Buy a home that's been vacant?

It may seem like a great deal, but be aware of possible expensive repairs lurking inside.By Patrick Doty, Editor Bellevue home Team Blog A for-sale house that's been vacant may look like a bargain, but buyers ought to be cautious, because expensive...

Home Prices Continue to Decline

RICHARD VOGEL / AP In this November photo, an open-house sign is seen on the front lawn of a home for sale in Los Angeles. Home prices are dropping in the nation's largest cities and are expected to fall through next year. RelatedNEW YORK — Home prices...

Housing market's bumpy ride isn't over

Home prices may slide further, but some analysts see signs of stability emerging in 2011 By Eric Pryne, Seattle Times business reporter For all the turmoil the residential real-estate market experienced over the last few years, by one measure it hasn't...

Mortgage rates edge down after 5 weeks of gains

By JANNA HERRON AP Real Estate Writer RelatedRates on fixed mortgages dipped after rising for five weeks in a row. Still, they remain more than a half-point higher than last month and are at the highest level since late spring. Freddie Mac said Thursday...

Happy Holidays

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Bellevue #4, Never Seems to Get Old

Patrick Doty, Editor, Bellevue Home Team Blog Bellevue, WA Bellevue is a resilient community and somewhat recession resistant due to some of the strong businesses like Microsoft, Google, Paccar and...

Mortgage Aapplications fell last week in anticipation of the Holidays

By Patrick Doty, Editor, Bellevue Home Team BlogBellevue, WA The number of people applying for a mortgage fell last week as higher rates and the holidays slowed borrowing. The Mortgage Bankers Association said Wednesday its overall mortgage application...

Preschool Preview in Bellevue

Dec 17 2010, 3:12 PM ParentMap magazine will sponsor a preschool preview in Bellevue on Jan. 13 at Meydenbauer Center. The 5:30–7:30 p.m. event is free and will bring together dozens of community preschools, giving attendees a chance to check out the...

Lack of foreclosure data leaves big questions

By Sanjay Bhatt and Jennifer LaFleurThe Seattle Times and ProPublica The worst foreclosure crisis in the nation's history might have been detected earlier if the government had a better tracking system for mortgage data, experts say. High levels of...

Christmas gone wild with Marcella Cascini

By Rebecca Teagarden photographed by Ellen M. Banner MARCELLA CASCINI is a shopaholic, and she's played one on TV. "I was quite the shopaholic — on a soap opera," the former actress and model offers up cheerfully. The experience comes in handy...

Close to Home..Man accused of trying to sell home he didn't own

by TONYA MOSLEY / KING 5 News SHORELINE, Wash. - Zael Zura has a lot of work to put into his new house, but that's OK. All that matters is that he and his fiancé can call their little yellow house,...

Govt trying to keep people in homes

The Associated PressTreasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Thursday the government is trying to keep as many struggling borrowers as possible in their homes in several programs. Geithner told a congressional oversight panel that although the Treasury...

Fewer Homeowners Underwater in the third quarter

By JANNA HERRONAP Real Estate Writer The number of homeowners who owe more than their houses are worth fell for the third straight quarter this summer. About 10.8 million households, or 22.5 percent of all mortgaged homes, were underwater in the July-September...

The Importance Of First Impressions in Real Estate

Perhaps the most important aspect of a home showing is the buyer's first impression. Have you ever looked at a home for sale and thought; "wow, I'd re...David Ellis Perhaps the most important aspect of a home showing is the buyer's first impression....

5 Christmas gift ideas for easy home improvement

Out of Christmas gift ideas this holiday season? ‘Tis time to think outside the box, and make someone’s home remodeling wish come true! To make it easy for you, the HomeSavvi team has compiled five creative home improvement Christmas gift ideas that...

Mortgage rates hit 4.61 pct.; refi's could slow

By JANNA HERRONAP Real Estate Writer Rates on fixed mortgages rose for the fourth straight week this week. The surge could slow refinancings and further hamper the housing market. Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rates on 15- and 30-year...

