Theresa Bastian Realtor in Tacoma and Pierce County, WA

If you are like many agents, you deal with bank owned properties reluctantly, if at all. Truth is, though, if you are working with first time buyers, it is pretty hard to avoid showing bank owned homes. Wouldn't you like some tips on how to write effective offers on these homes? We thought so! Well, then - you're invited to our REO Forum: How To Get Your Offers Accepted on Bank Owned Homes. Wed. March 25th from 2:30 - 4:30 at Keller Williams Tacoma. Panelists include REO listing agents willing to share the real scoop on what the bank want to see in a winning offer. You owe it to your clients - and your commissions - to be here! Champagne toast afterwards. Everyone is welcome!

This Tuesday 3/3 from 6-8 PM is the Keller Williams Tacoma Investor Networking Night, where you can come and hear a relevant guest speaker and mingle with other real estate investors.

Our guest speaker this month is Cindy Slettevold, with Off The Financial Grid. Cindy is experienced in many areas of real estate from residential to commerical and she combines this knowledge with savvy financial planning and annuity options that can bring real value to investors.

You can check out more at www.OffTheFinancialGrid.com and I have attached an article Cindy wrote about using the equity in your home to provide steady income in retirement for your review as well.

I hope to see Tuesday at 6 PM at the Keller Williams office in Tacoma- 5825 Tacoma Mall Blvd. Please give me a call or email to RSVP or if you have questions. Hope to see you!

Theresa Bastian - 253-376-4717 - tbastian@kw.com

Since we as Realtors in Pierce County are seeing more short sales than ever in history, our office decided to start a Short Sale Support Group. In this weekly mastermind, you can gain knowledge about the challenges of this particular type of sale, share strategies to avoid common pitfalls, and ask specific questions about any short sale transactions you currently have in progress. We meet Mondays from 12 - 1 at Keller Williams in Tacoma. I am hosting the group, because I have done some advanced training in regards to short sales and earned my Certified Distressed Property Expert designation, but I am also well aware that this field is changing weekly, and based on which bank is involved, so this is not a class - it is a true meeting of the minds and we will have fun too! Thanks also to our partners at Chicago Title who give us a perspective from the escrow end of closing short sales in Washington State. So if you need some support with a short sale, call Theresa at 253-376-4717 to RSVP, or just stop by and join us!

Another dubious honor for Pierce County...we led the state in the rate of foreclosures in 2008, according to new data from RealtyTrac.

Foreclosures more than doubled in the county last year. In 2007, 3,088 properties were listed with foreclosure filings. That number was 6,669 in 2008.

This mirrors the national figures, which show that in 860,000 U.S. properties were repossessed by lenders, more than double the 2007 level.

In December alone, 676 properties were somewhere in the foreclosure process in Pierce County. Thurston and Clark counties were Nos. 2 and 3 in the state for highest rate of foreclosures.

There is a silver lining to this cloud if you are an investor or first time buyer. Interest rates are low, prices have been driven down by the bank owned properties and the rental market in our area is strong.

Email or call me to attend an upcoming Foreclosure Bus Tour and check out the Bank Owned Bargains right here in Tacoma and Pierce County.

Everyone wants a deal in today's economy, and it's not hard to find one in the real estate market!  This tool gives you a snapshot of what's "on sale" in Pierce County, WA.  Real estate agents - feel free to distribute it to your clients.  Buyers - contact me to see these or any other homes for sale.  There has never been a better time to invest in real estate!

Download Your Customizable Top 10 Best Buy List:  http://www.scribd.com/doc/10201158/Top-10-Best-Buys-Newsletter-109