New Listed in Hawks Prairie!

Just Listed For Sale: 

anyamyer.remaxagent.com/NWM642609

Attractive 2-story in The Greens at Edgewater featuring 4 spacious bedrooms, large bonus room, 2.5 bathrooms, master suite with spacious tiled 5 piece bath. Open gourmet kitchen with stainless appliances, island, nook, pantry and exquisite hardwood floors. Formal dining rooms, family room with gas fireplace, den with French doors. Tandem 3 car garage and fenced yard with patio, heat pump. Neighborhood features 3 large parks, 3 mile walking trail to the beach, nearby golf and easy access to I-5. Call Anya today to schedule a tour.

4442 Logan Drive NE
Lacey WA 98516
Offered at $343,000
MLS# 

642609

10 Tips to Green-Up Your Home

Whether you’re a renter or a homeowner, chances are you care about protecting the environment – and saving money. Here are some tips from Seattle Mortgage, a subsidiary of Seattle Bank to help you do both.

Location, location, location efficiency. Carefully consider the location of your home. If you’re close to work, shopping and entertainment, you may not need a car. Without a car you would save money on gas, car insurance and maintenance, not to mention reduce pollution. If you’re thinking about moving further out, try to find something near public transportation and shopping.

Light up the house, not the electric bill. Replacing incandescent light bulbs with more energy efficient compact florescent light (CFL) bulbs will save you about $6 a year in electricity costs per bulb and more than $40 over its lifetime. According to ENERGY STAR, if every American home replaced just one light bulb, we would save enough energy to prevent 9 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year. Remember to recycle used CFL bulbs. Go to www.epa.gov/bulbrecycling for recycling locations.

Some like it hot, hot, hot…or cold, cold, cold. Closely monitor your thermostat. Adjusting it just a few degrees while you’re out can save energy and money. You can make it easier by installing a programmable thermostat. Use fans and close the blinds during the warm months and let the sun in for natural warmth in the winter. Also, change your filter every three months.

How low can you go? One way to save water is by using low-flow toilets. The most cost-effective way to do this is to simply take a 1 liter plastic bottle, fill it with water and place it inside the tank. This will reduce your water use per flush. Another way to save water is placing an aerator on all of your faucets.

Make it mean-green-clean. Cleaning supplies can be expensive and are made with toxic chemicals. You can save money and the environment by making your own cleaning supplies. All you need are some basic household ingredients like vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda and borax to clean everything from windows to tile. Look online for recipes and suggestions.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! Sticking to this mantra can help you save money around the house. Use a rag instead of paper towels. Buy products in bulk, concentrate or refillable containers to reduce packaging waste. Look for products made from recycled content. And don’t forget to recycle!

Win-dos for your windows. There are a number of ways you can make your windows more energy efficient without replacing them. For better insulation from the weather you can caulk exterior joints, put shrink wrap on them or hang blackout curtains.

Fan the green flames. To keep your refrigerator running efficiently, keep the fan clean. The motor won’t have to work as hard if the fan is clear of debris.

Decorate green. Houseplants are like living air-filters. English Ivy, rubber trees, peace lilies and red-edged dracaena can help clean the air and look pretty too.

Vampire energy is sucking you dry. On or off, anything plugged into the wall sucks energy. Vampire power costs U.S. consumers more than $3 billion a year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Unplug your electronics and appliances when they’re not in use.

For more green home solutions, visit: epa.gov/greenhomes

Hot New Listing in Tumwater!

anyamyer.remaxagent.com/NWM636079

Better than new quality home in Tumwater's Highlands. All the perfect touches are in this 3 bedroom plus den plus bonus floorplan. Main floor features include living and dining rooms, den, open family room to kitchen offering granite counters, stainless appliances, nook, hardwood floors. Large utility room with sink, exterior access. Top floor offers master suite with 5 piece bath, balcony with views. Fully landscaped yards with sprinklers plus low maintenance deck perfect for entertaining. Call Anya today to schedule a showing.

1833 Vista Loop SW
Tumwater, WA 98512
MLS#636079
Offered at $324,900

Housing activity in Western Washington ranges from “red hot” to “slowly healing”

Brokers report some skittishness among both buyers and sellers, but the latest statistics from Northwest Multiple Listing Service indicate the housing market is continuing to rebound. Both the number of pending sales and the number of new listings added to inventory during April reached their highest levels in 11 months.

Closed sales of single family homes and condominiums were slightly below the year-ago volume, while the median sales price rose slightly (up about 1.9 percent).

“The residential market is red hot,” where multiple offers are the “norm” for new listings, with about two-thirds of homes near job centers selling in the first 30 days. That’s about twice the normal rate.

 

4761 Brech Street $365,000

I listed and sold this home in less than 2 weeks

Many areas outside the Greater Seattle job centers also show signs of positive activity, but at a more moderate pace. “The real estate market continues to show positive signs both locally and nationally,” stated John Deely, one of the directors of Northwest MLS.

