It's a struggle to have someone help you and be there for you for more than what they need to do. Join Reba and Eric as they talk about volunteerism, their experiences, and services that impact the community and real estate. Each episode contains information to help you know more about this community and its core.

Also, OFFICIAL HOMEBUYER CLASS 2023, sponsored by Washington State Housing Finance Commission, will be held on March 4th! For more information, contact us at info.teamreba.com or message us at our socials @teamreba!

Watch us out as we transition to a full-on podcast! Be ready for some more updates!

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As we enter 2023,  high inflation, steep interest rates, and recession fears imperil the economy. In this episode, hear from Reba and Eric about the actual situation in our local housing market, as they clear things about the matter. If you are planning to invest, buy or sell a house, this episode can give good insight to you!

Also, Open House with Team Reba is going full-on podcast! You can see us in video format and on all podcast platforms! Watch out soon as we announce more details!

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Did you miss the Homebuyer Class? We had some wonderful discussions and as usual, plenty of questions from people like you! The world of Real Estate has so many rules and regulations that many are not familiar with. Join us as we go over some of those questions from the class and examples of how we CARE about your best experience.

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We have a low inventory of housing and the interest rate is going up. How does that impact you when you start looking to buy or thinking of selling.  While housing is in constant change and no one has a crystal ball, we can identify trends and help guide you through it all. Join us as we discuss the upcoming class as well as how you can prepare yourself before you jump into the market.

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Most people have never heard of a Chamber of Commerce. For some that have, do you know what they do? Join us as we chat with our guest, Zenovia Harris, CEO of Kent Chamber of Commerce. She teaches us about who they are and the services, resources, and benefits they provide. While she is specific to Kent, she speaks on other areas and how you can become involved with your local chamber. What can your local Chamber of Commerce do for you?

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Getting a newly built home can be a dream for many people. Fresh paint, unused cabinets, and new flooring. What could go wrong? Join Reba and Eric as they discuss the new construction market and how to avoid buying a home that could cost you. Save money and time by knowing what to look for before you start your new construction search.

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Join Reba and Eric as they discuss the current financial market and how it affects all of us. Rates may be going up but that’s okay. There are many loan options available to keep you saving money instead of spending it. 

Join us to kick the Fear of Buying or Selling.

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Why all the fear surrounding the housing market? Because fear drives panic, and panic drives money to fearmongers.  Maybe it's time to take a collective breath and re-examine the underlying dynamics at work in the present market.

On this episode of Open House, Reba and Eric take apart the stats and offer up timely counsel for making the most of the current marketplace.  You’ll learn:

·        What’s likely to happen with the Consumer Price Index over the next several months, and why it matters.

·        What the present inverted yield curve means for loan programs.

·        How inventory rates are used to define the kind of housing market we're in.

·        Why there are so many price reductions happening in this seller’s market.

Plus Reba explains the opportunity of Buyer Bonuses for both sides of a real estate transaction, and Eric discusses what misreading the market can cost you.

So breathe in – breathe out – and take a clear-eyed look at the current state of affairs.  While hair-blazing throngs hemorrhage their prospects at the word of the nearest doomsayer, your cool-head can help you come out ahead on their abandoned opportunities– all by listening to this episode of Open House with Team Reba.

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If your home is your castle, its best defense is friendly villagers.  Welcome to Newcastle: Three square miles of small-town community nestled in the heart of King County.    

On this episode of Open House, Reba and Eric welcome Nancy McKinney, past president of the Newcastle Chamber.

Discover:

·        Newcastle’s coal-country history, and features making it a tight-knit community.

·        Recent projects and geographical advantages invigorating  Newcastle’s business district. 

·        Festivities at Newcastle Days coming up September 10th

·        Current inventory rates and price points on Newcastle homes – and how to find them.

Plus, Reba and Eric share recent stories underscoring why working with professionals matters!

It’s a royal review of an overlooked gem in the King County diadem, all on this episode of Open House with Team Reba.

Learn more at: www.newcastle-chamber.org

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Melodramatic wailing, suspicious maneuvering and clandestine efforts at manipulation...  No it’s not a soap opera – it’s the current state of the housing market.  But no need to fear (leave that to your competitors).  This is your opportunity to land the home you’ve been wanting!  Learn the details without the drama on this episode of Open House with Team Reba.

Takeaways include:

·        How market inventory is calculated, and why this demonstrates we are still in a Seller’s Market (with Buyer's Opportunity).

·        Strategies for going after the right home at the right price.

·        Areas where purchase opportunities are emerging.

·        How Covid dynamics and work locations continue to affect regional housing prices.

·        What a Buyer Bonus is, and why smart realtors are negotiating this incentive into their deals. 

·        The dangers of working with inexperienced agents or lenders.

Plus Reba and Eric share illustrative anecdotes and offer up timely tips for recognizing scams and evading swindlers.

So will your second cousin’s husband’s best-friend’s sister with a newly-minted realtor’s license be allowed to lose all your earnest money, or will you finally find the agent of your hopes and the home of your dreams….

Find out on this episode of As the Market Turns…. 
er... sorry...
Open House with Team Reba.

No cliffhangers – we promise.

