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By Courtney Cooper, May 13, 2010 12:00 pm

The Seattle real estate market has been pretty interesting for the last few years – I guess it is always interesting, but this last year has been a ride! I spent a lot of time – more than usual – previewing Seattle homes over the last few days and although some sellers were gracious about letting me preview their beautiful Seattle homes, I ran into a whole host of third degree questions or showing constraints from listing agents or sellers that didn’t seem so interested in selling their homes….

One Seattle home had in it showing instructions to please give the seller and hour and a half notice. No problem – I made the phone call like a good girl and left a message with the time I wanted to preview. As I read further on, the agent only notes instructed me not to go show unless I got a call back. At appointment time I had not gotten a call back yet so I called the listing agent and asked if I could go take a peek. He told me no and that I needed to wait until she called me back. Guess what. I am still waiting. My buyers will pass on this one most likely since they can’t buy a home they can’t see.

One seller hesitated and said to call his agent. I thought okay – maybe with the strange Matrix software conversion in the MLS their house might be sold, but he could have told me that himself. I went ahead and called his agent as instructed to find out about previewing the home. Instead of telling me whether or not it was available to preview she began to interview me about who my perspective client is and how qualified they are. WOW.

Client info is privileged. My client confides in me and their information is PRIVATE. Your job is to tell me:

1. Is the home available or not?

2. Does the seller want to sell it or not?

Listing agents, it is none of your business who my client is or what their qualifications are. That is MY job. I don’t waste my time with nonqualified buyers or I would not be in business. You should be able to reasonably rely on my abilities and qualifications as a Realtor to screen my client. Maybe instead, you should focus on helping your seller make sure that their home is readily available for a buyer who is ready willing and able to buy their home. This is why sharing listing data (when it works) is so successful and is why we all share information in the NWMLS.

These are just a couple examples. Overall, I think there are two problems clogging up real estate in Seattle this Spring. The lending environment has opened up so I won’t blame lending on this issue. Brokers need to train their agents to make showing easier – greasy wheel and such, and those listing agents need to make sure that the sellers are allowing buyers and buyers agents to show these homes.

If your listing agent is doing some screening with prospective buyers as they try to make appointments to see your home, then you need another listing agent. There are of course rare circumstances – maybe you are Brad Pitt or in one case I represented an NFL star and all their expensive and sentimental football memorabilia was around the house. Those are outstanding cases, but overall your listing agent should not make it more difficult for a buyer’s agent to show your home!

Seller Tips for showing: If you as a seller are going to put your home on the market, then do everything in your power to make sure that every buyer interested in it can see it. You do not want them to go on to the next house and put an offer in that one because you wouldn’t let them see yours…I know putting your home on the market is stressful and difficult. I personally was a crazy woman the last time I had to go through it, but it is just part of the process and will pass eventually. There are some things you can do to make it easier – especially if you have kids or pets (I have both). I am happy to email you a set of tips I wrote up if you think it might help (courtney@cooperjacobs.com), but just hang in there! Your new house will be great and you have to get through this! You want every buyer possible to see your home in the best light!

End RantJ

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By Courtney Cooper, April 23, 2010 11:53 am

“How much down payment is needed for a condo in Seattle?”

This was one of the questions I saw typed into Google recently. Your down payment required for buying a house or a condo is extremely dependent on your credit score according to most lenders I speak with. Jon Carpenter is a Seattle Mortgage Broker who works with borrowers closely to figure out what their best option is. He helps borrowers decide if they are going to purchase a home via a FHA loan or a conventional loan.

According to Jon the minimum credit score for purchasing a home or condo right now is 620. There are some nearly impossible loans out there for a 580 credit score, but down payments skyrocket to 45% at that point. FHA officially says that your credit score needs to be a minimum of 580 for their 3.5% down payment program, but unfortunately there are not investors that are willing to take on that credit risk. The result is that a minimum of 620 for a 3.5% FHA loan is more realistic.

For a conventional loan, you can still get a loan requiring as low as 5% down as long as your credit score is a minimum of 720 to 740. Your credit score impacts everything! So, how much down payment is needed for purchasing property? It depends on your credit score!

Other Seattle home buying resources –

Seattle real estate

Seattle mortgages

Seattle neighborhoods

Seattle suburbs

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By Courtney Cooper, November 7, 2009 12:05 pm

New Tax Credit Take Three!

