Issaquah, WA

Selling a home can be quite a task in todays real estate market. With short sale negotiations, picky buyers and seemingly endless competition from other homes, it's easy to lose steam in the sales process.

Please don't forget, as a sellers agent, you are on the offensive team! Now is the time to turn it on!

I only bring this up to share with you an approach you may not have thought of, and you might not think is appropriate at all.

When buyers agents show your home or listing, do you send them an offer in writing from the Seller?

In real estate transactions, "mutual consent" or "mutual acceptance" of a purchase and sale agreement is achieved through the process of offer and acceptance. Generally, the offer is made by the buyer to the seller. Also, it is common for a counter offer from the seller and maybe even a little more back and forth before an agreement is "mutually accepted" by both parties.

My question to you is, why is it not more common for the seller to be the first to put pen to paper and make an offer to the buyer? What's the worst that can happen? The buyer will flat out refuse the offer without making a counter? You chase the buyer away because they are so offended by your high offer? Your offer may be high, but doesn't the buyers agent have a legal obligation to present all written offers to the buyer? I don't know if that part is true or not, but isn't this all starting to sound familiar? It's starting to sound like selling real estate.

Really, if a qualified buyer comes through your listing, rather then waiting, hoping they will send you an offer, couldn't you use that time to write them an offer? Don't you owe that to your seller? At the end of the day, if you've given it a shot and didn't get a deal, what have you lost? Nothing!

Do you think this is a good approach, or a bad idea? Are you willing to test it on your most recent qualified showing?

Are your sellers even motivated enough to be this aggressive?
Better yet, are you?

If your looking for Bank Owned Properties in Issaquah WA below is the market report for October 2009.

Some of the best deals in Real Estate are REO or Bank Owned Real Estate. Banks are in a hurry to sell a home and they intentionally price it 20% below the market. A Bank Owned home is property that goes back to the mortgage company after an unsuccessful foreclosure auction. You see, most foreclosure auctions do not even result in bids. After all, if there was enough equity in the property to satisfy the loan, the owner would have probably sold the property and paid off the bank. That is why the property ends up at a foreclosure or trustee sale.

Foreclosure sales begin with a minimum bid that includes the loan balance, any accrued interest, plus attorney's fees and any costs association with the foreclosure process. In order to bid at a foreclosure auction, you must have a cashier's check in your hand for the full amount of your bid. If you are the successful bidder, you receive the property in "as is" condition, which may include someone still living in the property. There may also be other liens against the property.

Since what is owed to the bank is almost always more than what the property is worth, very few foreclosure auctions result in a successful sale. Then the property "reverts" to the bank. It becomes an REO, or "real estate owned" property.

If your looking for a detailed list of REO(Bank owned real estate) Properties Simply sign up to receive Issaquah WA Bank Owned Properties updates.

One of my favorite things to do on a fall day in Issaquah is to visit the Fish Hatchery!

Residents of Issaquah WA know all to well that Salmon Days Kick off the October celebration of the annual pilgrimage for salmon returning home to spawn on the Issaquah Creek.

Today the the sun was out, but it was still pretty windy! What a great day to walk around downtown Issaquah WA. From the fish hatchery you can visit the Issquah Library, Issaquah Brewhouse, Art by Fire and many more downtown shops!

So if you find yourself with nothing to do and your near Downtown Issaquah WA check out the hatchery and enjoy what Downtown Issaquah has to offer.

This Saturday Salmon Days 2009 kicks off it's 40th Salmon Days Grand Parade. This year will be a great event with over 250 Artists, 40+ food vendors, Field of Fun and Live Entertainment.

The Grand Parade starts at 10am on Saturday October 3rd. The route travels donw Gilman Blvd from Front Street to 12th Ave.

Be Green and take your bike to Salmon Days!

Nestled at the Hatchery is a special place for those who love to cycle. Last year, Salmon Days again offered a bike corral! This allowed our attendees to peddle past the traffic and park their bike while they enjoyed the Festival. The Bike Corral's Ohfishal Spawnsors are REI and Banner Bank.

Festival Parking and Shuttles

3 Convenient Shuttle Stops to make your travel fast, efficient and affordable!

You can drive or bike to free parking lots, then take the shuttles or walk to the Festival.

Parking at all three Shuttle Stops is FREE!

Riding the shuttle costs $2 per person! Children 12 and under ride free!

Shuttles run every 15-20 minutes, Saturday and Sunday, 9:00am to 7:00pm.

To get around once you're at the festival, you can use this map! (PDF)

Remember which shuttle you arrived on, and take the same shuttle back.