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This Thanksgiving, many of us will return to our families and traditions, while others will forge new ones. Regardless of how we blend the old and the new, one thing remains true: this is the time of the year to be thankful for our families, friends, communities, and anything else you hold near and dear. Over the past year, we have had the honor of seeing many people realize dreams and celebrate milestones in their lives, so we want to take this opportunity to say how thankful we are for these opportunities and to wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving.
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November 18, 2011
Milepost 40—The Journey Continues; Second Annual Windermere Foundation video Video contest Contest
Back by popular demand, the Windermere Foundation is launching its second-annual video contest! Last year, we received more than 25 videos from Windermere offices all over the Western U.S., sharing the amazing work our offices and agents do for their local communities. This year, we have selected a special theme for the video contest: “Milepost 40—The Journey Continues”. As we usher in Windermere’s 40th anniversary, we’re focusing on the past, present, and future. We cannot wait to see the amazing videos our offices share with us.
You can see a number of videos from last year’s contest on the Windermere Real Estate YouTube channel!
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November 18, 2011
Milepost 40—The Journey Continues; Second Annual Windermere Foundation Video Contest
Back by popular demand, the Windermere Foundation is launching its second-annual video contest! Last year, we received more than 25 videos from Windermere offices all over the Western U.S., sharing the amazing work our offices and agents do for their local communities. This year, we have selected a special theme for the video contest: “Milepost 40—The Journey Continues”. As we usher in Windermere’s 40th anniversary, we’re focusing on the past, present, and future. We cannot wait to see the amazing videos our offices share with us.
You can see a number of videos from last year’s contest on the Windermere Real Estate YouTube channel!
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November 11, 2011
Thank you veterans!
All of us at Windermere would like to take a minute to express our gratitude to the military veterans who have served our country. Many of us know someone who has served in the U.S. armed forces and have been touched by their stories and their sacrifice. Windermere is proud to have several veterans among us; we are grateful to them and the contributions they have made in shaping our company – and our country.
Thank you veterans!
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November 9, 2011
Top 10 qualities to look for in an agent
Buying a home is one of the most significant financial and emotional purchases of a person’s life. That’s why it is so important to find an agent that can not only help you navigate the home search process, but one who can also answer your questions and represent your needs from start to finish. Most importantly, your agent should care about your happiness and ensuring that you find the home that best fits your needs. Here are some qualities to consider when selecting a real estate agent:
- Someone you like. More than likely, you will be spending a lot of time with your agent, so look for someone that you enjoy interacting with.
- Someone you trust. One of the best ways to find an agent who you feel you can trust is to ask friends and family for a referral. Another way to do this is to interview different agents and ask for client references.
- Someone who listens. While your agent can’t read your mind, they should be able to make educated recommendations and offer advice by listening closely to your needs. Make sure you talk to your agent about your priorities, what types of features appeal to you, as well as any factors that could be deal breakers. This will arm your agent with everything they need to help find you the perfect home.
- Qualified and experienced. Make sure your agent has the qualifications and experience to meet your specific needs. For example, some agents have more experience with short sales, while others might be experts on certain neighborhoods or types of housing. Your agent should also be fully trained in contract law and negotiations.
- Knowledgeable. A great agent is someone who is out in the neighborhoods, exploring communities, visiting listings, performing marketing analyses, and collecting all the information that you need to make an informed, confident decision about your real estate needs.
- Honest. Your agent should be upfront and honest with you about every aspect of your home search process – even if it involves delivering bad news. The best real estate agents are more concerned about finding the right home for their clients, not just the home that brings in the fastest commission check.
- Local. Every community is different and all real estate is local, so it’s important to find someone who really knows the local market and can provide you with whatever information you need to familiarize yourself with a particular area..
- Connected. A well connected agent will have relationships with lenders, inspectors, appraisers, contractors, and any other service provider you might need during your home search.
- Straight forward. You want an agent who will work hard to help you find the best home, but you also want someone who will be straight forward with you about the process, the market reality, and what is realistic for you.
- Committed. Your agent should be in it for the long haul, meaning that they’re looking out for your best interests every step of the way, no matter how long the process takes. The best way to find an agent with these qualities is by asking around. In all likelihood, someone within your circle of friends or family will have experiences to share and professionals to recommend. You can also search for agents based on area, so you know you’re getting someone who is knowledgeable of the neighborhood(s) you’re interested in. Click here to learn more about the buying process.