The newest version of the Housing Credit is finally finalized!  There has been lots of speculation, but Obama signed the newest housing credit into law so it is official now. There are some surprising changes that open up the world of credits in 2009 for buying a house to many more people. Here is what you need to know:

The current first time home buyer $8000 tax credit is extended to April 30, 2010 and you have on top of that an additional 2 months to close on the property after that (close by July 1st, 2010).  Income levels have been raised to modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) of $125,000 for singles (up from $75,000) and $225,000 for married (up from $150,000). An additional credit has also been approved for purchasers of new homes regardless of first time home buyer status as long as they have lived in their current primary residence five of the last eight years.  This credit is for $6500 and seems to have the same deadlines/MAGI requirements. 

The $6500 credit for “move up” buyers does seem to be retroactive for all year, but I have not found a specific sentence on either the government page or the IRS page to tell me whether or not this is true.  The IRS tax form has not been updated online yet so I can’t go to the form and see there yet, but I will update this once I verify that if you bought your home in 2009 and other wise qualify it is retroactive regardless of when this bill went into effect.  (Stay tuned)

You can find the official bill here – it was written into an unemployment bill so scroll down a bit:  http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c111:5:./temp/~c111dG8SpH::

Please do email me if you want more info or are interested in Seattle real estate. We have agents that specialize in every area of Seattle neighborhoods and suburbs and would love to help!  courtney@cooperjacobs.com

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By Courtney Cooper, July 21, 2009 10:07 am

Seattle WA neighborhood Eastlake has been heating up lately – Eastlake has always been a great place to live, but lots of soon to be ex Seattle suburb home owners have made the move or are thinking about it! And why not? Eastlake has arguably the best of all worlds in Seattle as far as neighborhoods go. It is small and quaint, yet literally in the middle of everything going on in the heart of Seattle.

Nestled on the banks of Lake Union, Eastlake offers some of the best Seattle floating homes with gorgeous Western views and easy waterfront living. If houseboats are not your thing, though, Eastlake has a great combination of affordable view condos, older charming homes, cute duplexes, and new townhomes – some with cool Green home features like solar. Living on the West side of Eastlake Ave seems to be the most popular choice – anywhere on the West side provides you east access through a series of mini parks at the end of the streets – Roanoke& Lynn Street are great places to throw a kayak in and go, but there is also a little known tiny public dock for boats to launch and run into Pete’s Market where you will find one of the best selections of wine in the city.

Eastlake Real Estate is a great Seattle waterfront choice that is close to it all! Interested in anything Downtown Seattle related? Well Eastlake is probably the best place to live for a combination of smaller neighborhood living and urban amenities. The streetcar can take you into Downtown Seattle and South Lake Union is still developing, but has some of the attractive Seattle suburban perks like Whole Foods! Want to go to a Sounders or Mariners game? It is all at your doorstep while still being close to I-5 for easy commuting if you need to head out of town.

Looking for easy living and low maintenance out of the suburbs? Eastlake is my number one recommendation and Eastlake homes have a lot to choose from! You can find easy no maintenance homes and wonderful spaces – some great townhomes, too. If you want more maintenance and closer waterfront living, then go for a houseboat – they are relatively affordable compared to other real estate today and what better way to enjoy Seattle’s waterfront living?

©Cooper Jacobs Real Estate Services: Seattle Real Estate, Courtney Cooper is the Designated Broker, Seattle Realtor, EcoBroker, and member Built Green 206-251-5948

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By Courtney Cooper, May 28, 2009 3:29 pm

Today might seem like a great day to go out and look at houses, and please do by all means get out there and go look, but don’t make a buying decision today. It is absolutely too perfect of a day to decide whether or not to buy a house! We wait all year it seems for a day like today! My morning tour was just amazing and the weather definitely helps to sell even an ugly little house, but luckily I saw a fabulous house!

Highlighted Seattle Suburbs:

Shoreline, WA: Shoreline is really close in to Seattle and a great place for schools, parks, and more! Shoreline real estate

Lynnwood, WA: Properly priced Lynnwood real estate is really moving right now! This city is also celebrating its 50^th birthday with lots of events all year long.

Mountlake Terrace, WA: Mountlake Terrace is having major changes right now, from the solar Transit Center to major rezoning to give the downtown core a facelift, this Seattle Suburb is a great place to look for close in Seattle commuting and affordability. Highlights: Amorn Thai on 56^th is the best Thai I have ever tasted and Cinebarre is moving into the old Mountlake 9! Look for great things to come for Mountlake Terrace! Mountlake Terrace real estate

Lake Forest Park, WA: Lake Forest Park is a treed paradise right next to the city and on the banks of Lake Washington. This is a great city for nature loving tree enthusiasts. Lake Forest Park real estate  or make sure and check out Seattle homes, too!

Coming Soon: A new map based search to find all homes listed in the MLS right on this site!

