Lacey, WA

1. You need to get pre-approved for a loan so you look in the price range for a home, most sellers won't accept an offer without a pre-approval letter...
2. The list price isn't set in stone!
3. Chances are slim that a seller will accept an offer $20 thousand below the list price in the first week on the market!
4. The listing Agent works for the seller. He has no fiduciary responsibility for you in most states...
5. Make sure if you want something, get it in writing...
6. The $400 you spend on a home inspection will save you thousands in heartache.
7. When in doubt, ask a professional!
8. If you are planning on collecting on the government $8000 tax credit you better be narrowing your search to make an offer!

Now is not the time to climb up on the fence! It's time to get off the fence and buy a house!

Authored by Paul S. Henderson, Realtor ®, RE/MAX Professionals,

Dupont, Lacey & Olympia WA.

(http://phenderson.net)

©2008 Paul S. Henderson, What Home Buyers Need to Know this Weekend, All Rights Reserved

Time is indeed running short on the federal government's $8,000 tax credit. To have any chance at finding a home and having an offer accepted by the first week in October, buyers will have to get off the fence and jump into the home buying process right away to meet the December 1, 2009 deadline. The immediate actions include making a desired list of home amenities, driving through areas and neighborhoods, meeting with a mortgage professional and getting a pre-approval letter in hand. Then begin your home search either online or with a Realtor ®.

Though the official expiration date of the credit is December 1, in reality procrastination by buyers will not be rewarded and a decision one way or the other must be made soon. The reason: in order to qualify for the credit, the home purchase must be completed by December 1st. Just having a loan approval, a signed contract or an accepted offer won't be enough to qualify for the Housing and Economic Recovery Act.

If you're hoping to buy a home that is bank owned or in a short sale situation your timeline is even in more drastic. We are experiencing 70 to 100 days to close such properties.

Prepare for Delays! Like all government programs, it will be a crazy month come November. You will lose a week, at least, for Thanksgiving. Buying a home is a complicated process, and it is not unusual for purchases involving first-time buyers to take a little longer than those with investors or involving buyers who have experienced this journey before.

Remember the competition later this fall will get more intense for any house worth having so you better get a move on!

Authored by Paul S. Henderson, Realtor ®, RE/MAX Professionals,

Lacey, Dupont & Olympia, WA.

(http://phenderson.net) or http://www.lacey-washington.com

©2009 Paul S. Henderson, You better get a move on, All Rights Reserved

I believe we have one of the best adult communities in Washington State. It's called Jubilee which means celebration to me at least. Some people think it's a prison sentence rather than a celebration, but I tend to look at the positive side of life and to live it to the fullest.

55 is only a number and a speed limit!

We don't call them retirement communities anymore. Why should we? Who has time or can afford to retire anymore?My last client, who was interested in downsizing, said it was nice dealing with a Realtor ®, who could actually live in the adult community they were showing. She also told me that she had worked with another agent who she felt was trying to commit her rather than help her make the decision on whether or not she should buy in a adult community.

I feel I can bring a different prospective, not just because I'm mature but because I know how hard it is to stick 3000 square feet of furniture and keepsakes into 1500 square feet. Something has to give someplace. That is the biggest question for most of my mature clients, is it worth the hassle. Only the client knows and I'm the one that has to ask the questions;

• Can I afford it?
• Is your TV your best friend?
• Are you tired of being alone?
• Are you tired of cleaning rooms you don't use?
• Do you want to make new friends?
• Are your friends living where you want to move?

Retirement and downsizing can be done with intelligence and grace. We just have to point you in the right direction and give you the facts. If your ready to look at a new active lifestyle, Please contact me and let's celebrate the rest of your life at Jubilee!

Here is the link www.jubileeliving.com

Authored by Paul S. Henderson, Realtor ®, RE/MAX Professionals & Four Seasons,

Your independent Jubilee Specialist, I work for you!

(http://phenderson.net) or http://www.lacey-washington.com

Specializing in Internet marketing strategies for positive results!

©2009 Paul S. Henderson, Jubilee is for Active Retirement Living, All Rights Reserved

If you are looking for some free entertainment this summer, come check out what Lacey has to offer! Lacey's Parks Department (www.ci.lacey.wa.us) is sponsoring a series of children's entertainment, lunch time musical concerts in the park, games shows based on TV games shows, and outdoor movies under the stars!

Remaining childrens' entertainment includes Shakespeare in the Park today (7/21), Henrik Bothe on the 28th, Angel Ocasio on Aug 4th & Recess Monkey Aug. 11th - these are all at 6:30 PM in Huntamer Park (corner of 7th Ave & Woodland Square Lp) in Lacey.

The lunchtime music is noon til 1:00 on Wednesdays and is also in Woodland Square Park - bring your blanket or lawn chair and some lunch and listen to Creme Tangerine do some Beatles tunes this week, or Gaelica's Celtic/Appalachian/American Folk music 7/29; Gray Daisy's rock music on 8/5; or jazz from Bobby Medina's quartet on 8/12.

Your chance to be a game show winner happens on Saturdays in Huntamer Park before the movies - July 25th features "Deal or No Deal"; August 1st is "Password"; & August 8th is "Family Feud" - great entertainment while you wait for the movies at dusk!!

And those outdoor movies will include Kung Fu Panda on July 25th; Raiders of the Lost Ark Aug. 1st & Comic Book Double Features Ironman & Incredible Hulk on Aug. 8th. Fun to settle down on the grass and watch with your friends and family!

And did I mention that all of these are free, free, free! So if you want something fun to do or the kids are already whining that they are bored - come check these out!

If you've turned on a TV or read a newspaper in the last year then you have likely heard talk that we are in the midst of a buyer's market in the real estate world. A buyer's market would lead you to believe that buyers are in control and are able to negotiate fantastic deals on their purchases. You may also be led to believe that sellers are desperate and that they will welcome all offers. While these things may be true in parts of the country, they certainly ARE NOT true here in the Olympia area! Unless you plan on purchasing a property that needs some good old sweat equity (in other words it is UGLY), you should plan on likely paying within 10% of the asking price.

Depending on what price range you are looking at, you may actually find yourself in the middle of a bidding war. In fact, the last 10 offers I have written with my buyer clients have been situations where there were competing offers on the house. Now logic will tell you that if you want to get a screaming deal on your house, competing with other offers is not ideal!

So, in what price ranges are you most likely to get a big discount from the asking price and in what price ranges are you likely to find yourself competing? The following chart will shed some light on that...

In this chart the green bars represent demand, or the percentage of total sales that fall in each price range. The purple represents supply, or the percent of active listings in each price range. You can see here that the price range where demand is higher than supply is everything under $300,000, and most dramatically in the $200,000-$250,000 range. This is the price range where you can expect to pay closest to the asking price (on average) and you are most likely to find yourself in competition with other offers. However, once you get above $300,000 the tables begin to turn. There is far more supply than there is demand. This means that sellers in this price range are going to be more likely to entertain a low offer and you may get a bigger discount on your purchase.

The most important thing for home buyers is to get connected with a real estate professional who is knowledgeable about local market trends, able to show you a detailed market analysis, easy to communicate with, and skilled in negotiating on the behalf of buyers. Finding the right agent will make your home buying experience far less stressful and should also save you money!