Zillow Advice RSS: Question-Discussion-Guide,Home Buying,Bellevue- WA

Buying my first home: Do I need to hire a lawyer to be present at the time of closing?

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 01:18:00 GMT

http://www.firsttechcu.com/mortgage_home_finance/purchasing_a_home/buyers_guides/mortgage_guides.html

this site suggests that i should get a lawyer to represent me at the time of closing. Is there any advantage in doing this? If so how do i find a lawyer and how much do i need to pay & is this considered as part of closing cost .

14 replies

Offer negotitations for pre-sale home

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:52:00 GMT

I am planning to make an offer for a pre-sale home in Lakemont Place Community in SE Bellevue. The one house with same floor plan( but was finished) was sold 30 days back. It was listed at 709k but was sold at 680k with 15k closing costs and 30k of upgrades. That house was on a greenbelt lot but I am going to buy a non-greenbelt lot and so have been quoted a price of 660k by the listing agent. I am planning to make an offer for 630k on the house with 20k of closing costs and 40k of upgrades. My agent wants me to make an offer for the listing price(660k) but I want to leave some room for negotiation on that front. Can somebody let me know if it seems like a good offer to start negotiations.

6 replies

Investing in Bellevue: General take on Bellevue housing market?

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:23:00 GMT

Hello Zillowers(!),

I am looking to invest in downtown bellevue and would appreciate the views of the smart folks that visit this msg board. What is your take on the idea of investing in Bellevue condo? Do you expect prices to drop further?

I realize that these are pretty ambigious questions with no right answers. That said I would like to hear what folks think about this topic. Laying down some parameters so that the conversation is focussed: I am looking to invest for the long term, interested in investing in condos so that I can rent it out and earn some income, time frame to buy is within the next 4-8 months.

To get it started: I came across this article (few months old) that seems to suggest that we are going to have shortage of condos in Bellevue and thus the inference that it might be a good time to buy:
http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/east_king/bel/business/46737462.html

On the other hand, I have heard rumors about how the market is overpriced and this is not the right time to invest as prices will go down.

4 replies

What are the significant differences between living in Somerset and West Bellevue? Schools?

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:04:00 GMT

We are looking and trying to understand.
Which will hold its value better?

1 reply

Bellevue and Medina Waterfront Home Sales, August 2009

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:31:00 GMT

Three high-end waterfront homes sold in the month of August on the Eastside of the Greater Seattle metro. Two of these sales were in Medina, and the third was on Lake Sammamish in East Bellevue.

The Lake Sammamish home was the least expensive, with a 2/3 acre lot and a small beach house, selling for $1.14 million. The house is under 800 sq ft, so it's likely to be someone's weekend getaway or to be razed and rebuilt. This was an estate sale, and the property sat on the market almost a full year, starting out at a $1.8 million listing price.

On the Northeast side of Evergreen Point in Medina, a 4000 sq ft home sold for $2 million, which is a fairly rock-bottom price for Medina waterfront. The lot was nearly half an acre, and the home was built in 1987. The water is very calm in this area (Fairweather Bay), and there are close-in views of Hunts Point and Kirkland. Prices on the East-facing waterfront of Medina are many times less expensive than the West-facing homes, although the moorage facing East can be better.

On Medina's Gold Coast, a West-facing home sold for $6.1 million mid-month. This is North of Highway 520, facing the University of Washington and Laurelhurst, across Lake Washington. With 5 bedrooms, 8 baths, and 8000 sq ft of living space, this home built in 2003 is an exquisite piece of design and construction. The home was on the market for about 16 months, dropping all the way down from $7.9 million.

0 replies

Seattle's Greater Eastside -Waterfront Bellevue and Kirkland Sales, July 2009

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:32:00 GMT

There were two sales in July of Greater Seattle's Eastside waterfront homes on Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish. Between $1 and $1 million, these Bellevue waterfront and Kirkland waterfront homes are in the low-to-mid range of sale prices on the Seattle-area lakes.

The Bellevue home sold was on Lake Sammamish, on Bellevue's East end. A smaller home (1500 sq ft), it was suggested in the listing and very likely that it will be rebuilt as a larger home. With 50 feet of waterfront it's big enough to expand, and the vast majority of homes on the waterfront are much larger. The property sold for $925,000 after 6 months on the market.

The Kirkland sale was in Woodland Cove, a high-end enclave on the shores of Juanita Bay. On the North end of Lake Washington, this home has 100 feet of South-facing waterfront and about 4000 sq ft of living space. It sat on the market for about 9 months before selling for $2.2 million.

0 replies

Seattle's Eastside Waterfront - Lake Washington Homes in Medina, Meydenbauer, Mercer Island

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 04:40:00 GMT

I had the pleasure of visiting some of the most coveted homes in the Greater Seattle area this week. Brian and I had some clients in from out of state, and we showed some of the finest homes available in the Northwest. From Medina to Hunt Point, Meydenbauer, Newport Shores, Clyde Hill, and Mercer Island, it's always a great experience to visit these well-built, beautiful homes on the shores of Lake Washington. It doesn't feel like work.

It's interesting to see the different styles of homes available in the Eastside. While most waterfront homes in Seattle are much more traditional, we find the $5MM+ range in Greater Bellevue to be a potpourri of Tuscan, NW contemporary, modern, and even rustic homes. The builders and architects vary widely in style, but most make the best possible use of the views of Lake Washington, Bellevue and Seattle's skylines, and the privacy that most of these shoreline properties enjoy. Add the top-ranked Bellevue School District to the mix, and it's not hard to see why professional athletes and software executives gravitate to these areas to live.

2 replies

How can I search for property for sale "over 55" community???

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 17:20:00 GMT

4 replies

Is it possible to check property's sale history?

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 08:59:00 GMT

Couldn't find how to check property's sales history. Anyone knows how to do it?

2 replies

Why is Somerset Elementary School located in the Somerset area of Bellevue, Washington NOT listed

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 21:31:00 GMT

This NEW facility is highly regarded academically and I think this information would be
very helpful in marketing the properties in this area.

2 replies

Is zestimate reliable? The average home price are dropped 10% in the past month.

Mon, 04 May 2009 10:15:00 GMT

All houses I've visited in Zillow are having a lower zestimate, about 5-10%. Are the housing market getting worse or how reliable zestimate is?

9 replies

do FHA loans allow buying of land and putting up of manufactured home ?

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 05:22:00 GMT

2 replies

Bought in 2008 and the total home size was reported wrong. 1620sf on deed but it's only 1500sf.

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 04:09:00 GMT

I bought a home last July. It was reported as 1620 sf. Nice lake view, reat area. I went to refinance since rates are low and I just stumbled upon this issue my chance. Nobody noticed the oversight since 1987. I can see where they over looke din the plans but that shouldn't be my problem should it? Is this a title insurance issue. The difference is about 120sf. The propert is on the tax records as 1620 but I measured it to be 1500sf. HELP!!!

1 reply

Is it a good time to buy a house in Somerset as an investment property?

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 21:31:00 GMT

Since the house price is low, is it a good time to do this? Are the houses in Somer set Bellevue, WA area easy to rent out?

2 replies

When comparing comparables for info, what time period is considered valid for a valid comparison?

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 08:02:00 GMT

6 replies