Lara McHenry

Depending on the structure of the loan...there are a few ways the earnest or good faith money can be applied. It can be applied to the principal balance, the closing costs, or the down payment. It all is dependent upon the allowances of what is acceptable to the underwriting in a loan. Now if you have a cash deal...it can be applied to your purchase price and just lower the amount a buyer will have to bring in the form of a certified check to the closing table. Hope this helps. - Sat Jul 19 2008, 09:23

I love a website called, family watchdog...use the link below and click on the state and area you are interested in checking statistics on.
Good luck. - Tue Jul 15 2008, 23:46

D& R
What a great question, you are sure to get all kinds of wonderful ideas, Although I am on the opposite side of the state I have a few ideas that might be helpful, Have your Realtors done a Brokers Open? This time of year is a great time to host an afternoon or evening brokers open house, where area Realtors come by invitation to see the house, I suggest having food and beverages and possibly a door prize. This works well for us in Spokane. The more Realtors you get to see it the better the likelihood that one of them will have a buyer looking for a home like yours!
Another possibility is to take a really critical, buyers eye look at your home and see what you could do to improve the appeal. I suggest getting non involved friends or neighbors to come take a look and or make suggestions. Another great thing is having feedback forms filled out when your Realtors office tours the property. This can give you a whole lot of input.
In a huge surplus market we have to roll up our sleeves and market everywhere we can. Gimmicks typically do not sell a home so don't be fooled by some of the edgier marketing ploys of the "buy now and get a flat screen TV" types. Price, location, and market conditions are the mainstays you need to focus on to get your home sold in a timely manner. If location is only so so, price is the main mitigator and will cancel out the other two problems.
I believe heavily in marketing to out of area buyers also, it's amazing how many people are moving to our great state. See what options your Realtors have available to you to market in other areas.
I hope you get lots of great ideas and if you find one thing that works for you...I sure hope you will write us a post and let us know of your success!
Very best Wishes
Good Luck - Fri May 9 2008, 18:12

In response to Tobias' post...
I just have to say that zillow, active rain and Trulia are not accredited (take to the bank type) statistics, the majority of compilation for data comes from old assessors and of old tax records. These sights are not actively monitored nor are they updated daily on a continuous feed. The majority of Zillows information comes from user input...I guess it comes down to this... do you want to have input from people who conjecture about the market or those who know the facts based upon having worked in the market. Realtors are experts in their field and truthfully I don't think I would go see the guy down the street to fill a tooth just because he had some dental work done in the last month...I KNOW I would want an expert in that field and would rely on the experience of a trained professional dentist. (Just a thought) Contrary to what some people may think...we Realtors are here to help answer questions and help buyers and sellers ...its not about the sale for most of us...it's being the solution to a persons Real Estate need or Problem. It is unfortunate that some people abuse this forum to chat and argue with people rather than to actually utilize it for the purposes it was intended for. Good Luck Buyers and Sellers, Trulia is a great way to gain information and seek several opinions. - Tue May 6 2008, 14:29

Spokane is just a fabulous place in general, there are so many choices for condos starting as low as 70k and going up. The main thing to know about condos in Spokane as that location, view, square footage, etc. are the main differentiation in price points. Whether you want a loft in the downtown section, a view property nestled on the south hill that overlooks the city, or just a no maintenance easy living condos. Spokane has it all. All over our great city we can boast the many options,,,here are a few. The central Park Condos, are a community of condos that range from 90k upwards to 200k, these are older condos but can get you in the door to condo living at a fairly inexpensive price, The Kempis, formerly a hotel has all new remodeled units with a grand entry in the center that is somewhat reminiscent of New Orleans with its open center that overlooks the fountain in the center of the common area, some original architecture intact with period fixtures, claw foot tubs in some, little touches here and there that keep the old with the new. Prices start at 107,000. Then there is the Ridge condos in wonderful historical Brownes addition, some of these units overlook the Spokane River and have territorial views and are nestled among some of the most magestic and oldest homes of Spokane., Then there are many wonderful new construction projects taking place like The Lofts at Joel...used to be a furniture store that is soon to be an 18 unit loft condo, square footage will be about 900-1200 per unit, then you have Carnegie Square Townhomes which is located in the west end of downtown these are 10 three story townhome units 2800-3800 sq feet ranging from 525k-795k, The Morgan Lofts 28 loft units from 660 sq feet-2030 price range from 297k-429k, then the creme de la creme of all condo projects which is located right in the heart of downtown Spokane These are spectacular and offer so many ammenities, 21 loft style condos priced from 550-1,250,000. No matter what...there are plenty of condos, price points, lifestyle choices, etc to choose from. This is a terrific time to buy as it really is a buyers market and you can really negotiate some great deals on nearly any condominium property as there is such a flux of inventory. I wish you all the luck in the world to find the perfect condo for your lifestyle and needs, if you would like further information about condo's feel free to contact your favorite Realtor and request a list of all the condo's available in Spokane so you can make a choice that works for you!
Best of Luck - Tue May 6 2008, 09:07

Tobias,

I am astounded at how many different answers you received. There is one post that in my opinion is fairly accurate and correlates with what my broker has been telling us.(who is a statistical genius...I might add)

According to the home builders association and market statistics, if you look at the numbers of homes on the market...new construction etc. you will see that building permits are down....grossly...however in-migration is up from the year before. Rents have gone up, and soon we will see a shortage of new construction, projectively around mid to late summer. In the course of the last month, I noticed business has really picked up and homes are really starting to sell again. I noticed that nearly every day more and more homes are pending sales. Good luck! - Mon Apr 28 2008, 00:02