Team Reba Real Estate

Guest column from Community Power Works of Seattle about available energy credits and rebates!

Reba Haas — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:54:07 +0000

Dear Homeowner:
If you live in Central or South Seattle you should know about Community Power Works, a residential energy upgrade program created by the City of Seattle (www.communitypowerworks.org). The program conveniently provides a one-stop shop for homeowners who want to complete home energy upgrades.

Through Community Power Works the city has created a pool of qualified local contractors, new rebates and competitive financing. The City of Seattle is currently able to offer significant financial incentives and rebates to homeowners thanks to a $11.3 million federal grant made to spur energy savings and create green jobs.

After filling out an application, you will receive a subsidized Home Energy Assessment that will give you a report that explains the potential cost and energy savings impact of each possible upgrade. The average project ranges between $4 – $10k, but if you decide to go ahead with the upgrades you will be eligible for up to $3,000 in rebates for things like replacing old windows or adding insulation.

Making your home more energy efficient will benefits our entire community, but it is also a good investment. A study by the Appraisal Institute indicates that for every dollar of energy costs saved per year, the value of that property can increase by $20. http://1bog.org/files/2009/02/solar_home_value.pdf

Fill out an application online (https://my.communitypowerworks.org/apply/) or call 206.449.1170 with any questions.

Thanks!

Christine Grant
Community Power Works- Home Retrofit Coordinator
206.449.1135 | kellyr@cascadiaconsulting.com
www.communitypowerworks.org

Share this:

Lovely cooperative 1bd/1ba condo in the heart of Seattle’s vibrant Capitol Hill

Reba Haas — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:41:38 +0000

Reba Haas | Team Reba of RE/MAX Metro Realty | (425) 970-3697

1832 11th Ave Apt D1, Seattle, WA

Great 1st floor corner unit ready for you to move in. Great Cap Hill location, minutes from downtown, easy access to bus

1BR/1BA Condo

offered at $185,000

Year Built	1909
Sq Footage	650
Bedrooms	1
Bathrooms	1 full, 0 partial
Floors	4
Parking	Unspecified
Lot Size	Unspecified
HOA/Maint	$310 per month

DESCRIPTION

Hardwood parquet floors throughout big living and dining area. Updated kitchen is beautiful. Tempered glass double pane windows. Easy access to alternative modes of transportation. Cal Anderson Park across from you new home provides a great back drop. Pets allowed if approved by co-op. Be sure to check this gem out.

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

- High/Vaulted ceiling	- Hardwood floor	- Tile floor
- Living room	- Breakfast nook	- Refrigerator
- Stove/Oven	- Microwave	- Granite countertop
- Stainless steel appliances

COMMUNITY FEATURES

- Laundry on-site

- Secured entry

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Photo 1	Photo 2
Photo 3	Photo 4
Photo 5	Photo 6
Photo 7	Photo 8
Photo 9	Photo 10
Photo 11	Photo 12
Photo 14	Photo 15
Photo 16

Contact info:

Reba Haas

Team Reba of RE/MAX Metro Realty

(425) 970-3697

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Jan 31, 2012, 5:20am PST

Share this:

Auburn 4-plex investment property opportunity now at $399,000

Reba Haas — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:39:28 +0000

Reba Haas | Team Reba of RE/MAX Metro Realty | (425) 970-3697

904 31st St NE, Auburn, WA

professionally managed Auburn 4-plex. Each unit 2 beds/1 bath; FP, washer/dryer hook-ups & dishwashers. Fully occupied.

8BR/4BA Multi-Family, 4 units

offered at $399,000

Year Built	1984
Sq Footage	3,806
Bedrooms	8
Bathrooms	4 full, 0 partial
Floors	2
Parking	Unspecified
Lot Size	13,329 sqft
HOA/Maint	$0 per month

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

- Fireplace	- Dishwasher	- Refrigerator
- Stove/Oven

COMMUNITY FEATURES

- Garage parking

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Photo 1

Photo 2

Contact info:

Reba Haas

Team Reba of RE/MAX Metro Realty

(425) 970-3697

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Jan 31, 2012, 5:28am PST

Share this:

How to appeal property taxes in King County…

Reba Haas — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:18:38 +0000

With home values having declined upwards of an average 35% in King County between 2007 and 2012, many people are wondering how they can have their tax burden reviewed and potentially reduced. In King County you can go to their website at this link to learn about how to make an application for an assessed value appeal.

