Valerie's Belfair WA Real Estate Blog

Soooo you will need to go back to the previous blog to get the beginning of this story cuz I am trying to make it a short story (I tend to be long winded and this IS a long story....) and get to the utter frustration on my part and the sellers part..... Here's the link for the previous blog that starts it off.

Now that you've caught up and we're at the point where I can't get into the house because the short sale lender in their infinite wisdom has literally locked myself and everyone out.  Great way to sell a house- NOT!

The seller and I and lender have been in constant communication working diligently on getting his home sold and getting a short sale approval.

I worked diligently everyday trying to find someone to get me a new key. We were trying to avoid the cost and hassle of again re-keying the home.   My short sale lender contact was working as well on this.

I had an Excellent short sale lender  contact - except it turns out, her management department did not have excellent contact with her apparantly, as you will see as the story goes along....

Two days ago the owner received his accepted short sale approval package from the short sale lender!  YAYYY!!!! AWESOME!!!  We are SOOO excited!!  We adjusted the price accordingly and get our game plan together.  NOW we are getting somewhere - right???  You'd think so........right. up. until.........

The next day, I get an email from a real estate company out of the area.  They were sorry to tell me this, but the  lender I have been working with  has sold the loan to a different servicer/lender and and the new servicer/lender's Management company  has REASSIGNED THE LISTING to them; therefore they went to the house, REKEYED THE HOUSE (again), took my sign down and wanted to let me know they would be taking over the listing and oh by the way "they also have no idea where my lockbox is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"    

ARE YOU KIDDING ME???????????      I was actually not sure at that moment WHO to be more upset with!  The "Reassigned" Broker, the new servicer/lender, the new management company,or the original servicer/lender!

(A NEW Asset Management company that was thrown into the mix here as well during all of this! I and the original lender had NO IDEA who they were or how they became involved ).

After 4 hours of phone calls and emails between myself, the owner, the original asset manager, the new asset manager, the new lender and the other real estate company- the story comes down to this....

1) The original lender unbeknownst to the OWNER or the lenders asset manager, SOLD the LOAN to a NEW LENDER; The asset manager had NO IDEA until she went to management with my very terse phone call and email that the loan had been sold off!!!

2) The original lender had issued an acceptance of a short sale price to the owner during the process of selling the loan off. 

3) The NEW managemt company for the new servicer/lender re-keyed the house and then sent a letter to another Real Estate Brokerage reassigning the listing and telling them as well to rekey the house!

4) The Reassigned listing company pulls up my  MLS information, sees that it is ACTIVELY listed with me and without a simple little phone call or email, or investigation of the facts, pulls my sign, rekeys the house (for the 3rd time) and gets it ready to list without the real OWNERS permission or knowledge!

5) Literally ONE HOUR during all of the phone calls and emails  and this happening - the owner receives a Fed Ex package from the NEW servicer/lender that his loan has been sold! So he is standing there with a short sale approval in one hand from the original lender and Fed ex package of his note being sold in the other hand with a totally new lender!

OMG. How can this get so screwed up?????   What is going on with these banks???  Why is NO ONE HELD accountable for DELAYING an owner from selling his property and making such a mess out of this???  How can they issue an approval and sell it at the same time? How can they NOT TELL their OWN asset Manager what is going on??

How can the banks get away with this??  Now I have a seller who has an accepted short sale letter that means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING and will the NEW lender honor it or are we starting ALL OVER AGAIN?????  Plus the extra costs and frustrations the owner is now going to incur awaiting a NEW SHORT SALE APPROVAL????!!!!!!

Not to mention I STILL CAN'T GET INTO THE HOUSE - no one can, so it cannot be shown! And WHO has my lockbox and WHO is going to put my sign back up and WHO is going to get me the key???

The Reassigned Real Estate Company finally emails back with huge apologies left and right ; they should not have touched the listing without looking into the facts and contacting me and tells me that if the owner wants go ahead and re-key the house they will pay for it and they are so sorry blah blah blah blah and their field manager will go out as well and re-hang my sign.  Do ya think?????  

AAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!

I was quite flabbergasted that this poor seller who has jumped through all of these hoops to get his short sale approved and sell the home doing the right thing is being dooped because the lenders seem to have no responsibility for the DELAYS they cause in sales, the sellers loss of buyers and money. The amount of money spent on all of this is ridiculous and extremely wasteful! 

I was equally flabbergasted that someone would just pull my sign and go ahead and spend money and re-key a home because they received a letter from a bank saying to do it.

Crazy. Crazy. Crazy.

