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Ways To Save On Heating

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:44:12 -0600

These days I am all about saving money. I am constantly reading blogs aimed at saving and making do with less in our new economy, and in the past few months have learned a great deal. Even a cheapskate like me can learn to be more frugal - amazing!

I wanted to share a great article I just read over at Mummy Deals regarding energy-saving tips for the home. I've never been able to bring myself to plastic-wrap the windows, but by looking at the huge energy savings I believe I'll be heading over to my nearest hardware store soon to get started on this.

Read more here: Save On Heating

Cheers!

Thanks for stopping by my blog!

You can reach me at 206-595-5866, or e-mail me: LisaBosques@PNWRealty.com

Or visit my website: www.98146online.com

I am an Associate Broker and Marketing Specialist with Prudential Northwest Realty Associates. I specialize in homes located in the Burien/North Highline/West Seattle area, and I am here to serve all of your Real Estate needs.
Your success is my goal!

The Real Cost of Owning A Home

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:07:22 -0600

Julie Rains over at Wise Bread has written an excellent article entitled, "What It Really Costs To Own A Home". It's a great run-down of all(or most) of the costs of homeownership.

Now, of course I'm all for investing in a home, but the real costs of ownership cannot be ignored, and need to be given serious consideration when buying a home.

However, there's much to be said for the intangible benefits that draw people to buy a home in the first place. The main point of the article is to make sure you set aside enough money every month so that you can eventually deal with the maintenance issues that are bound to pop up.

Enjoy!

http://www.wisebread.com/what-it-really-costs-to-own-a-home#comments

Unrepresented Sellers(FSBO's): Advice For Selling Your Home

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:36:23 -0500

Selling Your Home On Your Own?

Many homeowners decide to try selling their home on their own. You may be one of them. Below are some tips to keep in mind when selling your own home. However, if the time ever comes when you think you may need assistance, a full-time real estate professional can actually save you time and money in the following ways:

A real estate professional can hold your home open at any time in order to get as many buyers through your home as possible.
A real estate professional can screen all inquiries and only show your home to QUALIFIED BUYERS.
A real estate professional will take on all responsibilities of advertising and marketing, from placing ads and creating/distributing flyers to direct mailings/e-mailings and direct promotion to hundreds, if not thousands of other area agents via e-mail bulletins, brokers opens, etc.
A real estate professional can do research to determine the correct market value of your home, and sell it within your time frame.
A real estate professional knows the buying/selling process from beginning to end, can anticipate potential issues, and can head them off before they become real problems.
A real estate professional can rely on extensive experience and knowledge of the market to negotiate effectively on your behalf.

If you wish to have a Free Market Evaluation of your home at no cost to you, please do not hesitate to e-mail me. Remember, real estate professionals provide this as a service to you. Don't choose a real estate professional based on the highest price suggested for your home; as the seller, it is you who ultimately decides at what price you wish to sell your home. Instead, choose someone whom you feel has an effective marketing plan, and someone with whom you feel you can work closely together as a team for the next couple of months.

Changes To Conventional Fannie Mae Underwriting - Update

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:07:27 -0500

I just received an e-mail from Team Evergreen @ Evergreen Home Loans(www.teamevergreen.net) regarding changes to Fannie Mae coming December 11th. There are some significant details regarding credit scores, ability to secure loans after a foreclosure, loans for duplexes and more. These have not gone into effect yet and have not been confirmed.

******

Fannie Mae will be upgrading their automatic underwriting engine (DU) on Dec 11^th. This doesn’t include FHA/VA or Freddie Mac, but usually they follow suit in a short amount of time.

Here’s is what has been shared with our underwriting department. We will confirm these changes when they actually go in to effect. The reason why we are notifying in advance is incase you have a client that falls in to one of these conditions, it might be wise to get them fully approved & under contract before the Dec 11^th date.

1) 620 minimum credit score required on all loans (Most banks have already implemented this rule)

2) Talk is that FHA will be increasing to 660 (not yet, but expecting)

3) Duplex purchases will require 20% down for Owner Occupied, 25% down for investment. (This is a significant change. Keep in mind that FHA owner occupied will allow 3.5% down)

4) Max Debt to Income (back ratio which includes the new house payment & existing debt) cannot be over 45%. It’s not clear if they will allow exceptions with good compensating factors.

