Bremerton WA Real Estate :: SoundBiteBlog.com

One of the biggest challenges of relocating to a new area is finding a good, reputable auto repair shop. Murphy’s Law almost always guarantees that whenever you move to a new area, your car will start to act up. There are few things worse in life than having your car breakdown in a new town and not have the slightest clue where to take it.

If you have recently relocated to the Kitsap Peninsula in scenic Washington State, then you are most fortunate. Not only is Kitsap County WA a great place to live, but we also have one of the best auto repair shops right in our own backyard!

Town & Country Auto Repair, located in Bremerton WA right off of Hwy. 3 on Chico Way, has  been a welcomed Godsend to our family. When we moved to Silverdale WA, our kids were much younger and we only had one car – the consumate Soccer Mom vehicle – the Dodge Caravan. Now, as our kids have grown older, we have added 4 other cars to our collection! Several of them are very basic junkers - ”Point-A to Point-B,” high miles used cars (Two of which were thankfully donated by friends or family). Of course, the more cars you own, the greater your chances of needing repairs, especially for the ones held together by rust.

Without reservation, I highly recommend the expert mechanics at Town & Country Auto Repair, and for the following important reasons:

These guys are like the “Boy Scouts of Auto Repair!”

They’re Trustworthy – they always do what they say they’re going to do and “when” they say they’ll do it!

They’re Helpful – each one of their technicians has been professionally trained and certified. Several of them are specialists for various systems or vehicle makes. They are able to troubleshoot even the most challenging problems quickly.

They’re Friendly - you feel like you’re one of the family. They actually make you feel like you’re the most important customer they have!

They’re Thrifty - here’s an amazing concept: they’ll only do the work that is needed or necessary! They’ll give you options, but they never sacrifice on safety related issues. They don’t gouge their customers, but provide excellent work at a very reasonable price!

Okay, so they’re not Clean, but what would you expect from guys who crawl under cars all day!

So if your car or truck needs work, from a major engine or transmission overhaul, to a simple oil change, check out the boys at:

Town & Country Auto Repair, 3420 Chico Way NW, Bremerton WA 98312

(Corner of Chico Way & Erlands Point) (360) 692-2262

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, and Crabbing in the Hood.

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Posted in Bremerton WA Real Estate, Business Bites, Kitsap County Bites | 3 Comments »

Tags: automotive repair, bremerton WA, Kitsap County WA, town and country auto repair

One of the best things about living here on the Kitsap Peninsula in scenic Washington State is that we have the good fortune of being part of a very large and thriving military community. Our area is home to thousands upon thousands  of active-duty Armed Forces members faithfully serving our Country, along with their dependents, and many retired veterans as well.

Under the collective command of Naval Base Kitsap, there is the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton; the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Keyport;  and the expansive Bangor Submarine Base. As a licensed real estate professional serving clients throughout Kitsap County WA, I have had the good fortune and pleasure of working with many of these hard-working, dedicated patriots and their families.

A good many of my active military or veteran clients elect to use VA loans for their home financing. As a veteran myself, my first two homes were purchased using VA loans. It can be an excellent choice of financing products to use, requiring very little out-of-pocket expense, and with fairly competitive rates.

However, one of the potential drawbacks or difficulties associated with VA financing can be the appraisal process. Simply being aware of this possible pitfall helps to prepare my clients ahead of time.  It’s something that I always take time to educate my Buyers about fully.

Here is the process in a nutshell:

As a Buyer, your agent diligently assists you in finding a home that meets your needs. Once you find the right home, you submit an offer, and hopefully, your offer is accepted. At that point, you hire a licensed inspector to conduct a full home & pest inspection, and identify any items that need to be addressed/repaired. After the inspection results are negotiated to the satisfaction of both Buyer and Seller, you will enter the “pending” stage of the transaction. At this point, your Mortgage lender will contact VA, and they, in turn, will order an appraisal to determine if the property can be valued at the price that you have agreed to pay for it.

Here in Kitsap County WA, our mortgage partners rarely know who the appraiser will be in a given transaction. It’s a Russian roulette. If you’re an approved VA appraiser in Washington State, your name is simply added to the list, and whoever is next on the list gets the call. It may be someone local who knows and understands the nuances of our market. Or it can be someone from another county altogether.

In most of my experiences, the VA appraisers have been fair and reasonable. But there are times when they can be extremely picky or subjective. Usually, they try to stay focused mainly on major structural components and primary systems. They evaluate the roof, foundation, plumbing, electrical, heating/cooling, etc.. Unfortunately, on occasion, they can become overly critical of other aspects of the home that are not necessarily critical to safety or proper function/operation. These aspects then become ‘conditions for funding’ and require resolution before the transaction can close.

Many Buyers assume that since the home inspection was performed, and the Sellers may have agreed to repair the things they requested, that everything is pretty much a “done deal” until closing. Unfortunately, there may be some additional items that the VA appraiser will call out that need to be remedied or repaired prior to closing. In some instances, these items can be small and easy to resolve, or they can present significant challenges and even cause the transaction to fall apart.

Additionally, in a slower, declining market, appraisers tend to be much more critical in their analysis of comparative property sales. Valuations can come back ‘under’ value and may require a re-negotiation of the contract sales price between Buyer and Seller.

An experienced real estate agent will wisely counsel their Buyers not to assume anything and to wait until the full appraisal results come back. Hopefully, the appraiser will not find any problems or issues that were not identified during the home inspection, and the appraisal will come in at value. If that’s the case, then the rest of your home buying experience should move along fairly smooth to closing, and you will successfully achieve the Next Adventure in Life!