How can I sell the home if you lock me, other agents and potential buyers out??

It is a frustrating world out there right now for everyone and as a real estate agent, I have had my share of many frustrating circumstances!

Right now the most frustrating one for me is the fact that a short sale bank's property management company has locked me out of the home that I have listed for sale as a shortsale.

They do not yet own the property, and the auction date has actually been postponed for now ,so we have a better opportunity to come under contract with a buyer.  And then they do this! Lock me out of the listing. Dumb. dumb. and dumber. I'd have met them there if they had just told me they were doing it or made some arrangement to get a new key and my lockbox! Just give me a heads up maybe??!!!!!!!  Are you so busy and uncaring that it did not matter that you want it under contract but you lock everyone out? Greeeeaaat! 

I can see that they need to make sure their asset is kept safe and sound (believe me I DO check on the home on a regular basis as one of my listings), BUT why would you take away my access to sell the home ? I thought that was the objective??????Especially since you do not legally own it as of yet?

How can we show and SELL the property if we can't get in?  So are you shooting yourself in the foot here in your endeavor to help us any way you can in the short sale process as you repeatedly exclaim?

I only ask that you give me a phone call and make arrangements with me to have a key after you changed the locks so I CAN sell the home.

My sign is a fairly big sign on the property (you know the one that says FOR SALE with my company name, my name, the company number AND my number on it, along with flyers?) and you had to remove my lockbox to put it in the house, so it is not like you did not know it was not listed!!!!    And then when I call the number on the very nice sticker you placed on the door - you tell me you can't talk to ME and give ME any information!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!     grrrrrrrrrr.......

HELLO????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE?????  

LakeLand Village Homes for Sale & Sold Market Report ~Allyn, WA~ August~

LakeLand Village~Homes for Sale~Homes Sold~Market Report~LakeLand Village for the month of August 2010~

Fall is in the air, the weather can't decide whether it wants to rain or not, be hot or cold and the days are slowly getting a little shorter......  The kids are getting ready to head back to school August 1st as well! 

So what is the LakeLand Village Real Estate Market doing during this season transition?

LakeLand Village had seen a steady rate of 2 homes sold per month on the average over the past year, but we seemed to have dropped to only one per month for the month of August as well as a few other months this year only showed one closing in LakeLand Village.  

One home for sale accepted an offer and was placed under contract during the month of August. Not a good sign for buyer activity, but it was a higher end home which was nice to see a higher end home selling.

Pending sales and solds do reflect that the buyers are all shopping in a price range of well under $350,000 for the most part...  Hmmm.... if you are selling your home these are really important numbers to be looking at! The dollars per square foot they are making offers on is pretty astounding to see! 

The inventory of homes for sale in LakeLand Village is at 27 active homes for sale listed with Real Estate Agents. It has stayed consistent inventory wise. This time of year is typically when we start to see more homes come off the market for sale as owners re-group and possibly go a different route with their real estate goals.  Let's check out the numbers...

Active Homes for Sale In LakeLand Village:

• Average Price : $306,507
  • (2) under $200,000
  • (6) $200,000 to $250,000
  • (6) $250,000 to $300,000
  • (7) $300,000 to $350,000
  • (5) $350,000 to $400,000
  • (0) (400,000 to $450,000
  • (1) over $500,000
• Average $$'s per square foot : $159.97
• Average Days on the Market: 237 days

Pending Homes Sales in LakeLand Village:

Out of the many homes for sale in LakeLand Village over the last six months, there are currently 3 homes for sale pending (meaning they have mutually accepted offers on them between buyer and seller). The summary is:

• Average Price : $244,975
• Average $$'s per square foot : $113.33
• Average Days on the Market: 724.50 days  (looking to find out how to shorten your market time??  Call me let's talk about it!)

One of the reasons two of these homes are still pending is because they are short sales. A short sale is when a seller owes more on the property that what they are selling it for. 

Sold Homes in LakeLand Village:

There was only one home that sold in the month of August in LakeLand Village.

It was not a  bank owned property nor a short sale.  It was a higher end home listed at $395,000 and sold for $380,000.  We have not seen a sale above $350,000  for the year in Lakeland Village until now . The average dollar per square foot of the sold home was $134.56 which is right on the money for what the normal resales in LakeLand Village have been selling for. 

We are all hoping to see more activity in the coming months and the home sale market stabilizing into a more normal pattern.  It has been a fairly unpredictable market as of late just not knowing or seeing as many buyers coming through the door.

So what's the deal Buyers?  Tell us - what is holding you back?? There are so many awesome homes at awesome prices out there.... there is something for everyone!

