For those of you who are new to the area, I know the city can seem daunting at first, though once you get to know the neighborhoods Seattle will quickly feel like home.

I’ve decided to post two of my favorite Seattle neighborhood maps to my site, to serve as a reference to both newcomers and long-term Seattle residents.

This first map comes directly from the Seattle government’s website, and is more or less the ‘official’ Seattle neighborhood map.

This next map I discovered on Pinterest. A Chicago-based company, Ork, creates these beautiful neighborhood maps of cities across the United States, including Seattle. It’s a lot more fun than the official Seattle map, and in some ways easier to read.

Do you have a favorite Seattle neighborhood map that you can recommend to new Seattle residents?

Seattle is famous (or is it infamous?) for our weather. The average yearly rainfall in Seattle is about 36 inches, which, surprisingly is actually less than both New York City and Washington DC. However, when most people think of Seattle they imagine cool, drizzly days. And they wouldn’t be wrong.

This week we’ve experienced what I like to call Snow Panic. As a tremendously hilly city, ice and snow can turn us into one giant metropolitan hazard. Businesses have temporarily shut down, people are working from home, and the airport even closed for awhile this morning.

Although this week’s snowstorm was predicted to be “the worst blizzard in 30 years!”, it looks like we’ve gotten less snow than they originally expected.

I’m sure many of us were dreading something similar to the snowstorm that befell Seattle in December of 2008. People in from out of town were stranded for days, as the airport cancelled and postponed hundreds of flights.

If you’ve got five minutes to spare, check out this video someone took in November 2010, as cars repeatedly slid down an icy Capitol Hill street.

How are you surviving the great blizzard of 2012?

As part of my ongoing blog series on Seattle neighborhoods, this week I’d like to feature Queen Anne, the neighborhood that I call home.

Queen Anne is a truly eclectic neighborhood, with a mix of three-million dollar waterview mansions and small bungalows, old turn-of-the-century Tudors, craftsmen homes, and new construction.

If you didn’t know you were only ten minutes from downtown, you’d feel like you were in a quaint little neighborhood in a small town near the coast.

The neighborhood is close to Ballard, Magnolia, and downtown, which makes it an ideal location. There are tons of parks and a vibrant retail district.

Some of my favorite dining establishments in the neighborhood include Top Pot Doughnuts (famous donuts!), 5 Spot (great breakfasts), Hilltop Ale House (excellent beer and food), and Macrina Bakery (check out their scones).

I would highly recommend checking out the Queen Anne neighborhood if you’re thinking about buying a house in Seattle. While it may not be the most affordable neighborhood in the area, it really does offer a little bit of everything.

Over the last few months real estate experts have been making their predictions for 2012 and the national and local housing markets. Here’s a brief summary of what experts and local professionals have to say.

Multi-Housing News believes that the multi-housing real estate industry will continue to do well in 2012, as people who have the resources take advantage of the low prices and low renter vacancy rates.

In the office space real estate industry, the International Business Times expects things to slow down in 2012, even though they were looking up in 2011. Despite the sluggishness in this specific industry, experts still anticipate some growth.

Agent Jerry Barker believes that nationwide trends in real estate may adversely affect home values. However, it may still prove to be a buyer’s market, which is always good for people looking to buy their first home.

A blog post on Prospera’s site states that a housing recovery has already begun, and will only continue to improve for 2012 as the job market and consumer sentiment improve.

What do you think 2012 will bring?

Happy holidays, everyone! In the spirit of giving, I wanted to feature a few Seattle non profits and charities. Some of you may already know this, but I donate $50 for every loan funded to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. It’s important to me to make sure that I give back to the community and to causes that are working to create significant changes in the world.

Give to Seattle Non Profits

With that said, here are a few Seattle non profits that could use your support this holiday season. There are several people in my life who would appreciate a donation in their name more than a gift.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Seattle: The Seattle-area affiliate of the national organization has been in existence 1994, and works to raise millions of dollars for breast cancer treatment, screening, and education.

Casey Family Programs: Casey Family Programs works to reduce the number of children in foster care and to improve the system for those who still rely on foster care.

Eastside Domestic Violence Program: Since 1982 the Eastside Domestic Violence Program has helped nearly 110,000 thousand survivors of domestic violence. Their programs include a crisis line, shelter and homes, support groups, advocacy, and more.

Conservation Northwest: This organization focuses on protecting the wildlife and natural environment in the Pacific Northwest.

Provail: The ultimate goal of Provail is to help people with disabilities live better lives by expanding opportunities and accessibility. Its philosophy is based on ensuring that people with disabilities have dignity, choice, opportunity, and independence.

What non profit organizations in Seattle do you support? Answer in the comments below!

FHA vs. Conventional Loans

Why do people choose an FHA loan?