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By Courtney Cooper, October 21, 2008 11:12 am

It is no secret that I have blogged before about the difficulty involved in closing a short sale successfully. Many agents have not ever closed one and jump into it head first with no idea as to the actual process. I am not saying that their intentions were not good, just not adequately informed. Not everyone can sell their home via short sale even if they do owe more than the home can reasonably sell in the current market. You see, there is a key ingredient in short sales which is vital to its successful closing: Hardship. Hardship is a very must for a lender when they are considering cooperating in a short sale. This is important to know whether you are considering buying or selling via short sale.

Short Sale Sellers: The bank is going to want to see proof. You need to have copies of pay stubs, bank statements, tax returns, etc. to document your financial situation. It is also helpful to have copies of significant medical bills if they have played a part in the situation. You will need to hand write a permission slip for your agent to be able to speak on your behalf to the lien holder. Make sure that your Realtor asks for a short sale package right away from the lender so that you can get things moving faster.

Short Sale Buyers: Have your Realtor ask if the short sale is an approved short sale complete with an element of hardship. The seller’s agent won’t always know the answer to this question because the lien holders don’t fully approve a short sale without a contract for sale, but in some cases there may have been a previous offer that was approved but fell through. Every situation is different! My last Seattle suburbs short sale closed in a little under a month from the time we wrote up the offer, so a long wait is not necessarily always the case, but more of the norm. Most short sales will take at least a month to get approved and sometimes many more months. Patience pays in these cases except that while you are waiting other offers can come in and kick you out of first position. The newer MLS addendums do a lot to alleviate this problem because they do specify whether a seller can accept other offers while waiting to hear an answer about yours.

The bottom line is that a short sale is a good option if you truly do have a financial hardship and need to sell your home –they also are a great opportunity for a patient qualified investor. If you are interested in Seattle short sales or Seattle real estate, please email me at realestate@cooperjacobs.com I know of a lot of great opportunities with short sales right now and I would love to share with you!

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By Courtney Cooper, October 19, 2008 10:58 am

Seattle real estate has definitely slowed down this year although I am still pretty busy, but I like to read all of the local posts and articles on what is going on out there. The title of this one from The Seattle Post-Intelligencer was pretty negative, but really is a good argument on why we should be out there investing in our local housing in the next year. Okay, yes, I am a Seattle Realtor so I am biased, right, but I am also a person who is deeply involved with my clients and their well being – always trying to look out for what is around the corner. To me, this looks like an opportunity. Read it for yourself and let me know what you think:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/383884_housing18.html

Buying up some of these new construction houses in the coming months might be a great way to get ahead when 2012 rolls around…. Plus the builders are thinking more short term and trying to off load these properties with many perks alongside them.

Check out some of the newer developments in South Everett, Bothell or Lynnwood for easy examples of what is out there: Seattle Suburbs Listings

If you are interested in Seattle real estate, please feel free to get a hold of me: Courtney@CooperJacobs.com

©Cooper Jacobs Real Estate Services, Seattle Realtor serving Seattle neighborhoods & Seattle suburbs, e-PRO, member Built Green

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By Courtney Cooper, August 31, 2008 2:57 pm

Seattle First Time Homebuyers:

I love free money and this essentially is a loan with no interest so in my book, that is FREE.

First Time Homebuyers can take a tax credit of up to $7500 just for getting out there and buying your first house! This is via the Housing and Recovery Act of 2008 which was recently passed.

Let me know if you need help understanding it, but here are some basics:

This credit is applied for a qualified purchase closing between 4/9/2008 and 6/30/2009.

The house must be a qualified primary residence purchase.

The amount of the credit varies – it is 10% of the purchase price up to $7500 (so $7500 is the max on a $500,000 house).

The credit needs to be repaid within 15 years.

This is FREE money if you need another incentive to get into this Seattle real estate market as a first time homebuyer – an interest free loan from the government to make it easier for you to buy a house. Combine that with historically low interest rates, increased choices, and buyer perks on top of that, why not invest in your future?

Email me if you want more details on how it works – I am happy to help. Also, if you know anyone who might be on the fence, then make sure they know about this because it is a short window of additional opportunity to make buying easier.

Want to look on your own?

Are you interested in Seattle real estate? Here’s a link for houses under $300,000 in King County to get you started: Seattle houses, but make sure and email me about getting your closing costs paid on top of that! realestate@cooperjacobs.com

I am a Seattle Realtor with expertise in making sure you find the best house and get it at the best price!

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By Courtney Cooper, June 13, 2008 1:06 pm

Seattle Suburbs real estate – The weatherman was wrong…again! Well, I guess I should be thankful because the new perennials I planted in are doing very well without any HEAT!!!! The truth is that while the rest of the country is going through a bitter heat wave, Seattle has managed to stay in the 50′s and 60′s – pretty depressing when I think even parts of Alaska are warmer than the Pacific Northwest.