Share this:

Tips on using high tech gadgets in your condominium home…

Reba Haas — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:17:50 +0000

Considering buying a new home theater set up with an awesome new flat screen TV and surround sound system? Well, to keep the peace in your condo association you may want to follow the tips from this article that gives you detailed instructions on how to “sound proof” your unit so that neighbors don’t come knocking.

We’ve found that even some buildings with concrete in between floors aren’t without transferring vibrations to other units, so it’s worthwhile to check into before a violation notice lands at your door.

Share this:

Team Reba’s No Fluff level 1 home buying class in Seattle, January 21st 10am-12pm!

Reba Haas — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:30:46 +0000

Cancelled due to weather….No Fluff Savvy Home Buying – Level I January 21st, 2012 01/21/2012

10:00 am – 12:00 pm RE/MAX Metro Realty office at 2312 Eastlake Ave E, Seattle WA 98102

RSVP to Classes@TeamReba.com by 01/19/2011

If you’ve been wondering what the state of the real estate market is like in Seattle and the general King/Snohomish/Pierce County area, now is your chance to get a No Fluff reality check. We’ll have Team Reba real estate brokers and a 30+ year veteran local mortgage lender (Eric Aasness of Wells Fargo) on hand to help you learn how to navigate today’s new realities of buying real estate.

On the agenda will be 3 major topics:

1) Credit repair processes, how credit is scored, what to look for in your credit report,

2) Lending products and options for buyers/refinances in today’s marketplace, including loans that allow for modifications to a property (FHA 203k loans) for those “less than perfect” purchases like cosmetic fixers, bank owned or short sales, and

3) An explanation of the real estate purchase process as well as an overview of today’s marketplace and the types of transactions most commonly seen. Including, short sales, bank owned and “traditional” real estate sales.

We hope you can join us and we look forward to seeing you there! If you can’t make it, or this class might be better suited for someone you know (friends, family, or colleagues), again, please feel free to forward the invite – all are welcome.

Coffee/Tea available onsite.

REMAX Office Address: 2312 Eastlake Ave E Seattle WA 98102

Share this:

No Fluff Savvy Home Buyer Seminar January 28, 2012 01/28/2012 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Reba Haas — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 21:14:11 +0000

Please RSVP to Classes@TeamReba.com by 01/26/2011 with your name, phone number and email for confirmation.

If you’ve been wondering what the state of the real estate market is like in the Pierce and King County areas, now is your chance to get a No Fluff reality check. We’ll have Team Reba real estate brokers and a local mortgage lender (Jerry Rutherford of Legacy Group) on hand to help you learn how to navigate today’s new realities of buying real estate.

On the agenda will be 3 major topics:

1) Credit repair, how credit is scored, what to look for in your credit report,

3) A brief explanation of the real estate purchase process as well as an overview of today’s marketplace and the types of transactions most commonly seen. Including, short sales, bank owned and “traditional” real estate sales.

Coffee/Tea/Snacks available for purchase at Forza Coffee. Class is held in the conference room at the back of the shop.

Café Forza is located at 2209 N Pearl St, Tacoma 98407

Share this:

A much needed change regarding valuation disparities between lenders and listing agents gets put into HAFA!

Reba Haas — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 15:06:57 +0000

One of the biggest complaints that real estate brokers who work on Short Sales have is that there are frequently disputes over estimated value of properties. This is often the cause of failure for many short sales transactions when the lender who is considering if they’re going to accept the short sale thinks the property is worth much more than the sale amount. This is usually due to a person called a BPO agent (broker price opinion) coming up with a valuation that is way off what the listing agent has priced the property at for sale.

According to the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) website, there are some new provisions for HAFA and this one is addressed. Per their site, ”

Requires all servicers to develop a process for periodic re-evaluation of property value and to reconcile discrepancies between the servicer’s independent assessment of value and market value data provided by the borrower or the borrower’s real estate broker.

This is going to be a wonderful thing for everyone involved in these sales if it gets put into place and lenders follow it.

