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Hi, I’m Ansley, And I’m a First-Time Home Buyer
January 26, 2018 /I’ve been writing for the awesome Pickett Street Properties Team for nearly a year now, and it seems I’m overdue for a personal introduction. Hello! My name is Ansley. I’m a teacher and a writer. I'm also a first-time home buyer. I spent most of my life in the Seattle area before moving to Colorado for graduate school. While I fell hard for Colorado’s snowy mountains, sunshine, and blue skies (seriously--you haven’t seen the sky until you’ve experienced it out here!) it’s my dream to move back to the Seattle area. I’m good at drinking a lot of coffee while watching the Great British Baking Show and reading New York Times articles in bed. I’m also good at whining at my partner to bring me things like socks and chocolate and more coffee so that I don’t have to get out of bed. I’m lucky that I have the most patient partner in the world. I love running and hiking in the mountains with my deaf puppy. I love learning and writing about the world in all its complexities. And now, a personal anecdote. A few weeks ago, my partner and I received the catering contract for our upcoming June…Read more
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Seattle Real Estate Update for Fall 2017
October 12, 2017 /With its misty mornings and mouthwatering apple harvests, fall in the Seattle area is in full swing. As the seasons change, let’s check in on how the Seattle real estate market is doing. The median price for Seattle home is $667,500, or $476 per square foot, which is an increase of 16% over last year. Whether you are buying or selling, or are somewhere in between, here’s the latest scoop on the local market. 1. Mortgage rates rose last week but remain low. In the beginning of October, 30-year fixed-rate mortgages rose ever so slightly, from 3.83 percent to 3.85 percent. According to Freddie Mac, the 15-year fixed-rate also rose from 3.13 percent to 3.15. Adjustable five-year mortgages rose from 3.17 percent to 3.20 percent. Despite these increases, mortgage rates remain very low, which is good news for home buyers. 2. Seattle real estate reporter talks about the bubble. Because Seattle is experiencing such a competitive, wild real estate market, the question on many people’s minds is whether or not the current situation is a bubble that will eventually burst. Seattle real estate reporter Mike Rosenberg discussed this question and more in his recent AMA interview on Reddit. According to…Read more
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Do You Like Low Interest Rates?
May 9, 2017 /Interest Rates Unchanged After The Fed's Wednesday Meeting After its meeting this Wednesday, the Fed voted to leave interest rates unchanged, keeping its benchmark rates at 0.75-1.00%. The decision was a response to the economy’s slow .7% growth in the year’s first quarter. Much of this slowing growth can be attributed to the transition period following the presidential election, so the Fed remains optimistic for future economic growth. In that case, two more rate increases are expected by the end of the year. The next rate hike is expected to occur in June as long as the economy continues to grow, while many experts expect a second increase to occur in September. Overall, the decision seems to have had a very slight indirect effect on mortgage rates. As of Thursday, the average 30-year FRM was down about 1 basis point, hovering around 4.02%, while the average 15-year ARM and remained around 3.27%. And, though rates are always changing, many experts don’t expect them to increase dramatically between now until the end of the year. Many economists expect the 30-year FRM to fall between 4.2-4.5% at the end of 2017. For some, these rates might seem to be way too high.…Read more
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Chunky, creamy or extra crunchy?
October 21, 2016 /When my girlfriend sent me out to buy peanut butter last week, she had no idea that such a simple task would end in disaster. To put this grim statement in context, it’s important to understand that I’m still used to Irish supermarkets (in which you can choose between two brands of peanut of butter and dare not ask for more) and regard all American Mega-Marts with unease and mistrust. As such, you’ll understand when I say that my trip to our local King Soopers became a task fraught with anxiety. Reaching the peanut butter aisle, I was astounded to discover that it was exactly that: a whole aisle devoted to nothing but different brands of peanut butter. I shuffled to and fro along the shelves, wondering whether chunky would taste better than creamy, or if reduced fat meant the same thing as 30% FEWER CALORIES!!! Even worse, was I supposed to buy any old run-of-the-mill butter, or would it be better to buy an all-natural brand? And what was the difference between all-natural and organic anyways? Surely peanut butter couldn’t be organic but not all-natural? All of this was very confusing; perhaps there were better options at the Safeway…Read more
