Verna Metzger, Real Estate Agent http://homes-and-land-real-estate.com We're With You. All The Way Home. Tue, 01 May 2012 05:07:21 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Bank of America stops US foreclosures for review, According to the APhttp://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/bank-of-america-stops-us-foreclosures-for-review-according-to-the-ap/ http://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/bank-of-america-stops-us-foreclosures-for-review-according-to-the-ap/#comments Sun, 10 Oct 2010 04:03:57 +0000 Verna http://yourtrustedhometeam.com/?p=1089 According to a story published by the AP, “Bank of America on Friday halted foreclosures on homes across the country so it could review paperwork in tens of thousands of cases for flaws, expanding a crisis at a perilous time for the housing market.”

The article continues to state that “The suspension in foreclosures could prop up home prices in the short term because fewer cheap homes would pour onto the open market in coming months. When those properties ultimately do go up for sale, the overall economy could be in better shape.

‘The irony is, it may actually support the recovery,’ said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. ‘It may be that when those properties actually hit the market, the economy is in a better place.’”

In a related story, Washington state homeowners received a boost from a recent settlement negotiated by Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna and announced on October 6, 2010. Mr. McKenna announced “the settlement with Wells Fargo Bank that provides loan modifications for residents in Washington and seven other states who obtained problematic mortgages from Wachovia Bank and Golden West Corp., which did business as World Savings Bank.“

]]> http://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/bank-of-america-stops-us-foreclosures-for-review-according-to-the-ap/feed/ 0 Seattle-area home sales rose sharply in Marchhttp://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/seattle-area-home-sales-rose-sharply-in-march/ http://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/seattle-area-home-sales-rose-sharply-in-march/#comments Thu, 06 May 2010 06:30:21 +0000 Verna http://yourtrustedhometeam.com/?p=1007 Seattle-area home sales rose sharply in March compared with both February and the unusually low level of a year ago, according to a report by DataQuick Information Systems. The report continues, “A total of 3,939 new and resale houses and condos closed escrow during March in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metropolitan statistical area encompassing King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. March sales rose 55.0 percent from February and increased 52.0 percent from March 2009, according to MDA DataQuick of San Diego. The firm tracks real estate trends nationally via public property records.”

Read the full report on Seattle-area home sales in March.

]]> http://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/seattle-area-home-sales-rose-sharply-in-march/feed/ 0 The Federal Home Buyer Tax Credit Program Expires Soonhttp://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/the-federal-home-buyer-tax-credit-program-expires-soon/ http://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/the-federal-home-buyer-tax-credit-program-expires-soon/#comments Sun, 11 Apr 2010 06:20:23 +0000 Verna http://yourtrustedhometeam.com/?p=974 The Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 extended the tax credit of up to $8,000 for qualified first-time home buyers purchasing a principal residence. It also authorized a tax credit of up to $6,500 for qualified repeat home buyers. The tax credit applies to sales occurring on or after January 1, 2009 and on or before April 30, 2010. However, in cases where a binding sales contract is signed by April 30, 2010, a home purchase completed by June 30, 2010 will qualify.

]]> http://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/the-federal-home-buyer-tax-credit-program-expires-soon/feed/ 0 Existing U.S. Home Sales Rise to Highest Level Since 2007 in Recovery Signhttp://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/existing-u-s-home-sales-rise-to-highest-level-since-2007-in-recovery-sign/ http://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/existing-u-s-home-sales-rise-to-highest-level-since-2007-in-recovery-sign/#comments Wed, 23 Dec 2009 19:45:12 +0000 Verna http://yourtrustedhometeam.com/?p=957 A story published on Bloomberg.com today states that “Sales of existing U.S. homes in November rose to the highest level in almost three years as first-time buyers rushed to take advantage of a government tax credit and lower prices.“

]]> http://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/existing-u-s-home-sales-rise-to-highest-level-since-2007-in-recovery-sign/feed/ 0 Zillow Real Estate Market Report for Washington, Oregon and the U.S.http://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/zillow-real-estate-market-report-for-washington-oregon-and-the-u-s/ http://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/zillow-real-estate-market-report-for-washington-oregon-and-the-u-s/#comments Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:54:08 +0000 Verna http://yourtrustedhometeam.com/?p=928 The Zillow Home Value Index for the U. S. as a whole declined 5.7% over the past year. This chart compares the U.S. data with that for Washington and Oregon for the same period.

