Home Listing Syndication

How much are homes selling for in Seattle and around the Puget Sound?

When you’re looking for a partner to help you negotiate the complexities of selling a home, you’ve come to the right place.  Come to Homes on the Sound where you will find all the experience needed around Seattle & Tacoma. The experience, dedication and strong communication you’ll receive here will help ensure the successful and profitable sale of your home:

1. The Local Advantage – Take advantage of a broad spectrum of technologies and tools to support the sale of your home from start to close.

2. Internet Advertising - Since the lion’s share of home buyers starts their search on the internet, top placement on search engines is essential. You’ll gain access to placement on Google, MSNBC, and other websites. This will maximize your exposure and bring a large number of potential buyers to view
information about your home.

3. Email Campaigns - It’s important to “work the network.” We can work together to identify the right people to target your home-and get in touch with them by email to drive excitement and interest.

4. Personal Touch - Of course, technology alone won’t sell your home. Face-to-face interaction provides the advantage to sell your home-and you won’t have to worry about a thing. The details will be handled with care and constant communication, to ensure the marketing and sale of your home go smoothly.

Home Listing Syndication

Your home can be advertised on websites all across the web, making sure buyers see your home and everything it offers. Here are some of the national sites where your home will appear:

Posted by Phaon Spurlock

As we gear up for Super Bowl XLVI to watch the New York Giants and the New England Patriots face-off on February 5, 2012, we would like to take this time to provide you with the blueprint for hosting a Super Bowl Party. The Super Bowl is more than just football. It’s an event that links generations, crosses genders and also just a good time to drink beer for a couple of hours with your friends. I know you have all been to the regular Super Bowl party, you know, the one with a couple chip platters, some  dip, and a cooler full of beer. While this may be good for some, but its not for LuxuriousPROTOTYPE way. Simple doesn’t always have to be so simple. With a couple of tips and party ideas we hope to make sure that your friends and family will crown you as the KING of Super Bowl!

The Layout

For making your man cave, living room or even your outdoor area (depending on where you live) the crown jewel of your favorite team we have listed great places to go to get material:

• http://www.fathead.com/nfl/
• Local Party City
• http://www.nflshop.com
• http://www.footballfanatics.com/

Essentials

• Chairs and lots of them!
• Table – Food placement
• Batteries (just in case the remote stops working)
• Music system or DJ
• Cups
• Pitcher
• Cooler
• Forks
• Napkins (LOTS!)
• Water

 The Grub

The items below are made to compliment your essentials: Plain Chips, Nacho Cheese Chips, Sour Cream & Onion Chips & Buffalo Wings, Chicken Fingers and Veggie Platter.

Beer-Battered Onion Rings

courtesy of Cooking light

Ingredients

• 2 large onions, peeled (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 2/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup(s) flat beer
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 tablespoon(s) vegetable oil, divided
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup(s) ketchup

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut the onion crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick slices, and separate into rings. Use 16 of the largest rings; reserve remaining onion for another use. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, salt, paprika, and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in beer and egg white (batter will be thick). Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Dip 5 onion rings in batter, letting excess drip off. Add onion rings to pan; cook for 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Place the onion rings on a jelly-roll pan. Repeat procedure of dipping onion rings in batter and cooking in remaining oil, ending with 6 rings. Coat the onion rings with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until crisp. Serve rings with ketchup

Meatball Parmigiana Sliders

photo credit: Courtesy of Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients

• 2 slice(s) white or sandwich bread, torn into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup(s) whole milk
• 8 ounce(s) ground beef (85 percent lean)
• 8 ounce(s) ground pork
• 4 ounce(s) ground veal
• 1 cup(s) (1 ounce) finely grated pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, divided
• 3 tablespoon(s) coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 clove(s) garlic, minced
• 1 large egg
• Coarse salt
• marinara sauce
• 24  brioche rolls, split
• 1 1/2 cup(s) (5 ounces) coarsely grated mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup(s) (1 ounce) finely grated pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, for sliders
• Small basil leaves

Directions

1. Make the meatballs: Soak bread in milk for 5 minutes. Gently mix bread and milk with meats, 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano, parsley, garlic, egg, and 1 teaspoon salt. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Roll mixture into 24 one-ounce balls (each about the size of a golf ball).
3. Heat sauce in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Drop meatballs into sauce, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook, partially covered, until meatballs are cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes.
4. Make the sandwiches: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Working in batches, arrange rolls, cut side up, on a baking sheet. Place 1 meatball, a spoonful of sauce, 1 tablespoon mozzarella, and 1 teaspoon pecorino Romano on bottom halves. Bake until cheese melts, about 3 minutes. Top with basil and close sandwich.

