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Edmonds, WA: ever thought of moving to Edmonds?
December 4, 2015 /Edmonds is a beautiful city located just 15 miles north of Seattle and 18 miles south of Everett. A historic community, the Snohomish tribe used the land around Edmonds as a harvesting ground for mussels and clams long before the arrival of white settlers. The city of Edmonds was first officially recognized in 1890 under the leadership of the entrepreneurial George Brackett. Since then, Edmonds has become a cherished part of the greater Seattle community, and it’s easy to see why. The city enjoys enviable views of the Puget Sound and the dramatically mustered peak of the Olympic Mountains. Additionally, Edmonds has access to no less than four beaches and plenty of waterfront parks, providing plenty of robust and healthy saltwater breezes for lovers of a barnacle-clad maritime lifestyle. For example, the Edmonds Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Dive Park is the perfect place for aficionados of scuba diving to explore the Sound’s unique underwater ecosystem. While access to water is certainly beneficial for recreational purposes, Edmonds’ location on the Sound has practical purposes, too. For example, Edmonds is also home to the Edmonds-Kingston Ferry, which carries the highest number of vehicles and second highest number of passengers for all state…Read more
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Neighborhood Profile: Green Lake
November 9, 2015 /Imagine finishing a long day at work in the bustling city and then driving home to a green, secluded space with a vibrant and energetic community. If you live in Green Lake, then you’re one of the lucky individuals who gets to make this dream a reality. Located north of the Seattle City Center, and boasting a seemingly unfair number of gorgeous parks and green spaces (not to mention the eponymous lake), Green Lake is undeniably one of Seattle’s most attractive neighborhoods. The region was originally settled by intrepid pioneers in the 1860s, and since that time the it's appeal has only increased. In fact, in the last two decades the steady construction of new residences has firmly established Green Lake as one of Seattle’s most popular destinations. Green Lake’s most obvious draw is, of course, its lake. The region around the lake has been transformed into a park with an overabundance of activities, including a 2.8 mile walking/running/biking/roller skating path following the shoreline. If you’re an aficionado of water sports, or perhaps just trying to impress someone on a first date, then you can also rent kayaks for use on the lake. All in all, Green Lake is home to…Read more
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LE vs. GFE and CD vs. HUD-1
October 30, 2015 /This month has seen a significant change to the way mortgages are finalized. The GFE, initial TIL, and HUD-1 and final TIL forms are gone for good and, as of October 3rd, the LE (Loan Estimate) and CD (Closing Disclosure), replaced them. If you’re an average consumer, you’re probably wondering two things: What do these new forms mean? How does this change affect me? Luckily, both questions are relatively easy to answer. Below, you’ll find the basic information about what the new laws mean and how they’ll affect anyone applying for a mortgage in the future. LE and CD: the Basics Historically, lenders have been legally required to provide consumers applying for mortgage loans with two documents, the TIL and GFE, and then two more documents, another TIL and the HUD-1, shortly before finalizing a mortgage loan agreement. All of these documents communicated repetitive information using irregular language, thus sacrificing an unnecessary amount of trees to provide you with much of the same information twice. This process, as you can imagine, was a complicated one for average Americans. To streamline the process, federal law has mandated that the GFE, initial TIL, and HUD-1 and final TIL forms be replaced by two basic forms, the LE and the CD. Anyone applying…Read more
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Short Sales
October 23, 2015 /Facing a foreclosure can be scary, and it’s easy to feel trapped and helpless if you’re in danger of losing your home. Even worse, you’ll feel like you’re losing your dignity as a self-sufficient adult. However, while things may seem hopeless, it’s important to recognize that there are alternatives to foreclosures. A short sale is one of the best of these alternatives. What is a Short Sale? A short sale refers to the process of selling your home for less than the balance of your mortgage. Short sales require the approval of your mortgage company, but, if you are approved, you’ll be able to sell your home and pay off either part or all of your mortgage, depending on the results of your particular situation. What are the Benefits of a Short Sale? It goes without saying that applying for a short sale is not an ideal situation. No one wants to face foreclosure, and no one wants to part with his or her home for less than is needed to pay off a mortgage. That said, there are many benefits to short sales, and they can help you escape and recover from stressful situations. The most obvious benefit of…Read more
