From Anna Matsunaga, Team Momentum, Keller Williams Realty Tacoma

www.teammomentumrealestate.com

253 353 2662

With the new postal rates coming into effect as of the 1/22/2012, I am going to the post office today to pick up the "make up stamps" as well as to mail post cards to clients. Since I sell real estate, I do use alot of stamps.....

Got busy and realized it was past 5pm, no worries, there are locations open longer....so if you are wanting to run in to the closest post office or postal station to up date your stamp inventory....here is a link that has all the local stations and office's hours, could save you time!

http://www.hoursmap.com/c/tacoma-wa/us+post+office-hours-locations-s1254658

Need your new stamps? You have the information you need it, where to go and when they are open. Me? I am headed over to the post office at Evergreen station, if you are one of my real estate clients in the Tacoma area, if you don't have it already, one of my Winter seasonal cards is on it's way to you now. Let me know what you think. :)

--Anna Matsunaga

www.teammomentumrealestate.com

Buyers / Sellers Market

When you hear these terms you might know what they mean but then again you might not know exactly how they will apply to you.

Several years ago we were in a sellers market. Basically its a market where the sellers has most of the advantage. Currently we are in a buyers market where the buyer has the advantage. Both markets can work well but the benefits are usually for one side or the other.

What is a Buyers Market?

A buyers market is when there are too many homes on the market and not enough buyers. This makes the prices of the homes go down and cause sellers to be more motivated. This being said, buyers have the advantage by being able to negotiate a great deal on the home and getting much of what they want from the sellers. This can be a good or bad position for buyers though in that there could be lack of buyers due to the fact the interest rates are high. Buyers simply cannot afford to buy a home with a mortgage with interest rates too high.

Although right now is a great time because the rates are still low, there is an abundance of homes on the market and buyers can get a great deal.

What is a sellers market?

When sellers have the upper hand, there are a flood of buyers in the market due to goo financing or low rates and there are just not enough sellers to meet the demand. This drives home prices up and competition through the roof.

Several years ago we were seeing this with escalation clauses allowing the buyer to bid a certain amount over the highest bidder for the house. This is simply not the case now. On foreclosures or short sales you might see more of it but with the majority of homes on the market, just finding a buyer is what the seller wants.

No matter what market you are in, there are benefits both ways. When the market is in the buyers favor it is the time to buy. When it is in the sellers favor is the time to sell.

There seems to be an upswing of buyers and a lower amount of homes on the Tacoma real estate market. So are the tides turning? Let's just say don't wait too long if you've been thinking of buying a home.

If you have to sell any Tacoma homes or properties please give us a call to discuss the best options for you. IF you would like an update on all homes in the Thurston county real estate area, please don't hesitate to give Crescent Realty a call or email them!

Post Originated here http://www.crescentrealty.com/index.php?page_id=262 for Crescent Realty by Tammy Emineth

There’s both good news and bad news on the foreclosure front.

The good news? According to RealtyTrac’s Year-End 2011 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report™, total U.S. foreclosure activity and the foreclosure rate were both at their lowest annual level since 2007.

The bad news? Foreclosure levels were artificially lowered due to delays following the robo-signing scandal. However, those delayed foreclosures will likely reappear in 2012.

“There were strong signs in the second half of 2011 that lenders are finally beginning to push through some of the delayed foreclosures in select local markets. We expect that trend to continue this year, boosting foreclosure activity for 2012 higher than it was in 2011,” said Brandon Moore, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac.

Fortunately, both the financial and government sectors are more committed than ever to finding alternatives to foreclosure, including short sales. In fact, Bank of America expects a 60-70% increase in short sale closings this year.

Sandy Wagner

Short Sale Specialist in Tacoma, WA and Gig Harbor, WA

Helping people find a way out of foreclosure

253.225.8322

www.sandywagnerhomes.com

This post was authored and photo taken by Paul Henderson ©2012, All Rights Reserved, This content may not be reproduced or reprinted (Except for ActiveRain Re-blogging) without express written permission of Paul Henderson, RE/MAX Professionals, Tacoma, WA.

On Thursday, Veros Real Estate Solutions released its
VeroFORECAST real estate market forecast for the 12-month period ending Dec. 1, 2012.

Their findings indicate “the national housing recovery will continue to be gradual and slow without any significant changes in markets.”

Veros predicts up to four percent appreciation in the strongest markets, including Fargo and Bismark, North Dakota; the Washington, D.C. area; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Anchorage, Alaska.

Veros projects the five weakest markets—which include areas of California, Nevada and Florida—to depreciate five to six percent over the next year.

While this is welcome news for the country’s strongest markets, the reality is, 1 in 5 homeowners are underwater on their mortgage. For many of them, the recovery isn’t coming quickly enough. Housing prices remain 33% below 2006 levels, so even at four percent appreciation, millions of homeowners remain in serious peril.

Sandy Wagner

Short Sale Specialist in Tacoma, WA and Gig Harbor, WA

Helping people find a way out of foreclosure

253.225.8322

www.sandywagnerhomes.com