Nicole Weidauer

As many of you know, I am engaged to marry my best friend, true love, and real estate partner, Jeremy Egerer. We're coming on our 3rd year and are just as kiddy and excited with each other since the first time we met. The internet played a major role in bringing the two of us together... here is how it all began:

How far will one go for love? Well, for some, that may not be far. For Jeremy Egerer, however, he was determined to seek out his lost love by utilizing all means of modern technological advancements to scour the earth for his missing other half. As such, the computer was one of them, and his method of pursual was Myspace. And yes-- that's a legitimate, though unorthodox and generally disappointing way to go about it.

Now, Nicole (also known as Bun Bun) was a wary maiden, but incapable of resisting his rogue charm, which was heavily assisted by stubble and muscles years in the making. Of course, she didn't know this would end in true love. What would the chances be that a handsome rogue would actually exist on the internet, and be worth dating? Of course, most people know that the chances of meeting a reliable partner on the internet would be statistically improbable, but in this case Bun Bun was willing to suspend disbelief. She would then reply to his letters in the most romantic fashion available, and Jeremy--or "Risky Business," as his Myspace moniker was at the time--would write back. Again, and again, and again, until she couldn't wait any longer. She just had to meet him.

And so they met.

So was it fate that brought them together that 28th of August, 2006? Of course it was fate. Otherwise, you would not be reading about this. At Sam's Sushi on Queen Anne Ave, Risky Business would romance the woman who would eventually become his wife, discussing things like how they both came from religious backgrounds, and how they both had actual jobs, and enjoyed eating food. Nervous chatter, mostly.

But as the night drew to a close, Risky knew there was something special about this one. That she was sweet beyond the usual sweetness. That she was genuinely beautiful. That she was the kind of girl he'd been looking for. That she would eventually get a parking ticket because she forgot to check the parking meter sign. That the sushi was more expensive than he originally thought. But mostly, that he wanted to see her again. And so, ladies and gentlemen, it begun.

Jeremy and I were able to find an amazing love on the internet of all places. What else can it do? Well, the internet can also bring people together with the home they are "meant to be with". There are so many tools and sites that buyers and sellers can utilize to better their home buying or selling experience. Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, and let's not forget Activerain.

The websites out there connect people with local realtors, weekly open house information, neighborhood listings, etc.. Our team website, for example, is chalk full of great information and tools to aid you in your home buying/selling endeavors.

The internet is an invaluable resource when shopping for a home and as a certified E-Pro, I'd be more than happy to help you in your search. Just like me and Jeremy, you too can find your perfect match!

According to a recent Kiplinger article, taxes play a significant role in deciding where to dig in your roots and call home (in addition to housing costs and living expenses). They have put together a list of U.S. cities with the lowest state and local tax burdens (as a percentage of gross income). And wouldn't you know it, Seattle made the list!

No. 4 Seattle, Washington

Income tax: $0
Property tax: $1,698
Sales tax: $1,561
Auto tax: $457

STATE & LOCAL TAX BURDEN: 5.0%

Urban Facts: Seattle may be a tax-friendly city, but it also has a high cost of living, well above the national average.

The median home sales price was $375,000 for last quarter of 2008, compared to $200,000 at the national level.

http://www.kiplinger.com/magazine/archives/2007/04/taxfriendlycities.html

Over the last two years or so, we've been going through what is known as a market correction. Market corrections will vary in length and method of correcting. In the last few weeks I've been thinking about the things that I've seen work to get areas on the path to recovery:

• First time home buyers
• New Construction
• Knowledgeable, competent real estate agents

First Time Buyers- It's no coincidence that with falling interest rates and the new $8,000 tax credit, 53.5 percent of home buyers in 2009 will be first-timers. In fact, all of the buyers that Jeremy and I are working with right now are first time home buyers. In addition to the many incentives for buying- first timers don't have a current home to worry about selling. With nothing to tie them down, first time buyers are in the driver's seat and in this market that is exactly what we need to jump start home sales.

New Construction- Why is new construction appealing to buyers right now? Because builders are hugely motivated and they have secured these neighborhoods with their personal assets. They are very motivated not to lose their own homes and everything they've worked for years and years to build up. These ‘professional' sellers are realizing that they need to price realistically to see their properties move.

Knowledgeable & Competent Realtors- Our clients really aren't looking to us for help in searching for a house - they can do that themselves. What they're looking for is knowledge: "Is this a good investment for me? What am I not seeing here? Help me to negotiate the price, and set me up with a good lender." Those are the type of questions buyers and sellers are looking to you for. What's is our biggest challenge? People's fear of the economy. They've been hearing so much negative news they're afraid to step ahead. So really, our job, is turning that around, to help educate people as to what is a good value, what is a good investment in my eyes.

