All Forum Posts by: Charlotte Casey

This will make touring SO much easier, less push back from couples touring together, YAY!  Hope our numbers don’t spike.

Hi, I would so appreciate some insight:

If you add a window that opens to a room that already has a closet and can fit a bed (but was never counted as a bedroom) can you then count that as a bedroom and change the house from a 4 bedroom to a 5 bedroom?  Does it have to be a particular window or just as long as you can escape/egress?  And how do you do add that bedroom legally with the tax department?

Also, if you remodel an attic and want to add all that square footage to the house's records, is there a rule that only the percentage of the attic that you can actually stand in, counts towards square footage?  I thought there was a rule about 7 foot ceilings?  So the attic will be about 1200 sq feet, but with attic, sloped ceilings.  Can we count the whole 1200sq feet or just a percentage?

Thanks!

Seattle still seems strong with offers coming through.  Buyers who previously lost properties to bidding wars are standing more of a chance now, myself included.  Financing is harder with banks declining approval for jumbo loans (go credit unions!).  But interest rates have been great.  So buyers who were already preapproved, ready to pounce, stable jobs in essential businesses and maybe going with credit unions, are making offers.  I also think that since schools have been canceled for the year here it will impact the timeline for families who were going to wait for school to be out to move/list.

I think we will see a dip in Seattle obviously, and the Spring/Summer relocations will be different as people will be staying with current jobs (happy to have jobs plus hiring freezes).  Seattle will be ok.  I hope the rest of the country will too.

Seattle market seems to be holding strong....inventory is being held back for the most part so I think when lockdown is lifted there will be a surge of homes (and buyers).

That being said we just got an accepted offer on a family home for us.  We love it, it works for us, we got it under asking and no competitors which was amazing. The monthly payment amount still makes me panic but hoping for a great rate which will help with that.  Even if our home decreases in value in the impending recession I think long term it will come back and we didn’t want to lose it...fingers crossed for all of us!

We’ve been trying to buy for 2 years now and lost dream houses to bidding wars that soared $200k over asking.  We just got an accepted offer on a family home that we love and under asking.  So as an agent myself I just have to calm my fears by reminding myself that’s I know this market, I love this house, we probably wouldn’t have gotten it without a war in our normal market and we are it for the long term even if the market dips.  And hoping we can improve our monthly payment by locking at a great rate....good luck!

I've been trying to buy in the Seattle area for a while now but prices and competition for larger, updated houses, in a nice neighborhood, have been unattainable.  We found 1 we love today, no offers (Yet.  DOM 9) and they just lowered the price.  It's indeed a scary time to buy a house but might be the ONLY time we won't have to compete with other buyers and can actually get it at asking or maybe a little below..?  So that's my 2 cents, the competition is down - but who knows if you'll lose your shirt if you DO get the house but the market tanks.  Interest rates are not what they were hyped up to be.  LOTS of layoffs but Seattle is built on Amazon, and Amazon is booming so I "think" this city will be ok.  But other markets will take a hit for sure as the long term layoffs trickle down to their communities.

This one in Magnolia just came available.  Needs work but new light floors, paint all that black woodwork to white, privacy fence etc and she could shine.  Plus rents in Magnolia for single family homes are $3,000 and up.

(Of course I have no idea structural/electrical/plumbing/roof status).

Just a thought.

https://www.redfin.com/WA/Seat...

Arrrgh not good news.  I was confused about these “great interest rates” as I’m seeing 4.2-5% on a 30.

Oh and All Offers paid for a presinspection - the price to even be in the game here.

It makes sense that small businesses buckling (which they ARE and will) in Seattle will have an effect on our tech boom.  But so far it’s busier than ever on GOOD properties in sought after areas of Seattle.  Not good news for me as a buyer but good news for me as an agent.  I’d never heard of staggering listings to promote scarcity....Seattle inventory is extremely low and I think those who were poised to buy are going to still forge ahead, and compete hard.  I have an Open today and tomorrow, I dont expect any decrease in traffic, people are just keeping 6ft away.

And looks like our normal big Spring....that’s just my area in the city.  We shall see...