Auburn, WA

Ever just needed a bit more glitz on your clothing?

SO much fun! At yesterday's Ribbon Cutting, my Ambassador duties for the Auburn Chamber of Commerce got caught up in looking at the sparkly, glitzy, diamondy clothing custom decorated by the staff at Becky's Glamour!

Located inside the SuperMall of the Great Northwest, in Suite 1114 (near Old Navy), Rebecca "Becky" and Jenny and the rest of the helpful staff help design and add sparkly little decorations to virtually any clothing item -- hats, jeans, t'shirts, belts. Whatever. How much fun is THAT?!!

Now, I know I've missed the names of everyone there, but next time you visit the Mall, be sure to pop in and say 'Hi' to Becky and crowd ... and order a shirt or two. Now that I think on it, maybe it'd be fun to add some glitz to the ankle of my favorite boots. Wonder if they can do that .....

Oh yeah. That's me -- the little chubby gal -- 5th face from the right. Along with other Ambassadors from the Chamber, Mayor Pete Lewis (in the tan coat cutting the ribbon), the staff of Becky's Glamour, and representatives from the SuperMall.

Does anyone know of a company that does foundation work for manufactured homes to bring them to FHA compliance ... in the general vicinity of Auburn, WA (south King County or north Pierce County)??? The company needs to know Auburn Building codes and general FHA requirements so that a sale can be closed

I have one estimate for work that needs to be done, but my client (as she should!) would like to see at least one more estimate before contracting to have the work completed.

We'd sure appreciate your recommendations!

Like most real estate professionals, I receive information weekly from the loan officers with whom I've worked or have an association about their latest mortgage programs, interest rate adjustments, changes in the bond market, whatever. Lots and lots of information; almost every bit of it is useful and timely. Some of it I understand; some if it is over my head and I have to work a bit to figure out what the heck they're talking about.

Matt Person of The Legacy Group in Puyallup stepped up this morning with a compelling reason for Buyers to get off the fence and submit any FHA applications before the end of March. Since the business of selling houses is dependent on the ability of our clients to obtain financing -- whether a Buyer or a Seller -- Matt's information is helpful. Thanks, Matt! This is useful and I can understand this one!

4 Reasons Why Those Who Wait to Buy a Home Will Pay Thousands More This Spring!

Waiting a few extra days or weeks to purchase a home this spring could cost buyers thousands of extra dollars as the office of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) implements several changes for loans guaranteed by the Federal Housing Authority (FHA).

These FHA changes make it even more important to act now to save big.

Here are a four reasons why:

1. Coming just weeks before the April 30 deadline for the Home Buyer Tax Credit and just days after the March 31 expiration of the Federal Reserve Board's mortgage backed securities purchase program (which has kept home loan rates artificially low for over a year)

2. On April 5th, the cost of required up-front mortgage insurance for loans guaranteed by the FHA will increase from 1.75% to 2.25%.

3. For a borrower purchasing a $200,000 home with a $7,000 down payment, the up-front mortgage insurance will increase by $965. Up-front mortgage insurance is typically financed in the final loan amount so the impact to a monthly payment will be minimal but overall, the increase is still borne by the borrower both upfront and monthly.

4. Later this spring, the amount of money that a seller can return to the buyer from their sale proceeds will be reduced from 6% to 3%. The reduction in these "seller concessions" can increase the amount of cash a buyer will be required to pay at closing by $6,000 for a home purchase of $200,000.

There is only one way to avoid being affected by all of these costly changes that lie ahead - submit all FHA mortgage applications by the last week of March.

I know Matt would be delighted to be of assistance to you in your home financing needs. And, it goes almost without saying (gotta say it though) ... I'd also be delighted to be your advocate in your home purchase and/or sale. Or ... if you just have a question, well, give me a call and we'll figure it out!

Yes, homes and other properties DID sell in Auburn in 2009. From an agent's standpoint, the business of real estate felt slower until Fall, then things started jumping like mad! I know from my own business that every single sale was a lot of work -- always gratifying, but whew! The start of real estate in 2010 is moving right along!

Just so you know ... Days on Market is the number of days the property was Active; i.e., available for sale and not under any sort of a purchase contract. Sometimes, especially where short sales are involved, a property may go in and out of Active status, however once a contract is fully signed by both the Buyer and the Seller, the property is "Pending" and the time during which the bank considers the sale does not affect the Days on Market.

Obviously the bulk of closed sales was for single family homes. So who sold these houses and why?

41% of the closed sales were from Short Sales and Bank-Owned homes. The good news: Almost 60% of closed residential sales were from private sellers!! YES, you CAN sell your house!

Information for these charts and graphs was manually compiled (by me) from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service and is for properties with Auburn addresses. Data for your individual neighborhood will be different and you'll want to know exactly what's going on around your own home when you consider selling. Please remember that I specialize in Houses & Condos, buyers and sellers, and especially short sales! Interviewing for a progressive, knowledgeable, tenacious agent to buy or sell? Don't hesitate to give me a call.