CategoriesWindermere

Here…There… Everywhere!

Dig this! Big news to share with your friends and loved ones! We are proud to be a member of the Windermere referral network as well as Leading RE! Sounds big, but what does it all mean!?!?!

If you love working with me and your Aunt Caryn needs to sell her lake house in Wisconsin, I am a part of an international organization of the BEST Agents around the world.

I’m able to assist you in selecting the best agent for Aunt Caryn. Most importantly, I am here throughout the process to insure she is well taken care of! Having someone you trust in your corner seriously decreases stress and understanding the process will help everyone sleep better at night.

italy

Same thing goes for your boss who is buying her second home in Italy. Using the Leading RE network, I’m able to alleviate the stress of finding an excellent agent anywhere in the world, leaving the fun part of choosing that sweet villa to her. When she gives you the keys for two weeks as a thank you just remember who had your back!

Who do you know who needs a good agent?
If you want them to have the same high level of service I provide please introduce us!
I would love to help them.

Categorieseconomy, home values, info for home owners, referrals, Seattle, Washington real estate, Windermere

Seattle Digs YOU!

To my current clients & former clients, friends, family and colleagues,

I hope you dig me too.
This is my love letter to you and to the Seattle real estate market. It’s back baby! So, is it good time to buy? Sell? Simply peek around? Of course! Please read on.

2012: Armageddon Outta Here!

The past few years were rough.But you hung in there and now housing prices are perking up like my Lola’s ears when I near the fridge. For Sale inventories today are near all time lows.
Homeowners who were under water are making it back to the surface.
A seller’s market can be a great time to buy if you have a good negotiator on your side. Someone like me!
2013: Don’t Lose It, Lease It
This year, many homeowners are moving onward and upward while turning their current homes into rental properties.
Why?
There are more qualified renters than there are available homes. Rental income can offset mortgage payments while your home equity continues to rebuild.
Interested in buying without selling?
I’ll show you how!

Not Every House is a Winner

This house was like a date from hell. Looks like marriage material, but once you get to know it — total nightmare!
I recently helped a buyer score a beautiful house built in the 1980’s despite competing buyers.
Good thing Seattle Digs keeps the champagne on ice until the inspection is complete.
Reis Pearson of Inside Out Building Inspection discovered the siding trim was not properly installed,
causing 30 years of unseen water damage and infestation below the surface.

Estimated repair bill: $150,000.
My buyers were able to walk away without leaving their hearts — or their deposit — behind.

Like what you see? Dig This!

Seattle Digs is an easier, less stressful, more fun way to buy a home.
Learn more about Seattle Digs’ fresh approach to real estate at the

I’m looking for Ladies. Gents. Families too. If your friends, family and neighbors are thinking about transplanting this year — don’t send them to Google, send them to me!
I will help them get where they want to go.

In case you haven’t already been there, check out the…
All-New Seattle Digs Website!

Categoriescommunity service, Windermere

Community Service Day

Our work is not about houses.  It’s about people.

We’re in the business of selling houses.  But more importantly, we’re helping people find a place they can call home.  Our commitment to service extends beyond each real estate transaction.  Every year since 1984, Windermere associates have skipped work for a day to complete neighborhood improvement projects.

Community Service Day is a great opportunity to give back to the communities where we live and work. In past years, our office has worked to clean and landscape several local schools, stretches of Alki Beach, and parks in need of extra attention.  Each office selects a project that best serves its community needs.

This year, our office is doing a large scale food drive for the West Seattle and White Center food banks.  On Wednesday June 16, we will be delivering bags to as many doorsteps in West Seattle as we can.  On Friday June 18, we will be back to collect any donations our West Seattle neighbors contribute.  In addition, our clients can drop off food donations at our office (4526 California Ave SW, 98116) Monday-Thursday next week or at the High Point Community Center (6920 34th Ave SW, 98126) on Friday between 9am-noon.

After all, real estate is rooted in our communities.  And an investment in our neighborhoods gives us all a better place to call home.

Warm Regards,

Domenica
Windermere Real Estate

Categoriesevents, Seattle, Windermere

Windermere Cup and Opening Day of Boating Season – May 1st

This weekend is the opening day of boating season and the Windermere Cup crew races.  We are proud of Windermere’s sponsorship of this event and thought we’d share with you a bit about it.

Windermere Cup

The Opening Day regatta has been a part of the opening day of boating season since 1970. In 1987, the race’s sponsorship by Windermere Real Estate, Inc. started the Windermere Cup Regatta. Since 1987, teams from China, Australia, Russia, South Africa, and the Czech Republic, among others, have come to race against the men’s and women’s rowing teams from the University of Washington on the Montlake Cut  (excerpt from UW site).

For more information about many of the events surrounding the Opening day of boating season, check out this Seattle Times article.
One day we’d love to be out on a boat during opening day festivities, so let us know if you need additional crew members-we’ll bring yummy food and drink!

If you happen to be down at the lake on Saturday be sure to cheer for our very own Windermere Dragon Boat team as they paddle by!

