Good news for Lake Stevens real estate was reported in an article in The Herald Business Journal. Sellers will be pleased to know that the Snohomish County housing market is improving, with an increase in median sales prices as well as closed sales.

A recent Trulia real estate market study suggests that owning a home in America’s 100 largest metro areas is cheaper than renting a home or an apartment despite recent price increases in many real estate markets. This is good news for our clients who are considering purchasing Lake Stevens real estate. This is the case because there are many homes for sale in Lake Stevens that offer homeowners many amenities that you can’t find in most residential rental properties.

The study’s investigators compared the average costs homeowners spent to maintain their home with the average rent and deposits people paid to live in rental properties in each of the country’s 100 largest metro areas. Some of the homeowner costs compared in the study included closing costs, property taxes, mortgage payments and typical home maintenance costs. The data used in the study were compiled online from Trulia’s website during a four-month process that ended on Aug.31, 2012.

The study’s investigators discovered that the cost of owning a home was typically 36 to 70 percent cheaper than renting a residential real estate property. Cities that typically offered the largest savings included Detroit, Cleveland and Oklahoma City. Cities that typically offered the lowest savings included Honolulu and San Diego. These findings were discovered by assuming homeowners met the following criteria:

• Homeowners lived in their homes for seven years.
• Homeowners itemized their tax deductions.
• Homeowners had incomes that placed them in the 25 percent tax bracket.
• Homeowners could obtain mortgages at a rate of 3.5 percent.

Most cities that offered the highest savings typically had lower property taxes and home insurance rates that encouraged homeowners to live in their homes for a longer period of time. This is good news for our Lake Stevens clients because we can help you find a home that offers residents low property taxes and home insurance rates that can help you drive down the cost of owning a home.

For more information about how we can help you find a home in Lake Stevens, please call us today for more details. We’d be happy to show you how we can help you find a home that offers everything needed to enjoy living in Lake Stevens.

Where to Find Lake Stevens Real Estate Investment Property

Are you having a hard time finding Lake Stevens real estate for investment purposes? There are various ways to find homes that are discounted allowing investors to continue to flip houses, even if the sources they have been using seem to be lacking in new prospects. This can be a great second income for many that often leads to a full time business. The following can supply an abundance of potential Lake Stevens real estate for investors.

• Choose a few realtors in your area to work with and you may find this provides a constant source of Lake Stevens real estate for investment purposes. Often the prices can be negotiated and this will allow more profits.
• Homes that are ‘For Sale by Owner’ or FSBO are a source that investors should consider. There are many owners that have equity in their homes and are ready to sell.
• Condemned properties are another source for investors to consider. As long as they are not in such a state that it costs a great deal to get them ready to sell, the opportunity to make money on condemned properties is a good one.
• Bank-owned Lake Stevens real estate is another sound way of turning a profit if the right deals can be made. This source should include smaller banks to reduce the competition and increase the chances of finding good deals.
• Probate properties are great for investors. Those who inherit property often do not want the bother of managing a property. They are willing to sell for less than the value to get the property off their hands. This will result in motivated sellers and bargains on properties that can be quite profitable.
• Wholesalers can be a source for Lake Stevens real estate that will be steady as well as offering discounts that can maximize profits. Additionally, investors can save time by working with wholesalers rather than searching for one property at a time. If you find acouple to work with, this will reduce the amount of time spent looking for properties as well as providing deals.