Team Reba Real Estate

Wonderfully Maintained 2005 Townhome

Filed under: Lynnwood, FHA/VA, Danver's Place, townhouse, Snohomish County, buyer, real estate, seller — Reba Haas @ 3:26 pm

$314,950 - Beautiful Danver’s Place Townhome!!

Location: Danver’s Place

Gorgeous move-in ready 2005 year built townhome in a quiet, well-maintained community. The main floor boasts a combined living and dining area, spacious kitchen complete with large island perfect for entertaining. The living area has a gas fireplace and a stunning vaulted ceiling. Off the living area is the fully-fenced and landscaped private backyard for you to enjoy. Head upstairs to find the master bedroom with walk-in closet and large 5-piece bath. Also, upstairs are 2 additional bedrooms, a full bath and a great den/loft. Laundry room conveniently located on the upper floor close to the bedrooms. Other great features of this home; ample amount of storage space, attached roomy 2-car garage with abundant work space. The only thing missing from this meticulously maintained home is you!

Contact Information

My Pic Association Logo

Rebecca “Reba” Haas

info@teamreba.com

425.970.3697

Pricing

Price: $314,950

Property Location

227 196th Pl SW #102

Lynnwood, WA 98036

View Map

Links

Check out all the photos here!!

Features

Bedrooms: 3	Bathrooms: 2.5
Parking Spaces: 2	Year Built: 2005
Subdivision: Danver’s Place	Attached on: 1 Side
Garage Size: 2	School District: North Shore
Square Footage: 1761	Agent Name: Rebecca Haas
Broker: RE/MAX Metro Realty	MLS #: 37391

Attributes

Appliances

Range/Oven

Full Refrigerator

Washer/Dryer

Dishwasher

Sink Disposal

Microwave

Interior Amenities

Fireplace

Hardwood Floors

Security System

Kitchen Island

Vaulted Ceilings

Exterior Amenities

Patio

Fenced Yard

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Equal Housing Opportunity

VFLYER ID: 3178461

Photo Gallery

Powered by vFlyer.com

Equal Housing Opportunity

VFLYER ID: 3178461

All information in this site is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and is subject to change

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Buying a foreclosure home in WA State? Be prepared that excise tax may become your responsibility if this Senate measure passes.

Filed under: Pierce County, King County, title/escrow, property taxes, Snohomish County, townhouse, Conventional loans, FHA/VA, single family, market activity, tax issues, buyer, seller, economic issues, legal issues, Puget Sound, foreclosure, real estate, condo, mortgage/loan, Washington — Reba Haas @ 10:54 am

WR Urges Call to Action on Proposed Tax Increase
Please send a message immediately to State House members to stop taxes on real estate. The Senate’s budget increases the B&O .25% on real estate professionals, as well as shifts the real estate excise tax onto the buyer of a foreclosed home. The Senate’s budget passed the Senate and is now being considered in the House.

The message above was sent out to real estate agents who are members of the local multiple listing service along with a link to the site where we could send a message to our representatives. For the general public, I realize that you may not care if real estate professionals are hit with a higher Business & Occupation (B&O) tax, but know that we have the highest rate of such a tax in this state.

The more important issue to the home buying public is the shift of moving the excise tax payment burden from the seller to a buyer of a foreclosed home. All this does is help lessen the costs of banks when selling their foreclosed inventory and it puts a higher cost burden on the buyers, who in many cases for first time buyers are just barely qualifying for the amounts that they’re purchasing in. If excise tax, which runs 1.78% here, is now put on them as a closing cost fee, then that buyer ends up paying the tax twice because they’ll have to pay it again later when they sell the home at whatever that new value will be at that time. Also, it will lessen the amount of home purchasing power that they’ll have, at least when it comes to buying bank owned homes because that will likely be part of the qualifying factors for the lender when they do their underwriting review. If a buyer is qualified at $200k for a traditional purchase but now 1.78% ($3,560 in this case) must be considered, then a buyer may not be able to buy a $199k home because the excise tax payment requirement puts them just out of reach if they originally only needed $7,000 for down payment via FHA (3.5%), PMI payment of roughly the same amount (possibly wrapped into financing) still increasing cost of loan and impacting qualifying factors, and reducing what they might have in their “reserve” accounts which are also factored in for qualifying because most banks want 3-6 months worth of funds available at closing.

