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A peek at Westlake in Seattle

We like to go out and get lots of pictures of Seattle whenever we are showing homes - here is a great shot from a recent Seattle floating homes tour we did for a wonderful couple.  It is a picture of Westlake towards the houseboat community there (Westlake is the floating home community that the Sleepless in Seattle houseboat is in) with Queen Anne in the background.  The picture was taken from Eastlake on the banks of Lake Union looking through some houseboats on the East side of the lake. 

Seattle floating homes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interested in Seattle real estate?  Westlake Real Estate? Queen Anne Real Estate?  Eastlake Real Estate?

0 comments • Seattle Realtor Courtney Cooper Seattle Real Estate, Seattle Washington • July 02 2009 06:54PM

Seattle First Time Homebuyer Basics.... They are Really Anytime Buyer Basics...

Seattle real estate has been interesting this year -

Great prices for buyers, lower interest rates, and lots to choose from, but unfortunately this has been couple with uncertainties in both buyers and sellers as well as tighter lending requirements and absolutely ridiculous appraisal guidelines and rules. 

How can you even begin to find the confidence to buy?  When you do realize that your situation allows for home buying now, then you need to find someone to help guide you through the process. 

  1. Find a Realtor that you truly enjoy working with.  They should keep you informed even when there is nothing to tell.  Life is way too short to work with someone you do not trust or like.
  2. Know what your guidelines are!   Wife wants X features, but husband only thinks they can afford Y features in a home. Buyers remorse is a big issue if you don't make this decision up front.
  3. Get help locating a property in Seattle within your guidelines.  This is very important!
  4. Realtor structuring a strong offer on your behalf and going through the paperwork with you
  5. Negotiations are always with with your best interests at heart, but you have to be honest and let us know what you want.
  6. Realtor - helping to schedule inspections, appraisal, escrow appointments, etc.
  7. Also providing you with an overall picture of the sales process
  8. Make sure to get them: Referrals, referrals, referrals! - Inspector, insurance contacts, utility contacts, favorite restaurants or vets and doctors in the area, etc...
  9. Look at the resale!!! Seattle buyers should always look at their exit strategy- this is an investment as well as a home!  How well will this house or condo sell in the future?

Eastlake real estate

 Finding your way... 

I like to make up a binder with lots of information for my first time home buyers in Seattle - I want to give them something that might help along the way or clear up any confusions.  I also like to look over the Good Faith Estimates from the lender to make sure all charges seem to be in line and have them ask questions if I see anything out of the ordinary. 

Do you need info on being a first time home buyer in Seattle?  Need a free home buying guide? Want info on the $8000 tax credit?  courtney@cooperjacobs.com  Cooper Jacobs Real Estate, Seattle real estate, @CourtneyCooper

Picture credit:  Morgan Cooper Photography  morgan.cooper@comcast.net

1 comment • Seattle Realtor Courtney Cooper Seattle Real Estate, Seattle Washington • June 22 2009 03:03PM

Ride The South Lake Union Trolley.. or Streetcar...

Or call it something else....

Whatever you call it, just ride it. The Trolley/ Streetcar that runs through South Lake Union has had some name controversy in the last year or so...

 

No matter what you decide to call it, it is a great thing for Seattle to have mass transportation so get on board! If you are interested in South Lake Union real estate or want to know more about this neighborhood, please visit our Seattle neighborhoods pages and check it out!

Follow me on Twitter @CourtneyCooper if you want some great Seattle real estate insight and also access to very cool listings. You can also become a fan on Facebook:  Courtney Cooper 

2 comments • Seattle Realtor Courtney Cooper Seattle Real Estate, Seattle Washington • June 22 2009 02:37PM

Twitter Riders On My Signs...

twitter ridersIs Your Seattle Home on Twitter?  A follow up to a few popular Tweets.....

I had tweeted a while back that I had started adding Twitter riders to my for sale signs around Seattle.  I got a ton of responses ranging from "why would I ever do this" to "wow that is a great idea!", but most of my signs do have this rider on them.

I obviously agreed with the latter or I would not have invested the funds to have some gorgeous wooden riders made for my company signs, but my reasons might surprise you.  I fell head over heels for Twitter many months after I had actually joined because I finally got it!  I finally figured out why I should be on Twitter and why I wanted my Seattle property listings to also be on Twitter.  When ever I tweet my listings the web traffic and interest in them goes up significantly.  This is from both agents and consumers who are following me on Twitter, but also from people who search for Seattle real estate on Twitter.

Looking at Google Analytics for my Seattle listings and the hits they get off the web it is easy to see why tweeting about your listings on Twitter and blogging about them on ActiveRain.com. etc. adds more exposure for your sellers.  It is just one more way to be on top of web marketing for sellers!