Warm Regards,

Domenica
Windermere Real Estate

Categoriesevents, info for buyers, info for home owners, Windermere

Spring Clean Event

When:     April 24th, 10am – 12pm

Where:    Windermere Parking Lot

               4526 California Ave SW

               (Entrance on 42nd)
What:      Safe document shredding
It’s that time of year again…Tax Time!
 

One of the questions that seems to come to mind every year is what documents and receipts we need to keep, and for how long?  Then, when it’s finally time to purge, there is concern about identity theft and proper disposal.  It’s enough to make us throw everything in a box and bury it in the backyard!

After giving it a little thought we decided to team up with other agents in our office to put on an event to help our clients safely dispose of their unwanted documents. You are invited to join us April 24th from 10am -12pm.  Bring all those boxes of old statements and receipts.  We will have an industrial shredder set-up and plenty of space for everyone’s stuff to go safely and securely to the recycling plant as confetti!

In preparation for the event, here’s what the IRS has to say about what you should keep and in what format you should keep it.  And we found a good chart  of this information at Bankrate.com.   As always, we recommend you consult your accountant to verify what you can safely dispose of.

We look forward to seeing you at the Windermere Spring Clean!
 
Warm Regards,

Domenica
Windermere Real Estate

Categoriesfinancing, info for buyers, Windermere

Windermere’s New Bridge Loan

Opportunities for “move up” buyers are plentiful in the current market. Unfortunately, many homeowners aren’t able to capitalize because it has become harder to access home equity for down payments. Windermere is attempting to address this issue by offering its own stimulus package~short-term, no interest loans to existing homeowners looking to purchase a new home. Windermere clients have access to an interest free “bridge loan” that allows them to borrow a portion of their equity in their current home as a down payment on the purchase of a new home for up to six months. The result: buyers can make a non-contingent offer without dipping into their own cash reserves.

To create this interest-free program, Windermere partnered with Vintage Loans, LLC and is underwriting the costs of this program. “The federal tax credit has helped thousands of first-time buyers purchase a home,” said Jill Wood, President of Windermere Real Estate. “We want to offer a helping hand so second, third and fourth time homebuyers can buy homes as well.”

The Buy Now * Sell Later Loan is open to property owners in Western Washington to use as a down payment on the purchase of a primary residence. The maximum loan amount is $100,000 for six months or $200,000 for 3 months. There is no origination charge, no interest on the loan and no monthly payment required. The loan is due in full when the borrower’s home sells, or when the loan term ends, whichever comes first. Here is a recent article from the Seattle Times regarding the program.

The limitations of this program lie in that the total of all debt secured by the collateral property, including the bridge loan, may not exceed 65% of the collateral property’s current fair market value. The home buyers able to utilize this program must have a good chunk of equity in their current home, and therefore many of our clients may not qualify.

If you have any questions about this new Windermere loan, or if you’d like to discuss the prospect of “moving up” in home in the future, please just give us a call 🙂

Warm regards,
Domenica
Windermere Real Estate

CategoriesSeattle, Windermere

Real Estate Pioneer

Anne Bentrott is a long time agent in our office. In fact she has been with Windermere in West Seattle for over 25 years and a full-time Real Estate Agent in West Seattle for over 50 years. Wow!

Recently, as she is traveling (and scuba diving) more and more, she is winding down from an amazing career. Windermere has created an “Ambassador” status for her so that she can still, occasionally, represent her long time clients (some families covering 5 generations). We are proud to work for a company that recognizes and celebrates women like Anne.

Anne’s Story…

When Anne got her real estate license in 1957, she was turned away from the first office she approached (Norman DeMeyer) because the broker felt that if he hired a woman all the male agents would quit. So she went to Turner Real Estate, because “they would hire anyone.” She said they paid so little that it didn’t matter who was hired… Apparently, when she started, one of the “old guys” that worked there said, “Hey, did you know they hired a refugee from the dishpan?”

Back in 1957, there were only about 4 or 5 other female real estate agents in West Seattle, more in neighborhoods (like Broadmoor). “Women always wore suits and most wore hats back then.” She jumped in and built her career by really taking
care of her clients. Anne said that one of the hardest things for her was overcoming the stigma of being a real estate agent, because they had a bad reputation for not being trustworthy. She says she always put her clients first and lived by the motto: Your clients don’t care how much you know, they just want to know how much you care. This has been her guiding principle and it’s clear her clients know how much she cares.

We are so amazed by Anne’s long and successful career, in a field where women were able to break through the glass ceiling and become as successful as they wanted to be. Today there are at least as many women realtors as men, if not more. It has been enlightening for us to hear about how much has changed since the days when houses were sold with a one page contract and rarely with third party bank financing. To todays reality of computers and extremely detailed, ever changing, laws & addendums to protect the public, both buyers and sellers.

Our hats are off to Anne, and we wish her continued enjoyment and success in her coming years!

Warm regards,
Domenica
Windermere Real Estate