A good listing, how do you know?? I had a new listing go active on Friday and blogged about it. The title is Capital Hill living for ONLY $144,000.oo
It that good, bad or just OK? Sometimes as an agent I get a listing a feel is good and the market tells me otherwise. This one I felt was good and I was very glad when HUD gave me the go ahead to list it at $144,000.oo. which was what I felt it was worth.
With in minutes the phone was ringing and a bid was going in. Since HUD has a 10 period for taking bids things are still popping on it. I have shown it myself as well as handled calls from other Realtors on it.
It appears we are priced correctly for the condidtion and market and the phone is ringing. By my standards this is a good listing for todays market and my clients that I have sold for seem to agree.
A Question to other agents, how do you judge a good listing, especially when previewing properties for your Buyers?
As part of The Knowles Team we work hard to make all our listings "good listings" or we kindly refuse to start the relationship of listing a property that isn't priced correctly to sell which in the end not only disappoints the Sellers, but also Buyers that feel it is the right property and don't want to look at things overpriced.
So, Sellers and Agents, lets do our best keep this Real Estate market moving in the Puget Sound by only creating good listings and making all involved reach their desired outcome.
For help in Selling your property contact Robby Leviton 206-910-1632 and start obtaining your goals today.
Beat Debt and Leave a Legacy!!! Start 2012 off with a bang and take control of your life.
How would you feel if you were debt free? Picture what your life would be like, the things you would do, the choices you would feel you could make. Dave Ramsey has created a simple program to provide you the wisdom and tools to help you accomplish these great goals.
Imagine the types of relationships you will have when you are worry free about money and feel you have control of your life.
Check out this FREE intruductory class on 2/6/2012 and start the change in your life you have wished for.
Contact Debbie Leviton on 206-406-1058 or Robby Leviton on 206-910-1632
Dream, Create it, live with JOY!!!
Most of you have probably read a similar note before, heard the story from someone or experienced this type of situation before. I personally need to be reminded so this is for me as well as for you. My lovely wife sent me this note and I am going to make sure it is a part of 2012 in a big way. Don't put things off. I will be four years cancer free in a March and although I plan to live many, Many more years I am still working to appreciate now and the near term much more.
I just thought this is such a good reminder. Happy New Year!
Robby
READ SLOWLY ....
Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.
I got to thinking one day about all those people on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.
How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word 'refrigeration' mean nothing to you?
How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched 'Jeopardy' on television?
I cannot count the times I called my sister and said , 'How about going to lunch in a half hour?' She would gas up and stammer, 'I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hai r is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain' And my personal favorite: 'It's Monday.' She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.
Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches.. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!
We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Steve toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.
Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of 'I'm going to,' 'I plan on,' and 'Someday, when things are settled down a bit.'
When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.
My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just tha t I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.
Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to...not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?
Make sure you read this to the end; you will understand why I sent this to you.
Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask 'How are you?' Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, 'We'll do it tomorrow.' And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say 'Hi'?
When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift....Thrown away.... Life is not a rac e. Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.
Show your friends how much you care. Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND including me if you consider me a friend. If it comes back to you, then you'll know you have a circle of friends.
To those I have sent this to... I cherish our friendship and appreciate all you do. We have some history together.
'Life may not be the party we hoped for... but while we are here we might as well dance
Short Sale - Foreclosure-What do I do??????????? Are these my only choices?
"In any moment of decision, the best
thing you can do is the right thing, the next
to best thing is the wrong thing, and the
worst thing you can do is nothing."
— Theodore Roosevelt:
This is a quote many of the people with the querstion of "Short Sale - Foreclosure-What do I do?" need to look at. Many people thing taking no action is making a decision and that is true. How is falls into the category of "the worst thing" is that they aren't making a "Wise and Informed" decision.
Before you or someone you know "lets" a property go into foreclosure make sure that all the information needed to make this monumental decision has been obtained. Much of this informed can be found on our website at the Washington Short Sale Center. From this site you will learn about some of the steps needed, and more importantly you will learn there are experts out there to answer your questions relating to what happens if I foreclose VS short sale. What is HAFA? What is HAMP?