Follow me on Twitter @CourtneyCooper if you want some great Seattle real estate insight and also access to very cool listings. You can also become a fan on Facebook:  Courtney Cooper 

2 comments • Seattle Realtor Courtney Cooper Seattle Real Estate, Seattle Washington • June 22 2009 12:41PM

Sandals & Socks Guy - A Staple In The Northwest....

Unfortunately, my husband fits into this category...

I am constantly trying to change that, but regardless this commercial from Pemco Insurance in Seattle was filmed in a house I sold last year!  This gorgeous view home was vacant while on the market and located in Edmonds overlooking the Puget Sound - one of the very coolest houses I have sold! 

The new owners even found a time capsule in the garden!  This commercial was very popular at the time that I sold the house and it continues to air quite often - even with my TIVO I bump into it at least once a week.  I smile every time:)

 

Are you interested in Seattle real estate?  Edmonds Real Estate? 

4 comments • Seattle Realtor Courtney Cooper Seattle Real Estate, Seattle Washington • June 17 2009 12:37PM

Agent Reflects On Redfin Buyers

Via Matt Goyer (Redfin):
With all the talk of Redfin recently I thought ActiveRainers might be interested in this post from a Seattle agent on Rain City Guide, Is Your Open House In The NWMLS For ALL To See?. In the post Courtney talks about the Redfin buyers she sees at her open houses:
Redfin buyers seem to almost always be actively looking for a home. They meticulously schedule and map out the open houses they plan to visit and they come with questions prepared. In short, they are serious.
The post also mentions that Redfin buyers seem to cringe open entering open houses because they expect to be treated poorly. I hate to hear this and wonder what we could do to make the situation better? I know in the past we started off on the wrong foot with a lot of agents because we had our clients call the listing agent for showings. We now no longer do that and tour all our clients (we used to charge for this, but now its free). What else could we do to ensure every buyer is treated respectfully regardless of how they came to find the open house?
0 comments • Seattle Realtor Courtney Cooper Seattle Real Estate, Seattle Washington • June 15 2009 04:37PM

Fremont Real Estate: Homes Search

Looking for what's available in the busy Fremont neighborhood of Seattle? 

Here is a newly designed Seattle real estate search site has a great page on Fremont!  Check it out here:

Fremont Homes

I love Fremont and spend a ton of time there both personally and also showing property buyers interested in this wonderful neighborhood!  Fremont is just North of Queen Anne across the Fremont Bridge - this neighborhood offers an eclectic lifestyle and big views of the canal.  Fremont is the definition for urban living in Seattle if you ask me - restaurants and shops galore plus great walking and biking.

Are you interested in Fremont Real Estate? realestate@cooperjacobs.com

fremont seattle real estate

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nearby Seattle neighborhoods:

Seattle real estateWallingford

Green Lake

Ballard

Phinney Ridge

Queen Anne

You can find them all on the Seattle neighborhoods page!

0 comments • Seattle Realtor Courtney Cooper Seattle Real Estate, Seattle Washington • June 10 2009 06:01PM

3% Down For Seattle Investors, Too - Have You Checked This Out?

Seattle, I thought that this was something worth passing along -

The HomePath Mortgage Financing (some details from their site)

  • Low down payment and flexible mortgage terms (fixed-rate, adjustable-rate, or interest-only)
  • You may qualify even if your credit is less than perfect
  • Available to both owner occupiers and investors
  • Down payment (at least 3 percent) can be funded by your own savings; a gift; a grant; or a loan from a nonprofit organization, state or local government, or employer
  • No mortgage insurance*
  • No appraisal fees
  • Also eligible for HomePath Renovation Mortgage (see details below)

    • Home Path Renovation Mortgage Financing -

  • Financing to fund both your purchase and light renovation
  • Low down payment and flexible mortgage terms (fixed-rate or adjustable-rate)
  • Down payment (at least 3 percent) can be funded by your own savings; a gift; a grant; or a loan from a nonprofit, state or local government, or employer
  • No mortgage insurance*

    • Seattle space needle Want to find FannieMae homes that qualify?

    They are in the MLS and we can email you a list of qualifying properties upon request.  Please specify what you are looking for:

    realestate@cooperjacobs.com

    Courtney Cooper, Designated Broker, Cooper Jacobs Real Estate Service:  Are you interested in Seattle real estate?  Lynnwood real estate or other Seattle Suburbs?

     

    0 comments • Seattle Realtor Courtney Cooper Seattle Real Estate, Seattle Washington • June 08 2009 02:40PM

    Seattle First Timers: Some Tips To Avoid Pitfalls

    Seattle real estateThinking About Buying in 2009?

