Archive for July, 2007
July 30, 2007 at 1:23 pm · Filed under Real Estate Bites, Mortgage Bites, Sparks from Sparky
As many of you may know, Buckwheat and I are members of ActiveRain, a very large and popular real estate networking platform with over 40,000 members nationwide.
Recently, we launched a contest to encourage quality consumer-oriented blog articles on the network. Our 1st Round yielded some really excellent writing from the Real Estate Agents/Broker members. The 2nd Round this past week from among our Loan Officer/Mortgage Lender members raised the bar even higher on quality content articles for consumers.
As part of the spoils, we promised to publish the winning articles here on SoundBiteBlog.
And so, without any further ado, here are the 2nd Round Winners and their respective articles:
3rd Place: Jason Price, Owner of Knightlines Mortgage Services, LLC, in Altoona, Florida. His 3rd Place submission was entitled, “The Best Mortgage is a Fixed Rate Mortgage.”
2nd Place: Brian Brady, Managing Director with World Wide Credit Corporation in San Diego, California. His 2nd Place entry was, “ARMs don’t Kill Houses, Loan Hacks Kill Houses!”
1st Place: Jason Sardi, a Loan Officer with First Choice Equity Group in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania. His 1st Place article was “They Gave Me a Band-Aid and Now I need Stitches!”
Congratulations to all of the 2nd Round Winners and to all who participated!
In two weeks, we’ll publish the winners of Round Three from the Professional Staging members of ActiveRain.
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July 27, 2007 at 3:04 pm · Filed under Bites of Kitsap, Sparks from Sparky
Brynn Grimley, a fellow blogger and reporter with our local newspaper, the Kitsap Sun, recently wrote an article about the continued delays and frustrations surrounding the proposed Central Kitsap Community Campus.
One of the most vocal supporters and potential tenants for the future campus has been the Kitsap Regional Library. Prior to relocating to Silverdale WA, my family and I lived in Lawrence, Kansas, the home of the University of Kansas. Being an academic community, Lawrence had a very large and well-stocked library. When we moved here, it was disappointing to discover such small, limited facilities serving our area. With the strategic central location of Silverdale and the amount of continued growth, a larger expanded library facility makes total sense.
Last May, the Kitsap Regional Library Council placed a ballot intiative before area voters, asking to raise the levy lid by 18 cents. This would have increased the current levy of 30 cents per $1,000 of assessed value up to 48 cents (By law, the library is allowed to collect up to 50 cents). While passage of this measure wouldn’t have necessarily addressed the high price tag (est. $50M to $100M) associated with the proposed community campus, it would’ve provided the added public support necessary to keep the project moving forward. Unfortunately, the measure failed to receive the simple majority of 50 percent.
So now, after over 8 years of discussion and planning, the hopes for a community campus are unsure.
However, newly appointed Central Kitsap Commissioner, Josh Brown is optimistic that the momentum will continue and hopefully construction can begin in the near future. Brown has recently met with officials from the YMCA and Kitsap County Consolidated Housing Authority to determine the needs of our community and how the proposed campus could best serve those needs.
Commissioner Brown stated:
“We’re going to be looking at any and all of the funding options for this campus.” Brown said. “We’re going to work with all interested community groups to make something happen soon.”
One such community group that will be directly impacted by the proposed community campus is C-STOCK (Central Stage Theatre of County Kitsap). C-STOCK, a local non-profit live theatre group since 1986, uses the present county facilities almost exclusively, producing 5 shows annually, including a Summer children’s theater workshop.
The Mission Statement of C-STOCK is:
To provide a community-based musical and dramatic performing arts organization for the purposes of:
- Presenting quality family entertainment
- Creating opportunities for children and adults to develop talents in all aspects of theatre arts.
- Providing recognition and support to encourage the youth of Kitsap County.
In my humble opinion, the only way for the proposed Community Campus to become a reality is for all interested community groups to pool their collective resources and efforts, and work together towards a common end. The more diverse of community needs are served by the proposed Community Campus, the wider and greater the public support will be.
Brynn Grimley, c stock, central kitsap community campus, community theatre kitsap, josh brown, kitsap county, Kitsap County Consolidate Housing Authority, kitsap regional library, kitsap sun, levy lid kitsap county, silverdale, soundbiteblog YMCABookmark this article to:
July 24, 2007 at 3:27 pm · Filed under Bites of Kitsap, Bremerton Real Estate, Silverdale Real Estate, Port Orchard Real Estate, Bainbridge Island Real Estate, Poulsbo Real Estate, Real Estate Bites, Buyers, Sellers, Sparks from Sparky, Gig Harbor Real Estate
In many regions across the country, the housing market has been cooling off. Inventories are up, prices are coming down. Basic supply and demand stuff, right?