Well - until next time - HAVE A SUPER DAY!  See ya next month!   

Summer is here and with it brings many explorers, tourists, part time residents and more to the shores of the Hood Canal and Puget Sound. 

Some already own waterfront homes and are coming to enjoy the many amenities that the Hood Canal and Puget Sound bring to the table - oysters, clams from the beaches; water fun - kayaking, water-skiing, fishing - so much to do and enjoy! 

And here's your chance to own a gorgeous waterfront home on the North Shore of Hood Canal and enjoy all the bounty at a great price!!! 

I love spending time at this Hood Canal waterfront home and love showing this home along the North Shore of Hood Canal!  Meticulously maintained, even on a dreary day, this home will brighten your spirits and soothe the soul!

Approximately one hundred feet of bulk-headed Hood Canal waterfront, it is a pleasure to lounge along the shores of this home.  So relaxing and peaceful, you can feel the stress of the day melt away or awaken to a glorious sunrise and serenity. 

Spit shined and ready to go, I love walking through the door to the open concept and the magnificent view! And to know that the pristine beach at your feet is yours! Okay I am jealous of this one! 

Tile counters, hardwood floors, vaulted tongue and groove ceilings, and a complete remodel show off the light and bright finished project that screams with ambiance of a seaside home!

Step out onto the over-sized deck with plenty of room for entertaining or wander over to the fire-pit and lounge area taking in the ever-changing marine scenery. 

Separate guest quarters offer privacy for all with its own large bedroom, sliding door to the Hood Canal waterfront gravel patio and a half bath for convenience.  Be careful your guests may never want to leave! 

An added bonus- acreage across the street that goes with the home!  Lots of room for extra parking with an area already cleared and ready to go or the perfect spot to wander further and travel the trail on up to a quiet spot along the stream.  A total of 2.78 acres comes with the package!  

Ohhhhh you have got to see this place!  It is awesome and you will fall in love with it at first sight!  Check it out at www.valspaulding.mywindermere.com! 

Located approximately 8 miles from the center of town, its convenience to areas beyond, town, schools, shopping and other amenities makes this a favorable location as well.

LakeLand Village Homes for Sale & Sold Market Report ~Allyn, WA~ June

LakeLand Village~Homes for Sale~Homes Sold~Market Report~LakeLand Village for the month of June 2010~

Spring is in the air, the weather can't decide whether it wants to rain or not, the days are longer and brighter with the time change; we made it through the wet, rainy Memorial Day weekend - so it's GOT to get better - right??

We'res till waiting for the summer heat and it looks like we still are waiting for buyers to get out into the housing market and take advantage of the awesome values and homes for sale!   LakeLand Village has seen a steady rate of 2 homes sold per month on the average over the past year, but we seemed to have dropped to only one per month the last two months....

One home for sale accepted an offer and was placed under contract during the month of June as well and there is still one that has not closed that is still pending that was put under contract in March. I believe this was a short sale hence the reason it has not closed as of yet. 

Pending sales and solds do reflect that the buyers are all shopping in a price range of well under $350,000 for the most part...  Hmmm.... if you are selling your home these are really important numbers to be looking at!

The inventory of homes for sale in LakeLand Village is at 30 active homes for sale listed with Real Estate Agents. It has stayed consistent inventory wise. This time of year is typically when we do see more homes come on the market for sale.  Let's check out the numbers...

Active Homes for Sale In LakeLand Village:

• Average Price : $313,329
  • (2) under $200,000
  • (6) $200,000 to $250,000
  • (6) $250,000 to $300,000
  • (9) $300,000 to $350,000
  • (4) $350,000 to $400,000
  • (2) (400,000 to $450,000
  • (1) over $500,000
• Average $$'s per square foot : $155.73
• Average Days on the Market: 246 days

Pending Homes Sales in LakeLand Village:

Out of the many homes for sale in LakeLand Village over the last six months, there are currently 2 homes for sale pending (meaning they have mutually accepted offers on them between buyer and seller). The summary is:

• Average Price : $238,950
• Average $$'s per square foot : $115.61
• Average Days on the Market: 530 days (hmmm they both show NUMEROUS price reductions - a well priced home from the BEGINNING is the best way to shorten your market time)...

Sold Homes in LakeLand Village:

There was only one home that sold in the month of June in LakeLand Village.

It was not a  bank owned property nor a short sale.  It did sell at an average of $99 per square foot.  The buyer of this home purchased an exceptional home at an exceptional value!

