One of the most vocal people, who we call a booster, is Lennox Scott. Without Lennox, and his input, I don’t know where we would be. Lennox made the search for real time properties, online, a reality that is copied, yet never improved on.

When there was a down turn in the economy, while other Brokerages were putting on a brave face, John L Scott changed, quietly, with a “mobile” office, business model.

There was more to this article that I will wait for confirmation on. Fee structure is getting to be a hot item with Real Estate Brokerages.

There is no reason you can’t have a good property. It should be a consideration that you have good schools, enough space, and a good lot, but you also have to consider the cost of upkeep. I know that in the past ten years people stopped considering trading up, but that should be an option today with a few tips on how to do that. Number one is to buy what you can more than afford.

I’m getting to be a broken record about paying off a property, but it is the best way to build equity. Even if a property goes down in value, or price, you can more than make up for that by paying the property off. You save on the compounded interest payments by compressing the Note. Over on www.FixerFixer.com we talk about some home improvement projects, and also how to buy property as an Investment.

For here, our purpose would be to get you to be a ready, willing, and able buyer. You should know that Real Estate is the dirt, the lot, a property sits on, you should buy the best location you can afford, at that time. The structure should be sound with only what you, yourself, can afford to fix. Make big plans if you are capable, but remember that also takes money.

My next post will be about trading up, because most savvy home owners have done that. It’s a hassle, but it keeps the price for you affordable, while you build personal wealth.

This is a link to an important property in Seattle. It is the furthest South West exposure property on Queen Anne Hill. There is an article here, on this blog, about the importance of light in Seattle. This estate has all of the light you could wish for.

It is also situated as an estate by the way it commands the street, and surrounding property. It’s a land mark of elegance, distinct in it’s lines, and interior features. From what people tell me it is a fairly easy project to return to it’s former grace. The exterior is preserved by what appears to be vinyl siding which can actually be an attribute.

You can see the portico still has it’s grandeur with an abbreviated driveway that could be finished to make the entrance much more appealing. The rooms are good sized, and there is an unfinished attic with some low ceilings that could be finished out or kept as a children’s play area.

It sounds like a lot of work, and at $1.5 million dollars it may be more than a young couple want to do. The fact is that it is a part of history. It’s a part of the history that is Seattle, and it is livable, as is, where is. It’s a property worth owning, and when you are done living in it, it’s worth passing on.

You may have noticed all the sold signs around your neighborhood, or other neighborhoods. Properties are selling while the financing is becoming harder to get. The problem is no one wants to be stuck with the loan. Loan Originators want loans that they can sell and the secondary market is a mess.

Fannie Mae was charged with buying loans, and FHA became a primary funding source. Two things happened recently that will change that. Number one is the claim Fannie Mae is broke. The second thing is that the Wall Street Reform Bill made derivatives a more open target. William Buffet is now in the news as taking losses on his derivative portfolio, by last report 40%.

In Real Estate bad news is good news, and good news is bad news. What this means, in my opinion, is that investor groups may take up mortgages as secured investments.

Banks now control a lot of housing inventory. By default, many mortgages are reverting back to banks. What this does is bring property pricing back in line with value. Banks can make profit in a lot of ways. Derivatives were an insurance against losses, well, we had some losses. The pool of funds seems to me to be inexhaustible. There are trillions of derivative dollars in the pool.

OK, longer story short, I still think in the next three months that the Real Estate market will settle in to be financed, be more affordable, and have a chance for some future appreciation of the right properties.

Jet City Real Estate was to be a one stop shopping experience for those people who owned property, and needed help. Buying, and Selling are just a couple of things in a process of home ownership. Maintaining the property is also a challenge. Our web site at www.FixerFixer.com is a resource,of sorts, in how to buy, and improve, your property.

Jet City Home Improvement is one of a set of sub domains that relate to home ownership. We offer painting, landscaping, rockeries, decks, custom cabinets, rot work, and home repair. Every part of the business is controlled by our network of contractors. My part is done with people who have asked for my help to start businesses, and to do marketing for them.

These web sites are a part of the marketing. We give you options. You can always contact me for advice which is free. Our hope is that you will find a value in our services, and contract with us for the best results.

