Belfair, WA

Soooo you will need to go back to the previous blog to get the beginning of this story cuz I am trying to make it a short story (I tend to be long winded and this IS a long story....) and get to the utter frustration on my part and the sellers part..... Here's the link for the previous blog that starts it off.

Now that you've caught up and we're at the point where I can't get into the house because the short sale lender in their infinite wisdom has literally locked myself and everyone out. Great way to sell a house- NOT!

The seller and I and lender have been in constant communication working diligently on getting his home sold and getting a short sale approval.

I worked diligently everyday trying to find someone to get me a new key. We were trying to avoid the cost and hassle of again re-keying the home. My short sale lender contact was working as well on this.

I had an Excellent short sale lender contact - except it turns out, her management department did not have excellent contact with her apparantly, as you will see as the story goes along....

Two days ago the owner received his accepted short sale approval package from the short sale lender! YAYYY!!!! AWESOME!!! We are SOOO excited!! We adjusted the price accordingly and get our game plan together. NOW we are getting somewhere - right??? You'd think so........right. up. until.........

The next day, I get an email from a real estate company out of the area. They were sorry to tell me this, but the lender I have been working with has sold the loan to a different servicer/lender and and the new servicer/lender's Management company has REASSIGNED THE LISTING to them; therefore they went to the house, REKEYED THE HOUSE (again), took my sign down and wanted to let me know they would be taking over the listing and oh by the way "they also have no idea where my lockbox is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

ARE YOU KIDDING ME??????????? I was actually not sure at that moment WHO to be more upset with! The "Reassigned" Broker, the new servicer/lender, the new management company,or the original servicer/lender!

(A NEW Asset Management company that was thrown into the mix here as well during all of this! I and the original lender had NO IDEA who they were or how they became involved ).

After 4 hours of phone calls and emails between myself, the owner, the original asset manager, the new asset manager, the new lender and the other real estate company- the story comes down to this....

1) The original lender unbeknownst to the OWNER or the lenders asset manager, SOLD the LOAN to a NEW LENDER; The asset manager had NO IDEA until she went to management with my very terse phone call and email that the loan had been sold off!!!

2) The original lender had issued an acceptance of a short sale price to the owner during the process of selling the loan off.

3) The NEW managemt company for the new servicer/lender re-keyed the house and then sent a letter to another Real Estate Brokerage reassigning the listing and telling them as well to rekey the house!

4) The Reassigned listing company pulls up my MLS information, sees that it is ACTIVELY listed with me and without a simple little phone call or email, or investigation of the facts, pulls my sign, rekeys the house (for the 3rd time) and gets it ready to list without the real OWNERS permission or knowledge!

5) Literally ONE HOUR during all of the phone calls and emails and this happening - the owner receives a Fed Ex package from the NEW servicer/lender that his loan has been sold! So he is standing there with a short sale approval in one hand from the original lender and Fed ex package of his note being sold in the other hand with a totally new lender!

OMG. How can this get so screwed up????? What is going on with these banks??? Why is NO ONE HELD accountable for DELAYING an owner from selling his property and making such a mess out of this??? How can they issue an approval and sell it at the same time? How can they NOT TELL their OWN asset Manager what is going on??

How can the banks get away with this?? Now I have a seller who has an accepted short sale letter that means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING and will the NEW lender honor it or are we starting ALL OVER AGAIN????? Plus the extra costs and frustrations the owner is now going to incur awaiting a NEW SHORT SALE APPROVAL????!!!!!!

Not to mention I STILL CAN'T GET INTO THE HOUSE - no one can, so it cannot be shown! And WHO has my lockbox and WHO is going to put my sign back up and WHO is going to get me the key???

The Reassigned Real Estate Company finally emails back with huge apologies left and right ; they should not have touched the listing without looking into the facts and contacting me and tells me that if the owner wants go ahead and re-key the house they will pay for it and they are so sorry blah blah blah blah and their field manager will go out as well and re-hang my sign. Do ya think?????

AAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!

I was quite flabbergasted that this poor seller who has jumped through all of these hoops to get his short sale approved and sell the home doing the right thing is being dooped because the lenders seem to have no responsibility for the DELAYS they cause in sales, the sellers loss of buyers and money. The amount of money spent on all of this is ridiculous and extremely wasteful!

I was equally flabbergasted that someone would just pull my sign and go ahead and spend money and re-key a home because they received a letter from a bank saying to do it.

Crazy. Crazy. Crazy.

Know when to Hold them........and Know when to ........ What?

Someone asked me the other day how my son, Sean, was doing in his new chiropractor business in Westport, WA. I was extremely happy and proud to tell them that not only has he been very successful with his business, but he is also in the process of buying his first home!!

They were very happy to hear that he is doing so well and said to me - "so where did you find him a house?"

I smiled and said "I didn't. I referred him to another realtor!" They looked at me with wide eyes and amazement and the question "Aren't you a real estate agent? Why would you refer him to another agent?" they asked.

"Yes, yes I am and a very successful, knowledgeable and professional Realtor - and that is one of the reasons I referred him to another agent."

What made me make this decision? Well for one, he is not purchasing in my market area. I felt and feel that it is in his best interests to work with a realtor who knows the area and the values and market like the back of his hand in the area that my son is considering buying a home.

I also did not want our relationship to interfere with the process of making the best choices and decisions for him.