5) 2 months cash reserves on all owner occupied purchases, 6 months cash reserves on each home if purchasing a non-owner occupied home.

6) Be careful of a person owning a home when they owe more than the value, or it’s close. If a person is trying to keep the existing home as a rental and purchase a new “owner occupied” home that is in the same area or has a similar value, the new bank might be worried that the buyer plans to “Buy new home and Bail on the existing home after the new home closes”. This is called “buy and bail” and the new bank is being told not to extend credit for the new purchase.

7) Any person who has filed a Chapter 13 or 7 Bankruptcy, executed a Foreclosure on a home or has a Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure registered, they will not be qualified to purchase another home for 4 years after discharge date. After 4 years, they will need 10% down and higher credit scores. We’ll keep you posted on the final outcome of this change.

Interest Rates remain good at 5.125% for 30 year fixed – Conv, FHA and VA.

Kimberly Terry and Cathy Pizzini

Certified Mortgage Planning Specialists

Team Evergreen

2265 First Ave SW

Seattle, WA 98134

206.774.7595

Fax 206.774.7509

********

Thanks for stopping by my blog!

You can reach me at 206-595-5866, or e-mail me: LisaBosques@PNWRealty.com

Or visit my website: www.98146online.com

I am an Associate Broker and Marketing Specialist with Prudential Northwest Realty Associates. I specialize in homes located in the Burien/North Highline/West Seattle area, and I am here to serve all of your Real Estate needs.
Your success is my goal!

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A Key to Realtor Safety That Is Often Overlooked...Protecting Yourself from YOU

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:37:42 -0500

When I think of Realtor Safety, usually the things that come to mind have to do with protecting myself from the actions of strangers in various situations.

Self-defense is, in my opinion, a very necessary skill, particularly when you're in a field like Real Estate where you're working with the public and in many different geographic areas.

However, the one thing I never imagined I would have to do was protect myself from MYSELF.

Let me explain: I fell down in a house today while out previewing at Broker's Opens and sprained my ankle. I had a moment where my mind was more intently focused on the room I was heading to than on my footing. I fell down one step and twisted my ankle. I was on the ground a good 2-3 minutes, with the agent standing over me asking if she could help me up. All I wanted to do was lie there for a while.

I did eventually pull myself and my humiliated ego off of the ground, and limped to my car. The pain wasn't nearly as bad then as it is right now. This injury is seriously going to put a cramp in my week. If it were any more serious I'd have to go to the doctor, and then I'd really be mad at myself.

I am usually very careful when previewing homes. Even so, something at some point is bound to catch you off guard. I once caught my foot on a slightly higher than normal threshold, and threw out some back muscles pretty good.

From this experience I've been reminded of two things:

1. Pay complete attention to where you're walking inside and outside of a home. There are many things to contend with such as slippery moss, super-secret basement stairwells with no lights and wobbly handrails, and my own klutzy self just to name a few.

2. Wear sensible shoes.

I'm off to elevate and ice my foot now. Be careful out there everyone!

Now $179,900 - Beautiful Townhome in Tall Firs Complex, Twin Lakes/Federal Way

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:26:55 -0500

Lisa Bosques | Prudential NW Realty Burien | 206-595-5866

1729 S.W. 318th PL Unit 50-A, Federal Way, WA

Tastefully Remodeled Townhome in Tall Firs Community

2BR/1.5BA Condo

offered at $179,950

Year Built	1978
Sq Footage	1,220
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	1 full, 1 partial
Floors	2
Parking	Unspecified
Lot Size	Unspecified
HOA/Maint	$301 per month

DESCRIPTION

Spacious end unit townhome located at the far east end of Tall Firs. This home shows beautifully and has had recent updates including designer paint, new engineered hardwoods, new carpet/vinyl. Slate floors in entry, 1/2 bath & kitchen. Dining area w/large garden window that is unique to end units. Patio & deck w/hot tub, surrounded by tall fence for privacy.Upstairs is the master suite w/walk-in closet, built-in shelves and continental sink w/pass through to main bath. Addl bdrm + newer w/d.