• Average Price : $319,000
• Average $$'s per square foot : $99.10
• Average days on market : 12 days.  Priced correctly for the market right out of the shoot definitely gets the job done!

HAVE A SUPER DAY!  See ya next month!  

Know when to Hold them........and Know when to ........   What?

Someone asked me the other day how my son, Sean, was doing in his new chiropractor business in Westport, WA. I was extremely happy and proud to tell them that not only has he been very successful with his business, but he is also in the process of buying his first home!!

They were very happy to hear that he is doing so well and said to me - "so where did you find him a house?"

I smiled and said "I didn't. I referred him to another realtor!"  They looked at me with wide eyes and amazement and the question "Aren't you a real estate agent? Why would you refer him to another agent?" they asked.

"Yes, yes I am and a very successful, knowledgeable and professional Realtor -  and that is one of the reasons I referred him to another agent."

What made me make this decision? Well for one,  he is not purchasing in my market area.  I felt and feel that it is in his best interests to work with a realtor who knows the area and the values and market  like the back of his hand in the area that my son is considering buying a home.

I also did not want our relationship to interfere with the process of making the best choices and decisions for him. 

Buying a home is an emotional decision for a Buyer but should also be looked at in a business manner when doing so. I did not want my opinions or wants as a "mom" to interfere with his decisions. Such as - I wanted him to buy a condo and he really wanted a single family house with a garage. Now maybe it was because the condo he is living in is on the ocean and I was soooooo looking forward to spending some time at the ocean!  Now that was definitely not in his best interest!

Even though he is my son, I wanted him to be represented by the best person possible and it would have been me IF I worked the market area is he in, but I am not. 

Oh,I have been following the transaction and looked at the paperwork and given a tip or two here and there (once a mom - always a mom and it IS my privilege as his mom), but it was also nice to say to him -

"You know what? That is a better question for your local agent!  I do not know the Westport market enough to give you solid good information and I also don't know their county rules and regulations either." 

It is always best to ask the local expert!

I always look out for the best interests of my clients, family, friends, relatives, loved ones and those in between!

 And in this case and any case that is out of my market area - I would prefer to refer them to the local Windermere expert or best local expert for the area if Windermere is not located there.

Now I get to sit back and watch my son grow and learn, with a different perspective rather than playing that MOM and Agent game......  knowing he is in very capable hands with his local Windermere expert. 

Know when to hold them and know when a referral is in their and your best interest!

If you have family, friends, or clients that are looking to buy or sell in my real estate market area of Mason County (Belfair, Allyn, Grapeview, South Shore and North Shore of Hood Canal), or Kitsap County (Bremerton, Port Orchard, Silverdale, or Manchester, give me a call or drop me a line.  I promise, they will have the best service possible just as I would want for my son!  

Sometimes we get so caught up with what we are doing, and are just plain busy, we forget the important things.

Great post and a good reminder to.  We can never be too careful- Men included.

Better to be safe than sorry.  Probably a good idea to have this brought up at our staff meetings every so often too!

You can go back to Tami's original post to comment......

South Shore Hood Canal Waterfront home for sale! PRICE REDUCED!!!! 

Along the South Shores of Hood Canal this waterfront home for sale has just been reduced to $525,000 from $595,000!  AWESOME PRICE! 

$198 per square foot for a waterfront home -gets you a lot of house (4 PLUS bedrooms)for full time living or summertime fun!  how can you beat that??

A very deep lot keeps the street noise away so you can focus on having fun on the beach! It also offers a lot of off street parking for guests along with a 3 car detached garage. 

Dig clams and pick oysters from your own beach. Cook them up in one of the two kitchens in the house!

4 bedrooms and a fully finished bonus room - and 2 -1/2 baths. A new septic system and new windows have already been taken care of as well. 

There's even a fireplace in the master bedroom!

Come on out and take a look!

For more photos and information visit www.valspaulding.mywindermere.com

LakeLand Village Golf Course Home for sale~$229,900~1490 E Old Ranch Rd~Allyn WA 98524

An absolutely gorgeous setting on the golf course in LakeLand Village.  This golf course home for sale is 1450 square feet - not too big - not too small and offers a very efficient modern home with a very low maintenance yard and is handicap accessible as well.

Stepping onto the covered concrete porch, the charm is quite evident even from there.  The front yard uses natural landscaping and has a sprinkler system. No lawn mowing here! 

As you enter the home, the warmth of the home and the spectacular setting on the golf course  jump out at you right away.  Vaulted ceilings with ceiling fan bring a large open feel with view windows to the golf course and invite you to see more...

