http://seattlehousingbuzz.com a Seattle Real Estate Blog Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:00:39 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Excerpted from press release: Pat Giles, Vice President of John L. Scott Real Estate’s marketing, interactive marketing, and IS departments recently received the “Microsoft Innovation Award” for her leadership in driving John L. Scott’s internet strategies and award-winning website. According to Microsoft, the Innovation Award is given to customers who leverage ... http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2010/03/john-l-scott-receives-microsoft-innovation-award Recently, Lennox Scott, the CEO of John L. Scott Real Estate started a blog. While it's intended audience are those affiliated with the company and the industry in general, its also a great resource for buyers and sellers. And, there probably aren't too many real estate CEOs with ... http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2010/03/lennox-scott-blogs Admittedly, this blog has been a little neglected while I devoted most of my time to The Seattle Condo Blog and the housing marketing being in the doldrums. With Spring approaching there's a lot starting to happen so I figured it's about time to resuscitate this blog. To get things ... http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2010/03/time-to-resuscitate Washington State families facing foreclosure, seeking affordable rental housing, or hoping to buy their first home will have a greater opportunity to find housing, or keep the homes they have, because of $297,235 in housing counseling grants announced on Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. ... http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2009/10/hud-awards-300000-in-local-housing-counseling-grants Add John L. Scott Real Estate to the list of real estate companies (Zillow, Coldwell Banker, Trulia) developing applications or enhancing features specifically for Apple's iPhone. With its latest mobile release, JLS took heed of iPhone's popularity. According to Pat Giles, VP of Marketing, “The iPhone represents over ... http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2009/08/jls-mobile-optimized-for-iphone Today several members of the industry testified before the Senate Appropriations sub-committee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. Lennox Scott, CEO of John L. Scott Real Estate, testified on behalf on NAR's proposal for FHA enhancements to streamline the agency and incentives to spur homeownership. According the Scott, FHA's volume ... http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2009/04/nar-proposals-fha-enhancements President Obama’s $75 billion Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan is intended help struggling homeowners by providing incentives to lenders, servicers, mortgage holders and borrowers to help modify mortgage loans. More on the plan: Wall Street Journal Blog: FAQ: Who Qualifies for Housing Bailout? Washington Post: How the Program Would Work CNN Money: ... http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2009/02/homeowner-relief-plan Passed by both houses of Congress and expected to be signed by the president, The $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (aka stimulus bill) has several provisions aimed towards real estate and housing. Here's a brief overview. Tax Credit The bill includes several modifications to the current $7,500 ... http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2009/02/8000-tax-credit-and-other-housing-related-stimulus-provisions Thanks to hard work from industry stakeholders, including the Washington REALTORS® organization, the Department of Revenue reversed an earlier decision to apply the state's real estate excise tax to debt forgiven through short sales. Read the DOR's statement here (PDF). If you've paid the excise tax on a short sale ... http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2009/01/dor-amends-taxing-short-sale-debt Recently, the 2009 conforming, jumbo conforming and FHA loan limits were announced. Effective January 1, 2009 (1-Unit properties in King, Snohomish and Pierce Counties): Conforming loan limit: $417,000, unchanged for the 4th consecutive year Jumbo conforming loan limit: $506,000, currently $567,500 as part of the economic stimulus package which ... http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/11/2009-loan-limits-announced