Author Archive for News Feed

Bellevue Loan Officer Sentenced to 7 Years for Mortgage Fraud

Bellevue loan officer Christopher Brooks, whose own attorney said he could be a “poster child” for the nation’s mortgage mess, was sentenced Friday to seven years in federal prison and ordered to pay nearly $2.5 million in restitution for running what prosecutors say was one of the largest home-mortgage-fraud cases brought so far in Western [...]

Economic Stimulus Projects in Washington

Below is  a link to the “shovel-ready” projects the mayors of Washington State submitted in the 2008 U.S. Conference of Mayors report. You can click on a project to read (and add to) its description. You can also discuss the project and vote on whether you believe it is critical or not. For a more [...]

Storm Causes Challenges for Renton as New Solid Waste Service is Rolled Out

Renton residential customers are encouraged to call Waste Management at 1-800-592-9995 and watch for a notice in their mailbox.
December’s perfect storm of rain, wind and snow created challenges for Waste Management, the company that provides Renton area residents with solid waste collection services. As the company delivered over 34,000 carts to Renton customers, the [...]

SR 522 Improvement Project Update

The look of the SR 522 corridor is changing, and there are several major construction activities taking place in the next few months. Below is a list of work that is planned for this winter.
Planning for SR 522 Paving
Early in 2009 crews will complete substantial paving on SR 522 in the vicinity of 68th Ave. [...]

City of Woodinville Bond Increased

City’s Bond Rating is Increased:  Standard and Poor’s (S & P’s), a leader in global credit ratings and credit risk analysis, recently raised the bond credit rating for the City of Woodinville’s debt from AA- to AA+.  A bond credit rating reflects the financial strength of an entity and its ability to re-pay debt on [...]

Real Estate Auction In Bellevue/ Redmond, Washington

Homes for auction in Bellevue and Redmond, Washington?  I noticed the first signs I’d ever seen for the auction of residential real estate in the Overlake area of Redmond/Bellevue, just a hop, skip, and a jump from Microsoft.
I’d just left a meeting with a client in a nearby neighborhood and was surprised to stumble upon [...]

What Were The Chances Of Selling a Home on Seattle’s Eastside in September, 2008?

The chances of selling a home on the Eastside in September 2008 ranged from a low of 8% to a high of 19%, with an average 12% absorption rate. (The absorption rate is the number of homes for sale in any given month divided by the actual number of homes sold that month.) Numbers will be rounded off to the nearest whole [...]

It’s Tough Out There Real Estate-So What Should I Be Doing?

Kris Berg wrote a piece on her San Diego  Home blog about how strange it felt writing about the “normal” things in real estate when there are so many sad houses and people going into foreclosure.  I’ve been thinking the same thing. Although Seattle and eastside real estate are not as dire as Southern California, there are auction signs and [...]

Realogy grows upstart franchise brand

Real estate brief
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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/inmannews/~3/427238804/realogy-grows-upstart-franchise-brand
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Vulcan plans more apartments, renovation of historic South Lake Union laundry

Vulcan plans a 330-unit apartment building on most of the block in South Lake Union between Harrison and Republican streets and Pontius and Yale avenues North. The century-old Supply Laundry building, also on the block, would be preserved and renovated as part of the project.

Facing foreclosure, Puget Sound families rush to hang on to their homes

Help is hard to find for homeowners facing foreclosure: Counseling agencies and lenders are swamped with calls. To get help before it’s too late, distressed homeowners need to be aggressive…Real Full Article
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008286550_foreclose20.html?syndication=rss
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Property taxes due on Halloween

If you pay your own taxes, you have until midnight Oct. 31 to get your payment postmarked and avoid delinquency charges. Extensions are not given…Real Full Article
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/realestate/2008280229_proptaxes19.html?syndication=rss
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Local mortgage rates

Click on the attached chart to see the average Seattle-area rates for 30-year fixed, 15-year fixed and 1-year adjustable-rate mortgages…Real Full Article
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/realestate/2008280226_mortgagechart19.html?syndication=rss
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September condo sales

Click on the attached chart to see the September figures on condo sales for King and Snohomish counties, by neighborhood…Real Full Article
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/realestate/2008280220_condosales19.html?syndication=rss
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Invasion of the PODS puts neighbors on edge

Portable storage containers are convenient, but complaints that they are unsightly or take up parking spaces have prompted some local governments to crack down on their usage…Real Full Article
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/realestate/2008280227_pods19.html?syndication=rss
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Spotlight on bright side of mortgage market

It would be a big stretch to label housing the sunny side of the market at the moment, but there’s a lot more light there than in most other financial sectors because there is no shortage of money for home mortgages…Real Full Article
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/realestate/2008280221_harney19.html?syndication=rss
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Adjustable-rate mortgages may still make sense

Mortgage specialists say adjustable rate mortgages may be a better, cheaper choice for homeowners who plan to stay put for only seven years…Real Full Article
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/realestate/2008280216_arms19.html?syndication=rss
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No need to pull up "For Sale" sign in fall

Real estate agents say fall often brings out the more serious lookers who need to buy a home right away…Real Full Article
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/realestate/2008280218_autumn19.html?syndication=rss
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Upside-down mortgages on rise

Within a year, Moody’s Analytics predicts, a whopping 30 percent of all U.S. mortgage holders will owe more on their homes than they are worth…Real Full Article
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/realestate/2008280224_homeworth19.html?syndication=rss
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Renters in Seattle find inventory scarce, prices high

High prices and low vacancy rates have created a distinct sense of competition for many Seattle area renters, particularly in the lower-income and under-30 demographics…Real Full Article
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/realestate/2008280231_renters19.html?syndication=rss
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