Kenmore, WA

If You Want to be a Real Estate Consultant, Stop acting like a Car Salesman. A lot of complain that people treat us like car sales men and do not trust us. Well, how do they get paid and how do we get paid? Sound familiar? Would you pay any consultant on a commission basis? I do not think so. We all want the best of both worlds. We want to get paid like a salesman and be trusted like a professional consultant. Some of us can even pull it off some of the time.

If you want to make a commission, then fine. Always make 3%, or make nothing. Take the risk and if it works you make the big bucks. And if not, (like most of the time) then make nothing. But do not say you are really representing your client. How can you do that if you may not get paid by doing so? There is an inherent conflict of interest in most cases between your interests and your seller or buyer. We try to work on that if we are honest, but at the end of the day, you have to be a salesman or go broke.

If You Want to be a Real Estate Consultant, Stop acting like a Car Salesman. Maybe, just maybe, we ought to change this whole business and only be consultants. Get paid by the hour only for the work we actually do and always get paid. The better we consult, the more clients we will have and the more money we can charge an hour. Makes sense doesn't it. It does to me. As we are in the business longer and know and learn more, we make more money. But, this would take a whole change in the industry and all of our attitudes. Are you ready for it. What do all you folks out there think anyways. Give me some feedback, non agents too!

AT the end of the day what do you want to be, a Real Estate Consultant, or a Salesman?

At the end of the day, as a client, who do you want to work with a Real Estate Consultant or a Salesman?

Seattle's best suburban neighborhood has been named by Seattle Magazine and Family Circle Magazine. I have to say that I agree after receiving the role of Community Sales Manager of the affordable homeownership community of Copper Lantern Homes.

Drum roll please........ The "Best Town for Families" and "#1 Best Seattle Suburban Neighbor" is....... Kenmore, WA!

Seattle Magazine rated Kenmore, Washington #1 because of the affordability of housing, commute, schools avg GPA, walk-ablity and low crime rate. Family Circle Magazine also named Kenmore as one of their Top 10 Towns for Families for essentially the same accomplishments.

Kenmore is centrally located on the north shore of Lake Washington. Kenmore is a convenient drive from Seattle, Redmond and Bellevue, all within a 15 minute drive.

Kenmore is a "up-and-coming" town with it's current and future developments. A few of the civic projects are the Kenmore City Hall and the expansion of the Bothell Highway/hwy 522.

The City of Kenmore is currently redeveloping the area by expanding the Hwy 522 and completing the LEED Gold Certified, City Hall. The city hall is scheduled to open this Spring, 2010.

The next exciting development, is the "Village By The Lake" outdoor mall and residences. This 9.6 acre project will be designed by GGLO and Urban Partners, LLC, the same firms that created "University Village" in Seattle.

This new development will include: affordable housing, green space, retail and 23,000 sqft of event space! Here's a rendering that I have permission to use for this blog.

Currently, the space that is going to be redeveloped, is where the old city hall is located and a few commercial and transportation zoned parcels. Urban Partners, LLC are in the process of developing this land for the new mixed use community to create a "central place" for the residents of Kenmore. Construction of the project is being under review.

A special affordability homeowersip community is also making gossip in the local real estate market but of course it's good gossip. Copper Lantern Homes is a community just one block away from the new Kenmore City Hall and the proposed, "Village by the Lake" site. The community is exclusively offer to First Time Home Buyers that meet moderate household income guidelines.

The community was developed by Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) with cooperation of, ARCH, The City of Bothell, Kenmore and local housing advocates. The 3 bedroom 2.5 bath "Augusta"with 1500 sqft, is offered at $224,500.The community is very walk friendly with a 78 out of 100 walkscore. Kenmore's public library is just one block from the community as well as local fire and police. Kenmore's school district is Northshore. The Inglewood Golf Club is less than a mile south of the homes. The Kenmore Park & Ride for King County Metro Transit & Sound Transit is also a couple of blocks south. University of Washington Bothell Campus, is a 10 min bus ride from the P&R or about 3.5 miles. The Burke Gilman Trail access point is two blocks south, offering pedestrians and bicyclists an unobstructed path along Lake Washington, all the way to Seattle's Golden Gardens Park on the Puget Sound.

All the homes are priced 15% to 20% below comparable homes in the area. A great way to become a homeowner at Copper Lantern Homes is by utilizing Key Bank's Key Program. This program offers ZERO DOWN with No Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) payment. Usually, when you place less than 20% down on a home purchase, you'll be subject to pay PMI.

The homes are equipped with GE Energy Star appliances. The carpets are recycled bottle caps, like how North Face makes their jackets. The building construction is gorgeous and "green built" was in mind. All the homes have engineered Brazilian Hardwood floors and water conserving toilets.

You can see our video showcasing the community here.

If you would like to learn more about this affordable homeownership community in Kenmore, visit www.copperlanternhomes.com or contact me @ save@wahousingadvocates.com. I specialize in affordable homeownership and my organization offers mortgage loss mitigation advocacy for homeowners in short sale and/or pre-foreclosure situations.

See more at my organization's website: Washington Housing Advocates

Home Loans in Kenmore, WA - pre- approval

It is getting harder and harder to get a Home Loan Approval these days. We have never really seen this level of necessary paperwork ever. As a loan originator and a real estate agent, I prepare my clients from day one to be ready for everything they can imagine to be asked for and then some. But every time there is a new deal, I am surprised at what problems can arise in getting a Home Loan Approval. I just had an FHA loan denied, after we already had a Home Loan Approval from the lender pending results from a 4506T response from the IRS. That form is used to verify that they indeed did file tax returns.

