http://seattlehousingbuzz.com a Seattle Real Estate Blog Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:57:23 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en It seems Seattle's corporate image is getting a little tarnished. First, the city lost the headquarters of the area's largest company, Boeing. Now, another major employer is expected to start packing (eventually), as Safeco shareholders voted to sell the company to Boston-based Liberty Mutual (I voted for the ... http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/07/seattle-a-fading-star Countrywide Mortgage hasn't had a particularly good year and now it's just gotten worse. Today, the states of California and Illinois announced they are suing Countrywide over predatory lending practices. And, Washington state is seeking to revoke Countrywide's license, impose a $1 million penalty and halt the lender ... http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/06/more-trouble-ahead-for-countrywide The NWMLS Board of Directors recently approved a revision to its data display policies that will take effect July 3, 2008. The change is not overwhelming but is significant in that additional, pertinent information will be made publicly available, namely the listing price history and the cumulative days on ... http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/06/nwmls-revises-online-data-display-policy (NWMLS Press Release) KIRKLAND, Wash. (June 5, 2008) – "If you're a buyer, this is the time to take advantage of unique market conditions." That's the message one industry leader offered in reviewing the latest report from Northwest Multiple Listing Service summarizing housing activity for the month of May. NWMLS figures show ... http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/06/may-2008-nwmls-housing-report Justin Wilcox wants to sell his home. But, he's not so sure the traditional methods will work in this market so he's attempting to try something different. He calls it a "reverse auction" - rather than having buyers bid up a price, the price will be set, then ... http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/05/market-spurs-inventive-sales-idea Vulcan announced the opening of its third apartment complex, The Borealis, in the South Lake Union district. The development is the result of a land purchase deal with the city back in 2001 that'll provide 53 workforce units available to individuals and families earning less than 80% of the ... http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/05/slus-borealis-apartments-open More John L. Scott news... John L. Scott Real Estate Chairman and CEO, J. Lennox Scott, announced the company’s purchase of Real Tech LLC, a web-based technology solutions company. With this change in ownership, Real Tech will evolve into John L. Scott’s exclusive in-house technology provider. Scott says that the decision ... http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/05/john-l-scott-purchases-realtechllc Buyers, sellers and real estate enthusiasts can now receive up-to-date sold property information via email. John L. Scott Real Estate, the first company to publish sold property data, has added a sold email feature. Users can now easily keep track of Seattle's housing activity. Whether you're a buyer or ... http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/04/john-l-scotts-sold-email-feature Apparently, the blogoshpere is getting heated, especially in our small Northwest neck of the woods. Recently, I found myself at the receiving end of another agent's deceptive Google Adwords campaign. In respects to blogging, my primary focus is The Seattle Condo Blog. The condo blog has risen to become ... http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/04/if-you-can-beatem-play-dirty This isn't housing news. But, it'll likely impact employment in Seattle, so who knows. Locally-based Safeco Insurance is being sold to Liberty Mutual for $6 billion. As a former Safeco employee, I have to say this was expected with the sale of its long-time headquarters in the ... http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/04/the-big-s-sold