If you are too high you are hoping! Period. You will get your home what is called shop worn, Realtors are watching the market and have all the equipment at their finger tips to price a home. Realtors and buyers will bypass many homes that are just overpriced the home sits and become why’s to people, why still on the market? Is something wrong with it? Etc.

Homes sell at the right price and condition, no Guess work just a matter of fact.  So see your realtor and get an accurate value. Realtors are on a commission and the more they get you the more they make, so they want the homes to move but at the highest price possible.

Think about this as of today from our NWMLS

466 NEW HOMES CAME ON THE MARKET

360 HOME REDUCED

PENDING 228

AND SOLD 61.

Yours needs to get to pending then sold.

You are staring at this point of the deadline to lose $8,000 for new Buyers, and $,6,500

For buyers who own homes, Deadline is April 30^th 2010 to be under contract.

There are also additional programs that help with down payments of out of certain area homes, that can create zero down program.

Banks continue to try and help people, whom are in trouble with their payments and home values, do not be prideful, call and let’s see if we can help lead you in the right direction.

The Home Buyers Tax Credit will be ending soon  it has been extended already but Buyers should be ready to realize that when it ends there is a distinct possibility that the interest rates will go up. That means in the long run you will pay more for a home.

The same goes for the sellers, get more realistic on your selling  price, listen to me, “Your Realor”,  once this great opportunity to sell your home with all the tax credits ends, you will have lost all that time with your price too high and then as happens so many times… The seller will finally drop their price…. Too late sometimes the Buyers have moved on and found a home they liked as well or better or they decided not to buy.

So Buyers and Sellers it is still a great time to use these tax credits to your advantage, lets talk.

If you are buying a home with a tax credit, the credit has been extended to be under contract by April 30^th of 2010 and closing by June 30^th 2010 for first time buyers and now individuals whom have lived in their purchased home for 5 years or more.

Also with the rural housing program you can purchase a home – 0 – down if it and you qualify.

VA -0- down to $417,000 and with a down payment to over $1,000,000.

FHA ‘s down payment remains at 3.5% and a ceiling of $361,250 in Thurston County and in Pierce County $567,000

This is a great time to buy and or move up in a home.

Interest rates at the time of this writing are 4.75% on a 30 year fixed loan. WOW! Take advantage of this folks, before these rates take a turn around.

Repo houses are taking months to close depending on lender and program backups, especially the rural housing and short sale purchases.

Looking forward to hearing from you if you have questions.

We are having another Free Home Buyers Class

This is a must if you are interested in buying a home. There is so much information out there regarding how to buy a home and what is available for credits and financing. Well we have the people that can give you this information right here in class, you don’t have to go to a dozen different sites or people  to learn what you need to know. Just one and a half hours of your time and you will  feel confident about making your purchase as you will have a guide line to follow and know what to  expect from start to finish.  Make this home buying experience a pleasant and smooth experience.

A time to ask questions and get the answers you have been looking for.

Our next class is: Thursday, September 17th  at 5:30pm until 7:00pm (library closes at 7)

Lacey Public Library

500 College Street SE

Lacey, Wa 98503

A Class for You ….Make informed decisions as an educated Homebuyer

Attend A FREE Two-Hour Homebuyer Workshop

Saturday, August 22, 2009  10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon

Lacey Library- 500 College Street SE, Lacey, Washington 98503

Get the answers to make informed decisions , this is the opportunity to learn more to help you in buying your first home in today’s market..

Amy Remington, Home Mortgage Consultant from Wells Fargo Home Mortgage is  putting on this class.  You will leave this workshop with either a Priority  Buyer mortgage pre approval decision, or an action-oriented First Home Purchase Plan.

You will meet knowledgeable professionals who can help you every step of the way.

Please let your family and friends know about this class as well.

Please call me today, 791-6333 to register for this Free Event. Seating is limited.

You can also register at www.WFHM/register

We are hearing rumors recession  has ended, I am sure that the people still out of jobs may have another response to that.

It sounds as though creating new jobs is still one major hurdle we have to overcome.  It may take time to turn things around enough to be able to create those jobs. Many companies have not replaced workers that were laid off yet,  they have found a  way to muddle though without adding employees. We have to hope that the economy gets fired up enough to warrant more employees because people are spending more and they need more help in the companies to run them more efficiently.  That is my hope.

Real Estate is starting to move some again I am happy to say, new home sales in our area have increased as well as resale homes. So is the recession over?

People seem to be buying and doing the things that are important to them . Check out the casinos, they were and have been busy, people tell me they haven’t seen much of a recession at the casinos, maybe they are hoping to win.  I still see the pan handlers smoking and at the price of cigarettes makes you wonder if the recession has affected them.

