Team Reba home seller class in Seattle this Sat, Jan 31 11am-1pm!

Posted on January 27, 2015 by Reba Haas

No Fluff Savvy Home Seller Seminar -FREE- Jan 31 in Seattle
Saturday, January 31, 2014
11:00 am – 1:00 pm
RE/MAX Metro Realty Inc. office
RSVP to Classes@teamreba.com or via our Facebook event page

Home buyers get a class to learn what to expect in a purchase, but doesn’t a seller need to know the process from their side? Of course! Most people don’t realize that home selling is often more of a nail biting experience than buying until they’re in the middle of it.

In today’s selling environment, there are many new factors that sellers in the past didn’t have to consider….

-Will bank owned properties and short sales affect my house value?
-Busting market myths for TODAY’s environment – is it a seller or buyer’s market? Or both?
Other issues that affect sellers today including, but not limited to:
-What buyers expect today and the financing they’re using – how will it impact your sale?
-Legal and disclosure obligations (there are a lot!)
-Title insurance – what it is, why you pay for it and why you should be happy to do so
-What’s necessary in preparing a home for sale to get maximum value
-Inspections – what they are and how they affect your sale
-How to move (relatively) stress free and more….

On hand will be real estate brokers discussing the contract and market realities of today and a home inspector to help you navigate toward a successful sale. This seminar is FREE to the public, but you MUST RSVP!

RE/MAX Metro Office:
2312 Eastlake Ave E
Seattle WA 98102
Parking available in alley access to the office or in the street level parking garage. Extra parking available on the street.
Alternate travel options: Metro Bus routes 66 & 70 have a pick-up/stop by our office

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A lovely view of unemployment changes from 2010 to 2015 in Seattle – and why the housing market is so hot in Puget Sound

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Reba Haas

Some folks are wondering why our real estate market in the Seattle area continues to be so hot… well, interest rates and unemployment are two big factors affecting the industry so let’s take a look at one of those right now. As you can see in the graph above, we’ve gone from some all time highs around 9.5% to being now about half of that in the mid-4′s. Strong employment, along with gains in income are helping fuel both the strong rental and home sale markets.

These along with continued low interest rates make for a heated market place overall. Some job centers will do better than others and those mostly suburban locales won’t see the same appreciation gains, especially if bulk new construction is coming in, but we’re still a few years behind on the needed new inventory. Bottom line, it’s still a seller’s market and we’re short of inventory.

Team Reba will be teaching its No Fluff Savvy Home Seller Class coming up on January 31st, 2015 in Seattle. If you’re a home owner considering selling in the coming year, this is a good time to get caught up on the changes in financing, contracts, CO monitors and more that will affect your home sale. We’ll also discuss best practices to get the most money out of your house.

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and now for something completely different… Reba’s musical adventures with XLB…

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Reba Haas

Many of my real estate clients know that for some fun and “relaxation” I like to perform music when I’m not out chasing a good deal for them. For anyone who has been curious about what some of the shows sound like, here is a link to some videos from a recent performance on January 3, 2015 at Emory’s on Silver Lake in Everett (nearer to Mill Creek). We weren’t expecting to be filmed that night, but a gentleman named Marc Tachell who runs the website http://www.everettrock.com surprised us with a visit and videotaped most of our 1st set making a total of 12 videos. Thanks to Marc for his support of local live music!

We just happened to have several modern country and crossover hit songs in that 1st set but we do a mix of rock and pop too, including an original work from my co-singer, Zach Davidson, called Tryst Calypso. Had we known someone would be filming, we would have had our sound technician (my hubby, James Rupp from R&H Sound Productions) checking the house lights… we didn’t mean to be eerily green. But if you’re “green with envy” for not having been there, the band (Crossing Lines Band – XLB) will be back at Emory’s on January 30th, 2015 from 9pm to Midnight! One big benefit of this location is that it’s family friendly in the restaurant area up till 11pm, and the lounge is 21+. You can hear throughout the venue so there’s always a good seat available.

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Quick napkin folding tips for holiday decorating

Posted on December 22, 2014 by Reba Haas

We know that people buy homes because one of their goals is often to host large gatherings for friends and family at the holidays. Here is a fave new tip we learned about how to turn your napkin into a festive decoration at your next dinner party!

Post by Instructables.

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We love this list of “20 Things We Should Say More Often”

Posted on December 13, 2014 by Reba Haas

I absolutely adore this little boy and how he lays out this list!

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Interesting, cute home in Costa Rica for sale with 2nd dwelling

Posted on December 13, 2014 by Reba Haas

Many, many years ago, Reba Haas of Team Reba helped a woman with her dream of moving to Costa Rica. We helped her with paring down her belongings by bringing in outside help to assist her, and we negotiated the best deal she could get on her house with a local builder in Seattle. On top of it, we got her connected to a moving company that had the ability to coordinate cross-country moves with shipping containers, etc.