     There are a lot of things changing and it might be confusing!  Unfortunately, new Seattle buyers might find that asking questions might not get them the correct answers for the current Seattle market.  Buying a house any time is a huge task, but being a first time Seattle home buyer on top of that makes it ridiculously intimidating for many.

    These are some of the things well qualified First Time Home buyer has already done:

  • Saving money for a down payment, closing costs, prepaids (and knowing how much these are by asking your Realtor to help guide you)
  • Managing credit (debt, etc.)
  • Managing employment history

    Other pieces of the Puzzle :

    • Locating a property in Seattle within your guidelines
    • Structuring a strong offer on your behalf and going through the paperwork with you
    • Negotiating with your best interests at heart
    • Helping to schedule inspections, appraisal, escrow appointments, etc.
    • Providing you with an overall picture of the sales process
    • Keeping open lines of communication along the way!!!  (I let them know what is going on even when nothing is going on so that they don't wonder)
    • Referrals, referrals, referrals! - Inspector, insurance contacts, utility contacts, favorite restaurants or vets and doctors in the area, etc...
    • Look at the resale!!! I always council Seattle buyers on their exit strategy - this is an investment as well as a home!  How well will this house or condo sell in the future based on some of its attributes....

    seattle real estate Finding your way...  I like to make up a binder with lots of information for my first time home buyers in Seattle - I want to give them something that might help along the way or clear up any confusions.  I also like to look over the Good Faith Estimates from the lender to make sure all charges seem to be in line and have them ask questions if I see anything out of the ordinary. 

    • Do you need info on being a first time home buyer in Seattle?  Need a free home buying guide? Want info on the $8000 tax credit?  courtney@cooperjacobs.com  Cooper Jacobs Real Estate, Seattle real estate, @CourtneyCooper

    0 comments • Seattle Realtor Courtney Cooper Seattle Real Estate, Seattle Washington • June 05 2009 04:46PM

    Bing – Not a Google Killer but maybe offers something else unique

    Anyone tried Bing yet?

    Via Shane O'Gorman Eau Claire Wisconsin Real Estate Agent & Realtor- Buy or Sell (Eau Claire Realty, Inc.):

    There have been a few new search engines lately and all the hype in the world doesn’t seem to add up when the engine itself doesn’t really do much (wolfram Alpha for instance) it seems nearly impossible of a search engine to actually replace Google. There have been plenty of articles talking about this topic recently but it all boils down to what you like and I like Google. I know how it works and I know what results to expect. I tried Yahoo the other week when Google was down for a few hours and I didn’t like it. I got weird results and that’s not what you want. So Bing comes a long and it’s supposed to shake things up a bit. Ok let’s see what it can do then.

    Here are a few articles directly comparing Google and Bing.

    http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/06/02/search-smackdown-bing-vs-google/

    http://www.loiclemeur.com/english/2009/06/hello-bing-i-am-loic.html

    http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/31/go-bing-yourself-right-now/

    There are some obvious differences in the results. I don’t know if those articles cover this but Microsoft has already been caught cheating the results and not showing competitors. For instance do a search for Apple or Macintosh and they are tweaking the results and limiting what you see and to me that is petty and a hindrance. Do I want to be using a search engine that I know gives faulty results? Nope.

    But one of the most important new features of Bing is the video capability. Bing provides playable thumbnails in results and is just one step ahead of Google in this area. This is the universal search that everyone in the SEO world has been talking about and Bing is doing it now. There are some interesting consequences of this that are detailed below. You might want to be an adult to see what I mean.

    http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/06/01/badda-bing-indeed/

    An interesting test of the video aspect is to perform a local search for video and see (if you are doing video) where your videos stack up in results.

    Overall I see Bing as a good thing since it will force Google into coming out with new features but I don’t see it replacing it or even taking a large market share. It seems to give similar results so trying to focus on Bing for SEO seems pointless. Who knows what the future will hold though.


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    Buy or Sell, I'll Treat You Well!
    (In case you do not agree with something I said or feel that my blog or my beliefs could be construed as libelous I hereby declare that my entire blog is meant as a joke. I consider myself to be a comedian and everything I say or have said should be considered comedy. I want nothing I say to be taken seriously and if you do take it seriously take a break. If you do not think what I said is funny then that is your opinion. But for anyone who wants to sue me everything I said or say is meant purely as satire.The only thing that is not a joke is this disclaimer.)
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    Eau Claire Wisconsin Real Estate Agent Realtor Shane O'GormanShane O'Gorman E-Pro Certified Agent of Eau Claire Wisconsin real estate

    0 comments • Seattle Realtor Courtney Cooper Seattle Real Estate, Seattle Washington • June 05 2009 11:58AM