$329,900
4 bedrooms; Bonus Room; 2.5 bathrooms; 2,376 square feet
Better than new with many upgrades! Completely open floor plan with high ceilings, lots of windows & engineered hardwood floors throughout main level. Kitchen includes granite counters, stainless appliances & gas range. This beautiful home also features AC, storm doors, fully fenced yard, large deck, sod, front/back sprinklers and a shed. Enjoy picnics in the park behind the house + 3 more parks with playgrounds & sports in Ridgeview Estates. Bonus room & bedroom have clear views of Mt Rainier.
Sold 8/3/17 for $337,000
$389,900
Duplex: 6 bedrooms; 3.5 bathrooms; 2,442 square feet
A turnkey investment opportunity with positive cash flow! Tenants enjoy vaulted ceilings in living rooms, large kitchens, large master bedrooms with double closets, as well as large & private fully fenced yards with patios. Both units include deep garages & backyard storage; one has a shed. Well maintained with new fence; newer roof, insulation, electrical panels, windows, blinds, doors, appliances, exterior and interior paint, carpet. Long term month-to-month tenants of 14 & 4 yrs wish to stay.
Sold 8/4/17 for $392,000
$279,900
3 bedrooms; 1.5 bathrooms; 1,408 square feet
A beautiful home in peaceful Heather Hills is available! You will love the new exterior paint, deck and landscaped large, level corner lot. This home features a newer roof, windows and updated kitchen with granite counters, garden window, newer appliances and tile floor. Enjoy entertaining with a large deck, patio and yard ideal for sports and games. Trailer/boat/possible RV parking. You’ll also appreciate the appealing neighborhood with trees and a large park perfect for picnics and relaxing!
Sold 8/14/17
Government-sponsored financing giant Fannie Mae will ease its requirements this month, raising its debt-to-income ceiling from 45 percent to 50 percent on July 29. The move could pave the way for a larger number of new buyers to qualify for a mortgage, particularly millennials who may be saddled with student loan debt.
The debt-to-income ratio compares a person’s gross monthly income with his or her monthly payment on all debt accounts, including auto loans, credit cards, and student loans. It also factors in the projected payments on the new mortgage. Lenders see applicants with lower debt-to-income ratios as less at risk of defaulting.
Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Housing Administration have exemptions that allow them to buy or insure loans with higher ratios than the federal rules, which are set at a maximum of 43 percent. The FHA allows debt-to-income ratios of more than 50 percent in some cases.
In a recent study, Fannie Mae researchers looked at more than a decade and a half of data from borrowers with debt-to-income ratios in the 45 percent to 50 percent range. They found that a significant number of these borrowers had good credit and were not prone to default.
When you’re selling your home, you may be willing to do whatever you can to help it stand out and sell faster. Because the National Association of Realtors is predicting modest growth for the 2017 real estate market, as a seller you want every edge you can get.
“Smart home features are designed to make homes more convenient, appealing, secure and energy-efficient — all of which are bonuses when you’re trying to sell a house,” says Geoff Lewis, President of RE/MAX, LLC. “Sellers who want to move their homes faster may benefit from adding smart features that make their properties more appealing to tech-minded buyers.”
According to IHS Markit and CNBC, 80 million smart home devices were delivered worldwide last year. That’s a 64 percent increase from 2015.
Here are six trending smart home features that might catch buyers’ attention and help sell your home faster:
1) Keyless/remote entry door locks
Have you ever left the house and worried that you left the front door unlocked? If your home is equipped with a keyless/remote entry door lock — available from multiple manufacturers — you can use an app on your smartphone to lock the door from wherever you are. Some manufacturers make versions that will also send a text or email to your phone when the door opens. Locks that can be programmed with multiple entry codes also allow you to see who comes and goes and when.
2) Smart lighting
From lighting automation that allows you to control lights remotely and wirelessly, to energy-efficient LED bulbs that can change color to match your mood and decor, lighting has come a long way. Some smart lights work in tandem with home automation systems to allow you to turn them on or off, or even dim them, from an app on a smartphone or tablet. Others require no communication hub and can be controlled directly from your mobile device. You can also put some smart bulbs on timers (using your wireless device), sync them with certain TV shows or movies, and integrate them with security cameras and thermostats.
3) DIY security systems
Don’t want to sign a contract or deal with complex security systems? Install-it-yourself security systems are affordable and offer security features like cameras, sensors, motion detectors and alarms or sirens, without the need for a security service to monitor them.
4) Smart appliances
The Internet of Things (IoT) — everyday objects that have network connectivity — includes a growing list of smart appliances. Many manufacturers are offering washers, dryers, refrigerators and other home appliances that can communicate with you — and each other — wirelessly. Many can be controlled remotely from your smartphone — so if you leave the house and can’t remember if you turned off the stove, you can check in and turn it off using your smartphone app.
While appliances aren’t always included in a home sale, they do make for interesting features that keep your home top of mind to buyers.
5) Smart plugs
One of the easiest, most affordable smart home upgrades you can make is to add smart plugs to your home. These Wi-Fi-enabled plugs fit existing outlets and can be controlled from a smartphone app. Plug anything into a smart plug, like lights or a television, and you can turn it on or off remotely, track energy consumption, or even create an on-off schedule.
6) Temperature controls
Programmable thermostats were just the beginning; today’s home temperature controls are even smarter. Like other smart home features, smart thermostats can be controlled remotely from your mobile device. You can program them to make automatic temperature adjustments and then use your smartphone to override the program like turning up the heat on a particularly cold day. Some smart thermostats learn from household behavior and adjust the temperature to meet your family’s needs and save energy, while others adjust based on the number of people in a room. And several can now be operated via voice-controlled virtual assistants.
“Many of these smart home features are surprisingly easy and affordable to install,” Lewis says. “Sellers who are open to the idea of investing a little money to possibly help get a speedier sale, may want to consider adding the smart features buyers will be looking for in 2017.”
If you or someone you know is thinking of selling, contact me today!
After a brief dip in April home sales, the U.S. housing market returned to seasonally high sales in May, increasing 20.6% from the previous month and 4.3% from May 2016, according to the RE/MAX National Housing Report released today. In fact, it was the strongest May in terms of home sales in the nine-year history of the report.
In addition, the average number of Days on Market dropped to a record low of 51, consistent with the Months Supply of Inventory shrinking to 2.6 months – both records for the report.
Other notable numbers:
Read the full article in RE/MAX’s newsroom…
Watch the 40 second summary video on YouTube…
You’ve seen every house on the market and you’ve finally found the spot you can’t wait to call home. In fact, you’ve mentally decorated it and planned your new life, down to the barbecues and block parties you’ll have with your awesome new neighbors. Sweet!
Slow down there, dear buyer. As you know, you still have one giant hurdle to overcome: You’ve got to make the offer that wins the house. And in a highly competitive housing market, that can be easier said than done. Don’t blow your chances with any of these common home offer mistakes.
By now just about every would-be buyer out there knows there simply aren’t enough homes for sale these days to appease the hordes of competition. But despite the shortages, rising prices, and bidding wars, more homes are expected to be sold this year than in more than a decade.
In 2017, the number of sales of existing homes (which have previously been lived in) is expected to rise about 3.5%, to 5.64 million, according to the midyear forecast from the National Association of Realtors®. The group predicts that existing-home purchases will rise an additional 2.8% in 2018, to 5.8 million.
Managing The Real Estate Details 