Buying a home is an emotional decision for a Buyer but should also be looked at in a business manner when doing so. I did not want my opinions or wants as a "mom" to interfere with his decisions. Such as - I wanted him to buy a condo and he really wanted a single family house with a garage. Now maybe it was because the condo he is living in is on the ocean and I was soooooo looking forward to spending some time at the ocean! Now that was definitely not in his best interest!

Even though he is my son, I wanted him to be represented by the best person possible and it would have been me IF I worked the market area is he in, but I am not.

Oh,I have been following the transaction and looked at the paperwork and given a tip or two here and there (once a mom - always a mom and it IS my privilege as his mom), but it was also nice to say to him -

"You know what? That is a better question for your local agent! I do not know the Westport market enough to give you solid good information and I also don't know their county rules and regulations either."

It is always best to ask the local expert!

I always look out for the best interests of my clients, family, friends, relatives, loved ones and those in between!

And in this case and any case that is out of my market area - I would prefer to refer them to the local Windermere expert or best local expert for the area if Windermere is not located there.

Now I get to sit back and watch my son grow and learn, with a different perspective rather than playing that MOM and Agent game...... knowing he is in very capable hands with his local Windermere expert.

Know when to hold them and know when a referral is in their and your best interest!

If you have family, friends, or clients that are looking to buy or sell in my real estate market area of Mason County (Belfair, Allyn, Grapeview, South Shore and North Shore of Hood Canal), or Kitsap County (Bremerton, Port Orchard, Silverdale, or Manchester, give me a call or drop me a line. I promise, they will have the best service possible just as I would want for my son!

Many of us love out door living, and when selling your home this should shine.

Is your deck ready to show, below as some tips to help you keep your investment looking good and will help you in getting ready to sell!

Clean your deck (once a year)
Dirt, grime, mildew, or mold can build up your deck over the course of the year. Not only can they diminish the look of your deck, they can also make it slippery and, in the case of mold and mildew, damage your deck. 1. Visually inspect your deck. Look for dirt, grime, mildew, and mold. Even if none are readily visible, you should still wash your deck. 2. Wash the deck. A power-sprayer is an easy way to remove the dirt and grime. However, for mold and mildew, or if you don't have a power-sprayer, use warm, soapy water and a scrub brush. Thoroughly scrub the surface of the deck. Make sure you remove all mold and mildew you find. 3. Rinse the deck. Use a water hose to wash away the soap and water along with any loosened dirt, grime, mold, or mildew. Re-seal or re-stain your deck (once a year)
Once of the biggest ravages your deck can face is moisture. In order to keep your deck in good shape for years to come, you need to re-seal or re-stain it each year. 1. If you haven't already, clean the surface of the deck. A power-washer is an easy way to do this. If not, you can also use a large scrub brush and soapy water. 2. Let the deck dry. 3. If the deck already has a finished or sealed surface, remove the finish or seal with a remover/stripper that you can purchase at your local hardware store. Follow the directions on the package. 4. Purchase new sealant or stain. Make sure any stain you choose is meant for the outdoors and can protect the wood from the elements. For following steps, you should wear a dust mask or respirator to prevent the inhalation of particles and/or fumes. 5. Sand the deck. It must be smooth before you can refinish it. A medium grit sandpaper will probably work for most decks. Remove any sanding dust that may be left behind. 6. Apply the finish or sealant. If you're using a colored finish, make a test spot first to see if the color you chose is indeed the color you want. Using a foam brush, staining pad, or nylon/polyester brush, apply the stain or sealant with the grain of the wood. For colored finishes, work quickly and don't stop in the middle of the job for break. Doing so can cause the finish to dry uneven, leaving you with streaks. 7. Let the stain or sealant dry. This should take approximately two hours (depending on humidity and temperature). 8. Add a second and possibly third coat to enhance the protection of your deck.

Remember it should shine as the rest of your home!

www.daryldatus.com

Real Estate Sales and Market report for Mason County, Washington for the period of May 1 though May 15, 2010 reports 43 Total Closed Sales in the amount of $6,645,081.

Area A, (Shelton, Arcadia, Kamilche) recorded sales counts of 20 closed sales totaling $2,468,131. Area B, (Hartstene/Agate area) placed 5 sales on the board in the amount of $942,900. Area C, (Belfair, Allyn, Grapeview) reported 11 sales totaling $2,423,650 Area D, (Hoodsport/Union) posted 7 sales for the period in the amount of $810,400

Single Family Resale Homes, on less than 5 acres, accounted for 18 of the total sales.

There was 1 New Single Family home sold. There were no Multi-family units sold. There were 4 Single Family Resale's on more than 5 acres sold.

Commercial properties sold - 0, Condominiums -0.

Land selling with a Mobile posted 7 sales and there were 6 platted lots recorded as sold. Short plats posted 5 sales and there were 2 unplatted parcels sold.

Two Homes sold in the $500,000 or more range and 1 sold between the $400,000 to $499,999 range. Other sale prices ranged from a low of $60,000 with most of the sales in the $145,000 to $200,000 range..

The average price for Single Family Resale's was $219,567 with a Median price of $167,500. Lots sold averaged $33,917.

Real Estate Loan numbered 121 taken out in the amount of $20,685,100. The average conventional 30-year loan rate was 4.95%

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www.daryldatus.com