Lynnwood Undressed

Thank You Uncle Sam

Thank You Uncle Sam, originally uploaded by Jim Warner, Realtor.

Look, there is an upside to all this bail out hoopla! You can go out and buy a house because the banks have money again.

I’d say that if you have been thinking about doing something, now is the time while the money is still cheap and home prices are still low.

Chances are that neither will be the case in about six months. If you buy now, when prices go back up you’ll have the equity to pay for the tax bill you’re going to get for bailing out the banks and freeing up the money. Let’s just call it your little middle class piece of the pie. So let’s get busy doing the happy dance!

Pennies from heaven

Pennies from heaven, originally uploaded by Jim Warner, Realtor.

$4,000 - that’s the first tally of the bill each and every American is going to receive for the ten year long brain fart that we now lovingly refer to as the Sub Prime Meltdown. It will go higher, it always does and the so called leadership that brought you this mess is extemely adept at metering bad news in such a way as to make even really bad news seem more palatable. You will have a chance to vote your future in November. Do your duty and pay attention to what is being said and who you think you can depend on to make some changes. Then get out and vote. We have once again passed along the expense of our mistakes to our children. I’m not sure they have a future that I would look forward to if we keep passing on the bill.
We can do better as a nation and we should expect more of ourselves. Take responsibility for what comes next.  Get out, get informed and Vote.

Bailout

Bailout, originally uploaded by Jim Warner, Realtor.

And now for today’s good news… All those shareholders who were afraid they might lose their investment in the banking stocks that have paid them so handsomely over the past ten years of irresponsible lending, can rest easy knowing that the leadership that was supposed to be overseeing the banking industry just decided that the people who just lost their home and their job will now be obliged to cover the loss through higher taxes needed to cover a government bailout. Just a little parting gift from the same leadership that got you into this mess as they and their friends get ready to administer the money being used to float this boat. There’s a reason why the candidates for the Presidency spend a billion dollars trying to get control of the White House and it is not because it’s a dream job. The real prize continues to be the keys to the Treasury and who gets to hold them.

As Barry Goldwater once said… “A government big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take it all away.”

Ronald Reagan later said… “government exists to protect us from each other, where government has gone beyond it’s limits is when it moves to protect us from ourselves.”

And of course… the ten most feared words in the english language are ‘I am from the government and I’m here to help.’ RR

The only way I see being able to pay for this fiasco is to eliminate the Home Mortgage Interest Deduction… You heard it here first!

Thoughts and cartoon courtesy of Steve Manning at rendezvouswithdestiny.blogspot.com

Local Realtor Herb Holcombe - We’ll Miss You

Local Realtor Herb Holcombe Passed away suddenly this week. Herb’s passing hits particularly close to home within the Keller Williams Realty Family as he had been one of the first local agents to join the national franchise in the Bellevue office in 1999.  Herb was an always smiling sketch of a character with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Always a little harried and on his way to somewhere, just a little behind schedule, he was a pioneer of the local nothing down and creative finance movement in home ownership. Herb and his team helped many people acquire their first home when other agents wouldn’t take the time to help them work out credit or finance issues. Herb was a master at finding a way to get a deal done when others could not. Most recently a member of the Keller Williams Realty Bothell office he will be missed by family, friends and many fellow agents in the greater Seattle area.

Pickett Street

Pickett Street, originally uploaded by Jim Warner, Realtor.

I have spent a lot of time out and about reading real estate blogs lately. One in particular that I like is the Pickett Street website and blog. Pickett Street Properties is made up of three excellent Realtors with Keller Williams Realty in Bothell - Dennis Pearce, Jesse Moore and Lisa Bender - together they manage to put out a solid piece of work and some quality posts. They recently announced their new map based property search through Diverse Solutions - it is an awesome tool, easy to use and you can save your preferences for automatic updates. There was a particularly timely post by Dennis Pearce regarding his thoughts on where the market is and where it might be headed. I appreciate professionals that take pride in their work and as a Buyer or Seller these days it should be one of the things you look for in selecting your next agent, go see for yourself at Pickett Street. If you get a chance to leave a comment or message be sure and tell ‘em you heard about them from fellow Realtor, Jim Warner over at Lynnwood Undressed.

Black + Pickett Real Estate Group

Black Pickett, originally uploaded by Jim Warner, Realtor.

The ROCS Alliance is pleased to introduce you to the Black + Pickett Real Estate Group of        Keller Williams Realty, Greater Seattle. Jacob Pickett and Alex Black lead a team of seasoned real estate professionals and home staging experts with a rock solid reputation and a track record of success. If you know of someone in the Greater Seattle Area that is struggling to get their home sold, give this Dynamic Duo a call to see how it is they and their team are so successful when others are having such a tough time getting things done. You can expect sound advice, a proven plan of action and deliberate execution and follow through on all aspects of the home sale process. Of course, their priority is to get you the right price in a time frame that makes sense for you with a minimum of inconvenience. In this market, what more could you ask for? If you are looking to buy a home in Seattle they have you covered with a team of agents who specialize in knowing the inside scoop on the most popular neighborhoods. First time buyers, be sure and sign up for your complimentary copy of the best seller ‘Your First Home’ a guide to home ownership. This book couldn’t be more timely. Get on over to Black + Pickett.com to see all the services they offer to meet your real estate needs. You will be glad you came to know them. Tell ‘em fellow Realtor, Jim Warner sent you.