Well, as is typical amidst such conditions, real estate buyers tend to become increasingly more bold and brazen. Many property sellers are desperate to sell, and real estate buyers are only too happy to accomodate them with an equally desperate offer.
Now there’s nothing inherently wrong with a low offer. Everyone wants to feel like they got a good deal. It’s the American way! I always tell my Sellers that a low offer is better than no offer, regardless of how ridiculous and laughable it may be. It takes time and energy to draft a contract offer. Every offer should be considered as serious and worthy of consideration. If nothing else, it may simply be the starting point for further negotiations.
However, as a Buyer, there are several key priniciples/strategies to writing a successful low offer.
1. The first key is to offer an amount that doesn’t overly insult the Property Sellers, and yet still warrants their response. Your real estate agent should be able to offer you guidance with this. Consider the following questions:
- How long has the property been on the market?
- Have there been any previous offers?
- Have there been any price reductions?
- What are comparable properties in the area currently selling for?
2. The second key ingredient is to strengthen all other elements of your offer. There are many times when other aspects of the offer are nearly as important to the Sellers as price. What accomodations/exceptions can you provide to make your offer more attractive? Consider the following:
- Increase your Earnest Money Deposit amount. The more cash you are willing to provide as Earnest, the more serious your offer will be taken.
- Do the Sellers have a preference for a closing date? Do they want a quick closing, extended closing, or rent-back?
- Write your offer as clean and straight-forward as possible. Keep the amount of contingencies to a minimum.
- Make sure to enclose your Lender’s loan pre-approval letter along with your offer.
- Do the Sellers or Listing Agent have a preference regarding where to direct title & escrow?
3. The last key is to convey a positive upbeat attitude towards the Sellers and their Listing Agent. You’re behind the 8-ball to begin with by offering the Sellers less than what they’re asking. You don’t need to pour salt in the wound by telling them what a ‘dump’ their home is, and then rattling off a exhaustive laundry list of how much work it needs.
You rarely know what a Real Estate Seller’s motivation or bottom-line price may be, but by incorporating some of these suggestions, you’ll definitely come closer to achieving a mutual agreement.
bremerton wa real estate, kingston wa real estate, kitsap county real estate, negotiations real estate, port orchard wa real estate, poulsbo wa real estate, seabeck wa real estate, silverdale wa real estate, slow real estate market, soundbiteblog washington real estate blogBookmark this article to:
July 21, 2007 at 11:02 pm · Filed under Bites of Washington, Bites of Kitsap, Silverdale Real Estate, Sparks from Sparky
Back in high school, my passions were Drama, Choir, and Marching Band. From the time I was a freshman, I was fortunate to get leads in all of the school plays and musicals. In my senior year, I was Snoopy in our local community theatre production of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.”
For the next 30 years, my theatrical skills took a backseat to my career, marriage, and raising a family.
In the winter of 2005, I finally ended the drama dry-spell by playing the part of Clifton Feddington in the C-STOCK production of ”1940’s Radio Hour.” It was a wonderful experience!
A year later, my son Elliot and I had some great male bonding time when we performed together in “Footloose!”
This coming September, Elliot and I will be joined by younger brother, Luke, in the Broadway hit, “Damn Yankees!” It’s a classic tale of good triumphing over evil, with loads of great songs & dancing thrown in!
Join us Sept. 14th thru Oct. 7th (Fridays & Satudays at 7:30PM; Sundays at 6PM)
Silverdale Community Center, 9729 Silverdale Way NW, Silverdale
Tickets available at the Kitsap Mall Customer Service Desk and at the door.
- Adults - $12
- Seniors and student ID - $10
- Children 11 and under - $7
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July 21, 2007 at 5:57 pm · Filed under Sparks from Sparky
As many of you may know, Buckwheat and I are members of ActiveRain, a very large and popular real estate networking platform with nearly 40,000 members.
Recently, we launched a contest to encourage quality consumer-oriented blog articles on the network. Our first round yielded some really excellent writing from the Real Estate Agents/Brokers members.
As part of the spoils, we promised to publish the winning articles here on SoundBiteBlog.
And so, without any further ado, here are the First Round Winners and their respective articles:
3rd Place: Laura Warden, a Broker/Owner of Choices Real Estate in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and her winning article, “Buyer’s or Seller’s Market? The Key is Location, Location, Location!”
