"Singing in the Rain!"

The first step in the VA Loan Home Buying process is to firm up your financing and get pre-approved for your loan. This really sets the stage for all that follows and effectively drives your home searching adventures.

Ask you real estate agent for recommendations on some qualified, experienced local lenders/loan officers. A knowledgeable mortgage professional will be able to analyze and assess your financial status, and help determine the best loan product for your particular situation/budget.

To read more about the features and benefits of VA Home Loans, go to SOUNDBITEBLOG (opens in a new picture for your viewing ease)

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional in Kitsap County WA. He's been married to a drop-dead gorgeous blonde for over 25 years, has four totally awesome kids, and a purebred Golden Lab named Sadie. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, SOUNDBITEBLOG, and Crabbing in the Hood.

My youngest son, Luke (18), playing safety on defense for the Central Kitsap High School Cougars Junior Varsity team, recovers a blocked kick, and scores his first high school touchdown.

(Forgive the poor quality shooting. The videographer was a tad bit excited!)

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional in Kitsap County WA. He's been married to a drop-dead gorgeous blonde for over 25 years, has four totally awesome kids, and a purebred Golden Lab named Sadie. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, SOUNDBITEBLOG, and Crabbing in the Hood.

I had a few rather awkward and painful, but short-lived experiences with student athletics when I was growing up.

I remember being on a Babe Ruth baseball team out in Livermore CA sponsored by Patterson Glass. It was my first team where the uniform wasn't a cheap silk-screen t-shirt. Even though I couldn't hit or field a baseball, at least I looked as though I had reached the Major Leagues.

My Dad had always been the motivating force behind my illustrious baseball career, so when my folks divorced, and he moved to Southern CA, he wasn't around to remind me of practices or games.

One hot summer afternoon, my sisters and I walked over to May Nissen Park to show off our skills at cannonballs and jackknifes in the massive public pool. As we made our way through the park, we noticed a baseball game in progress. As we drew closer, I realized the uniforms looked familiar. It was 'my' team - Patterson Glass!

In junior high, I attended Mendenhall Middle School. You'd think we would've had a cool mascot name, like the Mustangs, or the Mavericks. But no, we were the Mendenhall Moles! How can anyone in their right mind take the field and meaningfully compete in any kind of athletic competition with a name like that?

I was tall for my age, just under 6 foot, and along with that came the misguided assumption that I could play basketball, a notion that I quickly and rather embarrassingly dispeled on numerous occasions.

Mike Kraft told me that chicks liked jocks, so I attempted to play flag football. Thank God full contact wasn't allowed back then, or I never would've made it to high school!

Now understand, I wasn't just athletically challenged. I was beyond clueless. And to make matters worse, I was the only kid on the team who wore a long sleeved jersey. Like I really needed to draw further attention to myself! However, there was an upside - I could wrap tape around my forearms and write down where I was supposed to go on each play, and cover it up with the sleeves!

The game against East Avenue will be forever emblazoned on my mind. Some expert coaching mind came to the brilliant conclusion that I would make a good offensive lineman. As luck would have it, I was paired across from Gary Dimon, living proof that Darwin was right. The guy had facial hair, for Goodness sake! Needless to say, the opposing team quickly discovered a weakness in our front line, and proceeded to pulverize our quarterback for the rest of the game.

And so it is that I have this tendency to bring a small amount of 'baggage' with me as I vicarious live out my 'inner athlete' through the sports escapades of my 3 sons - Ben, Elliot, and Luke.

Stay tuned for Part Two, coming soon to a blog near you!....

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional in Kitsap County WA. He's been married to a drop-dead gorgeous blonde for over 25 years, has four totally awesome kids, and a purebred Golden Lab named Sadie. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, SOUNDBITEBLOG, and Crabbing in the Hood.

The following is a brief analysis of the combined single-family home and condo market within Kitsap County, Washington for September 2009, provided by Rich Jacobson of Windermere Real Estate, in Silverdale, WA (this includes data for Bainbridge Island WA)

• Properties currently active on the market:  2056
• Properties closed in the last 180 days:  1414
• Average Sales Price:  $298,850
• Average List Price:  $311,121
• Ratio of List Price to Sales Price: 96%
• Average Days on Market: 96
• Sales Pending this Week: 68

Poulsbo WA statistics separately: (Area 166)

• Properties currently Active on the market:  116
• Properties closed in last 180 days:  112
• Average Sales Price:  $321,722
• Average List Price:  $329,347
• Ratio of List Price to Sales Price: 98%
• Average Days on Market: 89
• Sales Pending this week: 7

WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW?

The Fall season on the Kitsap Peninsula WA is definitely upon us! Temperatures are cooling down, the mornings are darker, and local high school football is in full swing!

In most markets across the country, real estate is seasonal, and typically begins to slow down once school starts back up. But here in Kitsap County WA we still are experiencing a steady flow of activity, especially with Buyers trying to take advantage of the $8000 Federal Tax Credit for 1st Time Home Buyers. In order to qualify for this credit, the purchase contract must be closed no later than December 1st, 2009.

