Home Buyer Tips

Being a homebuyer in today's market is daunting. We've provided some homebuyer tips to help you wisely navigate each step in the buying process. You'll have the information you need to make smart decisions and avoid costly mistakes.

Home Buyer Tips, Home Seller Tips

Moving Day: Checklists & Tips to Stress Less

Ah, moving day…that magical mix of excitement, chaos, and occasional panic. Whether it is across town or cross-country, the reality of packing, moving, and setting up a new home can become overwhelming. No list can make a move “stress free,” BUT planning ahead and staying organized can help make your move a little smoother. […]
Home Buyer Tips

2024 Buyer Agency Law Changes: What Every Buyer Should Know

Maybe you’ve heard about the class action lawsuits in other states, or maybe you’ve clicked a link discussing how REALTORs® conspired to artificially inflate home prices through price fixing of commissions. What you probably haven’t seen is that in Washington our REALTORs® and our NWMLS have been actively working to make the real estate […]
Home Buyer Tips, Home Seller Tips

When is the Best Time to Buy or Sell a Home?

Market peaks, holidays, school, oh my! Once you’ve decided that you want to sell or buy a home, the when can be tricky to tackle. Many factors contribute to optimal timing. Scroll down for the pros and cons of selling or buying in each season. While each season has its perks and challenges, your personal […]

Home Buyer Tips Moving Day: Checklists & Tips to Stress Less Ah, moving day…that magical mix of excitement, chaos, and occasional panic. Whether it is across town or cross-country, the reality of packing, moving, and setting up a new home can become overwhelming. No list can make a move “stress free,” BUT planning ahead and staying organized can help make your move a little smoother. […]

Home Buyer Tips 2024 Buyer Agency Law Changes: What Every Buyer Should Know Maybe you’ve heard about the class action lawsuits in other states, or maybe you’ve clicked a link discussing how REALTORs® conspired to artificially inflate home prices through price fixing of commissions. What you probably haven’t seen is that in Washington our REALTORs® and our NWMLS have been actively working to make the real estate […]

Home Buyer Tips When is the Best Time to Buy or Sell a Home? Market peaks, holidays, school, oh my! Once you’ve decided that you want to sell or buy a home, the when can be tricky to tackle. Many factors contribute to optimal timing. Scroll down for the pros and cons of selling or buying in each season. While each season has its perks and challenges, your personal […]

Home Buyer Tips Buying a Home: A Start-to-Finish Guide You want to buy a home. Where do you begin? When you’re ready to buy—or maybe just ready to start seriously thinking about it—there’s a lot you can do to prepare. Here is a checklist to help you get started… 1. Determine a Price Range Step one is finding out your budget for […]

Home Buyer Tips What Is an Adjustable-Rate Mortgage (ARM)? Securing the most advantageous financing for your situation is an integral part of the success formula of buying a home. After getting pre-approved but once you’ve found the home you’d like to pursue, one of your primary tasks is exploring different loan products to see which best fits your situation. This is the fork in […]

Home Buyer Tips How to Avoid Overpaying for a Home in a Transitioning Market Look Carefully at the Home Itself Here are four home attributes beyond the number of bedrooms and baths that you should have your eye on… Home (building) quality: Very well-built homes are a rare find and typically worth every penny of their price. Don’t confuse them with so-so homes that just measure up to […]

Home Buyer Tips What is FIRPTA Certification? A complete overview on why you need to know about it… If you are purchasing property from a non-US individual or entity, you may be required to withhold taxes under the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980 (“FIRPTA”), 26 U.S.C. 1445 (unless one of the exceptions in the Act applies). The […]

Home Buyer Tips Thinking About Buying a Second or Vacation Home? Here are a few tips to make sure it’s worthwhile… These days, having your own home away from home is a compelling concept. There are many clear benefits including being able to use your home how you wish, decorate to your taste, and include your furry friends in your time away. There are also challenges […]

Home Buyer Tips Should I Be a Homebuyer in this Market? Fourteen offers, all contingencies waived, earnest money deposit released to seller on offer acceptance. This is the norm rather than the exception in our current market. Sound crazy? It is! And we’ve been here before. Today’s buyers are likely paying considerably above market values to “win” the war and snag a house that they can […]

Home Buyer Tips Interest Rates Make a BIG Difference When You Buy… You probably know that interest rates affect your monthly mortgage payments, but most of us aren’t aware of just how big an impact they really have on a home loan. Each 1% change in interest rate equates to roughly a 10% change in buying power. This means you can qualify for a much more expensive […]

Home Buyer Tips What You Need to Know about the Washington State Seller Property Disclosure – Form 17 Washington State requires sellers of residential real property to thoroughly disclose material facts on a form called the Residential Real Property Disclosure Statement (often referred to as Form 17). Unless the buyer has expressly waived their rights, the seller must deliver this completed disclosure with 5 days after mutual acceptance. The buyer then has a […]

Home Buyer Tips Due Diligence Pays Off Big Time When Buying a Condo When you buy a condo, you are also buying into its community. You get the benefit of its many amenities, along with the restrictions of its rules, and financial responsibility for its upkeep. Most condominiums offer community features such as pools, exercise rooms, media centers, and entertaining spaces that many people could not comfortably afford […]

Home Buyer Tips Assessing the Real Cost of a Fixer It can be very compelling to find a home in a neighborhood you like that is bargain priced. But how do you know if it will be a good investment? The only certainty in a fixer project is that there will be a substantial amount of uncertainty and risk. There can be significant rewards too, […]

Home Buyer Tips Should I Rent or Buy a Home? It’s important to remember that the purchase or rental of a home is a lifestyle choice as much as it is an investment. It is not just a commodity to negotiate, but also the place you’ll come home to each day and make your own. Yes, it is important to buy wisely and stay within […]

Home Buyer Tips Flip or Flop? Is That Gorgeous Makeover All It’s Cracked Up to Be? It seems like the perfect combo of fantastic location and newly renovated home. But is it really? The concept of renovating a tired home for profit (flipping) is a business model that is often naturally averse to the future buyer’s interests. The lower the costs, the higher the profit. And, the lower the costs, the […]

Home Buyer Tips Key Buyer Protections You May Need for Your Home Purchase When purchasing a home, there are a number of protections—called contingency clauses—that you can write into your contract to allow you to back out of the sale for specific reasons. For instance, if your inspection reveals major problems with the home that the seller can’t or won’t fix, your loan financing falls through, you find […]

Home Buyer Tips What’s YOUR Golden Age for NW Homes? The Northwest has experienced many changes in residential construction though the eras of home building. While not universal, here are a few typical housing rules of thumb we have seen in the Seattle region… Styles, floor plans and typical home attributes: 1900-1920’s Craftsman, Arts & Crafts, and Tudor homes dominated this era. They often […]

Home Buyer Tips How to Spot Big Issues Before You Pay for a Home Inspection Before you plop down $500-$800 for a home inspection, it really helps to identify obvious issues up front and determine if A) you are willing to buy the home despite them or B) the seller appears reasonable about addressing them. If neither of the above are yes, but you might want to keep looking rather […]