A friend of mine who owns a Real Estate company has an investor/ agent that just bought a used new construction house in Puyallup for $162K, at auction, for cash! The house probably sold for about $140K new, about 2000. He intends to sell the house in two months for a profit, and he might get a buyer.

The math for home prices in the Seattle area is far from being a signal for a “good” buy. There are individual properties that are good well rounded purchases, but to say the market is at an equilibrium is more fair. You have to know what to buy, and structure a transaction so you can pay the property off quickly.

As always my advice is you need the help of an experienced Real Estate professional if you are buying, or selling in today’s market place.

Marlow has bought, and sold properties in her personal portfolio to make a retirement plan that includes giving her four boys the best education. She has never stopped working, and though she would deny it, I have seen her working on her own properties, on more than one occasion. She has fulfilled every goal she has outlined during her career. She is the Top Producer in her office.

He husband Joe is an artist who has been way laid into working on Marlow’s web site at www.SeattleDreamHomes.com which has won numerous awards. She chose Coldwell Banker to hold her license for it’s national presence. It has worked out well for her site because Coldwell Banker was one of the first to set up web based Real Estate tools. In my opinion, for a national company, they have tools that work well.

In today’s Real Estate world you do need to have an agent with web presence of an International reach. Few companies, or especially individual agents, can make that claim. In this particular case you have both the company and agent on the same page, working for you.

This is a personal testimonial because Marlow has been my agent on more than one occasion. She is level headed with a focus on what’s best for the client. As a complete example of what is possible in Real Estate Marlow is the very best. If you are even considering buying or selling a property in the next three years Marlow is one of the few people you need to talk with.

Now the chances of you finding a home to buy by visiting Sunday Open Houses is slim. You finding an agent to work with gets a little better. Ultimately the exercises is for you to see homes. Seeing homes is an important step in knowing what to look for. Look beyond the staging and stay away from talkative agents, but if an agent answers questions, knows the property, and the district, pay attention to that, and make a mental note.

Look at construction, on your own. Get familiar with the process of walking through a home. Discover what your hot buttons are by repetition. Now that the Real Estate market has cooled, take some time to get a “feeling” about what you want. The Sunday Open House is a great way to do that.

It started me thinking about how when we buy properties in Seattle we look for South Western exposure. We want to have as much daylight as we can. As I recall we only have about 52 days of cloudless skies here in Seattle.

While I was thinking about this it so happened we cleaned a couple of condominium units, in different buildings, in different parts of the city. Both units had full sun light, sat high up above the street, and were both unobstructed in the views they had. Both were South West exposure.

In another post, or series, I’ll write about what makes some condo units a good value, but for right now I just wanted to make the point about the light.

It’s kind of common for artists to want Northern light because it’s more consistent during the day, and casts softer shadows. You still need to be higher up, like on a hill, for it to be effective.  You also need space from the next structure. You need the light to be a strong presence in your home for it to add value. Some architects have built careers on how they use light in a project.

For Seattle we need all the light we can get. It’s a dark place here, with some darker winters.

This time let’s talk generalities. There are trends to everything. Interior Design is no different. There is always new stuff and the people who have to have it. Some things are timeless, they are always in style. For those things you need to have a space to put them in that is appropriate. A side board buffet is a good example of classic style that requires a large dining room. The three piece bedroom set may be too large for a 10 x 10 bedroom.

Most important is the style of home you own. Your furnishings need to match what you have. The colors can change, room size is more difficult. Your first thing to do is to find out the style of your home, then the square footage of each space. The lay out in relation to windows, and doors, heat registers, or cabinets defines those spaces.

When of the things we see a lot is people move into a new home and start buying stuff to fill it. We recommend you live in a house for a year before you get too carried away. OK, that’s another stretch, but at least measure out the house, get a good lay out, then measure the furniture you are putting in place. You may want to paint first.

Get only the pieces you have to have, like the couch, some chairs, beds, and dressers. We would still encourage you to wait, or buy some cheap stuff to get by. In any event get a feel for how you live with the house, and what’s comfortable. Buy what you can afford, and what is appropriate for the family. If you have two out of control dogs, or your kids are active, make the home comfortable for them.

If you are serious about some design work a consultation is worth the price. Be prepared to spend a few hundred dollars. Get an idea about what will work, will be a good value, and most important what you will be proud of.