All these things are important for you to be educated about before you make a choice or choose to do nothing and not know what the fallout of this decision will be.
To start your education on these major life changing events check out the Knowles team or you can call Robby Leviton on 206-910-1632 and start the conversation.
Just do me at least one favor and don't let yourself or someone you know "go quietly into that night" without getting the education to control your life's decsions.
Back to Normal---In the Seattle area we are now a couple of weeks past our big week of Seafair events. The Blue Angels aren’t here flying and the closure of one of the main roads in the area is over. Most people are looking at this as “back to normal” and feeling good about that.
I got to thinking, what is normal and how is that determined?
A definition for normal is: Adjective: Conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected. Noun: The usual, average, or typical state or condition
In Seattle normal is pretty heavy traffic but the roads aren’t closed for an event. It’s considered normal that we have a lot of rain and people aren’t happy that we don’t have a “summer”.
It was considered normal that Real Estate prices kept going up and up and that was OK because people love to see the equity growth.
Some of these things have gone back to normal. Traffic is still heavy a lot of the time and all the main roads are open…kind of J
We have had almost two weeks of weather with temps in the mid to high 70’s and because it’s not in the 80’s and didn’t happen sooner people still feel like we didn’t have a summer. Never mind that most summers we do have about 2 weeks with temps in the 80’s by week two many people feel they are melting and the stores have run out of fans and AC units.
Wet or dry weather, the Northwest still has the best year round temps to actually enjoy life outside.
Now, let talk Real Estate normal. We aren’t having equity growth but we do have a lot of properties being bought and sold. Prices on the average are down 25 to 30% from the peak (Sellers not excited about this, Buyers should be).
Sellers
Even with the price reductions many people are choosing to sell for a number of reasons.
1) They have paid off there homes and will still get money to move forward in life
2) They have equity and even though they feel they are losing money, they are buying up and saving even more on their new Dream Home.
3) Major life changing events occur and making money or losing money on the sale are not the decision making factor
4) You name it, any number of reasons.
Buyers
Many are seeing that the time is right to take action. Prices are down and interest rates are lower than most people above 30 have ever seen in their adult life.
It has been a blast helping first time home buyers aged from 20 to 53 buy their first home. The excitement is a wonderful thing to be apart of.
For first time or move up or downsizing buyers the time is better than we have seen before. What this means is that if you know anyone that is watching and waiting because they prices might go down more remind them there is know why to know where the bottom is or we would all buy stocks at the bottom and sell at the top.
Now is the time to take action. We are creating the new "Normal" as you read this.
Let Robby the Realtor (Leviton) 206-910-1632 and the Knowles team be your guide on your Real Estate journey.
Working with a team brings multiple Real Estate Experts guiding you on your journey with ease and elegance at no additional costs.
Robby Leviton's mission is to help you through your Real Estate journey by fulfilling the goals you have and making sure it is a fun, educational process for you.
Robby Leviton and members of the Knowles Team are low-stress professionals in a high-stress job. They make weighty choices seem easy, pleasant and fun. At a time of intense anxiety, fragile emotions and high hopes, they deliver serenity, direction and purpose.
They are professional Realtors®.
Robby Leviton has been certified by the Washington State Housing Finance Commission to teach the First Time Home Buyer Programs offered in Washington State. Sharing this several times a month has expanded the knowledge of many future home buyers and allowed him to help quite a few people become First Time Homeowners! "I love being a part of people's journey to reach their dreams and am honored to help them become Homeowners" says Robby Leviton
The Knowles Team has earned the designation CERTIFIED DISTRESSED PROPERTY EXPERT© or CDPE. This means the Team understands the Short Sale and Foreclosure process thoroughly. They specialize in the sale of distressed properties and can assist both buyers and sellers. They can quickly assess any situation and be able to suggest which strategy is best for a homeowner to avoid foreclosure. Sheryl Knowles attended an intensive three-day seminar and countless webinars to earn this kind of designation. There are less than a dozen Realtors® in the greater Seattle area who hold this important designation. "We're educating ourselves constantly because things are changing so fast." said Sheryl Knowles.
It is invaluable to find a real estate agent who has the capability and knowledge to quickly sell your home in these devastating and heart-breaking situations. We are also Certified Negotiation Experts (CNE) to guide you to the best outcome of your Real Estate Journey.