Now is a great time to spruce up your yard and make your curb appeal gleam. A few extra touches can go a long way in making a buyer choose your home when they are out looking at real estate. I have a giant six to eight foot tall rockery that backs to a six acre forest. We fenced out the forest at one point, but the top of the rockery is like its own forest. Between my work schedule here and there, I have spent the last month alongside my husband and anyone else we can sucker into helping. We have pulled weeds, laid down multiple layers of landscape fabric, and planted in low maintenance plants like lavender. It is a big project – the rockery is very long – it runs the entire length of our lot. We are only a third of the way through because we are both so busy.

Your project doesn’t have to be so intensive – just a few bits here and there can make a huge difference when it comes to first impressions. Weeds gone and a few spots of color can go miles. Go for broad strokes rather than really detailed labor. It might not look like much, but if you were to take a before and after shot, you would definitely see it! The added perk? Our weather is perfect for this kind of activity – no sunburns or overheating, and no water starved struggling new plants. I want my summer, too, but at this point, looking at the silver lining is vital to sanity!

Good luck! Happy weeding!

Interested in Seattle real estate? Seattle suburbs real estate? Seattle short sales? Seattle foreclosures? realestate@cooperjacobs.com

Courtney Cooper ….For all your Seattle Washington Real Estate Needs! Seattle Area Real Estate Agent: Broker and Realtor serving North King & South Snohomish County.  Seattle Real Estate and Seattle Suburbs!  Cooper Jacobs Real Estate Services:   Experienced REALTOR with a background in accounting – I love my clients and work hard for them! Please call me if you are looking for a home or investment property (including short sales, preforeclosures, foreclosures, and REO properties) in Seattle (Ballard real estate, Crown Hill, Phinney, Ravenna, Maple Leaf real estate, Green Lake real estate (Greenlake), Greenwood, Northgate, Lake City,University, Sand Point, Laurelhurst, Windermere, Fremont, Wallingford, Queen Anne, Westlake, Eastlake, Lake Union, Downtown, Madison Park), Shoreline real estate, Edmonds, Brier real estate, Lynnwood real estate, Mountlake Terrace real estate, Lake Forest Park real estate, Bothell real estate,Redmond, Kirkland, Mill Creek real estate, Everett, or other Seattle Suburbs real estate!

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By Courtney Cooper, June 5, 2008 12:47 pm

Seattle real estate is still good – the market has cooled off a bit, but houses are still selling – with multiple offers in some cases – if they are positioned correctly within the real estate market. There are some properties that are probably always going to demand more interest when it comes to being on the market – waterfront or water views are usually in high demand and anything close to a hot urban area such as Green Lake will command a higher price in most cases. This doesn’t mean that you can just stick a sign up in the ground and wait for a buyer. Selling a house in Seattle neighborhoods or Seattle suburbs requires a bit more!

Deep Cleaning: Hire a housekeeper to come in and really get down to the nitty gritty! Most of us live with messes that we don’t even see and an outside professional eye will really help!

Simplify things: Basics like cleaning and sprucing the place up are important, but also really weeding through the stuff in your house is vital! I can’t tell you how many times I have taken a buyer through a house crammed full of stuff and had them run out thinking it was not the house for them. All these possessions we have really make our houses feel smaller than they are – the buyers feel this!

Staging – Hire an ASP to help you move your furniture around to make it the most ideal for being shown on the market. Make sure it is a Stager who has exhibited success and is recommended by your REALTOR.

More Seattle Selling Tips.

Wanting to find the perfect house in a Seattle Neighborhood? Looking for Seattle Suburb Real Estate? Interested in Brier real estate? Lynnwood WA real estate? Mountlake Terrace real estate?  realestate@cooperjacobs.com

Courtney Cooper ….For all your Seattle Washington Real Estate Needs! Seattle Area Real Estate Agent: Broker and Realtor serving North King & South Snohomish County.  Seattle Real Estate and Seattle Suburbs!  Cooper Jacobs Real Estate Services:   Experienced REALTOR with a background in accounting – I love my clients and work hard for them! Please call me if you are looking for a home or investment property (including short sales, preforeclosures, foreclosures, and REO properties) in Seattle (Ballard, Crown Hill, Phinney, Ravenna, Maple Leaf, Green Lake (Greenlake), Greenwood, Northgate, Lake City,University, Sand Point, Laurelhurst, Windermere, Fremont, Wallingford, Queen Anne, Westlake, Eastlake, Lake Union, Downtown, Madison Park), Seattle Suburbs Homes in Shoreline, Edmonds, Redmond, Kirkland, Brier, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Lake Forest Park, Bothell, Mill Creek, Everett, or other Seattle Suburbs!