click the "Search" button. You can also sign up for email alerts for your neighborhood.
I hope you find this resource valuable. But dont' let it run your life or become overly freaked out about where you live (or want to live). And don't start witch hunts! :)
Casey
I proposed to my wife in Richmond Beach. She works in the Shoreline School District. We live in Edmonds. Practicing what we preach..... serving Edmonds, Shoreline and Richmond Beach since 2001.
Casey holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration and is a Managing Broker. Prior to becoming a Realtor, he worked as a policy analyst for the Washington State Senate. He works tirelessly for each of his clients with the utmost integrity - and a bit of levity too. Casey also commits a significant amount of his personal time to various causes and serves on several boards throughout the greater Seattle region.
****************
Crazy enough to be a Realtor during a recession! But that's the true test of one's committment to the job, isn't it? To be here even during the worst recession since WWII is a testament to Casey's commitment to his clients, past and present. For over 10 years, Casey has worked throughout the greater Seattle metropolitan market. He has worked with many first time home-buyers as well as investors and other home sellers - from the highest to the lowest price points. In fact, one of the very first deals Casey closed was a mobile home for $50,000. Having spoken to this prospective buyer on the phone for a bit, Casey decided that it would have been disingenous of him "hang up" on him. Instead, Casey took ownership for the call and worked with this client until he closed.
****************
“Wow. What can I say? Casey has been my Realtor in getting me into a condo in the Seattle area and then out of it three and a half years later as I moved back to the Midwest. Casey took what had the potential to be an extremely stressful time and turned it into a smooth ride. But this was just the finale of what I call a three-and-a-half year working relationship.
“First of all, after buying my place in Renton, I decided to rent out one of my rooms. I wasn’t sure how to do that so Casey got me leasing forms and walked me through the process of making the renting situation legal and binding. He gave me professional advice as far as what to charge and how much deposit to ask for. Later, when I was getting ready to sell my place, I decided to enter into a “rent to own” situation, which again, he was instrumental in helping lay the ground work for. When my “buyers” decided to move to the Midwest themselves and therefore not buy the condo, I had already moved back to Chicago. I was therefore unavailable to do much with the place to get it ready to sell. I was a little beside myself. Casey took it upon himself, to work with my current renters in making the condo inviting to new potential buyers. He stayed in regular contact with my renters, pushed them to stay on top of certain things and connected me with electricians, plumbers and contractors to do work on the condo. He paid out of pocket for these different jobs (which I of course paid him back for). What Realtor does that? He was so supportive emotionally and professionally.
“Overall, Casey goes out of his way to make things as best as they possibly can be for his clients. Even at the last, Casey nit-picked a few dollars for me here and a few dollars there because, as he would say, “every bit helps.” Wow, I was really being looked out for. Would I recommend Casey? That’s a no-brainer. His actions speak for himself.” - Gayle S.
****************
“Thanks for all your help selling my home. You went way beyond our agreement and it gave me peace of mind knowing you were on the job.” - Lisa M.
****************
“You were so great to work with and I would absolutely recommend you to anyone looking to sell. I really appreciate how helpful you were throughout the whole process and willing to go the extra mile for us. Thanks again for making it such a good experience.” - Lewis & Shannon B.
****************
“Casey provided us with great recommendations on getting our place ready for the market. We got the offer we wanted 8 hours after the house went on the market. He was professional, friendly, and stayed in communication with us through the entire process. We would happily use him as our agent again.” - Don & Brandy P.
****************
“I was very tentative about the buying and selling process when I first started talking with Casey. I simply wanted to learn more about the process and the current market. Casey was able to answer all of my questions and explain things in a way that made sense. He was very patient with my numerous questions and busy schedule as well. Casey was able to carefully balance optimism with realistic expectations which meant I was never let down and could always see the light at the end of the tunnel. I couldn’t be more pleased with the house that Casey found for me, not to mention all of his help with my old condo which he listed and sold very quickly. Based on my experiences with Casey, I would recommend him to help sell or buy your next home.” - Alisa C.
****************
“Casey worked diligently with us to sell a home in a very slow market. He kept us updated at all steps of the process, was very responsive to questions via phone and email, and went out of his way to make the whole situation as easy and convenient as possible.” - Grace L.
****************
“This was my first home and I feel so lucky that I had Casey Bui as my agent. He knows so much about so many different areas in the greater Seattle community. He is organized and prompt. He could spot advantages and disadvantages of properties that we would never have considered. Without ever being coercive or pushy, he would reflect back to us our own ideas and opinions- and he was a great listener, both to our explicit and implicit communications. We feel that he hugely contributed to our decision making process. My wife and I felt like we were “difficult” clients: we would want to see new places immediately (like that afternoon); we would want to see places again and then change our minds about them and we couldn’t narrow down our search geographically and so we wanted to see a huge quantity of houses. Casey couldn’t have been more accommodating with all our requests. If something was a priority for us, he made it a priority for him. And he went above and beyond the call of duty so often- down to the point where he helped us install some new doors in the house. Casey’s years of experience have meant that he has accumulated a lot of contacts in the building and real estate industry. He always knew someone who could give us specialized advice about roofing or electrical circuits or permits when we got serious about a property. But possibly his biggest strength is his strategic vision. A lot of sellers and buyers want to play games and Casey is very skilled at recognizing the game and working out what to do about it. Had it not been for Casey we would have been lost when it came to counter offers and pre-inspections and escalation clauses.” - Saul & Seema C.
****************
“Casey was very helpful in finding our first home. He's patient and really listened to our likes and dislikes. He was always on top of new listings. In fact, the house we finally bought had only been in the market for less than 24 hours. He's very easy to get a long with and is very knowledgeable about the market. We recommended Casey to our friend who eventually also found his first home with Casey's help.” - Elmer & Regina D.
**************** 
“Casey Bui came to us highly recommended by other first-time home buyers and we were not disappointed! Casey was incredibly patient and flexible as we went through our house search and helped us look at almost 30 houses before we found the perfect one. Always willing to work around our schedules and needs, Casey was a dedicated advocate for us in the negotiation process and a wonderful support. We strongly recommend Casey as a real estate agent." - Kevin & Amy B.
****************
“After meeting Casey, we can honestly say we couldn't have picked a better agent to help us find our home. From the moment we met him we felt comfortable. His dedication, knowledge and experience was evident in every step of the home buying process. His patience and understanding our needs was the key to successfully helping us find our perfect home. Thanks Casey!” - Dan N. & Sidnie S.,
Casey made the process of buying my condo an easy one. He made sure I was aware of all the steps that needed to happen to make the deal happen and has made sure that I've been taken care of since I've moved in. - Lara H.
****************
Casey is exactly the kind of person you want helping you with something as important as buying or selling your home - he is knowledgeable and patient, he has great integrity and he is committed to helping clients. My wife and I were residing overseas when we purchased a condo, with a great deal of assistance from Casey. We were in town only for a short period of time and Casey went far above and beyond our expectations in terms of accommodating our schedule and meeting our needs, including addressing specific concerns we had related to purchasing a condo and then leaving the country again. Casey continued to provide support even after we returned to our temporary home overseas. He is someone you can trust completely, and someone who will go the extra mile for you. I would strongly recommend Casey to anyone looking to buy or sell a home. He made all the difference for us. - Peter H.
****************
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
Powered by the ActiveRain Real Estate Network
© 2013 ActiveRain Corp. All Rights Reserved
