Kris Hendricks

William;
I have lived in Magnolia for close to 30 years and I think that the best way to describe it is "small town." It is sometimes jokingly referred to as Mayberry.
It is friendly, people smile and say hi when they walk by you. There are plenty of places to walk and ride bikes and it also has the city's only 500 acre park (Discovery Park) which runs from a grove of old growth trees to the beach. The main shopping area is called 'the village" and it has a number of good restaurants and coffee shops.
I find that many of my clients who live on the hill all say the same thing--when they come home after a long day, they hit the bridge and see the water and the Olympics and just breathe a sigh of relief. It is a very relaxing place, but again, just minutes to everything Seattle has to offer.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have specific questions.
Thanks,
Kris - Wed Mar 12 2008, 20:59

Miss Tessi;
I would also look into owning rental properties in Burien. It is close to your home, minutes to HWY 509, close to the airport and less than a 1/2 hour to downtown Seattle. If your funds are limited and you decide at a later date that you want to manage it yourself, it will be much easier for you.
Good luck,
Kris - Sat Mar 8 2008, 13:32

Anttie;
The first neighborhood that comes to mind that provides some of the same vibe as QA and Fremont is Phinney Ridge. It is a great neighborhood to walk in and there are a variety of restaurants and retail to chose from.
Ballard is also a good alternative. It is still affordable compared to Queen Anne with a lot of choices in townhouses in your price range. There is a healthy business core there along with a lively night lfe with plenty of choices of places for live music and entertainment.
Good luck with your search.
Kris - Wed Mar 5 2008, 08:11

Hi Synthia;
I would recommend sitting down with an experienced mortgage broker who can tell you specifically what you will need to do to clean up your credit. You are off to a good start by making payoff plans to your creditors.

You will not want to focus strictly on foreclosures because in the case of a true foreclosure you will need cash in hand at the courthouse steps to complete the winning bid. There are many homes on the market that are reasonably priced and that can be bought with conventional financing.

You might also want to look into lease/options where you enter a contract with the seller to lease the property and then part of the lease payment becomes part of your downpayment when you exercise the option. This will also give you time to get your credit cleaned up prior to exercising an option in a few years. When the market is relatively strong, there are not as many opportunities for lease/options, but more will probably become available in the year to come.

Ask a few of your friends who have bought homes recently for names and numbers of their lenders and find one that you feel comfortable with to sit down with to discuss your plan to buy. Only have one of them run your credit report .

Good luck!
Kris


Kris - Sun Mar 2 2008, 12:07

Hi Samir;
Unfortunately if the trucks came later then they would be on the road with commuters during morning rush hour. I think that it is just the price that we pay to live in an urban area.

I would reccomend that your condo association talk with the retail space to see if they can move the garbage dumpsters to another part of their site. You can bring this up at your next homeowners association meeting.
Thanks,
Kris - Sat Mar 1 2008, 09:22