It turns out, however, that my client had not filed her 2007 Tax returns. She owned no money, we had the necessary W2 forms. Not only did they deny the loan, but they would not even put the Home Loan Approval process on hold until she filed the tax returns the next day and wait to send out another 4506T. We had to start the loan all over again at a different lender and she may need to go look for a different home . These lenders are getting more black and white in how they see everything with less and less exceptions possible.

And, by the way, we had to wait over 5 months for the short sale approval from the 2 different banks so we could buy this home and get the Home Loan Approval in the first place. Now, after she gets the Home Loan Approval all over again, we have to hope that the 2 lenders will give us an extension so she can still buy the same home.

So, I learned again, not to assume anything when getting a Home Loan Approval. I assumed because we had W2's that she had filed a tax return. It just goes to show you that we have to ask questions no matter how obvious we think the answers are when we are going for a Home Loan Approval.

Signing a Buyers Agency Agreement - in Kenmore, Washington Homes for Sale is not about the paper itself. I would never hold someone (including myself as the agent) to working together if we no longer wanted to. The reason for the agreement is simply to make a mutual commitment to each other. If anyone wants out, it is best to end the relationship as quickly as possible and I have done this several times from both sides in the past 10 years or so.

1. Signing a Buyers Agency Agreement - in Kenmore, Washington Homes for Sale

As I see it, as an agent, I can see myself as a salesperson, or a consultant. If I am a salesperson, then I would not want an agreement and I would just meet anyone at any time and try to sell them a house. This is not how I want to run my business.

No matter how I connect with a potential client, I always want to meet them and educate them about the home buying process if they are a first time buyer, and if not, at least share with them how I run my business. This first meeting may come soon after making contact, or several months down the road. Basically it comes when they get serious, and always before I go show them homes. I may have had lots of conversation with them before we meet and I may have sent them listings as well, depending on their needs.

The first thing I do when they are ready to start looking is arrange a meeting for educational purposes. I then ask them if they are pre-approved and if not, see if I can help them do that. Once that ball is rolling and prior to the meeting, I email them the important purchase and sale forms, State of Washington Agency Law Pamphlet, a buyer's guide, a Buyers Agenccy Agreement form, and a plug about why they might want to work with me with some testimonials included. And that is why they many want to be Signing a Buyers Agency Agreement - in Kenmore, Washington Homes for Sale. They can also learn more about me at my website: Looking4SeattleHomes.com

I will not even meet with them until they have at least looked over what I have sent them and know that they are pre-approved to buy a home. If they have not been pre-approved, I send them to my loan brokerage site: Metropolitan Mortgage Group

By the time we get together, they have seen all the work that I have done and either like what I have done or think something else about me. The initial meeting will take 1-3 hours depending on whether they are first time buyers or not. If they are, I will go through the buying process from start to finish so that they understand and are comfortable proceeding with a purchase. I have never had a first time buyer get nervous and back out of a purchase as a lot of agents have done as a result of educating them.

With all buyers, I go over how I run my business, talk about my Fiduciary duty and that I take it seriously, how I will never try and sell them a house, and in fact will tell them some general things I see wrong with every house we see so that they are sure they are buying the right house. I help them understand that they are actually hiring me to represent them the same as if they hired an attorney, except that I will get paid by the seller and isn't that wonderful? I share with them that because I know that I will get paid at the end of the day, that I will not rush them, ever. I talk with them about the incredible level of service that I will provide them and they that they can expect, and that that is the only way I can expect referrals from them. And that this is the only way I can work. If we have a commitment to each other, then I can provide that level of service, and if not, I cannot and they will have to find an agent that is more of a salesperson to show them houses if that is what they want because I do not do that. Any agent can open doors for them or send them listings.

By the time we are finished with our meeting, they are either more then ready to be Signing a Buyers Agency Agreement - in Kenmore, Washington Homes for Sale based on how they feel and the work that I have already done, or not and that is fine with me as well because then I can stop wasting my time with them and help the ones who signed an agreement with me.

If, at any point down the road, either one of us is uncomfortable working with each other, we cancel the agreement in writing. After all, you only want to work with clients that are happy to work with you and you enjoy being around. And that, ultimately, is what a is all about.

Kenmore Wa topped the list in the number one spot for best neighborhoods in Seattle, but it is actually a Seattle suburb. Seattle Magazine took suburbs and Seattle neighborhoods and compared them all together to come up with the best places to live based on a point system. Kenmore came in at #1!

Affordable homes in the Suburbs!

On RainCityHouses.com I just wrote a post on Seattle suburbs with homes under $300k for first time home buyers trying to take advantage of some low prices and the tax credit before the deadline in Novemebr. Kenmore was on my list with 10 homes available for iunder $300k.

Come check out this cool city and see what the buzz is about: Kenmore real estate Done't forget to peek at Lake Washingotn - you might see the Evening Magazine seaplane taing off - there are also some great waterfront properties here on the Sammamish Slough which flows right into Lake Washington!

Nearby Seattle suburbs? Lake Forest Park real estate and Brier real estate are good ones to check out!