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The Monroe Equestrian Property
October 16, 2015 /If you’re a native of Washington State and the Puget Sound, you’ve probably got a few cherished memories from your youth: black coffee on cold winter mornings, the sound of rain pattering on the roof, crackling wood stoves, waves of mist rolling over a sea of pine trees at dusk. While such memories are wonderful, it’s likely that the myriad responsibilities of the adult world have pushed them back into the recesses of your brain. Setting foot on the Monroe Equestrian property, however, allows the once-forgotten sounds, smells, and sights of a Washington childhood to once again flood back into the present. Hidden in a lush undergrowth of pine forest, and commanding a view of five immaculate acres, the Monroe Equestrian property is the classic custom Washington home. The house’s rustic wood paneling mimics the stately trees clustered around it and, while the dense foliage creates a sense of protection and security, expansive and wandering lawns give the property plenty of breathing space. A gazebo affixed to the rear of the house overlooks the backyard, making it the perfect retreat for those fond of autumn mornings, bold coffee, and rustling newspapers. The true charm of the property, however,…Read more
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Neighborhood Profile: Bellevue, WA
October 9, 2015 /Bellevue, WA Population: 134,400 Named the #1 place to live and launch a business in America by CNNMoney in 2008, Bellevue is located just 10 miles east of Seattle. Bordered by Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish, and overlooked by the snow-capped peaks of the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges, Bellevue is brimming with stunning natural beauty. Combine this feature with one of the best school systems in the country, buoyant business opportunities, a luxury retail and restaurant center, and a plethora of parks and recreational areas, and it’s clear that Bellevue truly is a sensational place to call home. The Bellevue School District consistently ranks as one of the top districts in Washington. The school district serves students in Bellevue and the smaller surrounding communities of Clyde Hill, Medina, Hunts Point, Yarrow Point, and Beaux Arts, plus portions of Issaquah, Kirkland, Newcastle, Redmond, and unincorporated King County. Five of Bellevue’s High Schools ranked in the top 100 in the nation by Newsweek in 2010, while their elementary and middle schools are also exceptional. Likewise, in 2015 U.S. News and World Report ranked the International School in Bellevue as the top high school in Washington and the 26th best high school in the…Read more
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Preparing Your Home For Sale
October 2, 2015 /So: you’re preparing to sell your home, and you’re unsure how to start getting everything ready. Even if you’ve taken good care of your home, preparing for a sale can be daunting. That said, a few small, simple improvements will go a long way toward preparing your home for the market, so don’t feel like the prep process is some kind of Goliath you have to slay. Instead, take a look at some of these tips and get rid of all your pre-sale worries... Perfect the Art of Pricing While you may be tempted to launch yourself into physically sprucing up your home, it’s also important to price it properly. A lead listing agent at Pickett Street only works with sellers, so working with Pickett Street will ensure that you receive individualized attention — and therefore better service than you would working with a conventional agent. Since about 90% of homebuyers search for homes via online real estate engines. Pickett Street uses this statistic to help you strategically list your home online using increments of $25,000 in order to maximize the potential buyers reached. Here’s how it works: if your home is worth roughly $500,000, most conventional agents would list…Read more
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How Pickett Street Is Different than Other Real Estate Agents
September 11, 2015 /Since its inception in 2006, Pickett Street has compiled an impressive resume. However, while you may have heard about Pickett Street’s legendary real estate accomplishments — they recorded 202 sales in 2013 alone — you may not fully understand exactly how Pickett Street manages such Herculean feats. To get an idea about how Pickett Street works, it’s best to compare its team with the average real estate agent. What You Can Expect From Average Agents For the most part, the average real estate agent is a single individual working as a buyer's agent, listing agent, showing specialist, and business owner all at the same time. To put it another way, most real estate agents are trying to singlehandedly hold down at least four different jobs, all of which require significant levels of time commitment and energy. In that case, most real estate agents’ energy is spread pretty thin, and they’re not going to be able to give all of their clients individualized attention. As a result, it’s no surprise that the average real estate agent closes about 8 or 9 sales per year. What You Can Expect From Pickett Street The biggest difference between Pickett Street and other agents is that…Read more
