Thursday, March 28, 2013

Searching for a Rental From Afar? Tips for the Long Distance Search

rentMoving into a new place can be stressful in itself, but searching for a new home from across the country can seem like a mountain too big to tackle. When you don’t know alot about the city you’re moving to, it can be hard to find the right resources and search tools, but here are a few tips that should ease the process.
First, utilize your network. Do you any friends colleagues, or family living in or around the new city? There is usually someone within your reach, who at least knows someone who knows something about the city and can offer some free advise. Using social media to expand your reach is also a good resource; it can’t hurt to ask the Facebook realm if they have any advice on where to start. It is also important to do your research on the best neighborhoods that suit your needs. Before you start randomly browsing rentals, it will help to know which neighborhoods make the most sense for you; are they close to schools, parks or work? What is the crime rate? How does the transportation look? All good things to look into prior to search actual listings.
If you can afford it flying out to scope out the neighborhoods in person is really the best way to determine if you’ll feel at home there. One weekend is a very short period of time to try and fit in apartment hunting, but if you contact the right real estate management company, someone should be available to show you around town. Your local real estate expert should also be able to work with you remotely to find the right place for you, and your family. For more information on relocating, contact your local real estate expert today.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Seattle Ranks #2 in Cities Where Renters Rule!

rentalWhile renting might sometimes feel like you’re flushing a hefty portion of your income down the drain, as it turns out, renting might make the best financial sense for a few years. According to a reporting from Zillow’s break even horizon metric, (a system measuring the number of years it takes after buying a home is more financially beneficial than renting) Seattle ranks # 2 in the top 10 cities where renters actually might have the financial edge over homeowners.
Zillow’s results were found by taking the period of time calculated with the net cost of buying a home, and also the costs of renting that same home. The results show the average and median break even points at the city and metro areas. Seattle ranked 2nd only to NYC, and advised renters in New York City need not feel rushed into buying, unless you’ll be staying for at least 5 years, as it generally makes more financial sense to rent a flat within the city limits. The average break even point for Seattle homeowners is 4.3 years, so renting for the short term, might be the best financial option. More information on Seattle Rentals can be found here.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Two New Developers Begin Apartment Construction this Summer on 14th & Republican

There is a new apartment project being planned on Capitol Hill, on the corner of 14th Ave E & E Republican Street, that is said to be for renters looking for a boutique building to live in, with retail and a great walkable score. According to the Daily Journal of Commerce, new developers  John Schack and Dugan Earl have formed a development and consulting  company in the Seattle area called Revolve, and will begin construction on their first project this summer. Finding the perfect site for the proposed 35 unit 4 story apartment complex wasn’t easy. The dynamic due apparently spent 6 months analyzing  some 150 sites on Capitol Hill, Fremont, Ballard, Columbia City and West Seattle; all urban areas predicted to continue blossoming with renters. 14th and republican st
While they were knee deep in the search, they ran into a road block, and a big one at that. According to Schack, “once a property is listed, it’s blood in the water for piranhas.” They found themselves coming in second, and being beat to the punch when expressing interest in any given project, so they found an alternative option. They approached sites that were of interest to them that were off-market, and purchased a 10,183-square-foot Capitol Hill site in November 2011 that is soon to be the home of their first project. The building will have 33 one bedroom units, 2 studios, and 19 stalls for below ground parking, a courtyard for entertainment, and a roof top deck. For more news to come on when the project will be leasing units, visit Revolve’s news blog.