To Find Out What Happened at the IH TOWN HALL MEETING

 Issaquah Highlands Town Hall Meeting – CLICK PICTURE TO FIND OUT posted on issaquah highlands blog.

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The Newest Thing for Your Yard – Goats & Chickens – Northwest Flower and Garden Show Seattle 2010

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A Truck Can Become a Garden – Northwest Flower and Garden Show 2010 Seattle

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Sneak Preview NW Flower & Garden Show

Today started out badly.  I set out to go to the 2010 NW Flower & Garden Show Sneak Preview.  My car battery was dead. Thanks to a kind husband who traded cars with me I still got to the press sneak preview. I had 2 cameras, one a video, but my good? computer froze before I got the videos up for this post, so I will just show you these still shots. UPDATE for videos of the event go to www.issaquahhighlandsundressed.com

Not to worry, the gardens were just as good as they always were.  People have been a little concerned due to new owners.

During the sneak previews, garden creators and landscapers are still putting on the finishing touches and cleaning up. The preview lasts 2 hours, at which time not only do we have to be out but so do all the above.

Creative use of wine bottles along with sun warms the soil

Rain in the window

An extraordinary gate.

Worms grow large at the garden show.

New Leaf Creations, Issaquah and Tami Ott-Ostberg

What to do with an old truck! Edible greens, and with chickens too

The above is a giant elevated nest of a massive flying reptile from a 65 million years ago.  Just look for the foot prints! 

Goats, chickens and rooster make an appearance too (really).

The Northwest Flower and Garden Show starts tommorow and runs through Feb. 7th. Washington State Convention Center.

CLICK here for video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C3XNf9iDCU

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Yes, The NW Flower & Garden Show Will GO ON!

It almost didn’t happen, the show was for sale and it looked like there were no takers but the calvary arrived just in time.

“Gardeners in the Pacific Northwest are now assured that their flower show will continue to bloom,” said Duane Kelly.

The new producer of the show is O’Louglin Trade Shows.  It starts Feb 3-7.  Click on the picture or the link below

   For more info www.gardenshow.com

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First Time Home Buyers Series Part 3: VA Loans

A few months ago we worked with a young couple in the military. They had misunderstood their VA Benefits. He was just being released from duty and she was quitting her job to go back to school. In other words neither had income. They had temporary benefits from VA but no long term dependable income. Some how they believed being a Vet guaranteed they could buy a home now. It is times like this that agents like me need to be patient. They just didn’t believe me. They did have to have income to prove they could make the payments.

So here are a few tips on VA loans followed up by an article offered me after our last post on FHA.

Tip #1: RE: O Down. Yes you can buy O down VA. Yes the seller can pay closing costs making it a total O down. No  that isn’t a guarantee. If the appraisal doesn’t come in high enough the loan amount has to be reduce. That often means some money out of pocket to buy the home.

Tip # 2: Your interest rate may be higher on VA loans rather than FHA. Why? A history of greater defaults exist on VA loans. Think about it, the more skin you have in the game the less likely you are to walk in hard times.

Tip # 3: For the same reason as #2, you are more likely to be declined on VA than on FHA.

Tip # 4: For the same reason as above VA appraisers may be picky about the condition of the home you are buying. A junker may not be acceptable without fixup prior to closing. This can happen on FHA loans too.

Tip #5: VA looks at your being able to qualify in a different way than FHA or conventional loans. The bigger your family the tougher to qualify.

Now here is our guest article from Jay Buerck. As I mentioned Jay picked up on our last 1st Time Home Buyers article and offered his expertise. Thanks Jay.
On the heels of a huge 2009, loans</a> are set to have an even bigger 2010. Military homebuyers seized on the flexibility and low costs of VA loans last year, driving volume up 80 percent nationwide.http://www.vamortgagecenter.com/va-loan-eligibility.html”>VA borrowers couldn’t have obtained a conventional loan</a>.

This year, there are some new changes affecting the VA loan process for both brokers and buyers. Geared toward boosting consumer protection, these changes are a part of a new landscape for government loans, which have become a crucial cornerstone of the housing market in the last 18 months.

 But for their part, VA loans have been making a difference in the lives of those who have served our country since World War II. More than 18 million veterans have become homeowners since 1944 thanks to these powerful loans.

 VA loans allow qualified veterans to purchase homes with no money down, one of the last loan products in the country to do so. They also come with a host of important financial benefits, including:

-No private monthly mortgage insurance

-No penalties for loan pre-payment

-Higher debt-to-income ratio allowed than for most conventional loans

-Sellers can pay up to 6 percent of closing costs and concessions

VA loans are backed by a government guarantee, which helps approved lenders offer competitive rates to qualified borrowers. For most military buyers, VA loans are also easier to qualify for than most conventional loans. In fact, about 80 percent of <a href=”

To be eligible for a VA loan, borrowers must first be:

-Military members who’ve served 181 days on active duty or three months during war time may be eligible.

