The ‘shadow inventory’ (homes either owned, or expected in the short term to be owned, by banks but not yet listed for sale) of our current housing market is showing signs of decreasing shrinking from 2,000,000 units nationally in January 2010 to 1,800,000 units as measured by CoreLogic in January 2011.  This 10% reduction is [...]

In another positive sign for the long term future of housing, mortgage delinquencies as reported by both Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac are continuing to steadily decline. Freddie Mac Report via NASDAQ News Freddie Mac Report via LoanRateUpdate.com As we’ve mentioned before 2011 will have some bumps especially within the areas of distressed properties where [...]

The latest mortgage interest rates have increased slightly (1/8 of 1%).  Here are the specifics: 30 Year Fixed Conventional: 4.875% (last week 4.75%) 30 Year Fixed FHA: 4.75% (unchanged) 15 Year Fixed Conventional: 4.125% (last week 4.0%)

Our first client appreciation event for 2011 will be the second annual, Shredding and Electronics Recycling event at our office in Kirkland on Saturday, April 30th from 10am to 2pm. Secure Document Shredding We’ll have a professional, commercial shredding service on site to securely shred and dispose of up to 10 boxes of your documents.  [...]

It’s almost Spring and you’re probably already dusting off the honey-do list and getting ready to spruce up your home up for the Summer entertaining season, and perhaps even to sell in the near or distant future. While not everything we do to make a house a home is about getting the best return on [...]

It’s been a busy start of 2011 for us, and we’ve missed posting our market updates online… and some strange things happen while we were away. While we were busy helping a handful of clients buy their first home or upgrade to a larger home… the market was climbing through the end of the 2010, [...]

The last 3 months have seen a shift interest rates from impossibly low rates of 4.0% for a 30 year fixed mortgage to today’s rates that have been boucing between 4.75% and 5.0% since mid-December.     Looking forward, unfortunately we don’t think we’re going to see rates dip below 4.5% anytime in the foreseeable [...]

Here’s a quick pop quiz about buyer preferences that’s based on research by the National Association of Realtors.  So test your knowledge of today’s Buyers – some answers may surprise you: 1. What’s was the median size of homes purchased between late 2005 and early 2007? A.    2,230 square feet B.    1,840 square feet C.    [...]

We’re getting organized for another great year of saying thanks to the many friends of our business.  Mark your calendars for these events: Shredding & Electronics Recycling – Saturday, April 30th Join us at our Kirkland office for a day of securely destroying your confidential documents using a commercial shredding service, as well as an [...]