Well, this lovely lady has recently let us know that a house she owns in Costa Rica is now up for sale. We’ve been in touch with the very nice team of agents who are representing her and have their permission to help let those of us in the USA know about it being for sale. Considering how many people in the Greater Seattle area are snowbirds (especially for warmth and sun) and with more people owning homes abroad, it makes sense to go ahead and help them out with a little marketing of the property. I’m posting a link to their website listing and a description of the area is below as it came from the listing agent(s), William Turley and Angelica Sanchez.

Link to the listing details

Fortuna de Bagaces is located in the foothills of Miravalles Volcano. The average year round temperature is about 76-80. About 6 ft of rain so everything stays green but the soil has good drainage so not a problem. It is a small town of about 3-4 thousand people, couple of grocery stores, drug store, health clinic, couple of churches, a veterinarian, and a couple of bars. Most people work for ICE, the government power company that operates several geothermal generating plants nearby.

The Costa Rican people (Tico’s) are very friendly and easy going….since Costa Rica has no military, it is a peaceful country. The Pacific Ocean is a little over one hour away and the Liberia International Airport is 45 min. Liberia is the Capital of Guanacaste, the Province and has all of the modern conveniences.

There are many hot springs in the area and the air is pure and fresh. Close by you can find Monkeys, Racoons, and Deer. There are fish ponds that open on the weekends with restaurants serving fresh fish.

Joan’s houses are about 1-Km off the paved road on a well maintained gravel road. The Cuipilapa River is just a few hundred yards away.

This is an ideal retirement location.

We have lived in the area for over ten years and love it very much.

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Thinking of selling your home in 2015? Maybe NOW is the time instead…

Posted on December 5, 2014 by Reba Haas

If you’re thinking about selling your home this coming spring in 2015, you may want to really reconsider how long you need to wait to do it. With inventory still being very low in most areas of Puget Sound, particularly for move-in ready properties, NOW might be the time to come on market. This video will help you look at some of the reasons why…

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It’s the Team Reba annual Santa Pancake Breakfast this weekend!

Posted on December 5, 2014 by Reba Haas

We LOVE our clients and referral partners and this weekend is when we get to show them a little love by way of the holidays. This is always a fun time and we’ve had Santa visiting our clients and their little (and some not so little) ones for many years now.

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Are there such things as real estate creepers?

Posted on November 18, 2014 by Reba Haas

Ok, if people don’t think that real estate is a bizarre industry based on the fact that we post our photos all over our marketing materials – I assume so people can think we look trustworthy – I have more proof for you. I just received a random call from an out of area phone number (not uncommon with cell phones today) and the guy who was calling said, “he found my profile on Realtor.com and thought I was very attractive and thought it worth reaching out to make contact with me. I’m not interested at all in buying or selling a house but just wanted to call you and see if there might be something we could find in common.” WHAT?!?!

This man doesn’t realize the complete inappropriateness of this call. What he probably doesn’t know is that almost every year there is a REALTOR or broker who is accosted, murdered or otherwise a victim of crime. Oftentimes when the culprits are found, frequently the decision of which agent had to do with their work photo. If many of you don’t already know, the real estate industry is still reeling from the recent murder of a real estate agent in Arkansas at the hands of a stranger who called to go see a vacant property. Yikes! Sometimes my job freaks me out and this would be one of those moments.

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Team Reba keeps getting greener in its real estate business practices

Posted on November 9, 2014 by Reba Haas

I’ll be out and about this morning showing 7 homes, both single family and townhomes, in the north part of Seattle today with a new first time buyers #realestate client. We’ll be hitting neighborhoods such as Haller Lake, Northgate, and Greenlake.

Loving using One Note too as I’ve been able to go even more “green” in my business by NOT having to print out listing details and have our tour on all my tech devices and am sending them like this to the buyers too. #lovetechnology

Once we’re done, it’s time to #GoHAWKS!

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Team Reba Real Estate

Seattle real estate and related wealth management topics

Team Reba home seller class in Seattle this Sat, Jan 31 11am-1pm!

A lovely view of unemployment changes from 2010 to 2015 in Seattle – and why the housing market is so hot in Puget Sound

and now for something completely different… Reba’s musical adventures with XLB…

Quick napkin folding tips for holiday decorating

We love this list of “20 Things We Should Say More Often”

Interesting, cute home in Costa Rica for sale with 2nd dwelling

Thinking of selling your home in 2015? Maybe NOW is the time instead…

It’s the Team Reba annual Santa Pancake Breakfast this weekend!

Are there such things as real estate creepers?

Team Reba keeps getting greener in its real estate business practices