Call Josh Murphy Today! 360.710.3972 Belfair WA Real Estate

Yesterday before writing an offer with some dedicated clients, the curious mans question came up. "So Josh, how many days a week do you get off, I mean every time we call you, and you are always there...do you ever take time off?" I chuckled.

Well...

I answered this question strategically. Well, I get time off as I need it, but generally, I am working 7 days a week, if I have work to do. I might not be working all day, but normally 7 days out of the week, there is something for me to do.

This surprised him, then he realized, that was what would give him the best representation when doing real estate, an agent that is available all the time. Now I have my limitations, but I rarely make myself unavailable. Some one always knows where I am, and if I am completely unavailable, there is an agent I have available to answer clients questions.

How many days a week do you work?

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Josh Murphy

Localism is a great way to promote yourself, your community. Consumers are not searching for agents, they are searching for HOUSES.

They way to have clients find you is to talk about and promote the area that they are trying to research. Be the one to tell them what they watn to know. People searching for a house online do not care how many houses you have sold, or how much money you make, the kinda car you drive, how big your house is, or how cute your dog is. Period.

Tons of agents are having success using the new Localism Feature.

Ideas for promoting your neighborhood.

Advertise the homes in your community for sale, this is your golden ticket and where the consumer will find you!

* Talk about community features and the wonderful things that your community offers.

* Community events are a great way to inform people of whats going on.

* Share and enjoy the market statistics of what the community market is doing.

Please, take a second, leave me some feedback, What do You think?

Josh Murphy

Windermere Peninsula Properties

Lakeland Village in Allyn Washington... Your Number ONE Localism Community.

Your neighbors would much rather prefer the neighbor approach and localism is your ticket to doing just that! Often, we try to announce, and publicly advertise all assortments of local information about our area. Do you go as far as narrowing it down by neighborhood? You really need to be doing this if you are not already.

Myself, as well as a few other "top neighbors" are doing just that, and it has put our tiny community of Lakeland Village on the map... not just as "promoters for real estate" but as a resource. We blog about EVERYTHING involving our neighborhood.

Localism is such a great tool and everyone should be using it. It is a great way to promote your county, city, and even community.

My ActiveRain friends, go drive around your community, take pictures, blog, blog, blog.

Your Lakeland Village Neighbor,

Josh Murphy

Windermere Peninsula Properties.

Government Insured Loans... Let me start off by saying I am a HUGE fan of them.

The majority of my clients are First Time Home buyers, looking to get their $8,000 tax credit.

These government loans in my opinion are GOOD loans. They provide stable loans with major incentives to help ease these first timers into the process of home ownership, often for zero money down, which is important to these buyers. It makes their offer stronger when they can afford to pay their own closing costs.

The BAD thing about these loans is that with the popularity of them comes some pretty lengthy turn times... try a month in USDA underwriting.

This my friends, is where it gets UGLY. Last week a smoking deal of a house came on. My anxious buyers and myself headed to check it out. It wasn't a bank owned, it wasn't a short sale, we had a feeling this was it. We spent about a half an hour in the home. They raced to their lender to secure their financial prequalification, and I raced to the office to write up the offer. The home had come on the market the previous day, and already had an offer in. We ended up in a multiple offer situation, and we had a VERY strong offer.

The Problem... A 60 Day CLOSING. Now we could have wrote 45, but the other agents no dummy. He would have seen right through that.

What could we have done different?

Does your dream home qualify for USDA Financing?

Josh Murphy

Windermere Peninsula Properties

Right now, the market has appeared to pick up in the lower price ranges. The first time buyers have been motivated by the Federal Housing $8,0000 Tax Credit.

What happens when that goes away? Is their motivation going to dissolve just as that tax credit will on November 30, 2009. Will things get WORSE? I have had clients who decided to buy this year, as apposed to in the future, just for the sake of that.

What do you think? Are we in for a cold winter? Or do you think that the first time buyers will continue with their enthusiasm, despite not receiving any tax credit?

Personally, I hope they continue to be motivated by the loan programs available to them.

So my question to you, is the expiration of this tax credit/ first time motivator going to negatively impact our course to a recovering real estate market?

Josh Murphy

Windermere Peninsula Properties