Potato Skins

courtesy of Good Housekeeping; photo credit Kate Spears

Ingredients

• 4 large (12 ounces each) baking (russet) potatoes, well scrubbed
• 4 slice(s) center-cut bacon
• 1 tablespoon(s) extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1/3 cup(s) reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 ounce(s) Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated
• 1 large (10- to 12-ounce) tomato, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoon(s) snipped fresh chives

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. With fork, pierce each potato 3 times. Place potatoes on parchment paper. Microwave on High 8 minutes. Turn over; microwave on High 10 minutes longer or until tender. Cover with kitchen towel; let cool.
3. Meanwhile, in 18″ by 12″ jelly-roll pan, arrange bacon in single layer. Roast 10 to 12 minutes or until browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels. When cool, crumble. Discard fat from pan but do not wipe clean; set pan aside. Reset oven to 475 degrees F.
4. Cut each potato in quarters lengthwise. With spoon, scoop potato from skins, leaving about 1/4 inch of potato with skin and being careful not to break through skin. Reserve cooked potato for another use.
5. Arrange skins, skin side up, in single layer on reserved pan. Brush with oil; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6. Roast 13 to 15 minutes or until browned and crisp. Transfer, skin sides down, to serving plate.
7. To assemble, spread 1 teaspoon sour cream on each skin. Top with cheese, tomato, bacon, and chives.

Rotel Spicy Cheesburger Dip

Rotel Spicy Cheesburger Dip

Ingredients

• 1 lb. (16 oz.) VELVEETA^®, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 can (10 oz.) RO*TEL^® Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained
• 1 cup shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 lb. ground beef, cooked, drained
• 4 green onions, sliced

Directions

MIX first 4 ingredients in large microwaveable bowl.

MICROWAVE on HIGH 5 minutes or until VELVEETA^® is melted, stirring after 3 minutes. Stir in onions.

 Libations

Cocktails

Long Island Iced Tea
Ice
1oz Absolut Vodka
1oz Jose Cuervo Gold Tequila
1oz Bacardi White Rum
1oz Bombay Sapphire Dry Gin
1oz Cointreau Liqueur
1.5oz Lemon Bar Mix
1 Splash Cola
Take your Collins glass, and fill it with your desired level of ice. Next mix in 1oz Vodka, 1oz Tequila, 1oz Rum, 1oz Gin, 1oz Triple Sec and 1.5oz of Sweet and Sour Mix. Stir it all up and then pour in a splash of your favorite Cola.

Manhattan
3/4 oz Martini Rosso Vermouth
2 1/2 oz Crown Royal Whisky
1 dash Angostura® bitters
1 maraschino cherry
1 twist orange peel
Combine the vermouth, whiskey, and bitters with 2 – 3 ice cubes in a mixing glass. Stir gently, don’t bruise the spirits and cloud the drink. Place the cherry in a chilled cocktail glass and strain the whiskey mixture over the cherry.

Boston Sidecar
3/4 oz Bacardi White Rum
3/4 oz Chivas Regal Whisky
3/4 oz Cointreau Liqueur
juice of 1/2 lime
Ice
Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and serve.
Garnish with a twist of orange.

Cape Cod
1 1/2 oz Absolut Vodka
4 oz cranberry juice
Ice
Combine in a highball glass with ice.
Garnish with a wedge of lime, and serve.

Beers

Ahh beer, the most quintessitial drink for ANY football game. We all think the classic beer choices are great for watching the game, such as: Miller Light, Budweiser, and Coors Light. However, we wanted to broaden your horizon, for all you are a LuxuriousPROTOTYPE man. We have listed our top picks for non-traditional beers for the Super Bowl.

• Stella Artois
• Dos Equis
• Blue Moon Pale Ale
• Abita Purple Haze
• Magic Hat
• Hoegaarden White Ale

 Games

The Generals

Take one drink for:

Winning the coin toss/loosing the coin toss, giving up a run of 10 yards, a pass of 20 yards, a sack/ tackle for a loss of 2-10 yards, make a field goal of 45 yards or more, missing a field goal of under 50 yards or a 5-10 yard penalty

Take two drinks for:

15+ yard penalty, giving up a touchdown and any turnover

Take three drinks for:

Your team losing on a fourth down situation or making a touchdown of over 50 yards

Take four drinks for:

Giving up any return for a touchdown and/or any reverse plan taken in for a touch down

Rules courtesy of idrink.com

Touchdown Toss Back

The touchdown toss back is a simple game. The game can tweaked to fit your “drinking” needs. The object of the game is to take a shot of your favorite alcohol each time your team scores a touch down. To spice the game up, you can even add a shot of beer each time your team scores a field goal.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!?!?!?

