Team Reba Real Estate

Greenwood Aurora Involved Neighbors have more plans in the works

Filed under: Uncategorized — Reba Haas @ 7:09 pm

A Community Engaged
Join your neighbors. Envision the future of Aurora
URBAN DESIGN MEETINGS
WHERE & WHEN:
Greenwood Senior Center at
525 North 85th Street
from 6:30 – 8:30 pm
• Monday, 11/10 6:30 – 8:30 pm
What’s here now? What’s your
vision?
• Monday, 12/08 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Presentation and feedback of
preliminary vision and urban
design ideas.
• Monday, 01/26 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Presentation of refined vision
final urban design plan.

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Team Reba expands its real estate investment offerings…

Filed under: Uncategorized — Reba Haas @ 7:30 pm

You’ll see in the post below a program that we at Team Reba have signed on to be part of whereby we are part of the investment group purchasing properties in a 14 state area that are in either foreclosure or short sale position, or both. With the laws in Washington State having changed to deter anyone, including law abiding investors, from working with sellers of homes in foreclosure with equity, the doors to many investment opportunities closed. A minor group of individuals were scamming homeowners and lying about how they would help them, knowing full well their intent was to skim equity from the owner and leave them high and dry.

I personally feel very confident in this program for several reasons: 1) my broker is standing behind it from the standpoint of recognizing it as a viable vehicle for investment as well as providing a reasonable offering to homeowner’s in financial distress, 2) with that, our broker had the company attorney review documents used in the program, and 3) it provides an offering to our investment clientele that they might otherwise not be able to tap into. But, above all this - the final result is that it helps homeowners who are in a tight financial spot and who cannot get out of it on their own.

The close rate of the company is high (75-80%) in an area of real estate contracts that is frequently hit or miss if people uneducated or unprepared for the process are handling it. Having worked with short sales in the past (successfully, I’ll add), I can appreciate the process and systems in place that make this program work so well.

If you’re an agent that needs help with a short sale, or you’d like to refer a client to be reviewed to see if they might be a good candidate for the program, please contact us at Team Reba directly - or check out the website and feel free to submit a lead with us noted as your contact locally. We’ll be sure to get in contact with you right away.

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Great program to learn about short sale opportunities for investors

Filed under: Uncategorized — Reba Haas @ 7:18 pm

Why should you choose us as your information source?

$34 Million in Escrow last month

Successfully closed over a deal a day over the past 2 months

200+ Auctions Postponed and counting…

THE REAL ESTATE MARKET HAS CHANGED AND SHORT SALES ARE HERE TO STAY. IF YOU’RE NOT PREPARED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CURRENT MARKET BY KNOWING HOW TO WORK SHORT SALES, YOU’LL MISS OUT ON THE GREATEST REAL ESTATE MARKET IN HISTORY

	I had been searching for homes for my client for a while, when I found a great home in a desired community in North Phoenix. Live Free Investment Group was able to negotiate with the bank in an extremely fast and professional manner. The transaction took place in less than sixty days which is considerably shorter than most short sale scenarios.
	Rob C. Keller Williams, Phoenix, AZ

Hear the Truths about the short sale process. You will find yourself closing many transactions using our strategies and techniques.

Identify the right banks to work with
Understanding criteria of what files will and won’t get done

This event will explain how you can utilize our strategies to work your own short sales. We assist homeowners every day, giving them the desired result they want, relief of the fear of foreclosure and peace of mind that their transaction was completed.

Isn’t time you learn how to do the same?

Please see our website for other upcoming events and properties.
www.LiveFreeInvestmentGroup.com

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zHome gets you zero energy and carbon neutral at home…

Filed under: Uncategorized — Reba Haas @ 1:46 pm

zHome is a new townhome development in Issaquah, WA, up in the density focused Issaquah Highlands area, that touts a neutral carbon footprint. Having broken ground just recently (Sept 29, 2008) near the transit station/park & ride, there is much anticipation from area residents, builders, homebuyers and real estate agents to see how it is executed. It is expected that many possible buyers will be interested in the concept of a green and earth friendly building method.

I’ve been writing about green building and organic gardening for some time, so I am thrilled to see yet another builder (Howland Homes) grabbing hold of and exploring the ways that we can all be easier on the planet. The population of humans isn’t going to diminish any time soon and Washington builders (via code requirements) are ahead of a lot of others across the USA in implementing innovative technologies to create more energy efficient and healthy homes. The City of Issaquah and King County both were involved in the project as is Puget Sound Energy. Other entities involved are Washington State University Energy Program and Port Blakely Communities.

Take a look at the zHome site and then take an opportunity to go see these homes as they are being built. One unit will be reserved when the site is finished for use as an educational center so that homeowners can see the types of materials used and to gain ideas on how they can incorporate “green living” into their current home environment.

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It’s a Miracle!!!! No, it’s Miracle Method…

Filed under: Uncategorized — Reba Haas @ 10:38 am

A couple of clients of mine have been introduced to this company that does glazing/refinishing of tile and bathtubs. I became aware of this type of product when I bought my first house back in 1996 or so. A different company was used at the time, but the process is basically the same. Old, dated tile or ceramic coated products could be glazed over with a neutral color to help update a home’s kitchen or bath. In my own case, our remodel including covering a pink tub and a bunch of pink tile in a bathroom, we had it all glazed white. A BIG improvement!

Here is an example of a client’s home where I recommended the glazing when the client’s budget didn’t accommodate stepping up to a stone countertop as part of our upper tier Concierge Services for staging:

Before - dated tile and dark grout made for a dreary and dark kitchen.

