Q: As you suggested, my wife and I made the effort to get preapproved for a home loan before seriously looking at houses.

Unfortunately, our credit scores were not as good as we expected them to be.  The two loan people we talked with said we would have to bring up the scores before we could qualify.  Do you think we would be better off burying a home where the seller will carry the contract?

A:   The short answer is no.  It's far more important to get your credit score up.  That allows you to qualify for any home in your price range that might suit you, rather than a very small selection of homes that offer seller financing.  We all learned some lessons from the recession.  One of those is not to go into debt for more than you can handle.  If you have too much debt now, or have made payments late, or a number of other problems, it wouldn't be prudent to rush into buying a house.

  Another important thing to know is that very few sellers can, or will carry a contract.  Most folks need the money from the sale of their current home to buy another one somewhere else.  It's a rare seller these days, that can afford to wait for a large down payment.  In my experience they also want higher interest rates than standard lenders are offering.  Most contracts held by sellers require a pay off in just a few years.  Three to five years.  three to five years is the most common.

  I would advise that you work with a lender to find out how to improve your credit score.  There are even non-profits that will give you helpful credit counseling.  These days credit scores are the primary way lenders judge the risk of lending.  I know it's hard to wait but you will be so much better off if you do.  I would add that you should order your own credit report and be sure there are no mistakes. 

Q: Can you recommend a more aggressive listing agent for me?

I've had the house on the market for over a year with no offers and very few showings.  My agent keeps telling me I have to drop the price and that just won't work for me.  I know what I need to get out of the place and I just need to find someone who can get it for me.

A:  I've addressed this in the past but this sort of question just keeps coming up.  There is nothing wrong with your listing broker.  It's all about price.  You have to keep in mind that virtually all buyers have to get a loan to buy a home and the lender will do an appraisal.  If your house doesn't appraise for what you're trying to sell it for, the buyer won't be able to buy it.  You will have to lower the price to match the appraisal.

  You can ask for a second appraisal and pay for it, but that may not result in a better outcome.  These days, more than ever before, the appraisers control the price.  If they can't find comparable sales that support that price you and the buyer are stuck. 

  Many brokers won't waste their time showing seriously over priced homes.  Particularly if they represent the buyer, they want to find that buyer a fair deal.  Over paying doesn't serve that purpose.  The price is never set by what the seller "needs" to get out of the sale.  It's set by what a "ready", willing and able "buyer" is willing to pay.  Add to that:  what an appraiser can support for the lender.

  This is never good news for sellers, but our market has continued to slip, particularly in the lowest price ranges, and you need to stay ahead of that, not a year behind it.  Ask your broker to give you the comparables that an appraiser would probably be using for your home.  It will be a real wake up call.  Then re-list with this hard working broker at a lower price.

Q: We've been looking for a home for some time now and haven't found anything that will work for us.

I think the problem is that my husband is stuck on having acreage for a garden and we both want a really nice, relatively new home.  All the homes that are nicer and newer that also have three to five acres are over our budget.  Do you think there will be something we can afford later in the spring that fits our requirements if we keep looking?

A:  We never know what houses or property will come on the market in the future.  I wish I could!  But all indications are, that we won't be seeing lower prices than what we have currently.  I think you should keep looking and I also think that what needs to change is your belief that you can't have a large garden except on acreage. 

  The Island is filled with fantastic gardens, many of them virtually feeding a family all year or even feeding several families.  Many of these gardens are found on a half acre or even smaller property.  If you read up on gardens a little more, you will find designs for gardens that can feed a family using raised beds, that cover a space no larger that a good sized garage.

  Many people buy acreage thinking they need more space for their hobbies and interests.  Often this means that after a few years of trying to keep up five acres they start looking for another property to buy that is smaller and less work.  It would be easier for you to start out on a smaller property and see how that goes. 

  We are fortunate to have many active and helpful Master Gardeners on Vashon as well as a Garden Club.  You can also ask advice from Vashon Island Growers Association.  I think they'll tell you that you can have all the garden you need and have time to take care of, on a smaller property.  Seek out these helpful folks.  They all love to talk about gardens!

Q: I'm getting ready to sell my house this coming spring and I want to have a better idea of who the potential buyers might be.

I don't want to spend a lot fixing up the place if an investor is going to buy it and just rent it out.  What kind of buyers are out there?

A:  I can only speak for my own business, but I can tell you what I saw in 2011.  Only 10% of my sales were to investors buying rental property.  I have many clients considering that type of purchase due to low interest rates and exceptionally low prices, but most of them are waiting to see how the market may change this year.

  35% of my sales were second home buyers, most from our local region.  Again, that was due to prices that they perceived as bargains.  That's a large percentage and one you should consider.  These buyers don't generally want to do a lot of work.  They want to just move in and enjoy their Island vacation home.  Clean, tidy and ready to live in is what they're looking for.  25% of my sales were folks on Vashon just moving around.  That always constitutes a fairly large part of our market here.  They may need a bigger house, or smaller house, or want to be closer to town or just want change.  Whatever the reason, they are always a significant part of the market.

  A full 20% of my sales in 2011 were first time buyers.  We thought we had seen the last of them when the tax credit went away, but the prices and interest rate kept them looking.  I expect to continue having a number of first time home buyers this year.  These buyers tend to be inexperienced and need to find a home that isn't a fixer.

  So my advice is to get your place as clean, tidy and fixed up as you can in order to attract the largest number of potential buyers.  You'll get a better price and a much faster sale.  Then, price it right!

