Rain City Guide

Is there a laptop with a camera in the screen?

I bought my HP Pavilion dv1000 laptop from the Costco website where I was able to pick everything (just like you can with Dell). You can pick any “shell” you want, I chose this one because it came in the 14″ screen so it’s light and small and because I liked the mousepad/keyboard layout. I added the built-in web cam, a remote for PP’s and some other practical stuff like the larger battery. I much prefer having one built to buying off the shelf. I’ve had it for almost a year now and it’s still amazing. Even my husband is still jeaous

On a some-what-related-but-not-really note, I also got the HP 460 portable printer and it is my all-time favorite printer. My big HP scanner/copier/printer goes through ink like nobodies business while my little 460’s ink gets replaced only every month or two and I use it almost exclusively now. You can buy a battery pack and a wireless adapter for it as well – which i plan on doing. But even now with the cords it’s easy to take with me to meet clients and I can plug it in to my car if I need to.

Should A Seller Have Their Home Pre-Inspected?

This is one issue that I feel is not black & white. I think this is something that needs to be case by case depending on the house, the clients, what agents in your area think about pre-inspections and the current market conditions.

There are pros and cons to pre-inspections that all sellers must take into account before making a decision such as once material facts are known they cannot be unknown so you need to be willing to fix them or accept that you will have to include them in your form 17 disclosure. The pro is there are no surprises for the seller (or you hope not!) and if there is anything major they can fix them before they are in a situation where they are needing to ask for extra time in closing to get it fixed, crediting money, etc. I think this is especially important if they are trying to close on their current property without much wiggle room to purchase a new one. If they have buyers walking at inspection time then they will be struggling to get the problems fixed and find another buyer before too much time elapses. The con is if the property is older, the sellers didn’t have a home inspection when they purchased the property, they have lived there a long time or if the sellers simply don’t want to do any work to the property then the list could be overwhelming and I would say no pre-inspection because you would have a laundry list of items to disclose and buyers will have their own inspections done anyway (and we want them to), so why deter buyers before they even see the property when they are less likely to walk away once they fall in love with the property and are somewhat committed to the home purchase.

I had clients a few months back ask me if they should get a pre-inspection done. In this particular case I am good friends with these clients and I know for a fact they take impeccable care of their property, it is only 6 years old, and they are the original owners who had an inspection and fix-ups done before their 1 year new home warranty expired. I also made sure they understood that buyers would still have their own inspection done; I would certainly have my clients do their own inspection on the property so to take that into account. They elected to have it done after walking at inspection on a property they were going to buy. They have already completed all inspection items so when they find the property they are going to buy (and pass inspection) we can go on the market and in agent remarks include the sellers had a pre-listing inspection performed for their own peace of mind and all items were repaired.

On a side note, I don’t get paid for my grammar so I really don’t care how bad it is

New Seattle Area Condo Brokerage

Great concept and a simple easy to use format! Definitely a great help to consumers and agents alike. It would be nice to see details on property features in the side-by-side comparisons such as pool, gym, extra parking, etc.

I did notice that you have only 4 buildings total listed for the Microsoft Bellevue and Redmond area (Harper Hill isn’t even on there). Are you still working on inputting buildings and establishing your database?

Reserves and Prepaids on the Good Faith Estimate

Ok, I love the comparison to pregnancy! Especially since it is so fresh in my mind (I have a 4 1/2 year old and an 18 mos old). You can apply it to babies, kids, etc. I think the next time I am in an over pricing or under bidding situation I will say “you know how your baby is WAY cuter than anybody elses baby? Owners feel the same way about their home” Ok, I wouldn’t really say that but it’s fun to think about. Thanks Rhonda!

Sandy, homebuying isn’t easy for anyone, it’s not just you Good for you for doing the research. Make sure you shop around for the insurance – many people will sign up with whoever does their car insurance without checking other companies but sometimes you can get cheaper homeowners elsewhere. By the way, MetLife is one of the last companies to offer complete replacement coverage which is nice to have. Employers, such as Microsoft, get extra discounts through insurance so check w/ your employer and see if they have any programs like that.

Snapshots For Sandy

Ardell,

Like you pointed out, this is a great example of how someone can easily – and inexpensively – make a new house a home. It’s a great asset to clients if you can show them how they can transform their new spaces to reflect their own styles and personality.

As for the seperate issue of staging; I agree the light and bright colors are going to bring in the buyers more than the plain white or dark colors. Most buyers have trouble envisioning what a room could like and need to see it “completed” even if it’s not really their style.

I must say, I am a details person and the idea of painting over wallpaper makes me cringe. If I brought buyers through a house with painted wallpaper it is certainly something I would draw to their attention. They don’t want to do the work either!