"Singing in the Rain!"

Let’s face it, these are challenging times, especially for Sellers. Nearly half of the market areas in Kitsap County WA have more than a year’s worth inventory of homes currently available for purchase. Add to that mix the decreasing property valuations, along with an increase in short sales and foreclosures, and the result is an intensely competitive and difficult market dynamic for Sellers.

So what viable home marketing options are available for today’s Sellers in the midst of such dire circumstances?

To learn more about the options available for selling your home in today's tough market, go to SOUNDBITEBLOG (opens up in a separate window for your viewing ease).

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com and Crabbing in the Hood, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

The picture shown above was taken for Mother's Day 2009. From left to right: Alex, our daughter-in-law (Ben's wife); Luke, Ben, Emily, and Elliot.

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, SOUNDBITEBLOG, and Crabbing in the Hood, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

“And you will know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”

                                                                John 8:32

Okay, so the topic of VA appraisals here in Kitsap County WA isn’t on quite the same level playing field as Biblical Truth, but the principle is still the same.

One of my marketing catch phrases is ‘providing knowledgeable empowerment’ for my clients. By that, I mean, one of my primary goals is helping to more fully educate my clients through my years of experience, training, and education as a real estate professional, so as a result, they are more empowered to make intelligent and prudent decisions regarding buying or selling real estate.

One of the potential pitfalls of a VA loan transaction is the appraisal process. To learn more about how Buyers can better anticipate possible VA appraisal issues, go to SOUNDBITEBLOG (opens up into another window for your viewing ease).

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, SOUNDBITEBLOG, and Crabbing in the Hood, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

It's really exciting to see these event popping up all over the country! It's especially encouraging when you can include local brokerages, realtor associations, and the local MLS providers. The more people we can encourage to engage in social media, the greater the benefits will translate to consumers.

This is the 3rd and final installment in a series entitled “The Art of Offering Less” and deals with the unique nuances associated with tendering an offer that is lower than the asking price.

In the 1st article we discussed the market dynamics that tend to encourage or breed low offers.

In the 2nd article, we shared various strategies for Buyers to achieve success with low offers.

In this final part, we’ll talk about the risks that are inherent with making low offers.

To read the rest of this article, simply click through to SOUNDBITEBLOG. (Opens in a separate window for your viewing ease)

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, SOUNDBITEBLOG, and Crabbing in the Hood.

This past Wednesday I had the extreme privilege of representing ActiveRain on a panel of social media/technology experts for the Seattle King County Association of Realtors in Bellevue WA. The event was organized and sponsored by nationally acclaimed speaker/trainer Claudia Wicks of Real Estate Base Camp.

The panel consisted of Yours Truly; Dan Mc Comb, Co-Founder of Biznik.com, a social network for small businesses entrepreneurs; and Denise Seavitt, CEO of Seavitt Real Estate, a very successful and highly regarded Broker in the Seattle area.

I was truly honored to be associated with such incredibly cool and tech-savvy professionals.

Dan has done an amazing job of launching Biznik.com and has gained some HUGE traction. Be sure to check out their website and get something started in your own neck of the woods!

Denise has achieved a level of success and accomplishment that few ever reach in our business. She attributes a great deal of that success to the effective implementation and disciplined use of her database.

Claudia was her usual gifted self as moderator and kept things moving along at a steady clip. Claudia has this amazing talent for emphasizing and reinforcing key points throughout the event, helping to ensure greater retention value.

I especially enjoyed this event because the participants were clearly engaged and encouraged to pose questions. The information shared by the panelists was both practical and beneficial, rather than the typically theoretical or overly-technical content normally espoused at such venues.

A HUGE kudos to Claudia for organizing and sponsoring this event, and to the Seattle-King County Association of Realtors for recognizing and understanding the value of social media/technology in our business today.

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, SOUNDBITEBLOG, and Crabbing in the Hood.