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After months of heavily favoring sellers, the housing market is finally shifting to some semblance of balance – not because inventory isn’t still tight (it most certainly is), but because high rates, economic concerns and seasonal selling trends have increased supply and decreased demand.  And while it’s still not a buyer’s market –it’s definitely a buyer’s opportunity – but ONLY in the hands of a skilled agent.  

On this episode of Open House, Reba and Eric go on a housing market expedition, scouting out the new terrain and pointing out the lurking dangers, enabling the intrepid home-hunter to bag the big prize without landing in financial quicksand, or getting unintentionally mauled by the dreaded ignoramus realestateagentus (AKA: the ‘clueless agent’). 

You’ll come away with a net full of game-changing nuggets for your real estate safari, like:

·        The circumstances governing seller’s disclosure forms – and the critical role these documents play in both the buying and selling side of a transaction.

·        What physically happens to a home left vacant for a year – and how that disclosure can shift negotiations in the buyer’s favor. 

·        How the benefits of a buyer-paid inspection and sewerscope can far outweigh their expenses come closing.

·        The tools available for a buyer to ‘cash in their chips’ (ie, leverage their negotiation points) at the end of the transaction.

·        What a 35R form is, and how it can move mountains in the hands of a savvy agent or blow up the deal in the hands of a hapless one.

·        Important questions to assess the skill level of your agent in handling a ticklish transaction.

·        Innovative programs for avoiding contingencies and beating out cash offers on hot homes.

Plus, Eric shares his tips for dealing with incompetent agents, and Reba uses a current deal to illustrate pro-tips on purchasing property through an estate sale.

Yes, buyer’s opportunity is knocking – but only if you’re working with a skilled agent.  Avoid buyer’s remorse (and agent remorse) by tuning in to this episode of Open House with Team Reba. 

Huzzah!

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It’s an uncertain time for the economy, and fearmongers love them some uncertainty – but do any of their metrics hold out for a housing collapse, or is this actually a golden moment to get in and hang on?

On this episode of Open House, Reba and Eric clear the minefields of mindless chatter and reach the meat of the matter, with the indicators you need to watch for rightly reckoning market trends.

You’ll come away from the show learning:

·        The difference between a buyer’s market and a buyer’s opportunity.

·        Tips for leveraging an uncertain market to get ahead in the end.

·        Lending options that could save you a fair amount of interest over the standard 30-year fixed rate.

·        How an interest-only loan may benefit you, provided you understand what you’re getting.

·        The danger of ‘recent history bias’ in reckoning future trends. 

·        The critical differences between the pre-recession market and today’s.

·        The reasons housing shortages will continue forcing housing prices to rise, regardless of what the economy does.

Plus Eric gives a rundown on rates, and Reba shares some intriguing recent activity in the local market.

So don’t hold your breath for home prices to fall, or you’ll both pass out and miss out on the opportunity before you.  It's all here on this podcast of Open House with Team Reba.

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Springtime is the perfect opportunity to outfit your yard in a ‘riot of color’ – but what to plant, where to plant it and why? On this episode of Open House, Reba and Eric consider Northwestern horticultural options for your outdoor spaces with landscape design expert, Michael Muro.

You’ll discover:

·        Important dynamics to consider before laying out your landscape.

·        The impact Covid has had on outdoor spaces.

·        Trending features of exterior design.

·        Garden layouts that make sense from a maintenance perspective.

·        What plants adapt best to the prospect of drier, hotter summers.

·        Why it’s crucial to project the impact of plants and trees long-term.

·        The varieties of hebe best fitted to the Northwest (and those that could give you the ‘heebie-jeebies’)

·        Which slugs pose a threat to your garden, which don’t, and what to do about them (and it DOES NOT involve salting).

Plus Reba details how seasonal activity has ‘slightly pruned’ the housing market, and sounded a wake-up call for sellers who overshot when pricing their ‘ugly babies’. 

So tune in for some great tips on sprucing up your outdoors (and making your home a bit more appealing to prospective buyers) on this episode of Open House with Team Reba.

Need professional help for landscaping your place? Visit:  www.michaelmuro.com

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With skyrocketing housing prices and mortgage rates notching ever higher, is there any hope for a median-income family to find a place of their own? On this episode of Open House, the answer is a definitive “Ja!” 

(Eric is in a particularly Norwegian mood on this broadcast).

Inventory challenges aside, it all comes down to strategy.  A grocery clerk won’t find a ‘super market’ for housing in Bellevue – but may discover opportunities ‘stocked’ in cities like Maple Valley, Black Diamond or Buckley - and once invested, equity will clear the path for moving up.  
 
 You’ll come away from this podcast learning:

·        Workable strategies to advance from starter home to dream home.

·        Current analysis on whether interest rates will level off. 

·        The impact of societal changes on housing expectations.

·        Why -despite Reddit-fueled fears- the end of forbearance will not crash the housing market.

·        What efforts the government is making to close the housing gap – and how successful it’s likely to be.

·        How bureaucratic lending policies tend to hose small investors and work at cross-purposes to housing solutions.

·        Why some zero-down lending programs are being suspended – and what it takes to qualify for the ones left.

·        Why it’s important to keep your agent apprised of your loan qualifications (and what can happen if you don’t).

Plus, Reba gives a timely rundown of available units 500K and under in King County, and Eric lays out lending options for a home upgrade.

All that - and an impromptu Norwegian lesson –on this episode of Open House with Team Reba.

Håper det smaker!  (Bon appetit)

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