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Six,
A review of this week and prep for next in what I hope continues to be digestible sound bites in setting your table for continued success – Here to help, just ask – the ultimate goal.
At a glance for this week > A modern day “gold rush”? + an educational note from Penrith + “how to disagree” from Kid President + golf “FORE” a good cause (and for fun) + odds/ends – ok, here we go…
Seattle, a modern day “gold rush”? | Seattle becomes No. 1 U.S. market for Chinese homebuyers (click here for full article – The Seattle Times, September 15th 2016) | NOTE: I lob this out there for a read to make sure you are aware of what is in the news – as you and I both know this is what our people outside of the real estate industry will be asking us about. I don’t necessarily agree with what is written here (in fact, concerned in some of the wordsmithing within the article!) – I’m certainly interested and will continue to watch trends and reality.
“There’s been a large increase this year in Chinese buyers looking for property in the Seattle area, and a new tax on foreign buyers in Vancouver, B.C., is expected to amplify the trend.” *** I’ve asked our Chief Economist, Matthew Gardner to weigh. Matthew replied with, “Well, we will certainly see additional demand after BC’s decision to add yet another tax. That said, I wonder how deep demand will actually be.” – Matthew Gardner
A what have you noticed moment? Storytelling from Penrith | The past month Penrith has noticed a common issue arising in regards to Water Heater Strap and Carbon Monoxide requirements. Hopefully this commentary will help us get ahead of a few details towards smooth closings. An educational note from Penrith…
“We handle this in one of two ways depending on how the appraisal is written”…
#1) We will have the borrower sign a certification letter at closing acknowledging that Carbon Monoxide Detectors & Water Heater Straps have been installed in the home if the appraisal is made “as is”.
OR…
#2) If the appraisal is “subject to” the installation of Carbon Monoxide Detectors or Water Heater Straps the appraiser must be sent back to the home to verify the work has been completed.
This process usually runs smooth, however where we have had some issues is when the appraisal is “as is” and we didn’t notice either the straps or the CO detector was missing and the certification letter goes to closing. The Buyer was not aware and then question the document at closing. This could result in a delay in closing if the straps are missing and the Buyer cannot sign the certification letter.
Moral of the story if you are listing a home, consider this proactive step and make sure these items are present and taken care of before listing the home. On the flip side, if you are working with a buyer it’s important to watch for these items as you are touring the home.
How to disagree with People | I love Kid President, he makes me smile. He breaks it down for us in a lesson on how to disagree with people. Worth 5 minutes, click here!
FORE! | October 3rd @ Sand Point C.C. – Our annual “golf fore a good cause” is 17 days away! We have a goal to have at least 2 teams (of four) from each of our six offices. Missing this super fun event together would be a double-bogey, for sure. All levels of golfers + hackers encouraged – can’t stress that enough. *** sign ups in your resource room or email Tina for specific details – tina.Tomlinson@windermere (Tina makes all this happen!) | I’ll see you on the links…
Odds + ends | Eastlake reported a new restaurant, might be fun to check out – rumor has it another great spot for a warm bowl of chowder. One click away from the details, The 100 Pound Clam. It’s Windermere Blue Friday although it is not a home game this week (Hawks are away this week vs. Los Angeles Rams) – we’ll pick back up in tallying our home tackles and donations to YouthCare the following week vs. San Francisco 49’s. After the Hawks home game #1 we have already raised $3,100! #TackleHomelessness
That’s a wrap from me, this week!
Laura Smith, General Manager | Windermere Real Estate Co + Northwest, Inc.
…a hello from my family – this is us being goofballs picking our first apple off our new apple tree! Fall is in the air – back to school, routines, soccer fields…and apples.
