At Home Spokane

If you've come to check out this site because you recently visited the Costco on Sprague in Spokane, you may be wondering, "What exactly is a miracle agent?"! Since 1992, RE/MAX has partnered with the Children's Miracle Network and has donated over $150 million for 170 Member hospitals. From the Press Release: Every minute, 62 children enter a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital for treatment; every 30 seconds, a RE/MAX agent helps someone find their perfect place. Last year, RE/MAX Affiliates in the U.S. and Canada donated over $10 million to 170 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals through the Miracle Home and Miracle Property programs. The amazing thing that really captured my attention about the Children's Miracle Network is that ALL of the money raised stays local. So every dollar that is donated here in Spokane, stays here in Spokane! Our office had the opportunity to tour Sacred Heart Children's Hospital to see where the money goes and it...

If there is one part of any transaction that causes people the most stress and anxiety, I think it is the closing process. I want to break it down here a little bit and hopefully alleviate some of the anxiety before you even get there! Naturally, I need to disclaim a few things first. 1. Every transaction is different and every market is different, so, while this description is largely true for MOST transactions in Spokane, WA, your experience (especially if you are in a different market) may vary greatly. 2. I am not a closer, attorney, financial adviser, land surveyor, pest/mold/dog expert/etc,etc,etc - please, talk to your Realtor/Lender/Closer or relevant professional for your specific circumstances. If you need a good referral to any of those, give me a shout and I'll help you out! The below description is for general information purposes and is not meant to guide you through your transaction! So I had a question (I actually get this one a lot) that stood out to me and ...

Please share this with everyone you know, as it is probably the number one thing that MOST home buyers don't know and absolutely need to know! In fact, if there is one thing I wish I knew when I bought my first house (and second house) before I became a Realtor myself, it would be this ONE thing! In almost every situation, you, the Buyer, can be represented by ANY Realtor that you would like COMPLETELY FREE! And that Realtor can represent you in the purchase of almost ANY house in your market! I'm going to explain how and why this works and then I'm going to explain why it is extremely beneficial, almost crucial, for you to know this and take advantage of it. First, in order to understand how and why this works, you need to understand the mechanics of how Real Estate works in the current Real Estate world. (It wasn't always the way I'm about to describe, in fact it changed in the early 90's, so if you bought your last house in the 80's s...

This is a "dig deeper" definition post. For more definitions, click here . This post takes a deeper look at what a Buyer (in terms of Real Estate) is and what their role is in the transaction. First, a dictionary definition:  a person who makes a purchase.   This is actually an important definition to consider when looking at a potential Real Estate deal. This is also one of those situations where a "Real Estate Word" can mean a lot of different things depending on context! I'll try to go in order here: The first time that the word "Buyer" is used is when a Realtor or Lender first meet with someone that is interested in buying a house. At this stage, that Buyer may be referred to as a "Potential Buyer" a "Possible Buyer" or just "Buyer". For instance, a Realtor might call a Lender and say, "I've got a potential Buyer that wants to know how much money he/she would be able to spend, can you help them get pr...

If, at first glance, you thought this post was a sign suggesting that you should sell your house in Spokane, WA... maybe it was! I imagine that every Realtor in Spokane that saw this said, "Yes please" - and I was tempted to make the title "Sell Your Home In Spokane (please)!" because some days that is how we all feel! Our inventory is very low right now here in Spokane, so almost every conversation I have with other Realtors seems to involve a comment about wishing for more inventory! We have plenty of buyers that are looking, but the options are limited and the good ones are gone the first day they are listed! If you've been on the fence about listing your house and needed a little push, consider yourself pushed! (*The above commentary about our Spokane Seller's market was made late June of 2016 - if for some reason I have not updated it, please check with your favorite, local, Spokane Realtor for current market conditions!) Having said that, this is act...

So, you've decided to buy a house!  That's great! If this is your first time, that process can seem a little daunting! One of the things that I love the most about being a Realtor is walking people through that process. Along the way, we all learn something, but for a first time buyer, it is easy to feel like, "I don't even know what I don't know, so how can I ask the right questions?" There is no way for me to tell you all of the things that you are likely to face in your transaction because every transaction is different and something new will always come up. I try to spend a lot of time with veteran Realtors and the one thing that I hear consistently from all of them is that even after 30, 40, 50 - or more years, they are still coming across things they have never seen before. So, number 1 in this Buying Process guide is "At some point, you will be surprised by something"! And that is okay. If you have a good Realtor and a good lender and yo...

Greetings! I am 'cranking up' the old blog and getting things started because I have waited way to long to start and in order to start, you have to start somewhere. So I thought it would be appropriate to start where I tell all my clients to start - with a lender! Why? - Good question, thank you in the back for asking! Let's paint a scenario. You come to me and your all excited about buying your first house! You have been surfing Zillow for about a year, you know how much you want your monthly payment to be and you have found the perfect house! What could possibly go wrong. (By the way, all the realtors in the room are cringing right now because everything in this scenario screams at them what will most likely go wrong, but we're going to get to a lot of that later, for now we are just dealing with the lender part of things) So you send me your listing (listing is a fancy Realtor word for "House that is listed in the local MLS [MLS is "Multiple Listi...

Hi! Welcome to Spokane! Whether you are just visiting or are considering moving to Spokane, I would like to say "Welcome"! I grew up in New Jersey, met my wife in Olympia, WA and together we have lived in Southern California and South Carolina before finally settling down here in Spokane, WA! We are profoundly blessed to have found this amazing corner of the world and are very excited to be able to raise our family here! My goal here is not to be a directory of all the things that Spokane has to offer, as there are already a good number of sites doing that. I do like to explore though and highlight the things that I have found, so as you discover cool, hidden secrets of Spokane, please share them and I will do the same! From great events like Hoopfest  (June 24-25) and Bloomsday  (May 7 this year) to nature trails and awesome parks , Spokane has an incredible amount of variety to offer for it's size. It truly feels like a small town, but offers so...