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For more additional information and resources concerning real estate in Kitsap County WA and the Western Puget Sound, access my website, Kitsap Life .

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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, ActiveRain, and Crabbing in the Hood, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

One of my most favorite and popular series I've authored since jumping into the blogging fray has been "Adventures in 1st Time Home Buying!" a fun and informative collection of 10 articles created specifically to guide 1st Time Buyers through the home purchasing process.

As a veteran who proudly served on-board a submarine in the US Navy, my first two homes were purchased using VA financing. Living here in Kitsap County WA, home to the Bangor Sub Base and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, many of my Buyer clients are Active-Duty military and choose VA loans when buying their homes.

Given the unique nuances and pros/cons of VA financing, I thought it would be helpful to publish a series of articles geared towards helping Active-Duty service members and veterans to better understand the VA loan process, and equip them to intelligently navigate the potential challenges they may encounter.

First, let's dispel what is typically the most common misnomer about VA loans:

A VA loan is a mortgage loan guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and may be issued by any number of qualified lenders, i.e., banks, savings & loans, credit unions, mortgage companies, etc.. However, neither the loan nor the money borrowed is provided by the VA.

The VA Loan began in 1944 through the original Servicemen's Readjustment Act (also known as the GI Bill of Rights). The GI Bill was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and provided Active-Duty Service Members and Veterans with a federally guaranteed home loan with no down payment. This program made the dream of home ownership a greater reality for millions of service people and veterans. The GI Bill has contributed more than any other program in history to the welfare of  our uniformed personnel, veterans, and their families.

In our next installment, we'll compare the VA Home Loan with other loan products, and help to determine if VA financing is the best choice for you.

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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

More great collaboration amongst the giants of RE.net...Thanks Zillow & AR!

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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

(sung to the tune "Let it Snow!")

Oh, the Real Estate Market is Frightful,

but for Buyers it's quite Delightful.

And since there's so many homes,

"Let it Show, Let it Show, Let it Show!"

It doesn't show signs of Improving,

so if you really want to be moving,

whenever a Buyer's Agent calls,

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Okay, so I'm making some phone calls yesterday, trying to line-up a few showings for my Buyer clients. Here in Kitsap County WA, most of the 'Phone-to-Show' numbers listed on the MLS data-sheets are direct lines to the Sellers. And so, when you're making arrangements to show a property, chances are you're going to be making an appointment with the Sellers.....

I don't know about your local real estate market, but here in Kitsap County WA the pendulum has pretty much swung over in favor of the Buyer's side of things. We've got a fairly sizable amount of inventory to choose from, prices have dropped rather attractively, and for the 'not-so-faint-of-heart' Buyers, there are a number of short sale or bank-owned properties to pursue.

Given the current market dynamics, Sellers must confront the challenges of selling their home 'head-on!' and take a very aggressive approach in effectively marketing their home.

So back to my phone calls from yesterday...

My Buyers have some very specific criteria in what they are looking for in a home: They want a view home - mountain, water, or both; a Master Bedroom/bathroom on the main floor; preferably a 3-car garage; and natural gas. Their price range is up to $500K.

I had picked out 4 potential properties for my Buyers to look at - 2 of them were vacant, and 2 required appointments.

My first phone call went something like this:

Me: "Good Morning! My name is Rich Jacobson, and I'm with Windermere Real Estate in Silverdale WA. I have some Buyers who would like to see your home this evening around 6:45pm. Would that be a convenient time for you?"

Seller: "Oh tonight isn't going to work for us. We're currently out-of-town this week and have someone house-sitting for us. Can you bring your Buyers over sometime next week?

The second call went like this:

Me: "Good Morning! My name is Rich Jacobson, and I'm with Windermere Real Estate in Silverdale WA. I have some Buyers who would like to see your home this evening around 7:15pm. Would that be a convenient time for you?"

Seller: "Oh, we're over in Seattle right now, and the house is a total mess. Can you show it on Friday instead?"

The first property has been on the market for nearly 150 days. The second property for just over a year.

I realize this may seem like fairly basic and obvious advice, but it amazes me how many Sellers continue to throw-up roadblocks that prevent the potential sale of their home, or demand unnecessary hoop-jumping that only serves to discourage Buyers from viewing their homes.

'Maximum Accommodation' is the rule of the day! As a Seller, you must make every possible effort for Buyers to see your home. I realize that it gets really old, really fast, trying to keep your home picked up and ready-to-show at a moment's notice. This is especially difficult if you have kids, or pets, or both.

Give each of your kids a specific task that allows them to contribute to the process of getting the house ready to show. If you're out of town and someone is house-sitting, give your Listing Agent their cell phone number, and make it the 'Phone-to-Show' number for that period of time. If you know you're going to be away from the home on a given day, make sure the place is presentable before heading out.

Making your home presentable and easy to show will help to give it the greatest amount of exposure to potential Buyers, and increase your chances of getting it sold more quickly!

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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