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

- Fireplace	- Walk-in closet	- Hardwood floor
- Tile floor	- Living room	- Dining room
- Dishwasher	- Refrigerator	- Stove/Oven
- Microwave	- Washer	- Dryer
- Laundry area - inside	- Balcony, Deck, or Patio

COMMUNITY FEATURES

- Covered parking	- Guest parking	- Clubhouse
- Storage space(s)	- Fitness center	- Swimming pool(s)
- Tennis court(s)

OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES

- New engineered hardwoods throughout main floor

- Slate flooring in entry and kitchen

- End unit

- Patio, deck and hot tub

- New carpet upstairs

- Designer colors

- Laundry on upper floor

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Photo 1	Photo 1
Photo 2	Photo 4
Photo 1	Photo 2

Contact info:

Lisa Bosques

Prudential NW Realty Burien

206-595-5866

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Sep 20, 2009, 7:19am PDT

250,000 Price Reduction: 2.2 Acres of Land in North Hill Des Moines

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:07:25 -0500

Lisa Bosques | Prudential NW Realty Burien | 206-595-5866

20847 Des Moines Memorial Dr S, Des Moines, WA

Value in land - 2.2 Acres in N. Hill with Territorial Views of Des Moines

5BR/2BA Single Family House

offered at $400,000

Year Built	Unspecified
Sq Footage	2,860
Bedrooms	5
Bathrooms	2 full, 0 partial
Floors	3
Parking	Unspecified
Lot Size	96,927 sqft
HOA/Maint	$0 per month

DESCRIPTION

2.2 acres in North Hill with extreme fixer/teardown house. We're talking no windows, collapsing carport, needs electrical/plumbing, etc etc etc - Value is in the land, DO NOT enter home. Many years ago this was a small vineyard-maybe that can be the inspiration for naming your own subdivision. At least 9-10 homes possible. Territorial/mountain views, possible marina views from some areas. Accessible from DM Memorial and also from S. 209th St and 9th PL S. Zoning is 7200/lot. Additional parcel #'s(5 total): 3596000010, 0822049002, 3596000004 and 2596000574. Willing to sell separately. No survey done, buyer to verify all info to his/her satisfaction. Sold AS-IS.

see additional photos below

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Photo 3	Photo 2
Photo 1

Contact info:

Lisa Bosques

Prudential NW Realty Burien

206-595-5866

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Oct 13, 2009, 4:22am PDT

Bad Real Estate Photos, Now Immortalized on the Web-www.LovelyListing.com

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:24:33 -0500

Ah, yes. I've just discovered another time-sucking website to peruse. The sarcastically-named LovelyListing.com features all of the terribly bad photos we see in the MLS and in our very own flyers.

It looks like we can all stop wasting color toner printing out the most egregious photos and tacking them up on the bulletin board, because now we can not only view these awful photos, but also enjoy some hilarious commentary here.

Enjoy killing lots of time on this site. Oh, and have fun submitting your own photos as well...I'm sure we're all hiding one or two bad photos in our repertoire, or know someone else who is!

Is Your Short Sale or Loan Modification Being Turned Down?

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:10:19 -0500

If you're in need of a clear, concise and comprehensive explanation of the short sale and loan modification process, please take the time to read the following post, written by fellow Active Rain member luxury homes specialist Katerina Gasset.

Via Nestor & Katerina Gasset Realtors® Wellington Florida Luxury Homes (International Properties and Investments, Inc.):

Has your short sale or loan modification been turned down and you have no idea why? Let's examine some of the reasons. These reasons may not make you feel any better or maybe they are just excuses by your lender, however there are a few things you may not even know about your loan.

Let's say that you make your mortgage payment to Wells Fargo. You can no longer handle your payments so you ask Wells Fargo to modify your loan- to do a loan modification for you. You are behind in your payments. You are in fact, in foreclosure but you are still living in your home and the judge in your case has not ordered the sale of your home at auction yet. You are scared. You see your neighbors losing their homes all around you. You are hopeful because you see on the news and in the newspapers that the Federal Making Homes Affordable Program has been helping some folks keep their home and get a loan modification.

You are no longer making your mortgage payment because your adjustable rate has been applied and your mortgage payment has gone from $1600 a month to $2300 per month. You just can not make these payments. You have been trying for almost 2 years now to get Wells Fargo to approve your loan modification. You even hired an attorney to help you with your foreclosure defense.

Wells Fargo turns down your loan modification request. You wonder, how could this be? After all, Wells Fargo is one of the large lenders and is participating in the government's Federal Making Homes Affordable program.