MLS members reported 9,590 pending sales of single family homes and condominiums during April, about even with the same period a year ago when brokers tallied 9,600 mutually accepted offers. Last month’s total marks the highest level since May 2013 when the MLS reported 10,045 pending sales across its 21-county area.

Improving inventory is helping to boost sales, but MLS officials say the number of distressed sales in some areas, and shortages of the “right kinds” of inventory persist, are causing some drag on activity. Some brokers also expressed concern about the sluggish pace of new construction.

Members added 11,043 new listings to inventory during April, about 700 more than a year ago for a 6.7 percent gain. At month end, there were 21,390 listings system-wide, up nearly 7.9 percent from twelve months ago when active listings totaled 19,826.

“A lot of potential sellers who would like to move up are reluctant to list due to uncertainty that there will be something on the market they would want or be able to purchase,” said Northwest MLS director Diedre Haines. Changes in the new construction segment are also affecting activity, she suggested.

Other brokers had similar comments about current inventory.

“We are still desperate for inventory in spite of statistics indicating we have more listings,” commented MLS director Kathy Estey. Inventory is being held back because potential sellers fear they will sell their home and not find one to move into, said Estey, the managing broker at John L. Scott in Bellevue.

South Puget Sound seeing impact of distressed properties

Distressed properties are still influencing activity and prices in the South Sound, reported Dick Beeson, principal managing broker at RE/MAX Professionals in Tacoma. According to his analysis of Northwest MLS data, about 30 percent of April’s sales in both Pierce and Thurston counties were distressed properties, either bank owned or short sales. He noted this appears to be more than twice the ratio in King County.

Buyers are indecisive, Beeson noted, explaining, “They can’t decide if they like a bigger selection or not, especially if much of the inventory is not in the greatest physical condition, which describes many distressed properties.”

Despite the relatively high proportion of distressed properties in Pierce and Thurston counties, multiple offers are occurring on “right priced, right conditioned” listings, remarked Beeson.

Commenting on the minor price drop (down 0.15 percent) compared to a year ago, Beeson believes it is due to the high number of bank owned properties and short sales that were in the mix. He indicated his analysis revealed a median price of $240,000 for non-distressed single family homes, or about 30 percent higher than the distressed component. The gaps in King County, with a smaller proportion of distressed sales, were not as pronounced.

March's Existing Home Sales numbers in one easy-to-share infographic

From NAR Research....Sales may be soft, but prices are up

Interest rates and buying power

 To help you understand how interest rates affect buying power, below is a table for explanation.

For example, say you qualify for a $300,000 loan with an interest rate of 4.5%. If interest rates rise to 5.5% you'd now only be qualified for a loan of $267,705. That one percent change in interest rates equals a $32,295 reduction in buying power. In other words, if prices drop by $10,000 and interest rates rise 1%, you've lost $20,000 by waiting.

While home prices are a very important consideration, interests rates have a large say in how much you can afford. If you're waiting to buy while interest rates are rising, you may end up paying more.

Use the table below to see how interest changes affect loan amounts

At a 4.5% fixed rate loan, you could qualify for a loan amount of:	The loan amount would you qualify for based upon a higher fixed rate of:
4.5% (4.665% APR)	5.5% (5.679% APR)	6.5% (6.694% APR)
$200,000	$178,411	$160,267
$300,000	$267,705	$240,480
$400,000	$356,822	$320,535
$500,000	$446,116	$400,748
$600,000	$535,410	$480,960
$700,000	$624,527	$561,015

This document is not intended as an offer to extend credit nor a commitment to lend. The loan interest rates, fees and terms presented here are for illustrating purposes only and may not be currently available. The document was prepared to assist real estate professionals in illustrating some of the financial options available.

*courtesy of harborhomes.com/news/view/interest-rates-and-buying-power

PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT - HOUSING FINANCE COMMISSION – BELOW MARKET RATES

Advance Notice – Limited Time Offer
 
Please be advised the Housing Finance Commission expects to announce funding for a below-market House Key Opportunity Program on or about May 1, 2014.  A formal announcement will go out upon program launch.
 
The total amount of funds for this proposed program is dependent on housing revenue bond market conditions and the program may be withdrawn at any time after funding availability is announced.
 
We anticipate a potential pool of funds up to $25 million, but this too can increase or decrease based on market conditions.
 
Proposed Interest Rates:

3.50% - 1% origination for FHA, VA

3.75% - 1% origination for Conventional loans

 
Reservations:

90 days – existing construction (through loan purchase)

120 days – new construction (through loan purchase)

·    No Waiting List will be taken once the program is terminated. 

·         

·   Funds are expected to go quickly.

Loan Term:

30 years fixed

 

If you are interested, please contact me immediately so I can put you in contact with the best lender to  pre-qualify you and have you complete the required home buyer education (can complete class online).  These funds will go VERY quickly so we would need to move fast once the funds are available on or about May 1^st.  Income and purchase price limits apply.