If you are in support of not having the excise tax payment shift made to buyers, please contact your State representative immediately!

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A very cool way to update your home for not too much money… with Sit + Sip and SAM SHOP

Filed under: King County, staging, townhouse, single family, home decor, wine/food, "Green" home info, Puget Sound, Seattle, condo, real estate, local events & places, Washington — Reba Haas @ 11:12 am

Sit+Sip teams up with the Seattle Art Museum’s SAM SHOP to help you take your home decor from winter doldrums to the fresh energy of spring.

Taking inspiration from the eclectic, artistic and colorful products available at SAM SHOP, and working from real photographs of your home, Piper Lauri Salogga of Natural Balance Home and Office and Sara Eizen of Nest will show you quick, easy ways to perk up and personalize your space for very little cash.

Bring photos of your home, or email your photo now to pr@seattleartmuseum.org to be considered as examples and inspiration in this lively presentation. Photos submitted before March 5 will be entered to win great prizes.

Wine and door prizes from the Seattle Art Museum and SAM SHOP will be up for grabs during the event.

Date: 3/11/2010
Time: 6-8 pm
Location: SAM SHOP
1300 1st Ave
FREE & Open to the public

Click here for more information.

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Be sure to pay attention to the man (or woman) “behind the curtain” of your home owner’s association

Filed under: health, real estate, townhouse, single family, home safety, condo, HOA, legal issues, economic issues, seller, buyer, property management — Reba Haas @ 11:07 am

Starting with a famous line from a movie…. it’s important that individual homeowners in condo associations be aware of how things in an HOA are run and the impact to them if they aren’t well run.

Many people choose condominium properties for the ease of maintenance that better fits their busy lifestyles. When you have a busy life, it’s nice to have someone else to worry about the exterior of the home, both structurally and for groundskeeping, as these are some of the biggest time and money hogs in single family home ownership. But, for condos, what really happens after the purchase? And, who is this board and what do they do anyway? You know, let’s get down to brass tacks and WIIFM - What’s In It For Me?

The HOA board is made up of other residents in the complex and how well your board will manage the property will be based partly on their skills. Many larger complexes also have a management company that is hired to help with the overall financial and building mangement. It’s important that even if you aren’t on the board, you should be paying attention to what goes on.

The Secretary should be providing accurate and meaningful meeting minutes.

The President should be following guidelines for adhering to the proper frequency of board meetings and all HOA meetings. It’s good to have someone in this position who is willing to work with others.

The Treasurer should be providing timely and accurate financial accountings of the HOA finances.

The entire board should be making sure that reserve studies and/or envelope studies are being completed as needed to insure that the external structure is properly maintained and appropriate dues are being collected for future repair or maintenance work.

Why should you care about these things?
1. Fiscal responsibility and good budgeting will help alleviate surprise “special assessments” that are repairs to the complex that aren’t budgeted for in the current dues. You also want to be sure that someone isn’t taking funds from your HOA’s coffers either. We’ve seen some special assessments as high as $70,000 on a unit valued at only $130,000. That’s a huge financial hit for that homeowner and it was caused by a board that wasn’t managing their HOA well and a refusal by all condo owners to raise dues regularly to meet long term maintenance and repair work.

2. Regular meetings and follow up on action items means you’ll have a more pleasant place to live. Issues will be more frequently addressed and problems can be nipped in the bud, so to speak, more easily when addressed early rather than later.

3. All of the documents that are required for running the HOA (it’s basically a small company) are necessary for reporting if any unit owner wants to sell their condo. Without these documents then the property begins to look less favorable to potential buyers.