But Wells Fargo tells you that the investor is the one that will not allow you to get a loan modification. What in the world is an investor doing making decisions on your loan you wonder. Well, you are not alone in your confusion. Every day we are explaining the whole mortgage note owner thing to buyers agents, real estate agents and homeowners.

Just because you make your house payments to Wells Fargo does not mean they own that note that you are paying on. They are the servicer. Other words you will hear them called are asset management companies.

The very first thing you need to do before you ask for a loan modification is to find out who actually owns your note. You can do this by calling who you make your mortgage payments to and asking them.

If it is Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae that own your note- you have a much better chance at getting your loan modification approved if you qualify. If it is a private group of investors, your chances go way down. Why would this happen?

One in eight homeowners' loans were sold to investors on Wall Street. What happens is that a bunch of loans are packaged together. These are called mortgage-backed securities. They are then sold off to investors. Homeowners who have mortgage-backed securitized loan are five times more likely to be late on their house payments. Many of these borrowers were given loans they were not qualified for from the beginning. Many of the homeowners getting these loans did not read the fine print and did not realize how high their mortgage payments might go when adjusted.

The rules to allow modifications, short sales and terms of foreclosures and deficiencies are ambiguous at best. Homeowners who are told no by the investor have little recourse.

The federal Making Homes Affordable program lenders who participate in the program must modify all homeowners that qualify. The exception is when the investor has a rule that they do not allow modifications.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported to Congress on June 3rd that these securitized mortgages are a "hurdle" to the success of the Making Homes Affordable program. The treasury department has not disclosed why the modifications are denied so there are little to no facts to go on.

Why would the investors say no to your loan modification? Well, Wells Fargo's response is that the investors need their money. Wells Fargo has one situation where the borrowers ( the homeowners) are trying to get their loan modified but Goldman Sachs is the issuer and Deutsche Bank is the trustee. But when you go and talk to these investors and we have on several occasions when doing short sale negotiations for our sellers; the investor passes the buck back to the servicer. For instance, Deutsche Bank says that Wells Fargo is solely responsible for the decision to modify a loan or not.

Some people say that the investors are the scapegoats. Everything can easily be blamed on them. Since you rarely get to speak to anyone at the investors' group it is hard to tell who is telling the truth. In this particular situation Wells Fargo is saying that the investor is not forgiving the past due debt and that makes the payment go up on a loan modification because then Wells Fargo would have to put that past due balance along with all the penalties and fees into the loan modification which then may cause the homeowner to not qualify financially for the loan modification.

Servicers have agreements, contracts that they sign with investors. These agreements contain the rules for modifications. These agreements are called Pooling and Servicing Agreements which is known as PSA's. The PSA is most often what the servicer says is the reason for them not being able to do the loan modification or release the deficiency on a short sale.

But when you talk to other people in the management areas or to the investors they claim that there is nothing in the PSA's that would prevent the servicer from approving loan modifications, short sales and releases. There is a new study coming out from a law school wherein they state that only 8% of these mortgage-backed securities agreements contain any language that says the servicer is not allowed to do a loan modification for these notes. That means that about 92% of all the NO's; could actually be YES's. So why would that even happen?

Fear of law suits! The language in the PSA in question here, Wells Fargo and Deutsche Bank- it says that Wells Fargo can "waive, modify or vary any term" as long as Wells Fargo as the servicer makes a "reasonable and prudent determination" that the modification is in the investor's best interest. Attorneys examining these agreements say there is quite a bit of room for servicers to make these decisions. But the language itself in this agreement is enough for the servicers legal counsel to be concerned with the investor suing them for not acting in the best interest of the investor. They can not, no matter how inhumane this sounds, put the homeowner ahead of the investor. This is about business and if they want business from investors they need to make sure they are looking out for the interests of the investors.

The treasury department has stated that the fear of law suits is the biggest deterrent to getting the servicers to approve loan modifications and short sales. So doing little or simply turning down the loan modifications are the answer many servicers choose. This is not personal and this is not against you, the homeowner. The position of the servicers is to watch their own backs and to protect the assets to which they have been entrusted with, your mortgage-backed security. The Treasury Department says they can relieve some of the pressure of the fear of lawsuits by standardizing requirements for loan modifications and also provide some type of calculation to figure out if the investor will make more money by the loan modification or by the foreclosure.

We need to keep in mind one big thing in all of this and that is that these investors end up being regular people because most of these mortgage-backed securities were bought by pension funds and retirement plans of folks like your parents or even yourselves. You may well be one of the shareholders of the very loan you can not pay.

