When I bought my laptop computer, I was asked by the sales clerk if I also wanted to purchase a warranty. I considered that I had just spent a lot of money on my new computer. Did I really want to spend more on a warranty when I could be buying cool gadgets and accessories instead? And by the time the computer breaks, the prices for laptops will have gone down and I could get a new one for less. On the other hand... it's not just the hardware I needed to think about. This computer would house my files, documents and pictures. Did I really want to risk that?
I ended up buying the warranty. It gave me piece of mind and I actually had cause to use it just before it expired.
Considering the purchase of a home warranty will probably bring up similar considerations. Most people wouldn't mind having one, but who should pay for it?
By the time everything in the contract has been agreed upon, sellers will most likely have made concessions to the buyers and are not inclined to pay for additional services. Buyers, on the other hand, will have so many other expenses after they close on the house that the last thing on their mind is spending another $300 to $400 on a home warranty. As soon as the dishwasher breaks down, two months after move-in, they'll most likely re-think that thought.
In some states it is mandatory that the option to purchase a home warranty is offered i
n the real estate contract.
What is covered by a home warranty differs from company to company, but most appliances, plumbing, electrical items, ductwork, heating and air conditioning are generally covered. The client pays a service call fee for a technician to come to the house to make the repairs. If the items can't be repaired, they are generally replaced with a "like" product.
The main benefits a home warranty offers are:
• Buyers receive the peace of mind that things in their new home won't break down once they move in.
• Sellers won't need to have to deal with buyers calling them after the sale of their home, asking them to pay to fix any problems with items in the home breaking down.
• During the marketing of a listing, a property that offers home warranty coverage for the buyers will have an edge over a similar property that is on the market without a warranty.
• For the Realtor® involved in the transaction there's the peace of mind that his/her clients won't have to deal with pesky repair bills, should something break down.
This last benefit made it real easy for me to settle the question of who should pay for the home warranty.
I will!
If one of my buyer clients purchases a house that doesn't already come with a warranty, I will pay for one at closing. For my seller clients I'll purchase a home warranty when they list the house. This way, if something breaks during the time the home is listed, they don't have to worry about having to spend more money and the buyers won't have to worry about it after the purchase.
It made sense for my computer and it certainly makes sense for a home purchase.
Sandy Nelson
Olympia Realtor®, GRI, ASP, Built Green
360-789-7505
www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com
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All the real estate information on the Internet can not compare to the real time, on-the-ground expertise of a local, skilled Realtor ®. Among all the South Sound real estate resources available, the most powerful tool is my phone number.
Planning a home purchase or the sale of your home will be much more enjoyable when you work with a friendly and knowledgeable professional. I'm dedicated to helping my clients make informed decisions and providing exceptional skill and service.
Have you heard the saying "A man with three watches never knows what time it is"? This applies to gauging the real estate market. Consumers, adept at finding property data on the Internet have experienced that data from Zillow.com is different from Trulia.com, and a home's tax assessment is a whole other story.
Turning to the news isn't very helpful either, as you often hear conflicting reports depending on the media spin.
Real estate is extremely local and detailed. For example, "Home sales in Thurston county are down" is not the same as "Home values in Thurston county are down". This isn't just a nuance; these are differences that completely change the picture. It's like taking your temperature with a tire pressure gauge rather than a thermometer.
Even if average values in Thurston county are reported to have declined, the county is broken down into 16 regions, and some of them are appreciating in value, while others are in stark decline. That's the difference between taking your temperature between your toes, versus under your tongue. You'll be hard pressed to find detailed data that breaks the market down to the accurate degree. Even the sophisticated valuation program we, as Realtors®, , have access to through the title companies, are generally not a true indicator of market values, as some sales are distressed sales (foreclosures, pre-foreclosure) some are sales among relatives (divorce or estate settlements) and other sales are inflated because the seller is paying the buyers' closing costs and financing fees.
Here is the definition of True Market Value: The amount a willing and able buyer will pay for a property in an arms length transaction on the open market.
I wish all I had to do is turn to Zillow.com when I do a market analysis for a particular property. Hey, it only takes 5 seconds for them to spit out a value and I'm done. Any Realtor®, worth his salt, will look at recent sales (6 months or less) within the target neighborhood and inspect every comp to see how long it was on the market, who bought it, how the sale was financed and if the home has similar features and upgrades. No algorithm has been configured yet that can automate this process. It requires a knowledgeable real estate professional. To get a clear reading on the local market conditions, the only and best gauge required is a skilled Realtor®.