4. Poor physical and fiscal maintenance detracts from the value of your property. You want to make sure that the hard earned money you spend on your monthly mortgage and dues is going to maintain a happy and healthy home for you. Loss in either of these areas will affect you.

All this being said, condominium life can be relatively carefree - just don’t think it’s like the life of a renter where all the decisions are up to someone else. Get involved, even if it’s just being sure you’re reading the meeting minutes to keep apprised of what’s going on and attending the annual meeting.

A great resource for condominium ownership is this book, The Condo Owner’s Answer Book, written by Beth A Grimm, attorney at law. She’s in California, so not all the things she covers may apply to your state, but overall it’s a perfect tool to get schooled on condo life and how to review an HOA when you’re considering purchasing. She also has several websites, one of which is http://condolawguru.com/ where you’ll find regularly updated columns.

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Hard work pays off in getting FHA approval on a condo complex

Filed under: professionalism, real estate, title/escrow, townhouse, FHA/VA, condo, mortgage/loan, seller, economic issues, buyer, Puget Sound, HOA, Washington — Reba Haas @ 11:42 am

We’ve been working on a transaction for one of our clients since late October 2009. The client came to us the year prior thinking it would take him 2 months to get ready for on market, but then took 7 months to get there. I’d done a lot of early review of the property to try and determine our chances with FHA since only one part of the complex was initially approved when the development was completed. For those not familiar, if your complex isn’t already approved you can do what is called a “spot approval” with FHA but only IF your building meets certain criteria. At the beginning we were in good shape.

However, late 2009 brought lots of changes in FHA and as most of us agents know the spot approval process was in jeopardy of going away - and that’s exactly the kind of buyer we ended up in contract with so we knew it might be touch and go as we targeted a closing to meet the initial 1st time buyer tax credit deadline. The FHA spot approval cutoff is now pushed to Feb 1st of 2010, but many of the tightening aspects of FHA have been happening along the way to that new deadline. For one, we got hit with this transaction failing at one point because even though we’d had an FHA appraisal completed, we got turned down for spot approval because the association hadn’t yet approved their recent reserve study. FHA was requiring that reserve studies be within the 12 months prior and the last approval of one was from 3 years ago - even though the association had a study in hand, it just hadn’t been approved by the board yet as they continued getting bids for the roofing element.

The buyer’s agent and the lender for this deal have been great about staying diligent with the file and found alternate ways to have the budget review of the association used for the spot approval - and on my end I was coordinating with other listing agents with clients in the complex to have us all pushing support of approving the reserve study. One agent had her client’s lender submitting the entire complex to FHA for approval.

With all of us working in concert with each other we got the wonderful news on Friday that our approval from FHA was accepted! Not just for my client’s spot approval, but the entire complex will now be approved. YEAH! Now, we are back on track for closing - 2 months later than expected - but closing nonetheless. All the selling clients involved are very relieved and the buyers are all starting to get excited about their purchases again. It’s a new day and time in real estate, and those of us with the nerves of steel and willingness to work hard, and together, to overcome the obstacles that arise for our clients it is very worthwhile.

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Snohomish County Courthouse holidays (closures) for 2010

Filed under: Snohomish County, title/escrow, townhouse, single family, commercial real estate, FHA/VA, market activity, real estate, economic issues, legal issues, seller, mortgage/loan, condo, Washington — Reba Haas @ 10:49 am

Much like the folks in King County, there are days in Snohomish where the recording office is closed. This will affect the closing of any real property transfers, sales, and refinances. Below are the dates affected:

January 1st - New Year’s Day, January 18th - MLK Day

February 15th - President’s Day

May 31st - Memorial Day

July 5th - Independence Day

September 6th - Labor Day

November 11th - Veteran’s Day, November 25/26 - Thanksgiving

December 24th - Christmas

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Good news for 2010 - the Northwest Flower & Garden Show is BACK!