2nd Place: Thesa Chambers with Sunriver Realty in Sunriver, Oregon and her article “Honesty Hurts! But it Sells Your Home!”
1st Place: Lenn Harley, Broker/Owner of Homefinders.com in Maryland/No. Virgina, with her article, “Buying & Selling Homes in No. Virginia in a Slow Market”
Congratulations to the 1st Round Winners!
Next week, we’ll publish the winners of Round Two from the Loan Officers/Mortgage Lender members of ActiveRain.
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July 17, 2007 at 3:32 pm · Filed under Bites of Kitsap, Sparks from Sparky, Business Bites
Accidents happen! Many times, it’s not a matter of our driving ability, or the lack thereof. It can simply be the result of being in the ‘wrong’ place at the ‘wrong’ time. But it happens. Even to the best of drivers.
Like most of you, I don’t have time to shop around, get various quotes, and compare prices. I want someone I can trust, to do the work right the first time, finish the work when they say they will, and at a price that won’t wipe out my bank account.
Fortunately for me, I recently found an excellent local source - Olympic Auto Body, on Chico Way in Bremerton, WA.
My wife drives the Mercedes (I’m still trying to figure out the fairness in that?) and the front bumper had come loose. Normally, you have to go to the Mercedes dealer for such things, but I didn’t feel like driving clear over to Fife, or taking out a 2nd mortgage on my house. So I asked Brian Siemens, my good friend at Town & County Auto Repair, who he would recommend. And he suggested the guys over at Olympic Auto Body.
Around this same time, my oldest son, Ben, decided to trim some of the trees lining our driveway with the sideview mirror on my Ford Expedition. Score - Tree 1, Ford 0. The thought occured to me, ”I wonder if the boys down at Olympic Auto Body are running a “2-for-1″ special?”
I always enjoy it when I encounter great local business experiences like this. I met the owner, Dan Leger, and he was genuinely friendly & helpful. He gave me several options on my mirror mishap, all which were well below what the dealer had quoted me. As we waited for the part to arrive, he fixed my wife’s ‘Benz’ good as new in just a day. I swapped him for the Ford, and the new mirror was replaced the following day. Prompt service, excellent workmanship, affordable prices. What more can you ask for?
If you find yourself in a fender bender, entrust all of your auto body repairs to Dan and the guys at Olympic Auto Body!
Olympic Auto Body, 2181 Chico Way NW, Bremerton, WA 98312 (360) 479-6571
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July 10, 2007 at 4:33 pm · Filed under Bremerton Real Estate, Silverdale Real Estate, Port Orchard Real Estate, Bainbridge Island Real Estate, Poulsbo Real Estate, Real Estate Bites, Buyers, Sellers, Sparks from Sparky, Gig Harbor Real Estate
Real Estate Market Report/Conditions for Kitsap County WA for 07/10/2007
The following is a quick analysis of the combined single-family home and condo market within Kitsap County, Washington, provided by Rich Jacobson of Windermere Real Estate, in Silverdale, WA.
- Properties currently active on the market: 2097
- Properties closed in the last 180 days: 1562
- Average Sales Price: $305,732
- Average List Price: $310,120
- Ratio of List Price to Sales Price: 99%
- Average Days on Market: 89 days
- Sales Pending this Week: 44
Current Market Conditions: Have you ever seen molasses going uphill on a cold day? Well, that would pretty much describe the real estate market here on the Kitsap Peninsula (okay, it may not actually be THAT slow, but it sures seems like it at times!) Inventory levels continue to increase, though demand has remained constant. The pendulum has not swung over completely to a Buyer’s Market, but it’s definitely past the halfway mark. If you’re a Seller, you better be prepared to pull out all the stops in order to achieve success in selling your home. Here’s a couple of quick tips:
- Conduct a pre-sale home inspection. Anticipate and correct any problem issues ahead of time.
- If you’re on a septic, go ahead and have it pumped and inspected. Place of copy of the receipt and inspection results in the Home Book.
- Depending on the age of your home, offer a Home Warranty Plan to prospective Buyers.
- Consider having your home staged or hire a staging consult to give you some suggestions.
- Price your home agressively.
One of the best values on the market right now is my listing on Franklin Street in East Bremerton. Give me a call to schedule a private showing @ 360.440.4758
For additional information and resources concerning real estate and living in Kitsap County, Washington, access my comprehensive website, www.KitsapLife.com.
another quality consumer article by Sparky
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