• Lower credit score: Typically it might be difficult to secure a conventional loan if your credit score is less than 680 or 660. However, if your credit score is as low as 620 you can usually qualify for an FHA loan.
• Low down-payment for home purchases: You can secure an FHA loan with as little as 3.5% down, and this down-payment can be a gift from a family member. Technically speaking, you yourself do not have to have a down-payment at all, as long as you can find a family member who can help you come up with the 3.5% cash.
• Low down-payment for refinancing: If you’re looking to refinance your home with an FHA mortgage, currently you only have to have 2.25% equity, as opposed to a conventional refinance, which is usually around 80%.
• Co-signers: With an FHA loan, a non-occupant (someone who won’t live in the house) can co-sign with you. Young adults purchasing their first home may find this especially valuable, as their parents can co-sign on the loan, but they don’t have to actually live in the home.
• Higher maximum loan amount: Currently in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties the maximum loan amount you can receive for an FHA mortgage is $567,500. However, a conventional loan caps out at $506,000 before you’re required to apply for a jumbo loan. While this discrepancy may not be the case in the future, right now it is a great time to apply for an FHA mortgage in Seattle.
• Low fixed-year rates: Right now FHA 30-year fixed rates are slightly lower than for conventional loans. Ordinarily this is not the case, but right now in the FHA vs. conventional loans differences, FHA rates are lower with many lenders.

FHA vs. Conventional Loan

Why do people choose a conventional loan?

The main reason people don’t choose an FHA mortgage is that mortgage insurance is required. FHA mortgages require monthly mortgage insurance payments as well as an upfront mortgage insurance payment that is currently 1% of your loan amount. (e.g. a $300,000 mortgage plus upfront insurance would be $303,000).

If you have a 20% down-payment, then you won’t be required to pay monthly mortgage insurance or upfront mortgage insurance when choosing a conventional mortgage. However, even conventional loans with less than a 20% down-payment often require mortgage insurance.

For more information about mortgage insurance, stay tuned for next week’s post!

Remember that rates are always changing. What’s true today about FHA vs. conventional loans may not be true tomorrow! I hope this answers some of your questions regarding FHA vs. conventional loans. If there are any other details that you’re still unclear about, please feel free to contact me and we can discuss whether an FHA mortgage in Seattle is right for you.

For the sixth week in a row, fixed rate mortgages are incredibly low, remaining at an average of 3.99% around the country. While the number of families seeking mortgages is slim, the amount of mortgage applications submitted last week increased by about 13%.

So what does this mean for you? Here’s how I see it: recent data suggests that unemployment is decreasing across the country, yet Seattle mortgage rates continue to remain low. Hopefully this means that more families will be able to afford to purchase or refinance a home, even if they’ve been hesitant to invest in real estate.

If you’d like more information about fixed rate mortgages in Seattle, please contact me today. I genuinely enjoy connecting with and sharing my expertise with Seattle families.

This week, the National Association of Realtors revealed that pending home sales grew 10.4% in October, offering a ray of light in a market that has been relatively dreary the past few years. This is good news for families looking to sell their homes.

On the buyers’ side of the market, home-ownership is also looking up. Delinquent mortgages have fallen 28%, and, as I mentioned last week, FHA loan limits were raised again after remaining lower for a several-month period.

If you’re considering buying a home, now might be a great time. You may be able to take advantage of an FHA loan. Or, if you find yourself in an underwater mortgage, let us help you discover what options, including HARP, may be available to you.

Have you noticed any new trends in your neighborhood? Are homes selling faster?

The provision is due to expire in 2013, meaning that the FHA limit in King County will remain at $567,500 for the next two years.

However, according to the SeattlePi, “Congress chose not to reinstate the higher limits for conventional loans (e.g. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac). The conventional loan limit in Seattle/King Country will remain at $506,000.”

If you’re interested in finding out more about an FHA loan, please check out my FHA mortgage page and contact me today so I can help you get started on the process.

Yes and no. Yes, I think it’s important to have a presence on Google+ (plus). But there are ways of linking your social profiles so that you only need to post on one, but your post will be distributed to several.

Link Facebook to Twitter

The first step is to link Facebook to Twitter. Many of you may have already done this, but if you haven’t yet, it’s incredibly easy to make it so that your Facebook updates post automatically to your Twitter account. Simply visit this page on Facebook and link up your Facebook business page with your Twitter account.

Now comes the tricky part, which I’m going to explain in a series of screenshots so that you can clearly see how to make your Google+ (plus) posts go automatically to Facebook.

Send Google+ (plus) Posts to Facebook

Step One

First, go to your business page on Facebook and make sure you’re using Facebook as that page (and not your personal profile). Choose “Edit Page.”

Step Two

Now, on the left side of the page, choose “Mobile.”

Step Three

Click “Learn More.”

Step Four

Click “Send the Upload Email…”

Step Five

You can choose to have the mobile address sent to your phone or email.

Step Six

Enter in your mobile phone number (make sure you’re enabled to receive SMS), and now you’ll have your very own Facebook upload email. It will end in @m.facebook.com. Don’t share it with anyone, or else they can post to your Facebook page!

Step Seven
Now, go to your Google+ account, and make sure you’re using that as your business and not yourself (for more information how to switch, check out this post from our friends at Commerce Kitchen).

Decide what it is you want to post (image, status update?) and click where it says “Add More People.”

Step Eight

Check it out! You can paste in the email address that Facebook gave you, and your Google+ posting will go there automatically! And, if your Facebook account is hooked up to Twitter, it will go straight to Twitter as well.

Voila! While it might be best overall for real estate agents on social media to spend some time interacting on each platform, if you’re constantly swamped and on the go, then posting to Google+ (plus) alone will still allow you to continue interacting with Facebook and Twitter as well.

Are you on Google Plus? Add me to your circles! Let’s connect!