It was a pleasure to work with Robby Leviton of The Knowles Team throughout the process of our first home purchase. Robby's demeanor was friendly and professional, and he went above and beyond to assist us with purchasing the home we desired. For example, he came to our home to pick up or drop off paperwork and other items when it was inconvenient for me to go out with our new baby. In addition, he answered the many questions that we had as first time home-buyers and persevered through several months of house-hunting with us until we found what we were looking for. He was prompt in communicating with us and always notified us when he would be out of the office and provided us with contact information for his colleagues. We felt confident in Robby's knowledge as a Realtor and that he was looking out for our best interests during our time working together. Thanks Robby for helping us to find a great home!
Michelle
Robby Leviton and the rest of the Knowles Team made the process of buying a home a breeze. As first time buyers, my fiancee and I were nervous and had a never-ending stream of questions. Robby was patient and easygoing, addressing all of our concerns and providing us with the information that we needed in order to feel comfortable with the decisions that we were making. He went out of his way to ensure that we were able to quickly put an offer on a home that we fell in love with, leading to a successful purchase and a very happy couple.
We couldn't have been happier with Robby and the Knowles Team. They made one of the most intimidating milestones in our lives an enjoyable experience. We've now been in our home for over a month and we couldn't be happier, both with the home itself and the people who helped us purchase it.
Jared & Stacy
A big "Thank You" to Jim Anzalone and Robby Leviton for helping us sell our property! We had recently come under financial stress and were in need of selling our home so we could reduce our monthly payments and move on with our lives. We had tried previously to sell the home, first ourselves as a For Sale by Owner and then with another real estate agent. We unfortunately weren't getting anywhere. Then a few months later I was on the Dave Ramsey website and found the Knowles Team was highly recommended. I contacted them and they helped answer all of my questions and concerns in a very friendly and professional matter. I quickly learned they had the expertise I needed and I could trust them to be my realtors. Within a few short months of listing the property it sold! With minimal efforts on my part as the homeowner! They walked me through the process step-by-step and kept me informed whenever something popped up.
I couldn't be more pleased with how the selling of our property was handled and how we were treated and catered to as the homeowners. I would highly recommend Jim and Robby to anyone looking to make a move in real estate. For us they were a class-act and have helped us move on with our lives in a surprisingly short amount of time. Once again, thanks so much Jim and Robby!
-Matt
Robby & Debbie Leviton are a dynamic duo! Robby helped me find my condo; even eventually steered me away from one when it appreared the HOA was less than functional, even when the seller had already accepted our offer, i.e. commission already in sight. He made himself available for appointments promptly; answered phone calls and emails very quickly (surprisingly, sometimes even at 11:30 at night!). When we found the right one, he graciously allowed me time to measure, take pictures and stayed on top of things to keep the deal moving forward, even with the listing agent unreachable during the day and the seller already living out of state. My daughter & I communicated our wishes about the negotiations, and Robby was extremely proactive to get us a price we were happy with. We were very, very pleased. Debbie, via Guild Mortgage, was also very on top of things and extremely helpful throughout the whole (rather daunting) mortgage loan process. She really worked for us when a couple of snafu's appeared, was great with problem solving and kept us on track for closing. Definately knows her stuff! Even if it might have been the 4th contact in one day, both Robby & Debbie were welcoming, warm & super helpful! Obviously, when there was paperwork/other contact needed between the buyer's agent & the loan officer, coordination was super fast and very convenient. All this required a lot of extra effort on their part, and I am so very grateful that they went the extra mile to help me get settled into my own place here in Seattle. I LOVE IT!!! I plan to stay here a very long time, but if I should ever be in the housing market again, Robby would be the first I would call; and Debbie the second! Don't have any doubts about "signing on" with these two; you will be very glad you did! They get an A+ from me on customer service and satisfaction. Jacqueline Yung
It was a pleasure working with Robby from the Knowles team. Looking for houses is stressful, and he went the extra mile to help us find what we were looking for. No pressure, no games. We found the perfect house for our family and Robby made himself available at a moments notice to get it done. Being able to use the moving truck saved a lot of money (and headache), and we're reminded of how great the team is all the time. Even after we're well finished with the process they keep reaching out with small gifts and reminders of why they appreciate our business. They deserve referrals, and I won't hesitate to send my friends their way.