Along with purchasing a home from an existing homeowner, many people prefer purchasing a home from an owner that is in the process of being or has already been foreclosed on. Homeowners who get behind on their mortgages, unable to refinance or modify their loans for a lower payment, lose their homes. These homes are sold at a reduced value, providing a bargain for buyers.  Let’s go into detail to explain the difference between a Short Sale and a Foreclosure, commonly known as a Bank Owned or REO (Real Estate Owned).

Short Sale

Bank Owned Houses

Buying a Short Sale

Purchasing a Foreclosure

Which are Better? Foreclosures or Short Sales?

1. You have to seriously undercut the competition

Selling a home in a down market almost inevitably means settling for a disappointing price. But to unload your home fast, you’re going to have to dip 10% to 15% below what comparable homes in your neighborhood recently sold for. You still may not be able to compete with foreclosures and short sales, but at least you stand a chance of getting buyers to notice your listing.

To prevent yourself from becoming overly attached to your asking price, try to determine the lowest possible offer you’d accept before your listing hits the market. That will help remove your emotions from the negotiating process later on, says Palm Beach realtor Heidi Cole.

2. Outside fixes have the biggest impact

Since your house won’t be cheaper than the distressed property down the block, it has to look far better. But you may not have the time or money to redo the kitchen, so focus on cosmetic improvements that will bring the most buyers to your door.

Spending a grand can go a long way toward improving your home’s exterior, says staging expert Sandy Hare of Eugene, Ore. Get the outside of your house power-washed, paint the door, replace the knocker, and hire a gardener to give your yard some TLC.

3. First-timers are your friend

The most efficient way to market your home is to target the most likely buyers. First-timers bought over half the homes purchased so far this year, thanks to a new federal tax credit and the flexibility to buy without the burden of selling another property (super-low mortgage rates don’t hurt either).

The average age of the first-time buyer: 30. To boost your chances of reaching the Gen-Y crowd, get yourself a snazzy online presence (see No. 4) and spread the word about your next open house through social networks like Facebook and Twitter, says Warwick, R.I., realtor Ron Phipps.

4. Online tricks will make your home pop

Buyers are faced with thousands of listings. Help them find yours by peppering your description with amenity keywords like “deck,” “pool,” and “granite counters,” says Heather Fernandez of real estate search site Trulia.com. Then make sure they like what they see by using a wide-angle lens to make your rooms look bigger in pictures. And set your home at the lowest end of its price range; a $299,000 home will seem expensive to a buyer in the $250,000 to $300,000 range, but a $301,000 home is a deal to someone looking between $300,000 and $350,000.

5. Your secret weapon is a speedy deal

It can take months for banks to approve a deal for a short sale or a foreclosed property. Make sure your agent lets potential buyers know that you can close the deal within a few weeks.

Another advantage you hold over distressed sellers: the ability to be creative in negotiations. If a potential buyer is wavering, offer to pay part or all of the closing costs or cover a year’s worth of association fees. At the very least, consider throwing in some new appliances or a paint job. After all, in this market no one is going to want a home that doesn’t seem like a bargain.  

Foreclosures around the Puget Sound, Seattle, Tacoma, Federal Way, Des Moines, and Redondo 

Short Sales around the Puget Sound, Seattle, Tacoma, Browns Point, Dash Point, and Des Moines 

Comparable Houses for Sale in Seattle, Tacoma, Browns Point, Dash Point, Des Moines, Federal Way, Redondo, Normandy Park, Burien, & West Seattle

Keep in mind that it takes the average person 60 to 120 days to close on a home once they begin searching for their home! This means if you begin looking today, you’re not likely to close until sometime in March or May of 2012. This is the time to buy a home!

This will not be an overnight recovery, folks.  Existing homeowners are not expected to see the price of their homes increase any significant amount for at least a few years.  Several people in the following areas (Seattle, Tacoma, Federal Way, Des Moines, Browns Point, Dash Point, Fife, University Place, Burien, Kent, Auburn, Redondo, Renton, Kirkland, Redmond, New Castle, Issaquah, and Bellevue) are actually deciding upon a strategic Short Sale, rather than being faced into foreclosure, or some people have even gone for a strategic foreclosure, obviously not realizing what kind of damage this can cause to their credit.  If you are in such a situation, it’s best to talk to a Realtor, licensed real estate agent, or real estate attorney about your options.  Some people have hardships that they are not even aware of to allow them to qualify for a short sale.  It is strictly on a case-by-case basis.

If you're underwater or upside down on your home, talke to a real estate professional, immediately.

My recommendation is that if you are underwater on your house, right now, and not sure of your options, you should speak to somebody that knows more about the current housing market and who would be able to advise you of your options.  If you are curious about how to short sale in the Puget Sound area, be sure you’re looking for the best short sale experts possible, so you’re in good hands.  If you have any questions, you can always contact us and we’re here to help in any way we can.