Sandy Nelson
Olympia Realtor®, GRI, ASP, Built Green
360-789-7505
www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
All the real estate information on the Internet can not compare to the real time, on-the-ground expertise of a local, skilled Realtor ®. Among all the South Sound real estate resources available, the most powerful tool is my phone number.
Olympia WA is a beautiful and unique city. Discover this city photo by photo and visit the popular viewpoints, as well as the not-so-well-known treasures.
Visit the new photo site www.OlympiaUncovered.com
This picture gallery gives the visitor to Olympia and the surrounding communities of Boston Harbor, Tumwater, Lacey a taste of the local flavor and an impression of the spectacular beauty of the views, art and architecture.
Happy viewing!
Sandy Nelson
Olympia Realtor®, GRI, ASP, Built Green
360-789-7505
www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com
While the financial markets are in upheaval, we hear "experts" tell us we're in a recession, some claiming we've hit rock bottom, others prophesising another great depression. Perceptions are very powerful in such volatile financial times. People with the impression that we're on a fast train to the bottom are pulling their money in a panic; and people acting in panic cause others to panic.
Nobody can be certain exactly what time it is.
If the market is like the face of a clock, with 12 o'clock being a BOOM and 6 o'clock being BUST, I think we can all agree we're currently somewhere between noon and 6:00 p.m. We're heading down, but all markets are cyclical. There are always ups and downs.
Everyone knows that the best time to invest money is in the time frame within the bottom half of the clock.
In the movie "It's a wonderful Life", while everybody panicked and pulled out their money, Mr. Potter remained calm and picked up bargains, and George Bailey was smart and held steady. They had a strategy and held to it. Panic is not a strategy.
These are momentous times that our children will be reading about in their history books. I see incredible bargains come across the MLS on a daily basis. It's a time where cool heads will prevail and savvy people will build their fortunes for tomorrow.
Sandy Nelson
Olympia Realtor®, GRI, ASP, Built Green
360-789-7505
www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
All the real estate information on the Internet can not compare to the real time, on-the-ground expertise of a local, skilled Realtor ®. Among all the South Sound real estate resources available, the most powerful tool is my phone number.
Planning a home purchase or the sale of your home will be much more enjoyable when you work with a friendly and knowledgeable professional. I'm dedicated to helping you make informed decisions and providing you with exceptional skill and service.
The annual National Solar & Green Building Tour is showcasing Olympia area homes, commercial buildings and building innovations. For anyone who's heart beats faster at the sound of terms such as "radiant floor heating", "passive solar design", "tank less water heaters" or "rainwater catchment systems", or for people who have always been curious as to what "building green" looks like in practice, this is the opportunity to see how it's done.
On Saturday, September 27th, from 10:00pm until 4:00pm, local buildings will be held open for visitors. Some of the locations will be hosted by guides who can point out and discuss the "green" features. The tour itself is self-guided and free of charge.
Up for viewing are some very interesting homes, such as Dee Williams's "little house", Dean Edenstrom's straw bale constructed cottage or the Blankenship's passive solar home.
For a list of locations, features and directions, visit http://www.solarwashington.org/tour/2008/OlympiaTour.htm
I'll be on tour and hope to see some familiar faces there.
Sandy Nelson
Olympia Realtor®, GRI, ASP, Built Green
360-789-7505
www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
All the real estate information on the Internet can not compare to the real time, on-the-ground expertise of a local, skilled Realtor ®. Among all the South Sound real estate resources available, the most powerful tool is my phone number.
Planning a home purchase or the sale of your home will be much more enjoyable when you work with a friendly and knowledgeable professional. I'm dedicated to helping you make informed decisions and providing you with exceptional skill and service.
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As a your full service Realtor and Accredited Staging Professional in the Olympia, Lacey, Yelm, Dupont and Fort Lewis area, I specialize in single family residential property and military relocation.
Who wouldn't want to own their own little piece of this beautiful place?