So do as we may, the economy is coming back, at it’s own pace and I think as it does we will see jobs start to come back too. My assistants paper in the small town she lives in had only about 1 ½  short columns of Help Wanted ads for such a long time. This week there are 4 ½ longer columns, so she is seeing an increase in jobs in her area.

This new, Bring in Your Clunker Program and receive money off of your new car plus incentives from the companies is really going strong, almost to strong.  I wonder how long this program will last, whose going to buy all those clunkers?  This program is  not doing anything for the used car lots. So it is helping one and hurting the other, there is a down side to everything that is done it seems.
Today the Dow is over $9,000 so we are seeing the improvement there too. Our retirement funds are starting to recoup and for that I am happy.  I have heard it said many times that the stock market usually recovers 6 months before the actual recovery starts to show in our everyday life. So lets hope for the best and try to send the positive on.

I receive so many emails that are political, just remember you can’t always believe everything you read in an email, or newspaper, check out the facts for yourself, don’t be a follower you never know where you might end up.

Have a great week.

Timm

There are many new programs popping up or being renewed in the lending world.

Do not be fooled by ads that sound too good to be true. Check with a good lender, (we can give you a list) you will find interest rates low and programs for 1^st time home buyers , gifting to kids to help with down payments, as well as Others, USDA, Washington State Bond, Conventional, FHA, 203K Streamline Loans for Purchasing, moving up, or refinancing. So Our Market is coming back Call Lets Chat.

It is a great time to buy and sell, and winter is just around the corner, (Ouch those are nasty words) but true the market will slow, down a bit like any normal year.

Sellers and their agents need to know the following, tough Love from your Realtor is hard for us to do but very necessary in a market like we are in.  Realtors are hungry for sales and afraid to lose a listing in this market. So they do not approach a seller they are working with and discuss proper pricing in the market today, or repairs, smells from animals, housekeeping, clutter, staging, etc.  Having listings that are not selling is costly for the agent and the seller, make sure your seller understands the numbers that it will take to sell the property.

If you have no equity and cannot pay the costs to sell, a hard decision must be made by the seller and agent. Should you sell?

If you are not getting showings or offers there is a reason, items above mentioned are problems that hinder offers.  Price is the biggest reason for not selling; a new analysis should be done every 7 to 10 days to see what is happening in the market place. Be a partner with your Realtor and have good communication.

Choosing a real Estate Agent you can work with, an agent that will work for you dedicated to providing you great service and staying with you during and after the sale.

One of the most important steps you can take. Locating a good lender, someone you feel completely comfortable with, not a new lender, get an established lender that will return your calls and is professional. Take your time, you are looking to be pre-qualified and then pre-approved. Give the lender all you information, do not hide anything; it bites you back when you are making your purchase. They will have questions to determine debt to income ratios to show you what is in your price range and payment range you feel comfortable with. Find out all the costs involved from your lender and real estate agent, estimate of closing costs Title insurance, escrow and bank fees, all costs involved so no surprises at the last minute.

Once you establish a relationship with your realtor, be loyal to them, they will be doing many things that you do not realize. They will be helping to eliminate the homes you would not be happy in, once you locate the home, have your agent do a market analysis to see what comparable properties have sold for.

Make a list of all the questions you may need about your home or area to feel comfortable, such as environmental conditions, schools, power lines, crime rate, neighborhood, parking, CC&R’s of the subdivision, power, water source, gas available, sewer or septic. And any others you may think of.

Once you find a home and have made an acceptable offer, be sure to have a home inspection, by not having a home inspection up front it could cost you later and this is on new or older homes.

A Great Place to Live and Enjoy Life! Thurston, Lewis, Grays Harbor, Mason, Pacific and Pierce Counties, great places to Live!

With all the wonderful prices, percentage rates and programs being offered, it is time! Rates will be going up again. New homes are starting to be built throughout the Counties again, and there are still a tremendous amount of prebuilt homes on the market that are offering some extremely good prices. This is the time of year to be buying and selling as families are relocating to upgrade or move closer to jobs and schools, The recreation opportunities offered are tremendous here with the beautiful Puget Sound for fishing, boating , just enjoy the landscape, streams, rivers, waterfalls and lakes.

Farmers Markets on weekends, special events like rodeos, nature walks, bird watching short drive to Mt. Rainier or Mt. St Helens. Drive to the ocean, with the beautiful beaches and bays. Winter brings many sports like snow skiing, sledding, and tubing in the mountains, and of course the favorite one, of many, is just hiding under the umbrella, dodging rain drops.

Call me to help you get started buying or selling, let me help you through the proper steps with all the changes that have been made due to the latest banking problems etc. I will offer you an expert guide through your process, receive the highest ethical treatment, negotiating experience, locating the best property to fit what you are looking for, get an objective opinion and information. I have 32+ years in the business helping people solve their problems and fulfill their dreams, allow me to help you, you like many other families and friends will be happy you did, and so will I.