Hi Robby, As I am organizing files & making up the to-do list as the close approaches for my new home; I felt compelled to let you know how much I appreciate all that you have done to help make this happen and making it a smooth journey. I really appreciated your thoroughness to keeping me informed and always getting back to me in a timely manner; your willingness to answer ALL my questions and arrange special requests (like making it possible for my parents to see the place while they were in town)-thank you! I hope my son and his wife will have the same opportunity to work with you in the near future for their home. Thank you Robby. Naomi
Robby, just wanted to compliment you on how nice Reid's house looks. I am sure he would be very happy with all you and your team have done. Also the marketing materials for the home are first class. Your energy, professionalism and commitment to customer satisfaction come through loud and clear!! Thanks again! Terri
I have nothing but good things to say about the Knowles Team. My house was listed with a different agent for 7 months with absolutely no result. Once I switched to the Knowles Team I felt like things were going to happen and sure enough within three weeks of listing I had an offer! My agent knew the market and provided me with the right information to get the house sold quickly. If you are needing to sell your home, I definitely recommend the Knowles Team.
Sara
Robby,
I just wanted to write you and thank you and the Knowles Team for guiding me towards my first home purchase. Throughout the process, you consistently provided me with helpful information which simplified things at every step. You were extremely patient with me and provided your opinions when needed. One thing that was very helpful was the property listings which were emailed to me on a daily basis and specifically tailored to what I was looking for. Continue to keep up your outstanding service as I will be sure to refer all my friends and family to you and the Knowles Team.
Thanks, Eric
"In both opportunities of advancing my knowledge in Real Estate and receiving excellent remarks after referring him, Robby has been top notch and thoughtful of both the bottom line and building win-win relationships. Integrity and accountability are deep core values for Robby and you will not be disappointed working with him. To have Robby on your team will always result in positive contributions and support." Kelley
I want to thank both you (you and Debbie) for showing me and teaching me how to invest in real estate. You two have enhanced my life. I'm hoping to purchase another investment property next year in 2009. I'm saving like crazy in order to do so. Bev
Robby Leviton and The Knowles Team sold my house in late summer of 2007. This was right when the mortgage market was going crazy and housing prices were shaky all over. As soon as I signed the listing agreement Robby dug in and pulled his team in to give me advice on how to make my house ok the best so I could get the price I wanted. They even gave advice on where to paint and do other things that were economical ways to increase my house value. Once my house was ready Robby held several open houses and created great flyers and sure enough found several likely buyers. He was very thorough on calling them to follow up to see their interest and he updated me several times a week on his progress. Once we got an offer the transaction was threatened many times by issues big and small and Robby worked very hard and very smart and held it together. He worked with the buyer's agent, my mortgage broker, the escrow company and more to make sure all the pieces were coming together properly. In the event Robby was in a meeting and I needed something urgently, the entire Knowles team would help me as needed. Many times I heard from several people on his team on the same day updating me vie email and phone. Communication was excellent all the way around and I believe I could have easily lost the deal with an agency other than the Knowles team. I was very thrilled with the service and results and I tell everyone to use Robby and the Knowles team. Steven Boehm
Working with Robby made the daunting task of buying a property a lot more bearable. Having a team of people with all the right contacts helping you really makes the difference. It dialed down the stress and made me glad I chose to go with the team approach. Now I'm actually looking forward to my next purchase! Dan
Robbie Leviton was a sheer joy to work with. Knowledgeable and patient, he was able to answer all of our questions, no matter how small, with aplomb and an eye for detail rarely seen today. His observations were spot on and were able to help us make informed decisions that we appreciated and could act upon. Coupled these traits with his tenacity in negotiating to make sure that we got the absolute best deal available and whomever his clients are, they can be assured that Robbie is truly on "their side." The best recommendation that we can give Robbie is that we will be looking forward to working with him again very soon. Sincerely, Tony and Shari Fox SilverFox Management, LLC.
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