The past few years have more than likely taught all of us a few new lessons: how to be a “Recession-ista”, how to find great cheap food in Seattle, how to forge new career paths and how to make your “three” year home work for at least “seven” years. All these lessons lead to great new skills for many of us. The one thing Americans have proved over and over again is that you can’t really keep us down. When life gives us lemons – some of us make lemonade. Some of us even make lemonade and then add a little gin and thyme for a lovely cocktail! That said, for many of us, we Divas included, we are a little over “making it work.” And the “three year house” is on its way to stretching into year eight.  By this point – we are done! And if you are one of those folks then your time has come my friends. It’s finally time to Make That Move!

Whether you are up-sizing, down-sizing, or “school-sizing” as we say, here are some great reasons why you should consider Making That Move today:

1.) The Feds have handed us the golden ticket of interest rates but it won’t/can’t last forever. Maybe you will sell your home for 5% more in 6 months but you will also pay 5% more for that new house as well. Take advantage of the great rates while they last. I know they say 2015 but we have already seen a jump in inflation, my friends. Get in while the getting is good!

2.) Competition or – lack there of. Did we mention that there is barely anything to buy out there! Seriously, lowest inventory ever. You used to be able to throw a stick and hit a for sale sign in Capitol Hill. No more folks. Currently there are less condos for sale than buyers – which means fewer days on market, less negotiating and even multiple offers. And no new construction coming on any time soon. Does anyone doubt this is a good time to sell?

3.) Jobs! Yep I said it – Jobs. This year we created about 49,000 new jobs in Seattle. This means growing competition for housing big time in the next few years. If you are ready to make the move now – don’t wait until all those new Boeing, Microsoft, Amazon & Google folks decide it’s time to stop paying through the nose for a tiny one bedroom apartment and start buying. Avoid the competition and get on the move train now!

Now that you are ready to Make That Move – here are some key tips to getting started:

Fix it, Replace it, Purge it Now!

Don’t wait until you are a month from trying to list to take care of this stuff. Life will be so much easier – trust me. Fix anything minor that is broken now – no matter how small. Replace any cranky, quirky and barely working appliances while you have the time to search for a deal. And get rid that couch you’ve had since college. Can’t be HGTV beautiful with a cat scratched couch. If you don’t need it and don’t want to move it, now is the time to let it go bye bye.

Have the “Talk”

Sure you all want to move but what is your primary motivation? Maybe your partner’s is different than yours. Is it better Seattle schools, to be closer to your new South Lake Union office, to get off the busy street? What are your minimum requirements for moving? Will you only move if you can get that perfect Craftsman in the John Stanford school district or do you just need one more bedroom and one more bath? Talk it over now so that you and your family have as clear a vision as possible. Remember – it will take time to find the right house, maybe 6 months or longer. The clearer the vision – the easier it will be for us Divas to make sure we find you the right house at the right time!

Get Re-Acquainted with Your Mortgage Broker

For many of you the next move will more than likely be a move up, but even if it isn’t, you still want to understand your financial position. Time to set that coffee date with your loan officer! If haven’t purchase and home since 2007 – things will be very different now then they were then. New regulations offer fewer options for buy-up buyers with homes to sell or rent.  Also, this time you may be considering a jumbo loan? Knowing those loan limits and your loan options will make it easier to budget for that new purchase.

There are so many questions to ask and decisions to make when transitioning to the next phase of homeownership. There will be more blogs to come to help you along the way but – there is nothing like the real thing. Need some advice, have some questions, just curious to know if now is the right time? Contact us! The Divas are always ready to chat and the coffee – or cocktails – are on us!