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For Sellers | Maple Valley WA

For Sellers

Maple Valley Short Sale Closed

Maple Valley Short Sale Closed

Valley Crest in Maple Valley, WA-Really nice Harbour Homes Sequoia plan just closed this past week as a HAFA short sale. Given that the sellers qualified under the HAFA program, they were able to sell and have their liens released without any deficiency judgment hanging over their head. Many families decide to short sale because they either fell behind in payments or are about to because of high interest loans. If you or someone you know has questions about the short sale process, please contact us. We negotiate our own short sales and specialize in the Maple Valley Market.

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Short Sale Activity in Tahoma School District

Short Sale Activity in Tahoma School District

The good news is negotiating short sales with Lenders has become much more streamlined and efficient (relatively speaking) since our market decline of mid-2007. The bad news is short sales still make up a large percentage of our inventory and I don’t think that’s likely to go away any time soon. Here’s how the inventory numbers work out: Active Listings= 24% of Inventory are Short Sales Pending Sales = 38% of Inventory are Short Sales Sales w/in 180 days = 14% of Closed Sales were Short Sales A closer look shows the average Short Sale listing price of a home for sale w/in the Tahoma School district boundaries is $263,531 and the average market time of those listings is 109 days. The average Sales price of a closed Short Sale is 287,966 and the average days on market for those homes was 104 days. Short sales are a reality of our market and are becoming much more common place among owners who are upside down in value, but have to move for various reasons. If you’re interested in finding out how a short sale works, or if your situation looks positive for a successful short sale, feel free to call or email

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He Who’s Willing to Walk Away Usually Wins…Negotiating Your Best Deal

He Who’s Willing to Walk Away Usually Wins…Negotiating Your Best Deal

Note: I actually wrote this post back in December 2007, but it’s as timely today as it was then. Buyers today are barraged daily with news of increased inventory, foreclosure sales and stories of co-workers making “killer deals” on real estate purchases. But for a Buyer today, what really constitutes a “Good Deal“? Consider this Scenario: Buyers fall in love with a house and want to make an offer. It’s December and a slow market, so they make a fairly aggressive low offer…not insulting-low, but teetering close to that line.  The seller, who has an experienced Realtor counseling him to take the emotion out of the picture, makes a counteroffer but doesn’t come off price much. Buyers are shocked. What the Heck? It’s a buyer’s market right? What is the Seller thinking? Actually, the Sellers are thinking they don’t have to move…when the house sells, it sells. They are tidy folks so the house is always clean and picked up and showings are few and far between so it’s really not very inconvenient for them to leave the house on the market. In other words, Seller’s motivation is low. The countering continues for a bit but ultimately Sellers reach a

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Price Reduced|Own a Piece of Maple Valley History~Vintage Cabin

Price Reduced|Own a Piece of Maple Valley History~Vintage Cabin

Time stands still at the water’s edge of this cabin on Lake Wilderness in Maple Valley. Tucked beneath towering fir & cedars, this cozy retreat, originally built in 1948 , was used over the years as a vacation retreat. It is a rustic reminder of simpler times when the Resort at Lake Wilderness was in full swing and busy Seattlites visited the area to “get away” from the bustle of the city.  The city of Maple Valley website offers a historical view of the resort: “An expanded Gaffney’s Grove resort opened in 1939, capable of accommodating 9,000 visitors daily. This premier lake resort featured baseball fields, tennis courts, dance pavilions, a skating rink, and two swimming beaches with slides, trapezes, and diving towers.”  Currently the structure has no hot water or heat source other than the wood-cookstove, but the tongue-n-groove paneling, ceiling and vintage linoleum create a warm atmosphere from which to enjoy views of the lake. Both front and back yards are fairly level with the front yard sloping slightly toward the lake and the dock. The property is served by an individual on-site well and septic. There is water and sewer in the street for future hook-up or building down the road. This one

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Real Estate Week in Review ~Maple Valley WA

Real Estate Week in Review ~Maple Valley WA

Normally we post our weekly market update on Mondays, but the snow yesterday threw me off schedule. Real Estate activity for the greater Maple Valley area (including all single family homes listed and sold within the Tahoma School District) for the week 11.15.2010-11.22-2010. Ready to buy ? Search Listings within Tahoma School District here Search Short Sale Homes within Tahoma School District here Search Bank Owned Homes within Tahoma School District here

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Is It Time for An Equity Check Up?

With the recent local real estate market challenges, do you know how much equity you have in your Maple Valley home right now?  And if you have no interest in moving, should you even care? Webster’s defines equity as it pertains to real estate as : “… the difference between the current market value of the property and the amount the owner still owes on the mortgage. Thus, it is the amount, if any, the owner would receive after selling a property and paying off the mortgage” Even if you have no interest in moving or need to sell there are a few very good reasons why your home’s equity value is something you should evaluate every year: 1. Life happens. Could you sell right now if you had to? If you lost your job or got sick? Information is power! Although the market is continually fluctuating, the big drop has happened and your value today should not fluctuate hugely for several years. If you were to find yourself in a sticky spot you’ll know: Can I sell now or am I upside down in value? If I sold right now, what would we net from the sale? If I

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Maple Valley Monday Market Report

Maple Valley Monday Market Report

Maple Valley homes for sale that fall within the Tahoma School District boundaries currently number 269. The lowest listing price is $99,900 and the highest listing price is $2,995,000. Inventory seems to be decreasing slightly as units sold are almost equal to the number of available listings. Many home owners in the area are wondering if they should sell now or wait and the answer I give every time is “it depends”. Feel free to call or email anytime to discuss your specific situation and real estate goals to see if you should try to make a move now, or if holding off is in your best interest. 

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How Long Will My Short Sale Take?

How Long Will My Short Sale Take?

If you want to do a short sale in the Sacramento area, Elizabeth Weintraub is the pro to call! Not only has she written a book on the subject, but every week she helps more and more homeowners avoid foreclosure through the short sale process. In addition to being a high producing Realtor, Elizabeth is a very prolific blogger. Recently she wrote a blog post entitled “The Number one Short Sale Question“. (For her, the number one question she’s asked is if a home seller should stop making payments. When talking with sellers in Maple Valley and throughout South King County about helping them Short Sale their house, the number one question I seem to get is “How long is this going to take”? Sellers who are serious about short selling, are looking to the future….anxious for the time to move on and start over with a clean slate. For many owners, getting the short sale process completed is akin to removing a huge monkey from their backs. I’ve had several owners thank me profusely for helping them through the process. My answer to their question is almost always the same….”It depends”. There are so many variables with a short

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