Kitsap County WA :: SoundBiteBlog.com

Here on the scenic Kitsap County WA peninsula, we are fortunate to have a very large military community comprised of Naval Base Kitsap, including the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bangor Subase, and the Keyport Naval Undersea Warfare Center.

As such, many of the active-duty, active reserve, and retired service members buy homes here in Kitsap County WA using VA Home Loan financing. This is a very popular loan product of choice mainly because it doesn’t require that the Buyer contribute a down payment.

VA Home Loan rates are usually fairly competitive compared with conventional loan rates. The current VA Home Loan rate is hovering around 3.75% to 4% for a 30-year fixed mortgage, and at 3.0 to 3.25% for a 15-year fixed mortgage. The maximum loan limits here in Kitsap County WA are presently set at $417,000. However, if a Veteran elects to purchase a home with a sales price higher than the loan limit, a down payment is then required which is 25% of the difference between the loan amount and the sales price.

Here in Kitsap County WA, it is fairly common for the VA Buyer to ask the Seller to contribute towards paying a portion or all of their closing costs (typically up to 3% of the sales price).

One of the distinctions of using VA financing to purchase your home is the VA appraisal process. Not only does the VA appraiser analyze comparable market data to determine current valuation, but they also inspect the home to determine if any conditions need to be remedied/resolved prior to closing. These typically involve primary home systems such as electrical, plumbing, and heating, or structural issues, like roof, siding, crawlspace, or foundation. They also look for any concerns relating to safety like steps, handrails, and decks.

So even though you conduct a full home inspection and negotiate any needed repairs with the Seller, the VA appraiser may call out additional conditions that will need to be resolved prior to closing. Just understanding and knowing about the VA appraisal helps VA Buyers to anticipate potential issues or delays to the home buying process.

For more information on the VA Home Loan process, go to the Overview of the VA Home Loan Program.

The first part of the VA home buying process is to connect with a knowledgeable mortgage lender to determine your eligibility and budget price range. I highly recommend Rhonda Porter with Mortgage Masters. You can connect with her through her popular blog, The Mortgage Porter.

If you’re a 1st Time VA Home Buyer, or even a repeat VA Buyer, give me a call @ 360.440.4758 or email at KitsapAgent@gmail.com, and I would be honored to assist you in your VA Home Buying Adventure!

~       o       ~       o       ~       o       ~       o       ~ o       ~

Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional with Keller Williams West Sound, providing knowledgeable 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, ActiveRain, and Crabbing in the Hood, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

Bookmark this article to:

Posted in VA Financing | 1 Comment »

Tags: bangor subase, Kitsap County WA, naval base kitsap, puget sound naval shipyard, va buyers, va financing, va home loans

Enjoying the Quality of Life on the Kitsap Peninsula WA

I was born in Klamath Falls, Oregon. When I was just 10 months old, my parents moved our family down to Livermore, California, where I spent the next 18 years growing up. During my 4-year stint in the Navy, I traveled to a number of places throughout the continental US, as well as Hawaii, Guam, Okinawa, and Japan. After getting married in 1983, my wife Janice and I moved to Santa Rosa, California, where our first child, Emily, was born. Shortly after her birth, we moved to Chicago, Illinois, and lived there for 5 years. From there, we ended up in Lawrence, Kansas, and called that home for another 10 years.

But in the back of my mind, I had always had the hope/dream of one day living in the Pacific Northwest. My Mom was born here in Washington State, out on the coast, near the edge of the Olympic Rain Forest, and my Dad grew up in Warrenton, Oregon. When I was a youngster, my Mom’s folks lived on Pine Street in Everett WA, and my Uncle Bill was part owner of Everett Hardware. Needless to say, I had many fond childhood memories of time spent in and around the Puget Sound.

While serving on-board a submarine in the US Navy, my boat pulled into Bangor Subase here on the Kitsap Peninsula to on-load missiles. We spent several months there as we prepared for our DASO (Demonstration and Shakedown Operations) that would take place later on over at Port Canaveral, Florida. While pulled up to the pier there at Bangor, I can vividly recall the deep clear waters of the Hood Canal and the sheer peaks of the Olympic Mountains as I stood watch topside. Those sights were truly breathtaking and remained etched in my memory for years to come.

Yesterday, my sister Lori and her husband Ron took me out crabbing on the Hood Canal. We launched Ron’s 28 foot Grady White at Salisbury Point and motored out underneath the Hood Canal bridge. As we headed south, we passed the Bangor Subase, and it reminded me of those days over 30 years ago when I stood looking out of these waters thinking to myself, “Wow! Wouldn’t this be an awesome place to live!”

Of all the places I have lived, nothing compares to the quality of life we enjoy here on the Kitsap Peninsula, surrounded by the waters of the Puget Sound, and the intense beauty of the Pacific Northwest!