Filed under: single family, gardening, townhouse, "Green" home info, condo, local events & places, Seattle — Reba Haas @ 8:22 pm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Spectacular display gardens, family-friendly attractions, free “how-to” seminars and more in the line-up for the Northwest Flower & Garden Show February 3-7, 2010

SEATTLE, Washington—The rich tradition of Northwest Flower & Garden Show, accented by new trends in sustainability and new family-friendly attractions, returns February 3-7, 2010 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. “Beauty and Functionality” is the theme of this Northwest tradition, which debuted in 1989. The 2010 show again showcases inspiring work by over 20 top regional garden creators—integrating sustainable features with thousands of flowers and plants into spectacular full-scale themed gardens. A mid-winter classic, the show also features a line-up off internationally-known speakers in over 120 hours of seminars, shopping in the “Marketplace” area and activities for the entire family.

New to the show is the family-friendly “Butterflies” exhibit–designed to educate children about the lifecycle of a butterfly by taking them on a tour where they can interact with over 300 live butterflies. Sponsored by U.S. Bank and free with admission to the show, the colorful interactive exhibit takes children and families through three main areas: the butterfly house, the life-cycle kiosk and the activity pavilion. For $10 showgoers can purchase a “Butterfly Hatching Kit,” with proceeds benefitting Seattle Children’s Playgarden, an exciting project taking shape at Seattle’s Coleman Playfield. Whether you’re new to gardening or an old pro with a thirst for new ideas, the show offers around-the-clock free “how-to” seminars and demonstrations geared for garden spaces large and small. A number of seminars will reflect the growing interest in vegetable gardening. The seminar line-up includes three world-class luminaries who will also review and judge the display gardens, including Fergus Garrett, Andrea Cochran and Roger Swain. Other top speakers–who will be introducing new books–include authors Suzy Bales, Rich Darke, John Greenlee, Valerie Easton, Debra Lee Baldwin, Kathy Brenzel, Saxon Holt, Roger Gossler and Keeyla Meadows.Adding to the glitter, the Northwest Flower & Garden Show is proud to host the Arboretum Foundation’s 2010 gala, Arbor Eden, on Tuesday, February 2. Allowing attendees the opportunity to preview the show the night before the show opens, this year’s event coincides with the Arboretum Foundation’s 75^th anniversary of providing vital support for a regional treasure—the 230-acre Washington Park Arboretum. For more information on this evening of fine wines, a buffet dinner, silent auction and entertainment, call 206-325-4510 or visit www.arboretumfoundation.org.For city dwellers, transforming your terrace, deck or patio into an extension of your lifestyle has never been easier—and 12 designers will show you how in themed container gardens. Top local nurseries and pottery purveyors will spotlight the innovative use of plantings, outdoor décor, planters and more to create the desired “small space” environment.

The show is known as a one-stop shopping showcase, with over 350 nurseries and other exhibitors in the “Marketplace” spotlighting products and services related to gardening and outdoor living. Subaru–widely acclaimed for its sustainability practices, fuel economy and safety–joins the show with its latest models on display in the entry area and sky bridge.

Other attractions include the “Sproutopia” children’s area, which includes fun and educational kid-friendly seminars during the weekend; the handiwork of high school horticulture students in the “Funky Junk” display, floral display competitions and much more. For additional information, visit www.gardenshow.com

The show’s bright future was guaranteed by founder Duane Kelly in July 2009 when it was sold to Northwest-based O’Loughlin Trade Shows, Inc. Over four generations, the family-owned company has grown the past 70 years to become the largest producer of consumer shows in the West, including the popular Portland Home & Garden Show and the Tacoma Home & Garden Show. “We are proud and excited to be the stewards of an event that has been a highlight for thousands of flower and garden devotees for the past two decades,” said show producer Terry O’Loughlin. # # #

WHAT: The Northwest Flower & Garden Show WHEN: Wednesday, February 3 through Sunday, February 7

WHERE: Washington State Convention and Trade Center, 7^th & Pike, Seattle, WA 98101 WEBSITE: www.gardenshow.com

