If you’re interested in the current information about Interest Rates for mortgages in today’s market, click on my Web site and go to “Services for Buyers” then “Search for Homes”. The lower right hand side has the current mortgage rates for one of Windermere’s mortgage contacts. Just a FYI……..I’ll eventually feature or have a guest post from my favorite loan representative, Sharol Bjorgo, branch Manager for Countrywide Home Loans in Everett.

Knowledge is power!! Gain knowledge…gain power!

I thought this was a pretty darned good article from NW Real Estate News- “Real Estate Outlook: Home Sales Rise” by Kenneth R. Harner http://nwrealestatenews.com/2008/11/17/real-estate-outlook-home-sales-rise/

This includes, according to the author, information and statistics that cannot be ignored. So, while we may not quite be at the bottom quite yet, there are clear cut indicators that we’re getting close. See what you think!

HUD has plans for revising lender rules & regulations to make it a lot easier for prospective mortgagees (Buyers) to review any and all loan “Good Faith Estimates” and fully understand the mortgage product that they will be receiving. The Link to the Article is here…..//http://www.housingwire.com/2008/11/12/hud-revises-respa-adopts-good-faith-estimate/

The Good Faith Estimate format proposed is located here…..//http://www.hud.gov/content/releases/goodfaithestimate.pdf .

In my opinion, this is all good. Consumers will be able to completely understand their loan…whether or not the interest rate can go up…if they’re actually getting into a negative amortization product…or have a pre-payment penalty. Since all lenders will be required to use this form, prospective Borrowers can compare line by line the different loans quoted to them. The changes identified in the first post are not due to change until January of 2010.

This is good news for our local economy! Market Watch reported this just a short time ago. Check this article out…http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Boeing-says-reaches-tentative-4/story.aspx?guid=%7B3702443A%2D1DBB%2D462D%2D8CBA%2D81D4839505FD%7D&dist;=hplatest

It is that time of the year when our thoughts turn to helping those around us. At our house, the Smith family has given donations, baskets, dinners & contributed items for local families or organizations. We encourage others to do so, as well.

My Windermere Real Estate office is also very concerned about our surrounding community. We typically have an annual auction at the office among our realtors to donate items & then hold auctions to raise money. We’ve donated to Housing Hope, individuals, families and other groups we believe are in need and deserving. We also schedule an additional day/year to pick a deserving project to fund or assist in. We’ve painted houses, helped create or maintain local parks, and helped build houses through Housing Hope. We have very skilled and dedicated Realtors here with strong community interests. A % of every commission check is donated to the Windermere Foundation.

This year, our office in Marysville won the Snohomish County Realtor Food Drive again for the fourth year in a row. I’ll attach a link so you can see how we stacked up. We had one fabulous woman in our office who knocked on 1100 doors in some of the most challenged parts of the city. Everyone wanted to help. Just for your information, the Marysville Food Bank DOUBLED the people they served from September to October. There are also articles in the Friday, November 14th, Herald regarding the need of community food banks at this time of the year…especially this year. See the results from the Realtor Food Drive here… http://www.sccar.com/fooddrive/leaderboard.cfm

Our office is having a wine tasting/auction/fun fund raising event Thursday evening this week at Wine Styles in the Thriftway Plaza in Marysville. Ticket & profit proceeds will go to an organization called Clothes for Kids. Check out this link. They have a huge need of clothes, they make sure needy folks get them, and operate on a slim to tight budget. Check it out.. http://www.clothesforkids.org/ I’m sure they’ll love donations, too! $$$ or clothes, whichever will work for you!

Whether it’s your neighbor or an organization, the very best thing we can do as our Christmas season approaches is to find just that extra part in our budget to give to those who are in need. There is no better feeling than knowing you’ve helped someone in need. regardless of the size of your pocketbook or contribution. Merry Christmas!

I read a great article in the October 29, 2008 issue of Forbes Magazine regarding the Real Estate Market nationwide. The article gave the top 10 cities where they felt that the market would rebound fastest. Seattle is rated # 1 by the national experts due to strong economic environment, strong business, strong job market. The Article is titled “Real Estate Markets Most Likely to Rebound” written by Dorothy Pomerantz and here it is….http://www.forbes.com/realestate/2008/10/29/foreclosure-recession-cities-forbeslife-cx_dp_1029realestate.html

Just in case you need to be reminded, regardless of the ups and downs in real estate, this report shows you just how good real estate has been for us! Yes, we’ve had a little down cycle this past 14 months in Snohomish County, but our area has too many economic hubs to let a little housing market downturn have a huge impact for very long. Hang in there! If you are a Buyerm, this is a great time to buy! As soon as I can figure out how to link or display the latest graph, I will!