Is Buying a Short Sale Right For You?
By Richard Eastern
If you’re shopping for a home, you may have noticed that a large number of the homes that are currently on the market are short sales. A short sale occurs when a homeowner owes a lender more than their home is worth, and the lender agrees to let the owner sell the home and accept less than what is owed. Lenders may agree to a short sale because they believe it will net them more money than going forward with a lengthy and costly foreclosure process.
Short sales do differ in a number of ways from conventional home sales. Here are a few things to consider if you’re thinking about buying a short sale property.
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- Short sale homes sell for less, but not significantly less than market value.
Buyers hoping to snap up a home for half the market value will be disappointed. The selling price for short sales average about 10 percent less than for non-distressed properties. The bank is looking to recover as much of the value of the home as possible, so they will not accept offers that are significantly under market value. That said, with savings that can equal tens of thousands of dollars, a short sale is a great way to get more house for your money.
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- Short sale properties are sold “as is”.
The lender will not be making repairs to the home. Any improvements that need to be made are most likely going to be the responsibility of the buyer. A savvy buyer’s agent/broker will get contractor bids for any necessary repairs and use those to help negotiate a lower sales price with the bank.
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- A short sale will take longer than a conventional home sale.
Once you and the seller have mutual acceptance on an offer, you need to allow 60 to 90 days for the lender approval process. There are often long stretches when the offer is slowly winding its way through the bank’s system, so buyers need to be patient.
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- If you have to sell your home first, a short sale is probably not the best fit.
Lenders generally will not take contingent offers on a short sale.
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- A short sale is one real estate transaction that you shouldn’t attempt on your own.
Short sales are complicated transactions that involve a different process and significantly more paperwork than a standard real estate sale. An agent/broker that is unfamiliar with short sales can write an offer in such a way that they inadvertently cause their buyers to lose the deal. An experienced short sale agent/broker will protect your interest and help the process move forward smoothly.
The bottom line: As long as you can be patient, and are working with an agent/broker who understands the process, buying a short sale is a great way to purchase the house you want at a price you’ll love.
Richard Eastern is a Windermere agent in Bellevue and co-founder of Washington Property Solutions, a short sales negotiating company. Since 2003 he has helped more than 600 homeowners sell their homes. A Bellevue native and a UW grad, Richard is an avid sports fan and a devoted Little League and basketball coach. You can learn more about Richard here or at www.washortsales.com.
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October 27, 2011
Inspired Decorating: Getting into the Spirit of Halloween
We all know people who like to go overboard on the holidays. And Halloween is no exception. Walking past a home with a haunted yard, mummies in the windows, and a musical jack o’ lantern theme can inspire, intrigue, or just plain frighten you. But remember, you don’t have to go overboard to get into the holiday spirit! Subtle updates, tasteful decorations, and seasonal features can add style and flair without offending your neighbors or scaring away trick-or-treaters. Here are some holiday inspired ideas on seasonal decorations:
Pumpkins:
A leering Jack O’ Lantern face may be classic, but modern geometric designs transform pumpkins into elegant luminaries. If you don’t feel like carving your pumpkins, gilding, yarn, and lace coverings can all add nice decorative touches to these seasonal gourds.
Modern carved pumpkins at Angelo Home
Gilded pumpkins at CountryLiving.com
Lacy pumpkins are easy! All you need is a pumpkin, a fashion stocking, and some ribbon. Find the tutorial here.
Décor:
Subtle updates can add a lot to your room. Update the prints on your mantle to reflect the spooky holiday or autumnal colors, or add a slightly creepy apothecary display to you sideboard. You can even go as simple as adding an arrangement of seasonal blossoms to your decor.
Etsy spooky photo roundup at Dooce.com
You don’t have to completely avoid the creepy, make an apothecary display on a mantle or windowsill with this tutorial from MarthaStewart.com
Another subtle way to decorate is to focus on autumnal items like fall foliage and flowers:
Leaf mask at Designmom.com
Add a display of beautiful Japanese lanterns from Apartment Therapy.com
Create a seasonal centerpiece like the one from DesignSponge.com
What is your favorite way to decorate your home for Halloween? Let us know if you go all out or opt instead for subtler holiday touches.
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October 20, 2011
Windermere Foundation Quarterly News, Summer 2011
Greetings from the Windermere Foundation,
Thanks to you and the wonderful support the Windermere Foundation has received so far this year, we have disbursed over $851,000 to qualifying social service organizations dedicated to serving low-income and homeless families throughout the Western U.S.