HOURS:Wednesday – Saturday (February 3-6) 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.Sunday (February 7) 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ADMISSION:

$20 Adult (regular admission at door)$16 Early Bird (purchased at participating ticket outlets or online through Tuesday, February 2nd)$15 Group (per ticket; minimum purchase of 20 tickets)$10 Half-Day (purchased online or at the door after 3:00 p.m. Wed. – Sat., 2:00 p.m. Sun.)$5 Youth (ages 13 – 17)Free Children (ages 12 and under) Multi-day tickets will also available. Please visit http://gardenshow.com/seattle/tickets/ for ticket information. PRODUCER:O’Loughlin Trade Shows, Inc.253.756.2121 www.otshows.com

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Lending a helping hand to friends & family in a foreclosure or short sale position

Filed under: Pierce County, King County, market activity, tax issues, Snohomish County, townhouse, commercial real estate, Conventional loans, FHA/VA, single family, real estate, condo, buyer, seller, economic issues, legal issues, Puget Sound, interest rates, mortgage/loan, foreclosure, short sale, Washington — Reba Haas @ 2:55 pm

This is a year for the record books! We’ve seen unemployment hit a 26-year high, a skyrocketing federal deficit, massive bank bailouts, and plummeting personal investments leaving many with decimated retirement accounts. Let’s face it, this recession is brutal, and it truly has touched everyone in some shape or form.

While most of us have merely had to pare back spending, you may know someone experiencing much harder times, possibly due to circumstances beyond their control. Maybe long-term unemployment or a major-medical crisis has caused them to get behind on their mortgage payments, and now they’re looking at foreclosure.

We have an unusual request to make. If there is someone like this in your life—a friend, a family member, a coworker—who is facing foreclosure or needs help getting out from an upside-down mortgage, we’d like to ask that you give them our number. We might be able to help them find some relief.

High Success Rate of Closing Short Sales

At Team Reba, we have developed our education and area of expertise as short sale specialists, and over the past several years we have successfully helped many sellers avoid foreclosure, so we know the realities.

We use a proven, systematic process that ensures a sale goes through as quickly as possible—typically closing between 60 to 120 days. Timing is critical, because the longer it takes to close the sale, the greater the impact on the seller’s credit.

Serving Our Clients with Compassion and Integrity

So what would this process look like? We’ll sit down with your friend or family member and have a confidential and compassionate discussion that’s completely non-judgmental. They can feel free to open up about their financial situation and address any concerns. We’ll ask them if they’ve explored all the options such as loan modification or turned to family and friends for help. Then we’ll discuss how the process works and give them the information they need to determine whether a short sale is a viable option.

Please understand that our goal is not to prey on or profit from the misfortunes of others. You know us better than that, and you know we have a deep and caring commitment to serve all of our clients with integrity, especially those who are dealing with difficult circumstances. However, this service has been so effective with other clients, we wanted to spread the word, so that someone you know who might be struggling with their mortgage could begin to turn things around.

If someone you know fits this description, we encourage you to have a frank conversation and have them call us for a confidential discussion. There is absolutely no obligation and there is no direct cost to the seller if they choose to work with us. It’s certainly worth the call to give someone you care about some peace of mind.

From all of us at Team Reba of RE/MAX Metro Realty

Michael Lindekugel, Robin Tomazic, and Rebecca “Reba” Haas

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Fantastic townhome in Greenwood, perfect for no car commuting! $310k for 2+bd/1.5ba

Filed under: market activity, Phinney Ridge, King County, townhouse, Greenwood, Greenlake, Ballard, Seattle, buyer, Puget Sound, real estate, "Green" home info, Washington — Reba Haas @ 12:51 pm

$310,000.00 - Not your average townhome; 2+bd/1.5ba property perfect for no car commuting!

