Economic Recovery in Washington State

With all the bad news today about the bleak jobs report sinking the stock market, I thought it would be good to look at the positive things going on. There is an interesting website called www.recovery.wa.gov and shows how much money the Federal Gov't is pumping into the state and how it is being used in each county. CLICK HERE for the Pierce County report. A lot of jobs are being created though the funding of road improvement , clean water improvement, education and numerous other projects. The only way the economy in Washington State is going to improve is through the stabilization of the real estate market and good jobs lead to a more stable market.

Who Can Negotiate a Short Sale?

With so many people attempting to short sale their home, rather than face foreclosure, I thought it would be good to let you know who is legally able to do the negotiation. There are some opportunists out there who a trying to make a quick buck by charging a fee to do the negotiation. Here are the only people legally able to negotiate a short sale, other than the homeowner, in Washington State:

1. An attorney licensed by the Washington State Bar Association.
2. A real estate agent licensed by the State of Washington, though the agent cannot received any compensation above and beyond the regular real estate commission.
3. A loan originator licensed by the State of Washington and working for a company authorized to do so in Washington.