T o view Florida Short Sales- Click here . We know Palm Beach County Short Sales and Port St Lucie Florida Short Sales and will help you get your home Sold if you need to Sell your home and help you buy your home in Palm Beach County Florida : Call us today.

By TwitterButton

Is Your Short Sale Or Loan Modification Being Turned Down?-was first published on South- Florida-Luxury-Living.com.

Copyright © 2009 By Katerina Gasset, All Rights Reserved.*Is Your Short Sale Or Loan Modification Being Turned Down?*

"You Can Make A Fortune In Foreclosures!"

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 09:07:25 -0500

That's the excited claim I hear coming from my radio every morning. A local commercial is advertising foreclosure workshops and stating several examples in their commercial of great deals to be had.

"For example, a house in Tacoma valued at X was recently sold for X. That's $100,000 in instant equity!"

Question is, how are they determining "value"? I'm not certain myself, but from hearing the examples it sounds to me like they are using the previous purchase price to determine value. You know, the prices from 2005-2007 that were inflated to begin with. That is not the value anymore.

Sure, there may be a little bit of instant equity. But $100,000 or more? You'll be lucky to purchase a bank-owned or foreclosure and reap 4-or low 5-figure gains right off the bat, and that's after you put in some work.

So a note of caution when listening to these commercials, and remember, if you have any questions about any home, you can always ask your favorite real estate professional to help you with a little research.

9.9.09: Customer Service FAIL

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:28:27 -0500

I really hate to complain. Truly, I do. But today I have experienced a succession of customer service failures, and frankly I'm at the point of exhaustion and complete frustration. It's 6:30 p.m. and I just want to go to bed and start over tomorrow.

Today was my son's first day of school. He is supposed to catch his bus(for what was to be his first bus ride ever) at 8:08. We arrived at the elementary school around the corner from our house, his bus stop, at 7:55 a.m. and checked in with the principal to find out exactly where we are supposed to wait, since it wasn't addressed in the letter that I received from the school. No biggie I guess.

So we wait. And wait. A bus finally comes at 8:20 and does not turn in to the bus zone but speeds past, and stops more than half a block away. We run over there to see which bus it is. There's no number posted on the bus's back or front windows, so we have to go all the way to the side of the bus, which means running all the way to the bus, to read the opaque white numbers on the side, which are obscured by mirrors if you happen to be looking at the bus from the front.

It's not our bus. Meanwhile, a whole bunch of buses start turning into the bus zone so we run back to make sure we don't miss it. None is our bus. We wait till 8:30, 8:35. My husband, just getting off of work, sees us and comes by the school. I tell him what's going on and we get in the car to take my son to school. Luckily he got off work early; we only have one car. Meanwhile, I have the principal call transportation to see what's going on.

So we get to my son's new school late. I ask two different staff members where my son's teacher's class is, and they lead me to complete opposite ends of the building. At the beginning of the year we found out that my son's program would be moving to this school. In front of the entrance to every group of classrooms were big sheets of paper with the teachers' names on them; every one, of course, except for that of my son's teacher. Finally at 8:55 I find the teacher and send my son into class late. I overhear other students in my son's program talking about how they were not picked up by the bus either.

I call the district transportation line and ask why my son was not picked up this morning. She asks for my son's name, and then says, "Oh, the bus driver came by at 8:08 but your son was not there." I tell her that's a flat-out lie, and I have the principal to back me up on that. I tell her that I need to know why my son was not picked up so that a) I know he will at least be getting home from school, and b) he can be picked up for school tomorrow. The lady then gives me the excuse that, "Oh, the first couple days of school are crazy, that's just the way it goes and there's nothing I can do about that now!". I tell her that her answer is unacceptable and that we will see what happens tomorrow. I meet the bus driver at the end of the day and asked what happened. He hemmed and hawed and gave a very unclear answer. Gotta love the CYA.

I know that sometimes people need to be cut some slack, but this is 2009. We should have more effective systems down by now.

Why is it okay to have the attitude that it's totally fine to completely forget to pick up little children because it's the "first couple days of school?"

I'm self-employed. I can't get away with making such excuses. On the occasions when I do screw up, an apology sure goes a lot further than a bunch of B.S. and defensive posturing.