Location: Greenwood

Not your average townhome! Quiet, north facing territorial views from living area & beautiful master bedroom w/ small deck. Warm living spaces w/ desirable, open layout. Updated, chic modern kitchen w/ stained concrete counters. Fenced, private patio w/ sideyard-bring your outdoor fireplace & pets. Continental bath leads to second bedroom. Wash/Dry sensibly placed upstairs. BONUS lower room; great non-conforming 3rd/guest bedroom or office! Plus, space available for your Vespa and bicycle.

Contact Information

Reba Haas

reba@teamreba.com

425-970-3697

www.TeamReba.com

Pricing

Price: $310,000.00

Additional Pricing Information: The 1st time homebuyer credit has been extended for offers in contract by April 30, 2010!

Financing offer: Use Eric Aasness at Bank of America for your financing and get a 1% closing cost credit! Contact him at 206-915-ERIC or eric@ericismybanker.com.

Property Location

642 NW 85th (Quiet part)Street

Seattle, WA 98117

View Map

Links

Virtual Tour

Features

Bedrooms: 2	Bathrooms: 1.5
Parking Spaces: 1	Year Built: 1997
Attached on: 1 Side	Garage Size: 270
School District: Seattle	Square Footage: 1215
Agent Name: Rebecca Haas	Broker: RE/Max Metro Realty, Inc.
MLS #: 29154388

Attributes

Appliances

Range/Oven

Full Refrigerator

Washer/Dryer

Dishwasher

Sink Disposal

Microwave

Interior Amenities

	Hardwood Floors
	Security System
	Vaulted Ceilings
	Concrete counters
	High End Wood Laminate Floors
	Tile
	Vinyl
	Wall-to-wall carpet
	Laundry by bedrooms
	non-conforming 3rd bedroom/office

Exterior Amenities

Patio

Fenced Yard

Secluded setting

Recently painted exterior

Powered by vFlyer.com

Equal Housing Opportunity

VFLYER ID: 2933453

Photo Gallery

All information in this site is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and is subject to change

Comments (0)

The extended home buyer tax credit is passed - read the new rules and how they may apply to you!

Filed under: townhouse, title/escrow, single family, FHA/VA, Conventional loans, market activity, tax issues, buyer, seller, mortgage/loan, condo, real estate, economic issues — Reba Haas @ 11:46 am

Well, a huge and collective sigh of relief for a lot of homeowners and wannabe homeowners has been let out this week with the passage of the tax credit extension. The big bonus is that there is an expanded package available and so to keep you all abreast of the new changes, here is a link to a chart that spells out all the new details.

For those that weren’t aware of it, the expansion part includes a new $6500 tax credit for purchasers who are moving into a different property (must be $800,000 or less) and who have lived in their current home for at least 5 consecutive years out of the past 8 years. This means current homeowners who may have been sitting on the sidelines wishing there was more in it for them to sell now and move into a new place (move up or downsizing, or just getting into a new neighborhood), there are some incentives to go along with the lower prices now available. Be sure to read all the provisions and limitations because the tax credits do also have income limitations and phase out rules.

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Team Reba Real Estate

March 11, 2010

Wonderfully Maintained 2005 Townhome

March 9, 2010

Buying a foreclosure home in WA State? Be prepared that excise tax may become your responsibility if this Senate measure passes.

March 2, 2010

A very cool way to update your home for not too much money… with Sit + Sip and SAM SHOP

February 2, 2010

Be sure to pay attention to the man (or woman) “behind the curtain” of your home owner’s association

January 20, 2010

Hard work pays off in getting FHA approval on a condo complex

January 8, 2010

Snohomish County Courthouse holidays (closures) for 2010

January 2, 2010

Good news for 2010 - the Northwest Flower & Garden Show is BACK!

November 30, 2009

Lending a helping hand to friends & family in a foreclosure or short sale position

November 26, 2009

Fantastic townhome in Greenwood, perfect for no car commuting! $310k for 2+bd/1.5ba

November 7, 2009

The extended home buyer tax credit is passed - read the new rules and how they may apply to you!

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