To sum this up, remember that timing the market can be a very difficult thing to do if you’re not factoring in housing inventory, closing times, or recent local changes in the market, such as rate of employment, housing starts, and the local economy.

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For the original copy of this article, please visit:  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017285831_poweroutages21m.html

If you’re finding yourself “underwater” in your mortgage, meaning that you owe more than what your home is worth, you’ve probably asked yourself the question – “Should I short sell my home?” Short selling your home may be a difficult decision to make since it may affect your credit and potentially prevent you from getting another loan for several years. However, if you decide to short sell your home it may be the best time to do so, right now.

Many people have worked hard on having a good credit score, after all, credit is everything nowadays. So, not making their mortgage payments is not an option for them. A loan modification seems not to be an option either, unless they’re late on my payments or in a financial hardship. So, their only option left is trying to short sell my home. After speaking with several other real estate agents, I learned about some facts and myths that are out there about short sales that I wanted to share.

Myth: I won’t be able to buy another home for several years after short selling.

Truth: You may be able to buy an FHA-approved home after a short sale only if you’ve never been late on your payments and your new home is cheaper than the one you’ve just sold.

According to a letter by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued in December 2009, “Borrowers are considered eligible for a new FHA-insured mortgage if 1) they were current on their mortgage and other installment debts at the time of the short sale of their previously owned property, and 2) the proceeds from the short sale serve as payment in full.”

It’s also important to note that a person who is interested in short selling their home in order to buy a new one, will need to buy a smaller and cheaper home if they’re interested in buying soon after the short sale took place. Also, keep in mind that if you decide to buy a home right after a short sale, you’ll most likely have to pay a higher interest rate than someone who has never defaulted on a debt.

Guidelines are different for each lender. For example, Fannie Mae will not allow you to buy another home for a minimum of two years, even if you’re current on all your payments.

Myth: I will need to pay income taxes on the forgiven mortgage debt.

Truth: According to the Mortgage Debt Relief Act of 2007, if you’ve sold your home for less than what you owe, you won’t have to pay income taxes on the difference. (There are certain restrictions.)

According to the IRS, if you sold your primary home (you’ve lived in this home for at least three out of the last five years) through a short sale, you may not owe any taxes on the canceled debt. However, this act expires in December 2012. So, if you decide to list your home on November 2012 but your home doesn’t sell until February 2013, you won’t be covered under this act and you will most likely owe taxes on the difference. However, it’s always wise to consult your tax advisor before making any tax-related decisions. A real estate agent familiar with short sales will also be able to give you more information about the Mortgage Debt Relief Act.

Myth: My credit will be ruined if I short sell my home.

Truth: Your credit score will suffer as a result of a short sale but the impact is different for everyone. There isn’t a sure way to know exactly how much your credit score will suffer if you short sell since there are many factors that determine your score.

Generally speaking, if you’ve never been late on a payment (credit card, mortgage or car payment, for example), then your credit score will decrease as a result of a short sale but not as much as if you had missed payments. Also, the way that the bank reports the short sale to the credit bureaus will make a difference in the severity of the impact on your credit score. This is why it’s very important that you understand the lender’s terms BEFORE you agree on how the mortgage loan will close and be reported to the credit bureaus. If your mortgage lender reports that your mortgage has been “paid in full,” then your score won’t be hurt as much as if it was reported as “settled for less than full balance.”

Myth: I won’t be able to short sell my home unless I’m late on my payments.

Truth: You may still be able to short sell if there are other circumstances that prevent you from keeping your home, such as relocating for a job.

It’s true that lenders will give more consideration to homeowners that are late on their payments since it shows a hardship. However, if you are able to explain to your lender in your “hardship letter” why you need to sell the house (e.g. lost your job and had to relocate to another area to find another job), your lender may approve your short sale. All these guidelines mentioned above could change at any time. Consulting a tax advisor, real estate agent and an attorney before making a decision will help you make a more educated decision. We hope that this article helps you come up with questions to ask as you determine whether a short sale is for you.

Click the links below to see:

• Short Sales in Browns Point & NE Tacoma
• Short Sales in Federal Way & Dash Point
• Short Sales in Des Moines & Redondo
• Short Sales in Fife & Milton
• Short Sales in Tacoma
• Short Sales in University Place
• Short Sales in Puyallup
• Short Sales in Burien
• Short Sales in West Seattle
• Short Sales in Seattle
• Short Sales in Bellevue
• Short Sales in Kirkland
• Short Sales in Redmond
• Short Sales in Renton
• Short Sales in Kent
• Short Sales in Auburn
• Short Sales in Newcastle

 A lot of this information was provided by Quicken Loans and it is a very reliable source. 
Read more: http://www.quickenloans.com/blog/should-i-short-sell-my-home#ixzz1jnHk44Uz