******

THEN, we go to T-Mobile because my husband needs a new phone, because his 6-month old phone goes black and dies(nope, we didn't get the warranty). He had decided on a phone online, but when he got to the store he saw another one he liked better. He spends about 40 minutes comparing the two. He finally decides on the one he spotted in the store. We tell the salesperson that this is the phone we want.

He then says: "Oh, that phone? You can't purchase that here, that phone is only available online." "Really?" I said. "Is there some reason why there couldn't be a little note next to the phone that states something to that effect? Because we've just wasted 40 minutes here". I was friendly but clearly frustrated; I'm not one of those people that treats service people badly, but I do share my opinion. He apologized, and we left.

We went home, went online, and - guess what? The phone is not visible anywhere on the website. I pick up my working phone and call my local T-Mobile. I ask if they might have the phone, out of desperation. The very friendly, helpful associate on the other end says, "Oh, that phone? That phone has been discontinued! I'm surprised it was still on the floor!" Yeah, me too buddy.

I know, perhaps I expect too much. Sometimes the world is too much for me. I need to follow in the footsteps of the Danish, the happiest people in the world. Why are they the happiest people in the world, you ask? The answer: lowered expectations. Not to mention highly organized, much like the rest of Scandinavia. I bet any IKEA employee would take one look at our district's school buses and say, "Ya know, maybe we should make bus numbers that are actually VISIBLE, and put them where they can actually be SEEN!".

Done with my rant.

Not A Good Way To Do Business, People!

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:30:35 -0500

This morning I checked my e-mail, and imagine my pleasant surprise when I saw three different inquiries to the three listings I have posted on Craigslist. I clicked on the first one, and it read like this:

"Hi; I've just looked at a house of yours on Cl that I am highly interested in. here is the property ad on Cl:

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/reb/1348724478.html

Is it still available? If so please email me back as soon as you get a chance.. very interested.

thanks"

So I go and reply to the first e-mail with a well-thought out and slightly lengthy response, and send it. Instantly I get this one back:

"Hey thanks for getting back to me about the property. We specialize in
short sales and can get properties moved quickly. If you're nearing
foreclosure or just wanting to get rid of your place, let us talk to
you. It wont cost you a dime.

Please give me some quick info on my website and I'll get in touch shortly.

http://ghew.notlong.com

Thanks alot, I'm looking forward to talking with you!"

How RUDE!!

Then I notice that the other two inquiry e-mails about my listing are worded exactly the same. Nothing like a big fat let-down before 8am on a Monday morning. So please watch out for these annoying so-and-so's.

*UPDATE*

I was overcome with a vindictive streak, so I went to the website and entered my phone number. I found out the name of the loss mitigation company behind this, if anyone wants to know who it is please contact me. (I then went to my YouMail account and set up a personal "Disconnected" greeting to end the calls).

We Want Your Blood!

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:18:22 -0500

Did you know that less than 5% of the
population donates blood?
Roughly 60% of the population is eligible though,
AND 95% of us will need blood at one point
or another in our life times.

Prudential Northwest Realty has joined forces with Cascade Regional Blood Services and will hold its Blood Drive on Thursday, September 3rd from 10:00 until 2:00 p.m.

PLEASE SHOW YOUR

SUPPORT AND JOIN US!
127 SW 156th Street
Burien, WA 98166

Can't make it on Thursday? Our other office locations will also hold blood drives during that week. Call me for more information.

Thank you for your support!

Lisa Bosques, Associate Broker

Prudential NW Realty - Burien

PH: 206-595-5866 e-mail: LisaBosques@PNWRealty.com

Elvis Is A Scammer, and I Found Out Thanks To Activerain

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:52:10 -0500

Who needs Google when you have Activerain?

I received a suspicious e-mail today from an individual named Elvis Baker, Private Relocation Agent. He says his clientele includes celebrities, government officials and other clients from the Gulf region. Big fat hairy deal. i'm surprised he didn't put a "Mr." in front of his name, he's so gosh darn dignified and all.

I read through the e-mail(which I will copy below) - basically, Elvis says he needs a residence for his client and client's mistress in Burien of all places. (Maybe Mr. and Mistress Moneybags would be interested in attending a "Raising Backyard Chickens" workshop with me once they move here and become my neighbor!). Anyway...

ROFLMAO. That was the first sign that something was amiss.

