Monthly Archives: January 2012

Feds Are Keeping Interest Rates Down Through 2014– Is a Home Purchase In Your Near Future?

Posted on by
Reply

With the news yesterday that the Feds plan on keeping interest rates low through 2014, along with current house prices, are you contemplating a home purchase in the near future?

If you are thinking about buying a home, an important first step is to examine your finances. If you have not checked your credit reports in the past year, take the time now to check them. You are eligible to receive a free credit report annually from Experian, Equifax and Trans Union. If you notice any errors on your credit reports, or they contain negative information, you can work on cleaning up your credit reports before you start looking for a home.

One of the things that heavily effect your FICO score, which lenders look at to determine if they want to approve you for a home mortgage, is how much debt you currently carry. In fact, your outstanding balances category is the second most important one of the five categories used to calculate your FICO score. When you reduce your credit card debt, along with paying bills on time and cleaning up delinquent debts, your credit score will become stronger as time goes along. Below is an infographic which outlines a terrific, simple strategy to decreasing your credit card debt.


 

What are your thoughts about the feds’ decision to keep the interest rates low through 2014? Are you taking a look at your finances to see how to strengthen them?

Football, Food and a Little Dough: Check Out the Numbers

Posted on by
Reply

Super Bowl 46, featuring the Patriots versus the Giants, will heat up Indianapolis in just 12 days. While football fans are debating the odds of the game, companies are gearing up for a surefire win on game day through their eagerly anticipated ads and Super Bowl Sunday deals.

Having some sort of connection to the Super Bowl, through special deals and bowl ads, nets quite a bit of revenue for companies. Papa John’s is offering their rewards members a free 1 topping pizza if the correct Superbowl coin toss result receives the most votes their website prior to game day. By offering a free product in a contest manner, with a connection to one of the most popular events of the year, Papa John’s is betting they will clear more revenue in future sales than they will spend on their Super Bowl offer. And chances are good that their bet will pay off. Take a look at how much companies spend on Super Bowl ads: the total ad revenue for 2010 was $205.2 million, at $2.9 million per 30 second ad. For the 2012 game, a 30 second spot costs $3.5 million. This money is spent knowing that in today’s electronic age some of the Super Bowl commercials are leaked about two weeks before game day (and 57% of Americans take note of this trend!). And that’s okay, because those same bowl game ads live on after the Super Bowl, thanks to the same digital era tools. The infographic Super Bowl a& the Digital Water Cooler details how 48 million Americans plan to re-watch Super Bowl ads after the game and 40 million Americans plan on sharing their favorite game day ads online.

In addition to the anticipated revenue from game day advertising, food and beverage companies bank on bringing in some major bank on Super Bowl Sunday because football fans love their tailgate fare. According to the infographic below, the average amount of money spent last year for the big game was $59.33 per viewer, for a total of $10.1 billion — and a good chuck of that change was for food and drinks! Chipotle is hoping to share in this game day party food revenue by offering 1/2 off an order of a burrito box (which contains 6 or more burritos) for orders called in on the February 5th game day.

SuperBowl
Free Tax Filing, Efile Taxes, Income Tax Returns – TurboTax.com

Now it’s your turn— are you going to spend some of your hard earned dough for game day noshing? What are your thoughts on the amount of money spent by Americans for Super Bowl Sunday?

Charge It!

Posted on by
1

I’m showing my age here, but I loved it when Wilma and Betty would belt out their “Charge it!” cheer on the Flintstones. Residents of Mercer Island, along with I-90 commuters, will be able to yell their own “Charge It!” cheer starting tomorrow, January 13, 2012, when 3 electric car Charge Points will be open for use. The Charge Points are located at the Mercer Island City Hall, Mercer Island Community and Event Center (MICEC) and the Mercer Island Boys & Girls Club. A ribbon cutting ceremony, to commemorate the grand opening of these electric stations, is scheduled at 10 a.m. tomorrow at the Boys and Girls Club Charge Point ( 4120 86th Avenue SE, Mercer Island ).

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant funds received by Mercer Island covered the total cost of $75,000 for the charging units, the necessary infrastructure, and installation. The Charge Point units installed here on the island were manufactured by Coulomb Technologies, a company working closely with the Department of Energy to build a network of stations to charge electric cars throughout the U.S.

You Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt and Mitsubishi-i owners, get ready to Charge It! right here on the island. And it means saving money, rather than spending it like Betty and Wilma did. For now, the topping off your car at one the three Mercer Island Charge Points is free!

 

Photo Courtesy of the city of Mercer Island

Let’s Celebrate Windermere’s 40th Anniversary!

Posted on by
Reply

Back in 1972, Windermere opened its first office. Real estate was a different animal back in the early ’70s. Think about it— no email or fax, no internet, no digital photography. While the tools of the trade have drastically changed, the foundations which the Windermere company were founded upon are untouched by age. Today’s Windermere agents have a steadfast commitment to their clients and their communities, just like the agents who worked out of that first Windermere office.

In less that 2 weeks, Windermere agents from across the western United States will gather in Seattle for Windermere Symposium. During this annual event, agents will learn about new products and services to help them better serve their clients. They’ll network with their peers while discussing today’s important real estate topics and sharing ideas. During the Symposium, Windermere agents will also help kick off the company’s 40th Anniversary celebration in style!

While reminiscing about the past 40 years, some interesting statistics caught our eye.

Even though purchase & sale agreements contain more pages and Windermere now has 300 offices, that same 1972 business ethos, centered on community and mutual respect, remains the Windermere cornerstone. It remains central, even over the years, because it helps us every day to give you, our clients, the best service possible.

December 2011 Stats Are Out

Posted on by
Reply

The most notable aspect of the December 2011 stats is the continued trend toward high pending sales volume despite the softening of sales prices. Listing inventory is down markedly compared to inventory levels for the past three years in the month of December. With interest rates below 4% buyer interest has remained very strong and multiple offers are not unheard of–albeit at much more modest prices than in years past. Having been burned once, buyers are cautious of overpaying and are negotiating for a fail-safe price.

2011-12 Summary

2011-12 Mercer Island

2011-12 Eastside

2011-12 Seattle Metro

2011-12 King County

Congratulations MIHS Marching Band! Video of them marching in 2012 Rose Parade

Posted on by
Reply

Congratulations Mercer Island High School Marching Band for your spectacular performance in the 2012 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade!

Members of the MISH Marching Band traveled 952 miles to march in this year’s Rose Parade. With 280+ members, the marching band represents approximately 1 out of every 4 students who attend Mercer Island High School. In addition to playing at MIHS football games and the annual homecoming parade, the MIHS Marching Band has performed in China, London and at a Seahawks game.

The Mercer Island Marching Band directors are Parker Bixby and Ryan Lane. Thank you Mr. Bixby and Mr. Lane for all you do for Mercer Island’s band students!

*video tip from Cherrie Lee