-People who have spent at least a half-dozen years in the National Guard or Reserves

-Spouses of those killed in the line of duty

VA borrowers should soon see some changes in the way some upfront costs are presented. Lenders will have to disclose origination fees in one of two years under new Good Faith Estimate regulations. This estimation of buyer closing costs is part of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, or RESPA.

The VA limits origination fees to 1 percent, although some other fees are allowed.

Mansion photo from Flickr and buy Express Monorail

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ZERO Energy House LAST Tour!

The Zero Energy House in Bellevue built by Issaquah’s Shirey Contracting is having one last OPEN HOUSE – January 30, Saturday and January 31 Sunday from 10:00 to 4:00. FREE! The address is at 840 W Lake Sammamish Parkway SE, Bellevue, WA 98008.

To see our post about this house during the summer open house CLICK http://bit.ly/0energyhouse

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First Time Home Buyers Series Part 2

We discussed picking the right loan officer in part 1. click here. Part 2 covers what you should know about qualifying.

I get a kick out of pre qualification letters I see on offers of our listings.” So and so qualifies for the exact price” of their offer. The agent says “they are stretching and this is all they can go”. Well is that really so, for so and so? Not so most often. Interest rates aren’t stable. They often don’t last even through the day. They may not be the same an hour from now. And I am supposed to believe this is the max? The way that most loan officers cover their back side is to go conservative on the borrower. In other words they tell their borrower a lower number just in case rates go up. They may use a lower number as a bargaining point.

For you the buyer you should know the max you can afford. You only know that by payment. You only know that by an automated underwriting approval. By payment I mean have your loan officer tell you the MAXIMUM payment you can quafiy for. This means a little extra work for the loan officer. They may have to keep running your approval on the automated underwriting system. This number must include principle, interest, taxes, insurance, and mortgage insurance. In almost every case, you qualify for more than you want to qualify for. That’s a good thing.

When you get serious about a home, check the current interest rate, note the taxes on that property. Check on any home owners association dues, have the loan officer tell you the mortgage insurance and principle and interest payment on that specific home. Get a feeling if rates are fairly stable.

What I find is that it is good for first time home buyers to know the maximum they can buy. All too often they can’t find what they want at the payment they want. Almost always, knowing they can go higher allows them to be happier with their home purchase.

Now, a little about qualifying. It isn’t as cut and dried as you might think. When I first started originating mortgages my bank employer was firm on ratios. For FHA loans 28% of their gross income could go to the total mortage payment and 41% of their total income could go to total monthly payments.

Monthly payments are those that show up or should show up on your credit report. These are items such as credit card payments, car payments, and student loans. They are usually not items such as water, cable, sewer, and power. VA loans look at the latter items as part of their qualfiying process.

In reality each borrrowers financial picture determines what their ratios are allowed to be. Each bank then has their limits. It is not unusual for an automated approval to be higher than a bank will now limit.

In summary, pick a loan officer you can trust as in our first article. Then know how much you can actually qualify for in payments. Then enjoy the hunt. I call it a treasure hunt. It’s fun.

Mansion photo from Flickr and by Michael D Martin

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Name Your Favorite Issaquah Restaurant – Thanks Voters The Poll Is Closed. Jaks Wins This One

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Thanks for trying out our new polling plugin. You may vote for 3. If we missed your favorite one this time, leave it as a comment.

OK, how could we have omitted Lombardi’s in the first group? Sorry. PS: They were added after 9 voters.

I have a new assignment for you all. Visit these restaurants in the next two months and I will post this survey again. It isn’t too late to tell me to add another for the next survey.

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It’s A Surprisingly Sunny Day Today. Is It Tiger Time?

Yep, maybe it’s time to see the 4 awesome tigers at the Cougar Mountain Zoo. If you have some great photos or videos you have taken, we would love to add them to a future post on our blog. Lar

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The Importance of Brushing Your Teeth

The Importance of Brushing Your Teeth

• Your smile is better
• Your breath is better
• You won’t get a visit from the “Why didn’t you brush tooth fairy”
• Flossing is essential too

If your wife keeps bugging you about why you don’t go to the dentist, a good one is Dr. Gary Folkman in Issaquah.

If you take care of your teeth and visit your dentist:

• You probably won’t have to visit an endodontist (very expensive – a good career for your kids, they can help you retire).
• You probably won’t have to have tooth implants – (ditto)
• Your wife will stop nagging you

Signed, The Good Wife

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At Blakely Hall – VIS Kick-Off Social/Coffee Jan 15th Friday

Get ready for the school levy that we will vote on Feb 9. Be informed.

Learn more about important school levy packages that will be on the February 9th ballot! Join district members for coffee and treats to discuss the renewal of these levies and how you can get involved. Click here to learn more.

