Bellevue, WA

Short Sales, REO's, Bank Owned and Foreclosed Homes/Condos are on the rise in Bellevue and the eastside. Let us help you find them, see them and buy them

The www.FreeForeclosedHomeTours.com team is here to show you these homes & condos either on a shuttle tour or private tours. Our goal is to get you great deals on properties. Many times the best deals are Short Sales, REO's, Bank Owned and Foreclosed homes but they are not always the best deals so we do not leave out the traditional listings. The FreeForeclosedHomeTours.com team came togteher and created this team to educate and help buyers and sellers make this process as smooth as possible. Let us help you get a great deal.

Short Sales, REO's, Bank Owned and Foreclosed Homes/Condos are on the rise in Bellevue and the eastside. Let us help you find them, see them and buy them

The www.FreeForeclosedHomeTours.com team is here to show you these homes & condos either on a shuttle tour or private tours. Our goal is to get you great deals on properties. Many times the best deals are Short Sales, REO's, Bank Owned and Foreclosed homes but they are not always the best deals so we do not leave out the traditional listings. The FreeForeclosedHomeTours.com team came togteher and created this team to educate and help buyers and sellers make this process as smooth as possible. Check out our website to view homes and condos for sale and for the next tour.

Many of my readers have asked me about some of news articles that they hear/read about during the week.  Here are some great articles/blogs reported and relevant for home buyers, sellers and borrowers(mortgage news.)  I hope you find it useful.

The WSJ had a great article today by James R. Hagerty - Ten Questions on the Volatile Housing Market.

James makes some great points on the length of the recovery, what renters should do, to getting in touch with your local agent.

The deals will stop you cold if your looking for winter resort homes as Troy McMullen of ABCNews in his article today called Ski Homes Fell the Real Estate Chill. Savings could be 15-30% True that is most real estate these days, but it does sound nice to enjoy the new ski cabin!

For more carnage you can look at the commercial real estate implosion it looks to be a tough couple of years in this sector, as foreshadowed in a recent article on Bloomberg.com by Jamie McGee about the major insurers Metlife and Prudential Financial forecasting to loose $23 billion.

On a lighter side, in my search around Troy's article I came across a blog that I spent way too much time on.  If you ever look at a home for sale and ask yourself....why??? Check out http://www.lovelylisting.com

Be careful you may be tempted to submit way too many photos.

Your comments on this post are most welcome. If you find this helpful, or interesting please pass this along via the various outlets below.

Good morning! We're in for a wet and windy one today. Batten down the hatches!

I was reading Rich Jacobsen's post about having a Facebook Fan Page among other things and thought I'd comment here. First of all, I do have a Facebook Fan Page. So far, I have 5 fans. If you'd like to be a fan, go to The Legacy Group and add yourself. Thanks if you do.

So how do I feel about Facebook Fan Pages, etc.? To me, the jury is still out. Perhaps I'm just not that technically oriented. Sure, I know people who derive their business from having a killer website, endless Twitter tweets, and a killer blog. And I do think it's important to know about this stuff. Social media is here to stay. With my limited technical skills, I try.

But the greater benefit to me has been the building of great relationships online and, hopefully my reputation. So, I'm curious. What have you seen by having a Facebook Fan Page, etc? Have people found you and done business with you? What do you think has been the net benefit?

Facebook Fan Pages? Again, mine is The Legacy Group. Let me know what yours is. This is an experiment. I want to believe in social media and the power it has. And I will keep trying by blogging, etc. But it's difficult to ignore the tried and true methods of building and working within your database and those great face-to-face interactions.

Thanks for reading this. Again, and since I'm a shameless self-promoter, follow me if you like. And let me know what your Facebook Fan Page is. I'll follow you! Take care.

As you begin your home search it is now, more than ever, important that you begin your home search with a Realtor(r). You can be sure of getting the best advice, information and experience by picking your Realtor(r) carefully. A good Realtor can make the home buying experience smooth and enjoyable, while a bad one can add stress. Here is my short list for home buyers on how to choose a real estate professional.

1. Start with a Realtor(r) Not all agents are....
2. Choose an agent that has experience representing buyers.
3. Choose an agent that is familiar with the area your looking in.
4. Choose an agent that understands financing.
5. Choose an agent that is serious about their craft.
6. Choose an agent you like.
7. Choose an agent that understands today's market conditions.

Start with a Realtor(r) I know this may surprise many of you but not all real estate professionals are Realtors(r). For years now clients, agents and the public have thrown around the "REALTOR" term as if it is interchangable with "real estate professional" . The fact is a REALTOR(R) is bound to a Code to Clients and Customers, the Public and other REALTORS(R)

Choose an agent that has experience representing buyers. Some of you may be saying "duh.. don't you all? Truth is while we can handle all aspects of real estate transactions, some agents specialize. Just like doctors are specialists, some agents are just listing agents while others work with only investment clients. I personally enjoy working with both sellers and buyers. I have found that representing buyers helps me remind my sellers where the buyers are coming from.

Choose an agent that is familiar with the area your looking in. I am licensed to practice real estate all over the state of Washington, but I couldn't tell you the first thing about Lacey, WA. I can tell you I have a great Realtor(r) friend that lives down there. The point is there are a fair amount of real estate professionals out there, so for your home purchase find one that lives, works, plays in the area your looking to live.

Choose an agent that understands financing. Imagine a buyers agent that works closely with lenders and ensures that the contract is written in a way to give you(the buyer) the best possible advantage from a lending point of view. That is what having a real estate agent that understands financing is all about. I am a licensed loan officer in the State of Washington. This gives me a clear understanding of what is to be expected from underwriters and processors. I am able to help my buyers wade through the mass of misrepresentations that are out there in the marketplace.

Choose an agent that is serious about their craft. I don't want to knock on part-time agents. I do think that even a part-time agent can provide their clients 5 star service. The emphasis is commitment to providing their client with great service. Often times clients choose an agent out of obligation(i.e family member, friend). I would ask that my friends choose to work with me. It's not because of my friendship, rather it's because I take my job seriously. I believe the best thing for my friends in choosing representation is someone that will ensure their interests are held above mine in the transaction.

Choose an agent you like. Nothing is worse that riding around in a car with someone you have nothing in common with. Of course your not going to be BFF's, but it is worth it that you enjoy the personality of the agent that is representing you. Of course, the other points will take higher priority, but if you don't like the agent, no amount of professionalism will improve the enjoyment of the relationship. Personality goes a long way!

Choose an agent that understands the market. Again another duh!! The fact is if you have answered yes to the above 6 items. Chances are you are working with someone that understands the market. It doesn't hurt to ask questions like; "Where do you see the market headed in the next 6 months, 2 years, 10 years etc." A exceptional agent has this information at their fingertips.

In conclusion home buyers need to begin their search with a REALTOR(R) Take some time to identify the best agent for the job.