Zillow Home Values

]]> http://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/zillow-real-estate-market-report-for-washington-oregon-and-the-u-s/feed/ 0 Rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgage hit all-time lowhttp://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/rates-on-30-year-fixed-rate-mortgage-hit-all-time-low/ http://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/rates-on-30-year-fixed-rate-mortgage-hit-all-time-low/#comments Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:37:52 +0000 Verna http://yourtrustedhometeam.com/?p=910 According to MarketWatch, “Rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 4.78% this week, matching an all-time low in Freddie Mac’s weekly survey of conforming mortgage rates, released Wednesday.

The mortgage averaged 4.83% last week and 5.97% a year ago. This week’s average matched a low set the week ending April 30.”

]]> http://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/rates-on-30-year-fixed-rate-mortgage-hit-all-time-low/feed/ 0 Zillow's Real Estate Market Reports for Septemberhttp://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/zillows-real-estate-market-reports-for-september/ http://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/zillows-real-estate-market-reports-for-september/#comments Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:31:26 +0000 Verna http://yourtrustedhometeam.com/?p=878 According to Zillow’s Real Estate Market Reports for September, Pierce County home values are down 6% from the previous year.

Zillow Home Value Index for Pierce and Nearby counties in Washington

Seattle home values were up 0.0% compared to August and down 9.1% compared to September 2008.

]]> http://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/zillows-real-estate-market-reports-for-september/feed/ 0 The Extension and Expansion of the First-time Homebuyer Tax Credit is Now Lawhttp://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/the-extension-and-expansion-of-the-first-time-homebuyer-tax-credit-is-now-law/ http://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/the-extension-and-expansion-of-the-first-time-homebuyer-tax-credit-is-now-law/#comments Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:46:49 +0000 Verna http://yourtrustedhometeam.com/?p=868 The government has just extended and expanded tax credits for home buyers – and not just those buying for the first time.

  • First time home buyers can now receive an $8,000 tax credit through April 30, 2010
  • Home buyers who have lived in their residences for five years may now receive a credit of $6,500
  • The tax credit is now available to individuals earning up to $125,000, or $250,000 for couples

All of the homes and condos listed on our site as of 11-09-09 qualify for the credit.

Read the full story about the 2009 homebuyer tax credit for more details. More implications of the new tax credit are discussed in this article.

]]> http://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/the-extension-and-expansion-of-the-first-time-homebuyer-tax-credit-is-now-law/feed/ 0 Looking for Open Houses? Find Them With Our Site!http://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/looking-for-open-houses-find-them-with-our-site/ http://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/looking-for-open-houses-find-them-with-our-site/#comments Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:35:09 +0000 Verna http://yourtrustedhometeam.com/?p=833 Our site has very powerful search capabilities, including the ability to filter the results that you see. For example, if you want to search for open houses in Tacoma, click the green button in the sidebar to the right labeled Tacoma. Of course, you can start from any of the green buttons, or start from the “Search MLS: Map” menu at the top of the page to choose any city you like.

Once the page with the map appears on your screen, click the “sort results by:” selector as shown below. Initially, it is set to sort by “Price: low to high”. In order to show open houses, we will change it to select “Type: Open Houses Only”.

If no open houses are shown, just zoom out until they begin to appear on the map. The open house icons look like little realtor open house signs! You can drag the map around to see open houses in different parts of the city, or choose a different city to look for open houses there.

Wasn’t that easy? We hope you’ll find our MLS search capabilities as easy and fun to use as we do!

It's easy to narrow your search to find open houses or anything else you're looking for!

It's easy to narrow your search to find open houses or anything else you're looking for!

]]> http://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/looking-for-open-houses-find-them-with-our-site/feed/ 0 We're on Facebook and on Twitter!http://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/were-on-facebook-and-on-twitter/ http://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/were-on-facebook-and-on-twitter/#comments Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:01:51 +0000 Verna http://yourtrustedhometeam.com/?p=829 We already love to socialize! Now we do so using social networking. You can follow Realty World Executive Partners on Facebook or follow Realty World Executive Partners on Twitter. We look forward to seeing you soon!

]]> http://homes-and-land-real-estate.com/were-on-facebook-and-on-twitter/feed/ 0