So this "Mr. Baker" is asking me to send him listings according to the criteria he gives, with a price range of between $500,000 and $1 Million Dollars! And they would be paying CASH!

I read the e-mail all the way through, and being the gullible sort that I am, read through it again before deciding to take further action. I checked the address and the message line; there was no [quarantine] sign, it looked like a normal e-mail.

I opened a new browser window. Did I go to Google? Nope. I wanted real answers...so I went straight to...

ACTIVERAIN!!

So I hit the "Search" button and typed "Elvis Baker" in the search field. I saw what I wanted right there in the first listing. It was from a blog post written by Anna Baron entitled, "Craigslist Scam". Her post described a different situation, but there was a comment by John Muckleroy on April 21, 2008 that detailed the exact e-mail.

In a matter of seconds I had the answer I needed. Elvis was indeed a scammer, but thanks to Anna, John and Activerain I won't have to wonder if I gave a cash buyer the cold shoulder, and I don't have to stare at the e-mail thinking, "What if?". After all, I may be gullible, but I'm not stupid.

"Elvis Baker", you can cram it!

**************************************************************************************

Here's the e-mail, FYI:

Dear Bosques Lisa,

I am a private relocation agent in the CANADA serving a niche market for top celebrities, government officials and clients from the Gulf region (mainly Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Russia) in meeting their relocation needs.

My clients needs vary considerably. Some of the services I provide to my clients range from simple acquisition of residential properties to assisting their siblings/mistresses settle down in a new country and acquisition of commercial properties.

One of my clients on this occasion has indicated interest in the acquisition of a residential property in the USA particularly in BURIEN for his mistress. Considering the financial implications of my travelling, your expertise, local knowledge and high hotel expenses of my stay, I have chosen to contact you on subject. Would you be kind enough to forward to me by email attachment some of the properties you have on your listing pursuant to this urgent need. To help narrow the search, I have outlined some of the specifics my client has given.

CLIENT’S SPECIFICS

*Minimum of three bedrooms

*Minimum of two baths

*Property must be a stand-alone (Fully Detached) house and not communal residence/block of flats

*Secure Private parking for at least two cars

*Available budget …$500,000 - $1M USD

*Choice residential location offering outright purchase

*Time frame given is three weeks

*Proximity to shopping mall and at the most 10 to 20 miles radius of a city centre

Please consider that my client on this occasion is expecting from me, a fast and excellent service as he has got some urgent family issues and has reposed confidence in me based on my track record from serving his friends and associates in the past. Be very free to contact me ASAP with details of any property reflecting the specifics above to discuss the way forward.

Be sure that we shall both be very clear on issues relating to fees/percentages and client meetings beforehand.

Thank you for your cooperation.

ELVIS BAKER (A.K.A. CHUMP)

Email: (elvisbaker.props@gmail.com)

PRIVATE RELOCATION AGENT

WOW - July 2009 Brings Impressive Price Reductions At Burien Town Square, Burien, WA!

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 09:57:19 -0500

Burien, WA - the new Burien Town Square

**Here's the e-mail that I received from Sarah Heath, Community Sales Assistant over at Burien Town Square:

Dear Lisa,

Greetings from Burien Town Square! For a limited time, we are able to offer reduced pricing on 11 select homes at Burien Town Square. Savings up to $80,000 from original prices!

Studios (531-533 sq. ft.)

#316 WAS $229,950 NOW $199,950

#318 WAS $236,950 NOW $199,950 1+Den/1 (810-905 sq. ft.)

#309 WAS $369,950 NOW $324,950 #327 WAS $364,950 NOW $299,950

#330 WAS $324,950 NOW $299,950

#419 WAS $379,950 NOW $299,950 2/2 (1059-1074 sq. ft.)

#431 WAS $424,950 NOW $399,950 #432 WAS $452,950 NOW $399,950 2+Den/2 (1074-1377 sq. ft.)

#722 WAS $649,950 NOW $599,950

#732 WAS $531,950 NOW $489,950 Live/Work Loft (993 sq. ft.)

#228 WAS $429,950 NOW $374,950

At these new low prices the homes are sure to sell quickly - so bring in your buyers! We're here every day to help you from 12pm to 6pm, and we have a full 3% SOC. More homes available! If you have any questions, please feel free to call us anytime at (206) 901-0000. Hope to see you soon!

**So go check these condos out if you are interested. They are beautiful! And if you need representation, you know where to find me.:)