Top Reasons Renters Say They Want to Own

Home

A recent study by mortgage giant Fannie Mae showed that 90 percent of renters aspire to be home owners one day, and the top reason behind that desire is for the sense of gaining greater control over their living arrangements.

The survey revealed the following top reasons why renters want to own…

Why Builders Don’t Fear Housing Bubble

Home prices are rising rapidly in many markets, but Pacific Coast Builders Confidence attendees name two main factors that should quell fears of a new bubble.

Read the details…

Why Some Buyers Are Feeling Like They Missed Out

Calculator

Mortgage rates and home prices are on the rise, and some home buyers who were waiting around for the housing market to reach bottom are realizing now they may have missed the boat.

Mortgage rates are inching up, with the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaging 3.91 percent last week — up from 3.3 percent in early May, according to mortgage giant Freddie Mac.

For more details…

Foreclosure Activity Back on the Rise

Foreclosure filings—which include default notices, scheduled auctions, and bank repossessions—increased 2 percent in May, rising from a 75-month low in April, according to the latest foreclosure report from RealtyTrac. Still, foreclosure filings are down 28 percent from a year ago.

The May increase was largely attributed to an 11 percent increase in bank repossessions. Foreclosure starts also ticked up 4 percent in May over last month, with 26 states posting increases, according to the report.

Read more…

Impact of Rising Mortgage Rates on Home Sales

NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun says mortgage rates will continue to rise.

Read his latest blog post to learn how that could impact home sales.

How Much Does it Really Cost to Decorate?

Designers

Eight designers share secrets about the costs of assembling finished spaces—and the numbers may surprise you!

Surveys such as Remodeling magazine’s “Cost vs. Value” report detail how much it costs to complete a variety of major popular home improvement projects each year, including the always popular kitchen and bathroom redos.

But those numbers don’t reveal many of the additional expenses that give a room a truly finished look: a good paint job, built-in cabinetry, furnishings, carpeting, lighting, accessories, and so much more. Buyers and sellers who haven’t recently decorated or remodeled have no clue how quickly costs add up — sometimes exponentially.

Read more…

Emergency Preparedness

Each June, the National Safety Council encourages organizations to get involved and participate in National Safety Month. NSM is an annual observance to educate and influence behaviors around leading causes of preventable injuries and deaths.

This week’s theme is emergency preparedness.  Here’s information about emergency preparedness provided by King County.

Top Markets for Buyers and Sellers

???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

If you’re considering buying a home, you might want to know whether you’re in a buyers or sellers market.

Tight inventory favors sellers in the Southwest, while buyers have the upper hand in some Midwestern and Eastern cities.

Read the details here, and see where Seattle is on the list!

Cities With the Best Parks

Central Park

These five cities dedicate the most land and money per resident to their park systems and the results show, with plenty of green.

If there is one thing that we value in the Puget Sound area of Washington, it’s nature. Throughout our history this community has prized the outdoors, and that’s evident in the sheer number of parks you’ll find here. One will also find that our region is full of unique places that help set our area apart.

Do you have a favorite park? Leave a comment here and share it with us!

Americans’ Optimism about Buying and Selling a Home Hits Record Levels

Americans’ confidence in their ability to buy and sell a home climbed sharply in May, likely due to reports of strong home price gains, according to results from Fannie Mae’s May 2013 National Housing Survey. The share of respondents who say now is a good time to sell a home reached a record high.

Read the details here…