~   o   ~   o   ~   o   ~   o   ~ o   ~

Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional with Windermere Real Estate, providing knowledgeable 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, ActiveRain, and Crabbing in the Hood, or e-mail: kitsapagent@gmail.com

Bookmark this article to:

Posted in Kitsap County Bites | 1 Comment »

Tags: Hood Canal WA, Kitsap County WA, kitsap peninsula, seabeck wa real estate, waterfront properties on hood canal wa

Local Business Review: Ethos Builders – The ‘Dock’ Doctor

Here on the scenic Kitsap Peninsula, surrounded by the picturesque waters of the Puget Sound, many homeowners are fortunate to have properties situated on the waterfront. For those with low bank or beach access, a private dock is a highly coveted feature. Boating is a popular recreational pastime in the Pacific Northwest, and having a dock makes private boating even more pleasurable and convenient.

However, the proper upkeep of personal docks can be a challenging task. The elements of nature can exact their toll on dock components, such as decking and hardware.

When the time comes for dock maintenance and repair, it can be a rather daunting process just trying to find someone who not only understands the unique aspects of dock construction, but also possesses the necessary skills to effect lasting repairs.

Ethos Builders LLC, a Poulsbo WA based company, is the one I recommend for such specialized job requirements. Owner Josh Phillips has developed a long-standing reputation in the area for quality workmanship and high customer satisfaction.

Ethos Builders LLC can also design and build your new dock project from start to finish. With their knowledge and expertise on permitting, environmental impact concerns, material choices, and proper construction standards, Ethos Builders LLC can help to make your dock dreams a reality!

So if you’ve been dreaming about a dock, or your dock is in need of its yearly physical, give Josh at Ethos Builders LLC a ring. He makes house calls!

Josh Phillips @ Ethos Builders LLC.  (360) 440-7399;    ethosbuilders@yahoo.com

~     o     ~     o     ~     o     ~     o     ~

Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional with Windermere Real Estate, providing knowledgeable 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, ActiveRain, and Crabbing in the Hood, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

Bookmark this article to:

Posted in Local Business Review | No Comments »

Tags: dock repair, ethos builders, josh phillips, Kitsap County WA, marinas, marine construction

Doom and Gloom.

As a licensed real estate broker, I hear this particular sentiment being expressed a lot these days, both as it relates to the housing market in general around the country, and right here in Kitsap County WA.

Let’s face it. Times are tough. Our current economic struggles breed uncertainty and unrest. The natural tendency is for people to hunker down, hold tightly to their money, and not make any major purchases.

While this may be a prudent direction for some, others may unfortunately lose out on a prime market opportunity. One of the best times to invest in real estate is at the low end of the cycle when home prices have bottomed out. Add to that dynamic the large number of short sale and bank-owned properties currently available, and you have an even better equation for investment success.

Though it seems unlikely that U.S. home prices in general will rise any time soon (many are predicting a sustained flat market for the next 4 to 5 years), some local markets are showing favorable resiliency.

Moody’s Economy.com, a financial services industry information firm, estimates that by 2014, U.S. home prices will be 7.2 percent above 2010 levels, with the strongest growth here in the Pacific Northwest. These estimates are based on such factors as employment, foreclosure rates, income growth, demographic trends, and construction costs.

According to Moody’s forecasts, the most robust market in the US will be Washington State’s Bremerton-Silverdale area. While home sales and new construction in the area have slowed in 2010, Moody’s expects prices here to jump up by a total of nearly 45 percent over the next four years (9.7 percent annually). This is the highest forecast among 384 metropolitan statistical areas that were surveyed nationwide. Price levels in Kitsap County WA have fallen about 21 percent from the 2007 peak levels, according to the Case-Shiller Indexes.

As much as I would love to believe these numbers, common sense cautions me to take them with a grain of salt, and lean a bit more towards the conservative side. However, given that the economic analysts at Moody’s are a lot smarter than I am, perhaps their predictions can help dispel some of the doom and gloom.

For a little while anyway!

~     o     ~     o     ~     o     ~     o     ~     o     ~

Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate broker providing Knowledgeable 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, ActiveRain, Everyday CK, HomesByHarbors, and Crabbing in the Hood, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

Bookmark this article to:

Posted in Real Estate Bites | No Comments »

Tags: Bremerton WA Real Estate, doom and gloom, housing market, Kitsap County WA, moodys, Silverdale WA Real Estate

I just posted over on my Kitsap Sun Reader Blog “Everyday CK” an article about Kitsap County Commissioner Josh Brown. Like most elected officials these days, you either like the guy or you don’t. Personally, I think he’s made some great strides for the residents of Central Kitsap County.

To read more about Josh Brown’s recent accomplishments, go to Everyday CK.

~     o     ~     o     ~     o     ~     o     ~     o     ~

Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable 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, ActiveRain, Everyday CK, and Crabbing in the Hood, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

Bookmark this article to:

Posted in Kitsap County Bites | 2 Comments »

Tags: commissioners, elections, everyday ck, Josh Brown, Kitsap County WA, kitsap sun