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You Won’t Find This House in Issaquah

Unfortunately, you won’t find this house in Issaquah, BUT if you are willing to look a little further south, it is a gem. Perfect for that real 1st time home buyer. When we looked at this house, we thought it was a bargain price wise and has much more to offer than any house we have seen lately in the price range. $279,950 recently reduced from $299,950.

So we decided to put it on our blog, as the Home of the Month.

We work with a lot of younger folks that need to find better prices than Issaquah can offer. Below is what you get with this house.

• $36K in upgrades
• 4 BR
• 2 1/2 Baths
• LR, DR
• Family Room
• Extra large kitchen with big dining nook and breakfast bar
• NEW built by Harbor Homes
• 2 gas Fireplaces
• Upgraded flooring and carpet (nice taupe, texture)
• Jetted soaking tub, 5 piece MBR bath
• Patio
• Ceiling Fans
• Dishwasher, Range/Oven, Garbage Disposal
• 2042 Sq Ft (seems bigger)
• Nice completed neighborhood
• Fenced back yard
• Cul de Sac
• Park across the street

Living Room and Dining Room

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First Time Home Buyers Series: Part 1

This series is Kathleens suggestion. We have worked with many many first time home buyers. I think it originally had to do with my mortgage practice. I was considered the FHA king in our mortgage office. FHA is often the best loan for 1st time home buyers. I’ll explain in another of this series.

Truly a home purchase can be full of pitfalls and stress. This series is here to help your expectations and results. I can reduce that for you.

So, where to start? For me and for you it is the same place. We start with the financing part. Understanding mortgage financing need not be overwhelming. Take a little time to work through the new lingo you may be introduced to, but don’t let it intimidate you.

The first part of financing is picking a lender.

How do you pick a lender is the number one question to get an answer to. Here are some do’s and don’ts. Don’t assume your friendly neighbor or cute cousin is going to be your best bet.  Do seriously consider your agent’s favorite lender. Don’t use an online mortgage company.

There are two reasons for using  your RE agent’s favorite lender: 1- The loan officer that messes up or charges too much on an agents transaction has more than one loan (your loan) to consider. Real estate agents are often the source of multiple loans for a loan officer. Lose one and you can lose many. At one time as a loan officer, I served one realtor that was worth about 50 loans a year to me. He used me because he knew I would deliver on time and as promised. As promised means no surprises at closing. It means not saying the client qualifies and then gets to closing only to hear – whoops they don’t qualify after all. No suprises means delivering what you promise, in rate, money to close, all of it. 2- The second reason is teamwork. A loan officer and agent that are experienced with each other give you an edge on your purchase. They talk often, they make sure what is needed is getting done, they help each other. Thus, they help the process. They aren’t afraid to run problems by each other. They keep each other informed. You want that even if you don’t know it now.

So what about this shopping around idea? Yes, the new laws encourage this. We are yet to see how the new Good Faith Estimate rules work. My guess is that because of the new rules you will only get general ideas rather than a Good Faith Estimate when shopping around.

One thing that does make sense to me is using online services to be familiar with what lenders are quoting.

Next: Mortgage Financing, Payments, and qualifying.

Mansion photo from Flickr and by Atelier Teee

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The Issaquah Arts Commission & Great Train Movies

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HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010 From Our Blog And Us To You!

I sense a lot of hope that the coming year will be much better. We see lots we have learned from the past and are grateful to be healthy and wise. Notice I left out the wealthy word. Ah, we are rich with blessings that surround us. That makes us truly wealthy. For those that pop in to this site once in a while we thank you. For those we have served we especially thank you for your business.

So what does “New Year mean to you? A time to set new goals? A time to forgive and forget? It’s different to each of us I know.

I have a New Years treat for you. One of my favorite parts of Flickr is that you can put in a search word and click the slide show link. Doing that brings up all the photos in Flickr that have been tagged by that search word. You can make it a full screen show.

Loyal followers to our blogs may have seen us use this  features in blog posts.

So, for your New Years Splendor I have searched for New Year on Flickr and here is a link to its slide show. Enjoy: Larry

Oh, just click the photo below for the show:

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From One Grandma to Another!

I received this in an email from a friend, it may be going around but I thought it was funny. My favorite is #3!  I don’t know who the author is.

There lots of grandmas these days who don’t look old, like these above.

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Rooster Facts

I have been out visting with local businesses today.  Issaquah has some great people and great people working hard to serve their community.

I was amused that McNugget the Rooster came up in conversation. That is a result of his being on our Issaquah Undressed brochure.

We quite like this old bird. Staples, where he resides, I should have a large photo of  him mounted on their wall. He probably needs to be put on payroll. There must be more like me that shop there rather than on the other side of the freeway just to have McNugget great me at the door. Where else do you get a Rooster doorman?