Safety First - Always

To read the full Story

A momentary Lapse, originally uploaded by Jim Warner, Realtor.

I caught the sad story this week about the Richland man who got buried in a trench and died just weeks before his retirement. The company he worked for was fined $1,500 for not having a safety plan in place. Obviously there is a whole lot more to the story but it seemed like a low number fine for the seriousness of the outcome. As it turns out, lack of a safety plan is not an uncommon occurance on job sites. Just one of those things that takes time and money and never seems to be a priority until after the fact. That’s where my friend Kurt Stranne of Apex Saftey Consulting comes in. He spends his time educating companies and their employees about the few extra steps in a job or on a job site that can make a lifetime of difference. Whether you are a small company with big plans or a large company with a lot of small projects going on, it is the attention to detail that makes all the difference in the safety of your most valuable asset, your people. Many of these lessons can and should be applied at home though, especially when you have workmen performing tasks around your home. Often times, if a handyman or construction specialist is off the clock or doing a side job, there are all sorts of interesting things that can occur in the blink of an eye. Kurt has posted some intesting pictures of things he has seen out in the field. They make you think about, what if?  Call Kurt or Visit his website, Safety Apex.com to get more information on how to protect yourself and others at home and on the job.

Home sales activity 2007-08 comparison

yr - yr comparison, originally uploaded by Jim Warner, Realtor.

These are the year over year price and activity comparisons for home sales in July. Not a pretty picture for sellers by any means but on the bright side there is still quite a bit of activity. Low interest rates and motivated sellers continue to make this the best buying opportunity in a generation. Call me if you’d like to know more about what it takes to get your home sold for top dollar in this market.

Courtesy of Jim Warner, Lynnwood Realtor

change

change, originally uploaded by Jim Warner, Realtor.

As I survey the current real estate landscape I can’t help but be fascinated by how people are and in many cases aren’t adapting to the new rules of the game.

Surely as Sellers have come to find that positive equity is no longer a given, many of them are asking, “what the heck am I getting for the commission dollars I am being asked to pay?”

A very fair question and unfortunately, not a lot of good answers have been forthcoming. I have been trying to come up with some legitimate answers for most of a year now, answers I can share with my fellow Realtors through the ROCS Alliance as we begin the work of regaining the position of trust and confidence our industry fought hard to engender for many years. We somehow managed to piss it all away in short order when the free money started flowing and the internet offered up the spoils of anonymous commerce.

As things change there is a certain order to what comes next as we work our way through this.

The first noticeable change is going to come about regarding People. There will be fewer of them in the real estate business and that is all for the good. Too many people fighting over too few deals seems like a good thing for the consumer right up until the problems we face now are compounded by the hangers on who cut corners and even more people get hurt by poor representation in a tough market.

The Second change will be one of Process. The process by which we communicate, the process by which people make decisions, the process of securing financing and the process of accountability. Marketing for instance, is an art form that requires certain skillsets and is best left to professional marketing people. Sales are the other end of the elephant. If an agent is in the back room printing flyers or shooting photos on their digital camera to save money, they are already falling behind and selling the client short. The issue of investment and return on investment as it relates to the expense of proper marketing will become a more prominent part of the discussion in the agent selection process.

An finally, we will see a gradual but deliberate change in culture. Confidence will be the commodity held most dear in the marketplace. Confidence in the information being provided, confidence in the loyalty being proffered, confidence that the agent has a plan and a verifiable track record.

Unless an agent can instill confidence in the processes and people that he or she surrounds themselves with, the current culture of suspicion and distrust directed towards the profession will linger and the question will remain, “what do I get for the commision I am being asked to pay and what are my other options.”

At ROCS we are working on options. Ask your agent if they know about us. If not, tell them to call local Realtor, Jim Warner for some pointers. We can help.

The Tides, They Are A’Changing

The Tides, They Are A’Changing, originally uploaded by StarrGazr.

There’s a cold wind blowin’ and many things we ought speak of are being left unsaid. I love this country and all that it stands for. I do however, have a growing concern that our leadership, such as it is, has left us ill prepared and uninformed of the brewing economic storm we must all face together. If people who cannot afford their house payments are living on the credit cards in their wallets, what happens when the cards run out and the banks come knocking.

There is much more going on in the banking system and the economy than the people in charge are letting on. We all know it, we can sense it. The concern is palpable in and among the populace. On this election day, think long and hard about your decision and vote your conscience, not your wallet, difficult as that may be.

It is time for every American to take stock of their situation and to take a measure of personal responsibility for contributing to the solution. Small changes can make a big difference. Tough times have always brought out the best in America. It’s time we all pull together and try to make the most of what is sure to be a long hard climb. Don’t look to the government to fix this, that’ll only make it worse.

I’m Jim Warner, Realtor and I take responsibility for this post and the opinion expressed