Zillow has some great research tools and puts out regular research reports available for free to anyone interested in learning more about our housing market. They have reported that the three most perceived barriers to home buying among renters are: inability to finance the down payment, qualifying for a mortgage, or dealing with existing debt. By far, the biggest concern in every major market was coming up with the down payment.

If you work in the off-market property space, especially doing pre-foreclosures, here are some tricks I learned that may increase your income and reduce your liability. You may already know these. Keep in mind, I'm not an attorney and you should consult with an attorney before acting on anything in this article.

Many homes are selling within the first 30 days in the Puget Sound housing market even though housing prices in the Puget Sound market continue to go up and inventory remains tight.

Two things that set Intrust Funding apart from all of the national hard money lenders and most of the local lenders is the number of draws per construction loan and our ability to quickly disburse funds. An extra 2, 3,4 or even 5 days per draw when you are taking four to five draws over the life of the loan will add up to real money. Below are a couple scenarios to consider when choosing a hard money lender.

When you apply for a loan with a hard money company you will undoubtedly be asked for several things including the purchase and sale agreement, pictures of the property, a credit report, your investment history, scope of work and exit strategy for the property. But what questions will you be asking the hard money lender about their services, underwriting guidelines, timelines or loan terms? Anyone that has been to a REAPS meeting probably knows that there are a couple reputable, local companies that offer fast, short-term lending. Have you interviewed different hard money lenders or spoken with other experienced investors at local real estate investment meetings, like REAPS, to see what their experience has been and if they have any recommendations? While other trusted investors are going to be a great source for info it is always nice to hear directly from the lender.

Because the market is so hot right now, should I just go ahead and sell my house now? I've been thinking about it for a while and it seems like a good time to sell." - Jason from Mercer Island

Many would-be wholesalers fail to get started simply because they do not know how to find deals that are not advertised on the NWMLS.

In case there was any question about whether Opendoor, the two-year-old with a $1 billion valuation, is changing the game as the Amazon of home buying, Zillow just broke stride and tipped their hat to Opendoor's model. But Zillow is adding a twist and doing what us wholesalers and flippers have been doing for years: Using other people's money.

By the time you read this, the Legislature will have concluded its third extraordinary session of 2017. As I write this, the Legislature has not agreed on a capital budget in that session because legislators cannot agree on a solution for the Supreme Court's October 2016 Hirst decision on land development in an era of water scarcity.

By Will Heaton

An underwriter can mean many things depending on the industry, but since we are all here for real estate we can assume that we are talking about lending on properties. A typical bank will have underwriting guidelines that are heavily dependent on the borrower, their credit and job histories and ability to pay back the loan. The property matters only to an extent that the bank will check the appraisal and trust the given fair market value (PMV) of the property from the appraiser and his or her opinion of value.

By Doug Owens

One of the benefits of being a member of the state bar association is that I can receive information generated by colleagues on topics that are of interest to REAPS members. One of my colleagues wrote an article recently on short-term rentals and some legal issues these rentals present that are not present in more typical residential rental situations and after investigating I decided to pass on some of these points to you as well as some others I have found.

Q&A With a Local Expert in Real Estate Investing

By Doug Owens

A couple of months ago I wrote on the Supreme Court’s decision in the Hirst case and noted that the state was then without a capital budget because of the legislative impasse from that decision. I indicated that between then and the 2018 legislative session, people seeking to develop property in counties whose comprehensive plans resemble Whatcom County’s plan could expect that permit reviews would be extended while the counties deal with the Hirst case. One of the benefits of practicing law in a community is the availability of experts who are kind enough to share their knowledge with the rest of us. I came across an article in the King County Bar Bulletin written by such a person, Kate Hambley, that illuminates this topic and I include some of her points in a further message to REAPS members.

By Wendy Ceccherelli

Are you familiar with the Federal Housing Administration rules on flipping houses? Here they are, straight from FHA:

By Pam Christensen

I Recently returned from the RESA (Real Estate Staging Association) conference and as usual, my head is exploding with ideas for ways we can improve our business and services for all of you. In addition, this year I spent 2 days, which wasn't nearly enough, at the Las Vegas Furniture Market. Talk about a kid in a candy store! I have tons of new ideas for new designs. What I really love about the market though is seeing the new trends in furniture, bedding, and accessories. There's some cool stuff that is coming out:

By Will Heaton

By James Dainard

James Dainard, Co-Founder of Heaton Dainard Real Estate has completed over a thousand real estate transactions in Western Washington. We are giving you the opportunity to ask an expert your top real estate investment questions. As the year comes to a close I asked my real estate team what questions we are getting from our clients. Below are a few of the great questions we received from our valued clients.

By Fred Rea

By Jason Roberts

I think one of the most important lessons I have ever learned in business, heck even in life, was to Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable. I am sure that most of you have seen this written somewhere. Usually, it pops up on my news feed on Facebook a couple times a year or I see it on one of those inspirational posters in the doctor’s office with a cute kitten hanging from a tree or something. You may even be thinking while reading this, “Well, of course, you do that is the only way you can grow!” But how many of you have actually implemented it in your business?

By Pam Christensen