Caught by mistake in foreclosure web

By MICHELLE CONLINAP Real Estate Writer Christopher Marconi was in the shower when he heard a loud banging on his door. By the time he grabbed a towel and hustled to his front step, a U.S. marshal's sedan was peeling out of his driveway. Nailed...

Area Home Prices Slip From a Year Ago

By Eric PryneSeattle Times business reporter The median price of houses sold in King County slipped to a new post-bubble low last month, according to statistics released Monday by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. The number of sales...

Time to refinance? Good question

By MICHELE LERNERBankrate.com Home mortgage refinancing may sound like a good idea in theory, but it's not always possible or desirable. For starters, lenders have tightened up the approval process, making it more difficult to get loans. "Homeowners...

Fed proposes stripping key lending protection for homeowners

By Tony PughMcClatchy NewspapersWASHINGTON As Americans continue to lose their homes in record numbers, the Federal Reserve is considering making it much harder for homeowners to stop foreclosures and escape predatory home loans with onerous terms. The...

Mortgage rates rise to 4.46 pct. as economy lifts

By DANIEL WAGNERAP Business Writer Rates on fixed mortgages edged up again this week after hitting their lowest level in decades last month. Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate for 30-year fixed loans rose to 4.46 percent from 4.40 percent...

Futuristic, low-priced homes with a past finally go on sale

By Tristan BaurickKitsap SunBAINBRIDGE ISLAND — If you ever dreamed of living in an iPod, now's your chance. Two cutting-edge prototype homes, once heralded as the future of urban housing, are on sale on Bainbridge Island after a convoluted journey...

NOAA site on Lake Union on the market

By Eric PryneSeattle Times business reporter The owner of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Pacific Marine Operations Center on Lake Union has put the soon-to-be-vacated property up for sale, marketing it as "a great future development...

Tiny house movement thrives amid real estate bust

By TERENCE CHEAAssociated PressAs Americans downsize in the aftermath of a colossal real estate bust, at least one tiny corner of the housing market appears to be thriving. To save money or simplify their lives, a small but growing number of Americans...

Mortgage Modifications Co's are put under the Microscope

The promoters have names that resemble federal foreclosure-intervention programs such as Making Home Affordable or Home Affordable manipulation. Some even flash pics of President Obama or the great seal of the United States. You've probably seen the...

Shout Out ....The King and I Thai Restaurant

The King and I is probably one of my favorite Thai Restaurants.  I have entertained there and had many business lunches.  I have going there for at least the last 5 years.  The food is Excellent and the Service is far and away some of...

Kick Off to the new Holiday Season 2010

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Reserve your ticket for Garden d'Lights in Bellevue

If you haven't experienced the Garden d'Lights Festival at the Bellevue Botanical garden, you're missing out on an brilliant holiday experience. From Nov. 27 through Jan. 1, the garden is ablaze with thousands of plants, flowers & animals, all created...

Happy Thanksgiving

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More snow expected to fall this evening

Lauren Barkley, 8, left, and her brother, Richard, 6, play in the snow at Downtown Park after an early release from Sacred Heart School in Bellevue on Monday. Chad Coleman/Bellevue Reporter By NAT LEVY UPDATE, 4:32 p.m.The...

It's Still Coming Down

Seattle, Jane Calbreath Dec. 2010 As the day went on in Seattle and Eastside Neighborhoods, the snow continued to fall.  Drivers and People on foot were slipping on icy roadways and sidewalks.  As I look out the window in Bellevue at 9:23pm...

Shout Out...Yarrow Bay Grill

.We had dinner and drinks in their dinning room and the service was terrific.  We had a good time and will definately go back.  They are conveniently located at Carillon Point.with plenty of parking available. We love to meet friends, and...

Rates Start to Climb

By JANNA HERRONAP Real Estate Writer Rates on fixed mortgages jumped from their lowest levels in decades this week. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday the average rate for 30-year fixed loans rose to 4.39 percent from 4.17 percent, the lowest level...

Magnolia manse inspires a designer to move and compromise

By Rebecca Teagardenphotographed by Mike Siegel BETTER BUCKLE up, because we're going over to Kelly Rivelo's. And I'm betting, based on the previous homes of this crazy-for-interior-designing woman, that Kelly Rivelo has more energy than all...