It's no news that we are in a down market. Home prices are falling in most parts of the country. Even here in Seattle, a place that was thought to be relatively safe from the housing mess, we too are feeling the pain of continuing falling prices.

It could have been much worse though. Local developers avoided the huge glut that Florida and other markets experienced because they moved quickly to put a hold on new projects. There have been no new project developments in over 18 months in the Seattle area.

Even so, there is no getting around the tough times ahead. But instead of cowering in fear, our market (and real estate developers, agents, and consumers alike) need to adapt with the changing times. Just as real estate leaders have moved towards green building, mixed-use developments, etc..., we will also have to find ways to adapt to these new conditions.

There is some good coming out of the low home prices- for the first time homes are becoming affordable to those who were priced out just two years ago. "The $225,000 price she paid for her home is almost half the $409,000 price tag that a comparable property sold for two years earlier" (http://rismedia.com/2009-03-10/a-new-homeowner-blossoms/).

In real estate so much can change, even in the span of a couple of months. Prices for one development in the North Seattle area were at what I thought were great prices last fall but now are well beyond where I thought they would ever reach. For those patient AND daring enough to wait, this market could be the one to get some killer deals.

One of the big reasons why prices continue to go down is because of the still rising foreclosure rate. For example, in the story mentioned above, the home that sold for $225,000 was not a foreclosure itself but it's price was effected by the other homes, including foreclosures, in the area. "The market is what the market is," he said. "(The seller) had to reduce the price because everything around her was so low ... Definitely, it was foreclosure driven although it was not a foreclosure sale" (http://rismedia.com/2009-03-10/a-new-homeowner-blossoms/).

One word of caution, if in fact you want to wait to see how low prices will go, you may end up losing your dream home to someone else. Just last week we had the unfortunate experience of telling a client that a home they were hoping to buy had just received and accepted another offer.

To avoid losing your dream home, do your research about the area to see where prices are going and consult a trusted real estate agent so you can get the best deal possible AND still get the home!

This last month I have been kind of absent from the Active Rain community. Planning a wedding AND working with clients proved to be just enough to keep me away from my blogging- but this morning I have a minute and I have some good news to share- about life and about real estate.

Despite all of our financial and economic worries, good things are happening in individual lives. Take ours for instance. The Egerer & Weidauer Team is going through many changes right now. About a month or so ago we were told that our office was going to be closing. There were some issues between the landlord and our owner so they decided to close the whole office. This came as a huge surprise- everything had seemed to be going fairly well and now all 75+ agents had to go and find new homes for their licenses. We serve buyers and sellers in the greater Seattle communities so it only made sense that we moved to the Greater Seattle Keller Williams office. Our new office is in the heart of the Wallingford neighborhood, just south of Greenlake. In this new location we are able to better serve our clients because we are in the center of it all. Come stop on by and say hello and take a peek at our new digs.

In other news, you've all heard that our team is now becoming a married team. Jeremy and I have been engaged for about a month now and we are loving every minute of it. Planning this wedding has occupied a lot of my time but it sure is fun. Parties, presents, and taking professional pictures is not half bad ;)

Business has been very good lately. We are working with some really great people- all first time home buyers- and it sure makes getting up in the morning all worth it. Jeremy and I love to help people, especially first time home buyers, get the information they need AND guide them through the real estate process. We have been truly blessed.

Even though the news is comprised of layoff notice after layoff notice, there are still wonderful things going on in other areas of life. We all go through tough times, but that's a part of life. If we can step back and realize that the sun will shine again, then we will be able to make it through the tough times.

In King County, home sales figures continue to decline but in certain neighborhoods within the Seattle community, some sellers are experiencing multiple offers on their homes. That's almost been unheard of since the housing boom in the early 2000's.

"Big-picture statistics don't tell the complete story of what's happening in the local real-estate market now" (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008815052_homesales05.html). "Houses that show well and are priced right - especially at the lower end - are starting to move, agents say. And, for the first time in more than a year, some properties are attracting multiple offers."

The people leading the pack are first time home buyers. These buyers see low home prices and buyer incentives (like the $8,000 first time home buyer credit) that have perhaps motivated them to get out there and start looking.

My hope is that, although we are in quite a financial mess, that we as consumers become more educated and savvy about our spending. I want to see people become more responsible with credit so we don't see a repeat of this mess in the future. Dave Ramsey is known to say, "Live like no one else so later you can live like no one else." I love that. I love that simple advice that can not only change your financial situation, but change your family tree. If more people would act their wage I would suspect the impact of the foreclosure/short sale situation would be a little different than it is now.

We have a long ways to go before we are back on our feet again, but let's all take some time and celebrate the little victories in our lives and in our communities.