Q: I came in to see you with my mom and she said you answer questions for people about houses and stuff.

My grandma is writing this email for me and she said you would know the answer to my question.  We don't have a chimney.  So how can Santa bring me presents if he can't go down the chimney?

A:  I think your mom and grandma have more confidence in me than I deserve.  However, I have other experts I can call on when a question is beyond my own experience.  This one is definitely in that category.  I understand, from the experts I consulted, that way back in the 1950's and 1960's when people started building more one story homes with no chimney's, Santa figured out that he could slip through several other places in these houses.

One of those places is doggy doors and cat doors.  Another is the dryer vent, and yet another is the fan vent over your range.  He can also, apparently, squeeze through the plumbing vents but doesn't really like that one much.  The point is that magical creatures can do impossible things.  So don't worry. 

The holiday season is one where magic of every kind can happen.  It doesn't matter if you celebrate Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Solstice or just enjoy the change of season, you can set aside the commercialism and the stress and instead focus on the natural beauty of the season and reach out to those you care about with love.

We wish you all a wonderful holiday and very happy new year!

Q: I just love going to open houses and looking at homes for sale.

I enjoy it so much that I'm thinking of becoming a real estate broker.  I've always had a really good eye for decorating and can advise people on how to prepare their homes for sale and what colors would look the most appealing to get a buyer interested.  Working with buyers, I could offer ideas on how to make a crummy place really look nice.  Where would you recommend I go to school to get my license?

A:  I can recommend a school but I think you may need a little reality check first.  Real estate is not a business for the faint of heart, especially in our current market.  You will work very long hours and there is no paycheck waiting for you until you've sold and closed a transaction.  It's common to put in 50 to 60 hours a week or more for months without a closing.  You need to be prepared for that. 

  In addition, showing homes is a very small part of the business.  In fact, I would say that I spend about 10% of my time showing houses or land and 90% doing transaction paperwork.  That also includes interacting with lenders, title companies and escrow agents, and most important; negotiating for my clients.

  Then there are continuing education classes that we must take, seminars and forums on real estate regulations as well as issues of land use, water, critical areas, septic systems, title insurance and the constantly changing rules and regulations we must follow in this business.  Plus there are hours of communicating with my clients, marketing, returning dozens of emails and calls a day, doing research on specific property my clients are interested in and a thousand other things that good brokers spend time doing.

  Your interest sound far more like those needed to stage houses for sale or do interior design or decorating.  You might want to get some career counseling at one of our community colleges and see if those areas might be a better fit.

Q: We are getting ready to put our home on the market and wonder about adding granite counter tops.

Everyone seems to expect that but we don’t want to spend anything that won’t get us a better price.

A:  I wish no one had ever heard of granite counters! They can be burned, they can be cut and scratched, they are cold, and they are just rock for heavens sake! They will be “out” soon enough and some other ridiculous thing will be touted by all the folks waiting to make money off of everyone by convincing us that we must have this newest thing! (Sorry, but this is really one of my hot buttons)




If you really want to do something worthwhile, have a home inspection done by a licensed and certified home inspector. Fix everything. If you can’t afford to fix anything, then put it all in your seller’s disclosure (you are required to fill these out) and say right up front that you won’t fix those items. Then price the place accordingly.



I can’t tell you the number of homes I’ve shown with beautiful kitchen remodels but with rotting decks, leaking roofs and faulty electrical systems. You need to know what a potential buyer’s inspector will find and fix it. You could save your sale.



Buyers often walk away from a house with too many things wrong. During a recent inspection, my buyer and I admired the lovely floor tiles in the bathroom but discovered when the inspector went under the house, that the bathroom sink and tub leaked. They had been leaking so long the floor was rotted out. That means those lovely tiles will have to come up and the entire floor replaced.



These kinds of problems can be avoided by getting a complete inspection before you list your house. Be sure you get an inspector certified to do the pest inspection too. It should be no secret that we all have rodent roommates. Get them taken care of before the buyer has to hear about it from their own inspector.

Q: You sold us our place over 20 years ago.

We thought that by now we’d have our house almost paid for, but we refinanced about five years ago for our son’s collage money and then in 2009 my husband got laid off. He finally got a job but it doesn’t pay as well as the other one did. We were just getting by when I lost my job so now we can’t make our mortgage payments. We’ve tried everything. We cut back on all our expenses, sold stuff, even borrowed a little from my folks. We’ve run out of options. What should we do now? We’ll lose our home soon.

A:  I’m so sorry to hear about your situation. You’re not alone, I’m sure you know. Many people are struggling just to get by and are close to losing their homes. There is a new law in Washington that took effect in July that mandates that lenders negotiate with borrowers and offer options and solutions. The law created real estate counselors who can go over your situation and try to renegotiate your mortgage so that you can afford the payments.


There are many non-profit organizations that offer this counseling and we have some in the Seattle-Tacoma area. To name just a few for you to call: Solid Ground 206-694-6766 or email: housingcounseling@solid-ground.org. Another is: Washington State Housing Finance Commission at 206-287-4449 or email: bill.conner@wshfc.org. Also you can call: Fair Housing Center of Washington in Tacoma at 253-274-9523 or email: info@fhcwashington.org. For Spanish speakers El Centro De La Raza may be able to help at 206-957-4639 or email at: agonzalez@elcentrodelaraza.org.

Folks, please pass this on to anyone you know that might need it.  Go to the HUD web site for more non-profit organizations that can help.