After - freshly glazed tile lightens things up and gives focus to the new cooktop and reflects the updated under cabinet lighting.

I really liked the final look of the Miracle Method product. It’s not the same as new tile and it requires slightly different maintenance but if you’re looking to get a better looking surface for selling, or if you moved in to a place and don’t have a big budget to remodel with - it’s worth checking out. My contact at Miracle Method is Tyler Murphy; he and his brother own their own franchise and cover much of King County. He can be reached at 425-591-8652 or by email at tmurphy@miraclemethod.com.

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Will the last one out of Seattle, please turn out the lights (bill)?

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 9:02 am

Ok, this was a take off of the 1970’s infamous billboard but I’m not using this as a way to discuss today’s slowed housing market. No, it’s actually a reminder to sellers within Seattle to not forget that when you have escrow companies closing out your lienable utilities you still need to make a phone call to the city to ask for any refund that may be owed to you.

Escrow firms will usually do a holdback of funds at closing (if it’s in your contract) to pay off lienable (municipality owned) utilities and if there is an overage they will refund the difference, but if you’ve already paid a bill and there is crossover, you may have more funds owed to you. Now, if you are staying in the same city it may just transfer to your new account, but if you’ve moved out of the city to a new one then you may need to call to get your refund - like I did.

I like to think of these refunds as a bonus dinner out. My recent refund was over $200 so it was worth the call. Don’t leave your funds floating out there!

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Continuously rediscovering Renton…

Filed under: Uncategorized — Reba Haas @ 12:09 am

I’ve been meaning to get to these posts for some time after starting out last year with the initial news of moving back to Renton. Being here a year now has opened up my eyes to a lot of the changes that are occurring in this town and to some of the fun discoveries that we can come across when we take ourselves out of our everyday routine.

Today, we needed to run some errands including going to The Landing to pick up a new toaster at Target. While parked there, we planned to take our dogs on a walk over to Gene Coulon park. Having not been there for the first whole year we’ve been back in the area, we were surprised to learn that it is not dog friendly and you cannot walk your dogs in the park. So, undaunted for a walk, we went around a route that we’d not been on before and it gave us the opportunity to find what had been a source of interest for us. Coffee. Specifically, it was a roaster of coffee called Distant Lands Coffee Roaster.

Michael and I had noticed for months that as we would drive south from Bellevue to Renton that we could smell coffee roasting (obviously, in big batches) but we could never find the source. Well, today we found it.

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Get on the bus to see Sound Transit's Link light rail progress…

Filed under: Uncategorized — Reba Haas @ 3:26 pm

I am on the email list for Sound Transit to get updates as they complete the much anticipated Link light rail system. It should be going live in 2009 and tours are set up regularly for anyone interested in seeing the progress of the construction. Notes below come straight from the emails I receive:

Ride the Lunch Bus Take a guided tour of Link light rail construction on Sound Transit’s Lunch Bus. Tour the Link light rail initial segment followed by lunch at a local eating establishment. You are responsible for buying your own lunch. Tours depart and return at the southwest corner of 5th Ave S & S King Street in the International District. Tours depart at 11:30 a.m. sharp and return by 3 p.m. Next tours: Saturday, October 25th and Friday October 31st 2008 SODO, Beacon Hill, Rainier Valley, Tukwila and Airport To RSVP or for more information please contact Wilbert Santos at 206-398-5300 or via e-mail: linkconstruction@soundtransit.org To me, it’s a great way to look at how light rail might impact a property’s value since more and more people are becoming interested in being near to mass transit. If you have an apartment building, condo, or single family home knowing how close your property sits to this transit option as well as buses because it will be a bigger factor as the years go by. Those communities in Seattle that initially were a little put off by being placed near the above ground sections will likely see a nice build up of demand for housing near to the light rail system for these reasons. It will likely alter the literal landscape tremendously over the coming years as new development springs up around these neighborhoods. Some is already there as witnessed by the Othello Station and New Holly developments and more is coming. Are you ready for it?

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October 2008 newsletter online

Filed under: Uncategorized — Reba Haas @ 12:52 pm

Here is a link to my “October Real Estate Update” which is our monthly newsletter for clients and friends who are interested in the local and national real estate market.This Newsletter is full of interesting and useful information that I think you will enjoy whether you are a buyer, seller, homeowner, or renter.This month’s issue includes topics such as:

“Five Key Areas to Pay Attention to When Buying a Home”;
“Deploy A Strategic Assault On Your Mortgage Application”;
“Too Much To Store and Too Little Space”;
“Finding Discounted Homes For Sale”;
“Ten Fall Maintenance Tips”;
“Understanding Your Electrical System Can Help You Spot Problem Areas”;

Plus a roundup of September real estate activity as well as much more advice and information.

I hope you enjoy this monthly newsletter. If you have any comments, please e-mail them to me. Or, if you would like to see a certain topic covered in future months, let me know that too!

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October 30, 2008

Greenwood Aurora Involved Neighbors have more plans in the works

October 28, 2008

Team Reba expands its real estate investment offerings…

Great program to learn about short sale opportunities for investors

October 21, 2008

zHome gets you zero energy and carbon neutral at home…

It’s a Miracle!!!! No, it’s Miracle Method…

October 14, 2008

Will the last one out of Seattle, please turn out the lights (bill)?

October 7, 2008

Continuously rediscovering Renton…

October 1, 2008

Get on the bus to see Sound Transit's Link light rail progress…

October 2008 newsletter online

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