I thought I would share some Rooster facts with you:

1- McNugget wasn’t ever owned by the Grange Supply. The reporters that wrote this were in error. He was a visitor to the Grange Supply on one of their Customer Appreciation days events. He escaped and the owner never returned to get him.

2- McNugget deserves his freedom. He has been at Staples for years. Those who fear for his survival in this cold weather should take note: last winter was a bad one around here, and that Rooster still clucks and flys. He doesn’t need a sun lamp.

3- McNugget outlasted 12 of our Maple Valley kid’s chickens. Charlie Coyote had a feast a couple of months ago.

4- The Grange Supply doesn’t feed McNugget. The kind lady at the Coffee bar does, no wonder McNugget is fond of her. Some very faithful employees of the Grange use their own money to buy feed for the bird. Or is he an animal? Or maybe even human?

5- McNugget isn’t vain, just lonely for a buddy. For those who claim he stares into hubcaps to see how handsome he is are wrong. He’s a Rooster. He thinks he has found a friend. Roosters aren’t that smart.

6- McNugget is half cat. Cats have 9 lives. McNugget has 2.5 to go. He escaped a bull dog and  he escaped Kristen. He is a tough old bird. (9 divided in half is 4.5 and he used up two of those which equals 2.5) I know, I know, Kristen means well and is only out to save him. He did escape her though.

7- The Humane Society knows McNugget is there. They are OK with it.

8- You don’t have to be a vegan to like animals, or Roosters. (Or to love them). It’s ok to be a vegan, it’s ok to not be a vegan. Can’t we all just get along?

9- Oh, this fact might make McNugget a social hero: Unlike all other Roosters that are polygamists, McNugget is celibate.

10- And the final Rooser fact: Roosters aren’t chickens – they are brave. When they are up in a tree they are watching out for intruders.

PS: For those who really love Roosters, if you will click this link you will find an awesome slide show of various rooster photos in flickr. It goes on forever. PS, a couple slides are videos, listen for the crowing. Click it, its a good slide show. PSS: There is a soccer team named Roosters.

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Are You Participating In The Social Media Revolution?

It’s a Revolution!

* If Facebook were a country it would be the worlds 4th largest. The Facebook  business fan page is the 2nd most  important thing you do online.

YouTube is # 2 search engine after Google.

We show up on the first page of Google for hundreds of local searches. We know how to teach that. We don’t pay to be on page one.

One of our customers, a real estate agent, made $160,000 last year using The Hub And Spokes Solution. And that was last year, a recession year in Washington State.  How about that!  The prior year, with a different approach: $30,000.

There is a solution and we have it.

 Join us for a 4 hour workshop. You will leave the session knowing you get it.

 Click Here for more Info

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My Take On The Current Real Estate And Mortgage Market

I wanted to share my perspective on our real estate market as we come to an end of this second straight dreadful year.

To make sure I got it right, I consulted with our cat Portia, the cat economist. I receive a regular newsletter from a local bank’s loan officer. It has all sorts of statistics to review but always ends with a positive, the market is coming back assumption.

Now, I like positive attitudes, am often guilty of having one but I’m not so certain things are great. Actually, I’m certain they aren’t unless you are a buyer.

Here are some of my opinions. Unless we see a commercial mortgage crash, homes in our market have probably hit a bottom. The reason we could have a commercial crash is that even commercial values have dropped seriously. Investors are requiring a bigger cap rate which has lowered the value of commercial real estate. Most commercial loans are ARMs with due dates. When those due dates come and the values are down  25% or so the equity is often gone and the ability to obtain a new loan is gone. What the banks and government will do about this problem is yet to be seen. Needless to say, it’s a BIG problem. Real big.

Issaquah isn’t your cheapest market to buy a home in. People live here for many good reasons. So investor types and bargain hunters have been more active in other markets such as South King County.

Interest rates will probably continue to rise. If you closed a loan at 4.75% in December you will probably brag about it for years to come. I would say if you are interest rate driven, drive out and buy now as rates are likely to rise. Interest rates have been going up for 3 straight weeks and will continue to rise under 3 conditions. 1- If the stock market rises, 2- If the economy recovers and there is a fear of inflation, and 3- when not if the government stops printing money to be a buyer of fixed rate instruments. (#3 is the main reason rates have been so low)

Interesting to me is the Utah market. It was hotter than heck and has crashed hard. Our grandson was working with a bank in Utah liquidating about 200 million dollars in home inventory. That liquidation is basically complete. We have two children that placed offers on homes down there. The values are about 50% down from the previous owners purchase prices. It seems they got lucky, as spending several days down there looking at real estate tells me that from high end to starter homes the inventory is being snapped up.

So what will the future be, only Potia knows and unfortunatley, she speaks Cat.

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