Share this:

Have questions about what the tax ramifications are of selling your home?

Reba Haas — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:54:35 +0000

Go figure…. the IRS wants to help you. No, really! Actually, they are a pretty good proactive organization when it comes to trying to help Americans with understanding certain things, like what the tax implications are when you sell your home. These tips are from their website and you can find more tips from the Internal Revenue Service at this link.

IRS Summertime Tax Tip 2011-15, August 8, 2011

The Internal Revenue Service has some important information to share with individuals who have sold or are about to sell their home. If you have a gain from the sale of your main home, you may qualify to exclude all or part of that gain from your income. Here are ten tips from the IRS to keep in mind when selling your home.

In general, you are eligible to exclude the gain from income if you have owned and used your home as your main home for two years out of the five years prior to the date of its sale.
If you have a gain from the sale of your main home, you may be able to exclude up to $250,000 of the gain from your income ($500,000 on a joint return in most cases).
You are not eligible for the exclusion if you excluded the gain from the sale of another home during the two-year period prior to the sale of your home.
If you can exclude all of the gain, you do not need to report the sale on your tax return.
If you have a gain that cannot be excluded, it is taxable. You must report it on Form 1040, Schedule D, Capital Gains and Losses.
You cannot deduct a loss from the sale of your main home.
Worksheets are included in Publication 523, Selling Your Home, to help you figure the adjusted basis of the home you sold, the gain (or loss) on the sale, and the gain that you can exclude.
If you have more than one home, you can exclude a gain only from the sale of your main home. You must pay tax on the gain from selling any other home. If you have two homes and live in both of them, your main home is ordinarily the one you live in most of the time.
If you received the first-time homebuyer credit and within 36 months of the date of purchase, the property is no longer used as your principal residence, you are required to repay the credit. Repayment of the full credit is due with the income tax return for the year the home ceased to be your principal residence, using Form 5405, First-Time Homebuyer Credit and Repayment of the Credit. The full amount of the credit is reflected as additional tax on that year’s tax return.
When you move, be sure to update your address with the IRS and the U.S. Postal Service to ensure you receive refunds or correspondence from the IRS. Use Form 8822, Change of Address, to notify the IRS of your address change.

For more information about selling your home, see IRS Publication 523, Selling Your Home. This publication is available at www.irs.gov or by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).

Links:

Publication 523, Selling Your Home ( PDF)
Form 5405, First-Time Homebuyer Credit and Repayment of the Credit ( PDF)
Form 8822, Change of Address ( PDF)

Share this:

Much vilified loan servicer, Ocwen, reports that it’s coming out with an IPO…

Reba Haas — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 14:28:05 +0000

I’ve been doing short sales since before they were the norm – starting back in 2004 or so – and only about a year into my time as a real estate agent. It was an early introduction into what seemed like an ugly little secret in banking at the time – it was obvious that working in loss mitigation departments at the bank was considered a short term, lame position and turnover was very high for staffing. You could tell the people who worked in those departments were used to being yelled at because they were dealing with homeowners in foreclosure and a variety of financial distresses – in fact, my first deal like this included me having to tell the guy from the loss mitigation group to “stop yelling at me, I’m not the one who’s missing their payments and I’m not yelling at you.” He didn’t even realizing how he was yelling at me so early in my discussion with him about the loan I was calling on (I represented the buyer too) and he quickly apologized. That was, what feels like, a long time ago and it was a company that had been bought out by Washington Mutual and their office was based in Florida.

Fast forward a couple of years to the financing market going nuts because of loan defaults and Option ARM loans resetting while people’s home values were rapidly declining. In the midst of it, some companies failed or were about to fail - like Goldman Sachs and their loan servicing division, Litton. If I recall correctly at the time, a bunch of executives from G.S. and the former World Savings (who’s assets were also sold off to Ocwen at a STEEP discount) went to work at Ocwen and now they’re back big time as Ocwen reveals it’s IPO (initial public offering).

See the link here for more details.

Seems that there are some who are making mighty good money off of the backs of high risk borrowers and taxpayers who helped bail out companies with these high risk loans. I keep saying that the world of mortgages is really like Monopoly money and the more things change, the more they stay the same….

Share this: