Scammer charged in plot to kill witness from prison
The convicted mastermind of a $100 million mortgage scam was charged with plotting from prison to whack the “rat” who testified against him, the New York Daily News reported. Aaron Hand is accused of turning to his parents and friends for money so he could hire a hitman for $2,000 to kill the witness who […]15 years ago
Tight lending, consumer confidence slows remodeling
The current state of the national economy continues to affect the remodeling industry, according to the latest National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) Remodeling Market Index (RMI).
15 years ago
What is renters insurance and what does it cover?
Many people tend to believe that insurance is only needed if you own a home, but insurance is also good investment if you rent a house, apartment, condo or any other type of property. Renters insurance covers loss of personal belongings. Homeowners insurance covers the actual home or apartment, but personal property is left uninsured. […]15 years ago
Bremerton group awarded ‘sweat equity’ HUD funds
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded nearly $3 million in “sweat equity” funds to Community Frameworks, Inc., of Bremerton to produce at least 159 self-help units for low-income families Community Frameworks was one of four organizations to win a total of $26.6 million funding today to produce 1,477 sweat equity units under […]15 years ago
Need a view? Nick Collison’s Queen Anne home “without rival”
If a view is important in your next home, few can match the extraordinary vistas from the Queen Anne residence of former Seattle SuperSonic Nick Collison.
15 years ago
Senate takes step to restore higher loan limits
The Senate voted to attach a proposal to a spending bill that could restore the size of loans the government buys or insures to a maximum mortgage amount of $729,750 in many markets.15 years ago
Feds ease rules to refinance ‘underwater’ borrowers
The Federal Housing Finance Agency removed several key barriers to the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP), allowing more underwater borrowers to move into lower-rate mortgages, Housing Wire reported. HARP, which launched in March 2009, helped 838,000 Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac borrowers with loan-to-value ratios between 80 percent and 125 percent refinance. In order to […]15 years ago
Investors see bigger profits in rising rents
Rental demand and prices continue to soar, and investors are cashing in. Rents are rising at a 5.17 percent annual rate – up from last year’s 4.72 percent rate. If rents continue to grow at their current pace, they won’t be too far behind the record-high reached in 2000 of 6.18 percent, according to Axiometrics […]15 years ago
Best trick-or-treating? Seattle’s top five neighborhoods
Seattle was named the fourth best city in the country for trick-or-treating, according to the latest annual index released by Seattle-based online real estate company Zillow.15 years ago
Medina is state’s priciest zip code, No. 46 nationally
The priciest ZIP code in the country boasts a median home price of more than $4 . 5 million, according to a new list by Forbes that tracked home prices of more than 20,000 ZIP codes nationwide to determine the most expensive areas.
15 years ago
That’s so L.A.! Botox treatments, Thai facials lure agents
Most real estate agents will tell you the best way to get their peers to linger longer at an open house is to provide a sumptuous buffet lunch.
15 years ago
It’s getting colder: Three quick home maintenance tips
With temperatures starting to drop, now is an ideal time to conduct a few maintenance chores. For many consumers, their biggest investment is their home, yet a majority aren’t aware of how susceptible it is to damage during the colder months. While some homeowners traditionally take certain precautions to winterize their homes, they often wait […]15 years ago
Tom Kelly: Reserves need to be better explained at closing
I enjoy escrow “reserves” or “impounds” about as much as I enjoy having my car impounded. However, the former can be classified as a safeguard to prevent a mistake, and the latter, the result of a mistake. When a home sale closes escrow, lenders require sums of money known as reserves to pay taxes, hazard […]15 years ago
Friday top day to list a home – Redfin
List a home on Friday and you’ll have a greater chance of success when selling it, according to Seattle-based Redfin, which analyzed 1.2 million listings in 16 markets over 21 months to determine the best day of the week for selling a home. In every market analyzed, Redfin found that homes listed on Friday were […]15 years ago
Former champ unhappy with home, sues sellers
Former heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali isn’t happy with his retirement home in Louisville, Ky., and he’s blaming the former owners. Ali and his wife, Lonnie Ali, have filed a lawsuit against the former owners of the property, claiming the owners failed to disclose severe problems with the property when they had purchased it. “We […]15 years ago
Builder confidence shows biggest gain in 18 months
Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes rose four points to 18 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) for October. This is the largest one-month gain the index has seen since the home-buyer tax credit program helped spur the market in April of 2010. “Builder confidence […]15 years ago
Pros and cons of selling vs. exchanging
Should you pay the tax on that investment property and keep moving? Or, should you roll the proceeds – tax free – into another investment property you deem a bargain? Let’s assume a Puget Sound real estate investor has held an investment property for many years and will have $500,000 in net proceeds after closing. […]15 years ago
Lawsuit claims banks bilked veterans on refinances
A whistleblower lawsuit filed by two mortgage brokers has been unsealed in Federal District Court claiming that 13 banks and mortgage companies have cheated veterans out of hundreds of millions of dollars, National Mortgage News reported. According to the lawsuit, lenders allegedly hid illegal fees in veterans’ home mortgage refinancing transactions related to the Interest […]15 years ago
MetLife to exit mortgage business; keep ‘reverses’
MetLife Bank, the nation’s 12th largest funder of residential mortgages and a division of insurer MetLife Inc., announced it is selling its mortgage business, citing “uncertainty in the marketplace and a regulatory environment that requires excessive resources.” The company said devoting people and capital to handle the regulatory environment in the mortgage space “would divert […]15 years ago