See pictures of the beautiful Olympia area and local neighborhoods here
You'll want to talk to me when it comes time for buying or selling a home in the greater Olympia area. I'm truly passionate about real estate, and I know what you want: You want a professional who is competent in her field, dedicated to your needs and passionate about her work. You don't just want marketing; you want superior marketing that gives your property an edge over the other properties listed on the market. You want your interests protected with warranties and guarantees. Everybody offers service; you want exceptional service, where every detail is attended to. You want a clear understanding of what you can expect. If you needed an operation, you'd naturally want the brightest surgeon. If you were sued, you would seek the sharpest attorney, or better yet, a team of attorneys. So when it comes to real estate, a major investment, you'll want to turn to me and my team. Quality doesn't just happen by chance. It's accomplished by high expectations, intelligent planning, tireless effort and skillful execution. My services are designed to make your needs the focus of my actions. If you are, or ever have been in the military, you'll appreciate that I have been affiliated with the US military for over 20 years. And as such, you'll understand how familiar this makes me with relocation issues. I appreciate the service of our military and their family members and want to put myself at their service for all their housing and relocation needs.
I practice my profession with the support of two full time Realtor team members, who make up the "Key Group". As a "Key client" you enjoy the benefit of having three professionals with a wide range of expertise and training at your service at all times. Our designations include ABR (Accredited Buyers Representative), GRI (Graduate Realtor Institute), ASP (Accredited Staging Professional) and SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist).
What else do you get with me? You get a person who believes in giving back to the community. I try to accomplish that by serving on my neighborhood association board, supporting Habitat for Humanity and by being actively involved with the American Cancer Society's annual Relay for Life event. 
My Mission:
Memberships, Designations and Affiliations:
"Sandra is a woman of integrity and is unfailingly professional."
-Yvonne Pawelek, Ft. Lewis
" We enjoyed working with Sandy so much! Sandy's professionalism, attention to details, and understanding of real estate market are all outstanding"
-Jennie and Hirsch Diamant, Olympia
"...Her style effectively blends friendliness with professional objectivity and she approaches her work with enthusiasm and commitment."
- Ulla Torres, Lakewood
"You were so great working with our kids and both of them have said that over and over. How lucky to have you as a friend and to have you be a real estate expert."
-Diane Laslie, Olympia
"Sandy, thank you so much for all your hard work and help. You made buying our new home one of the easiest and best experiences we could have anticipated."
-Lilian and James Getchman, McCleary
"Sandy was instrumental in helping us buy our home. She listened to what we wanted and as a result we were able to narrow our search significantly and find exactly what we were looking for within a week.
Sandy's presence throughout the buying process was very reassuring and her advice was always genuine and spot on. We never got the impression that she was 'out to sell' but more so that she was there to ensure that we made decisions that were in our best interest.
Sandy made the purchase of our first home relatively effortless and quite fun. We have had no qualms in recommending her to our friends and will definately rely on her real estate expertise in the future."
-Jay and Prim Jeyasingam, Lacey
"I flew into town and only had a short week to look for houses. Sandy had the patience to show me pretty much ALL the houses between Dupont, Lacey and Olympia! 50 houses! Need I say more? Never grumpy, never grouchy that, even after a week, I hadn't found a house yet that I liked. On my last day I finally found a home that was suitable for our family. I signed the offer, left town and Sandy did everything else! We did not have to worry at all, and that alone took a huge load off my shoulders. I will recommend her to my friends anytime."
- Susanna Haynie, Olympia
"We have purchased several homes in the past, and experienced a variety of real estate agents, ranging from the poor to the exceptional. Sandy definitely fits into the latter of these two categories. Sandy is a consummate professional - she tirelessly searched for a property for us, and didn't waste our time looking at listings she knew would not interest us. When she did find us that perfect property, she continued to work closely with us, and even attended our closing to ensure we understood the process. When we decide to sell and/or purchase a property in the future, Sandy will by the first call we make."
-Brian and Yvette Jones, Olympia
...Our loan representative referred us to Sandy Nelson. From the first time we talked, she was genuinely excited to help us, especially since we were a military family using a VA loan, which she had lots of previous experience navigating.
From the first time we met, we found Sandy to be very in-tuned with what we were looking for and very anxious to help us...
Though we didn't work for weeks or months finding our first home, we would have never found it if it wasn't for Sandy. She is so pleasant to work with and has truly become a friend for life. What we love about Sandy is that she's there for you after you find your home, she doesn't just close the sale and forget all about you. She was there on moving day, providing our friends and family with food and drinks, and she's always so thoughtful. We recently celebrated our first year anniversary in our new home and there was Sandy, giving us flowers to celebrate the ocassion right along with us.
I strongly encourge all of my friends and co-workers to contact Sandy if they're looking for a great real estate professional they can trust. She definitley made our first home buying experience a very pleasant one. We'll always be thankful to her and consider her a friend!
- Gina and Jerry Hobbs, Lacey
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