Our amazing agents, staff, and owners, along with public supporters, continue to contribute generously of both time and money to the Foundation.
Here are a few of the great programs that recently received Foundation support:
Habitat for Humanity received $4,000 from the twelve CCRGI offices in Oregon and the Coachella Valley offices in CA. Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976 and has had millions of volunteers help build over 400,000 affordable houses in partnership with families in need.
Family Promise received $1,200 from the Lewiston, ID office.
“Thank you for your recent donation to Family Promise of Lewis Clark Valley. Your gift will help provide homeless families with meals, a place to stay together as a family, as well as provide them assistance in finding permanent housing, jobs and other needs.
Thanks to your generosity, we will be able to continue this cost-effective solution to the problem of homelessness. Families are housed with Host Congregations, while volunteers provide meals. There is little overhead for the great benefit that is gained. Thank you again for your support.”
Family Promise
Hazel Dell Elementary, Vancouver, WA received $1,000 for their Jim Collins’ Coats for Kids and Warm Clothes Program.
“First a huge thank you to you and the Windermere Foundation for your support of the children at our school. We have used the funds for buying hooded coats, warm tops such as fleece jackets to make their thinner coats warm, hoodies, and jeans for some children that did not have winter appropriate pants. Also many children were able to have warm shoes and socks because of your support through this fund.
Many of our families have been and are still hit hard with the economic conditions. Our free and reduced lunch percent has moved from 52% to 64% this year, a measure of the rise of poverty for our students.
…Being able to help these students with clothing, due to the Foundation’s generosity, has been wonderful. It gives them not only warm clothing, but also a sense of pride and ability to feel comfortable here at school.”
Hazel Dell Elementary
Scholarship Program
Several offices awarded scholarships to qualifying students wishing to continue their education. Over $16,000 was gifted by the following offices: Bingen, WA, Coeur d’Alene, ID, Dallas/Monmouth, OR, East King County Group, WA (comprised of 13 offices), Seattle-Madison Park, WA, Port Ludlow, WA, Prescott, AZ, Republic, WA, and Whidbey Island-Freeland/Langley, WA.
Building Better Communities, One Home Sale at a Time
On September 23rd, more than 200 volunteers from 30 Greater Seattle-area Windermere Real Estate offices, Seattle non-profit Neighborhood House, the High Point Community Association, and the local community came together to build a park that will serve more than 500 kids in the High Point neighborhood. This year, the Windermere Foundation is doing more for our communities in neighborhoods where there are a lot of kids but not a lot of resources.
To nominate a project for next year or learn more about what is happening in your area, go to www.windermereandyou.org. Or share your Foundation experiences at www.facebook.com/WinderemereFoundation
As always, thank you for your continuing support of the Windermere Foundation. Many low-income families are receiving basic necessities because of your commitment to helping others.
Best,
Christine Wood
Windermere Foundation
Want to read more news about the Foundation? Become a fan on Facebook to learn and share your stories about all the amazing things the Foundation is doing throughout the year.
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October 20, 2011
Community Service Day Southwest is Friday, October 21st!
Tomorrow is a very special day here at Windermere Real Estate, it is our annual Community Service Day. Every year our Southwest offices dedicate a day to working in our community to make things a little brighter for our neighbors.
We appreciate your patience if it takes us a little longer to return your call or respond to your email.
Every year since 1984, Windermere associates have dedicated a day of work to complete neighborhood improvement projects as part of Windermere’s Community Service Day.
Creating vibrant communities is one of the things that inspire all of us at Windermere to be involved in Community Service Day as it gives us an opportunity to give back to the communities where we live and work.
After all, real estate is rooted in our communities. And an investment in our neighborhoods gives us all a better place to call home.
See a list of some of the projects happening across the region. More information about the projects, organizations and photos will be shared on our facebook page:www.facebook.com/windermererealestate.
Office
Project/ Organization
Antioch, CA
Loaves and Fishes of Antioch and Oakley
Brea, CA
The Eli Home, Shelter for Abused Women & Children
Clayton, CA
Contra Costa Food Bank
El Sobrante, CA
El Sobrante Boys and Girls Club
Prescot, AZ
Open Door project, as part of “The Coalition of Compassion and Justice”
Walnut Creek, CA
Clothes drive for babies with Newborn Connection
Yucca Valley, CA
Unity Home domestic abuse shelter in Joshua Tree