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Posted in Bremerton WA Real Estate, Buyers, Mortgage Bites | 4 Comments »

Tags: va appraisals, va appraisers, va loans

As I travel throughout the Real Estate Blogosphere these days, I see a lot of articles being published by agents with the positive-spin headlines,….

…..”It’s a GREAT Time to Buy!”

I wonder how much of this is simply hopeful optimism? Wishful thinking? Or an attempt by those in the real estate industry to counter the incessant media bombardment of ‘Doom & Gloom?”

Well, let’s face it, in most markets across the country, existing homes sales have declined significantly. There’s no way to sugar coat that reality. And as much as we’d love to see things turn around soon, there is no substantive indication of that happening anytime in the near future.

But I suppose, if enough people say that it’s a good time to buy, then maybe some innocent and unsuspecting consumer will actually decide to ‘buy’ something? Just like Peter Pan, we could collectively think ‘Happy Thoughts’ about the market, and magically, home sales would fly!

Buying a home is a HUGE decision, by far one of the most important financial investments you’ll probably ever make. Certainly not something to be rushed into based on the overly zealous opinions of someone who doesn’t get paid unless YOU buy!

So, is it TRUE or FALSE? Is ‘Now’ a good time to Buy?

Well, the answer is TRUE. And FALSE. It really depends on each individual situation. What’s your current financial status? What are your goals? Where do you want to buy? How long do you plan on living in the home?

Here in Kitsap County WA, many of our clients are Active-Duty military. A good number of them are typically on orders to be stationed here for 2 to 3 years. In the past, with home valuations appreciating nicely, investing in a home purchase made sense in most instances. But with the current market decline, it may be better for some people to take advantage of on-base housing, or rent.

If you’re considering a home purchase, find a real estate professional who knows the local market intimately, and can give you reputable counsel, based on your particular needs.

And if the first words out of their mouth is, “It’s a Great Time to Buy!,” then give me a call.

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Posted in Bremerton WA Real Estate, Buyers, Real Estate Bites, Sellers, Silverdale WA Real Estate | 8 Comments »

Okay, so what if we just had over 12″ of torrential rain swamp us in a 24 hour period, causing sinkholes and washed-out roadways. And forget that we have a huge stockpile of nuclear warheads just down the street at Bangor Subase (at least once a year the tree-hugging Al Gore global warmers protest at the front gate). 

Regardless, the Silverdale WA and Bremerton WA area just recently made the No. 10 spot on a list of the Safest Mid-Sized Cities across the US with populations of 150,000 to 500,000.

The list is from a report compiled by Farmer’s Insurance. The rankings take into account variables such as crime statistics, weather, life expectancy, and terrorist threat levels.

Two other Washington State cities were ranked – Olympia (the State Capitol) came in at 1st place, and Bellingham was 5th.

To read more about the Most Secure US Places, go HERE.

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Posted in Bites of Washington, Bremerton WA Real Estate, Buyers, Kitsap County Bites, Real Estate Bites, Silverdale WA Real Estate | 1 Comment »

Real Estate Market Report/Conditions in Kitsap County WA for 10/04/2007

The following is a brief analysis of the combined single-family home and condo market within Kitsap County, Washington for October 2007, provided by Rich Jacobson of Windermere Real Estate, in Silverdale, WA (Data for Bainbridge Island WA is included below)

• Properties currently active on the market: 2273
• Properties closed in the last 180 days: 1687
• Average Sales Price: $336,020
• Average List Price: $341,304
• Ratio of List Price to Sales Price: 99.5%
• Average Days on Market: 87.5
• Sales Pending this Week: 41

Current Market Conditions: The highest ratio of List Price vs. Sale Price is still Area 141 (South Kitsap West of Hwy. 16) with 101%.  The lowest ratios were 97% for Areas 167 (Suquamish) and 161 (Hansville). Shortest Days on Market (DOM) continues to be Area 150 (E. Central Kitsap) with 62 DOM. Area 146 (Chico) was also still 2nd at 64. Longest DOM goes to Area 164 (Lofall) with 161, followed by Area 162 (Kingston) with 104.  Inventory rose again slightly, and sales decreased. But the sales prices improved by nearly 7%.

Bainbridge Island Stats: (Area 170)

• Properties currently Active on the market: 332
• Properties closed in last 180 days: 299
• Average Sales Price: $ 733,243
• Average List Price: $ 747,692
• Ratio of List Price to Sales Price: 98%
• Average Days on Market: 136
• Sales Pending this Week: 4

For Buyers: Dont’ listen to the media or Jim Cramer on the “Today Show.” Now is still a great time to consider purchasing a home here in Kitsap County WA. The current rate this morning for a 30-year fixed rate loan is still just under 6%! With the number of available homes on the market, Buyers have more choices and greater negotiation power.

For Sellers: You’ve got to do your homework and ensure that you’re fully prepared for market. Your house will really need to ‘pop’ and be priced aggressively if you want to stand out from the masses. Working closely with your Listing Agent, you should pull out all the stops and do everything possible to position your home ‘Head & Shoulders’ above the competition.

For 1st Time Buyers, you might want to consider one of my listings, the Gorman Condominiums, near Kitsap Lake in Bremerton WA. For only $129,950 property ownership can be a reality for you!

For additional information and resources concerning real estate in Kitsap County WA, access my website, www.KitsapLife.com

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Posted in Bainbridge Island Real Estate, Bremerton WA Real Estate, Buyers, Gig Harbor Real Estate, Port Orchard Real Estate, Poulsbo Real Estate, Real Estate Bites, Sellers, Silverdale WA Real Estate | No Comments »