Through the entry from the living room, the kitchen is over-sized with an adjoining dining nook.  Ceramic tile counters, and ceramic tile floors flow through the kitchen for quick and easy cleanup.  A butcher block center island, breakfast bar and LOTS of cupboards and counter space are just a few of the great features of this home.  A large window over the sink, canned lighting and the white appliances keep the area light and bright as well as looking neat and clean. 

Open to the kitchen, the dining nook offers a serene and charming setting with french doors that open to the concrete aggregate patio overlooking the golf course. What a great place to sit and enjoy a meal or a cup of coffee and watch the action all the while staying in the loop of what's going on in the kitchen!

Going to the other side of the kitchen, an over-sized laundry room access the two car attached garage as well.  A large shelved closet in the laundry room is a great pantry area and the washer and dryer are included in the sale of home! 

Off the left of the main entry in the living room, the bedrooms and baths are located. A Master bedroom with its own ceiling fan has a walk in closet and a master bath with a walk in shower, linen closet, brushed nickel fixtures and a ceramic tile vanity top.

 Across from the master is a guest bedroom with a large closet, view windows to the many colors of the natural landscaping and enough room for an office area as well.

In between the master bedroom and the guest bedroom is a full bath with tub/shower combo and again ceramic tiled vanity counter and brushed nickel fixtures.

Taking a walk through the french doors out onto the white picket fenced concrete aggregate patio, the lush green setting of your own natural landscaping and the beauty of the golf course is pretty awesome. What a great place to relax and/or entertain. 

Oh and did I mention that this home is completely handicap accessible with it's wide doorways and no steps?? Yep - it's ready to go!

And WHAT A PRICE $229,900!!!   Come on out and check it out!  Give me a call for your private showing of this meticulously maintained golf course home for sale in LakeLand Village.

For more information and a full photogallery - visit my website at www.ValSpaulding.mywindermere.com

LakeLand Village~Homes for Sale~Homes Sold~Market Report~LakeLand Village for the month of May

Spring is in the air, the weather can't decide whether it wants to rain or not, the days are longer and brighter with the time change; we made it through the wet, rainy Memorial Day weekend - so it's GOT to get better - right??

So what's the real estate market doing this spring season for homes for sale in LakeLand Village ? Just as the weather seems to be fairly uunpredictable in the spring season, the real estate market seems to be following the same pattern in some areas.  Although LakeLand Village has seen a steady rate of 2 homes sold per month on the average over the past year.

We had great hopes of having many buyers out and about to be able to take advantage of the  First Time home buyers tax Credit as well as the expansion credit to current homeowners, and LakeLand Village did show four sold homes in the month of April, but there were no buyers who came under contract during the month of April....  one home was placed under contract during the month of May as well and there is still one that has not closed that is still pending that was put under contract in March. I believe this was a short sale hence the reason it has not closed as of yet. 

Pending sales and solds do reflect that the buyers are all shopping in a price range of well under $350,000 for the most part...  Hmmm.... if you are selling your home these are really important numbers to be looking at!

The inventory of homes for sale in LakeLand Village is at 27 active homes for sale listed with Real Estate Agents. It has stayed consistent for quite a few months with some homes coming off the market, some receiving offers and being sold. This time of year is typically when we do see more homes come on the market for sale and this year is actually light on inventory for this time of year as compared to previous years.

Active Homes for Sale In LakeLand Village:

• Average Price : $316,254
  • (2) under $200,000
  • (4) $200,000 to $250,000
  • (6) $250,000 to $300,000
  • (9) $300,000 to $350,000
  • (3) $350,000 to $400,000
  • (2) (400,000 to $450,000
  • (1) over $500,000
• Average $$'s per square foot : $146.38
• Average Days on the Market: 256 days

Pending Homes Sales in LakeLand Village:

Out of the many homes for sale in LakeLand Village over the last six months, there are currently 3 homes for sale pending (meaning they have mutually accepted offers on them between buyer and seller). The summary is:

• Average Price : $279,225
• Average $$'s per square foot : $107.43
• Average Days on the Market: 416 days

Sold Homes in LakeLand Village:

There was only one home that sold in the month of May in LakeLand Village

It was a bank owned property as well.  It did sell at an average $$ per square foot of $137.15 which is higher than the current pending average and more in line with normal resales.  

• Average Price : $158,000
• Average $$'s per square foot : $137.15
• Average days on market : 89 days.  This shows it was a fairly priced home and in the price range buyers were buying quickly in!

HAVE A SUPER DAY!  See ya next month!