Kitchens Sell a House

Kitchens Sell a House

It’s a tool used by house flippers all across the nation. Stagers know its power. Real estate agents push its importance. What is this not-so-well-kept secret of real estate? A kitchen can sell a house.

A kitchen is the heart of a home. This is true all across the globe. The old saying that the “stomach is the way to the heart” carries a lot of truth. Kitchens are where we spend much of our time and most of that is with our families. It’s the room where we nourish our bodies and our spirits.

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Don’t despair: You can still sell your home in a down market

Don’t despair: You can still sell your home in a down market

The home next door is in foreclosure. The neighbors down the street just put their house up for sale at a ridiculous discount. And “For Sale” signs litter lawns all over town.

Welcome to the toughest selling conditions in years.

The bright side of selling a home in a down market is you get to seek your own bargain if you’re going to buy after you’re done. Closing a sale, however, can be teeth-grindingly slow if you don’t do everything right — and maybe even if you do.

Read Story on The Seattle Times…

Seattle home prices hit post-boom low in November

Seattle home prices hit post-boom low in November

Seattle-area home prices hit a new post-boom low in November, according to one closely watched index, and are now 31 percent below their peak.

The S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index for the Seattle metropolitan area, which includes King, Snohomish and Pierce counties, fell to 132.65 in November, the most recent month for which information is available.

The index peaked at 192.30 in July 2007 and hit its previous low, 132.85, in February 2011 before a small rally last spring and early summer. But it has been falling again since August.

The last time prices were lower? June 2004.

Read More on The Seattle Times…

Proposed bill would protect residents selling their home

Proposed bill would protect residents selling their home

If you’re under water in your mortgage and thinking about selling your home for a loss, a new bill from 46th District Sen. David Frockt aims to give you some extra protection.

The bill would require banks to choose between two options, either selling off the debt they didn’t recover from the home sale or taking it as a tax write-off, rather than the common practice of doing both.

“What we do in this bill is essentially provide the same type of protection to homeowners who are not yet in foreclosure but are at risk for foreclosure,” Frockt said.

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Are you a struggling homeowner? Check out our Avoiding Foreclosure section for resources and tips.

Homeowners offer houses to charities instead of cash

Homeowners offer houses to charities instead of cash

Charities and nonprofits have long been the recipients of donated cash, cars, food and clothing, but now there is a trend toward houses.

More people say they are feeling the financial burden of paying taxes, insurance and maintenance on houses that won’t sell and continue to drop in value. When they donate the house, the charity benefits from proceeds from its eventual sale and the donor gets a tax deduction.

Read More from The Seattle Times…