Christmas Tree Lighting in Gig Harbor and Key Peninsula

This coming weekend bring these highly anticipated events.  The Gig Harbor Christmas Tree Lighting at Skansie Brothers Park will take place at 5:30 on Saturday Dec 1^st as Santa arrives in town and lights the 45ft tall tree.  This annual event also provides live music by Rokkerbox starting at 5:00pm and includes a visit from Rhubarb, the Tacoma Rainiers Mascot, and a live reindeer. Visit gigharborguide.com for additional details on this fun family event.

The Key Peninsula Christmas Tree lighting will take place on Sunday Dec 2^nd sponsored by the Key Peninsula Business Association and the KP Fire Department.  Come by to visit with neighbors and enjoy Dr. Roes’ Down Home Band and the Key Singers as they gather to perform your favorite Christmas songs.  Stop by for some treats, picture taking and some mulled cider offered by The Mustard Seed.  Click here for more information and other great KP Holiday activates.

And be sure to mark your calendars on December 6^th from 3 – 7pm for the 3^rd Annual Santa visit to Keller Williams.  Come by and have your digital picture taken with Santa for free and receive a disc to take home for printing or posting.  A canned food donation for Fish Food Bank is appreciated but is not required.  Click here to view a flyer and a little more info.

Home Ownership Window of Opportunity

Is (20)13 your lucky number?  It very well may be if you are in the market for a new home.  According to a Wall Street Journal article published this Sunday, prices have begun to climb and “there’s a Window of Opportunity before prices start a faster upward march”.  With interest rates the lowest we will most likely ever witness and home prices bottoming out (and starting to rise in some areas), home ownership may never be more affordable and this may be the best opportunity you may ever have to own your dream home.

Now keep in mind that lenders are being far more cautious now and it takes more than being able to fog a mirror to get a mortgage.   Standards have gotten more ridged, with requirements of higher credit scores and larger down payments.  Some lending programs, such as FHA and USDA, do require less down payment but these come with additional eligibility guidelines, fees and qualifications.  So, what does all this really mean?  It means that if you want to take advantage of the market, you need to have good credit, a down payment, steady income and supporting documentation.  All-in-all, these are pretty sound requirements. 

Please click here to read the full WSJ article, or feel free to contact me with questions.

2012 Gig Harbor Basket Bridage

I would like to thank everyone who generously donated food items to the Keller Williams food drive to support the 2012 Gig Harbor Basket Brigade.  For nearly two decades the Gig Harbor Basket Brigade has delivered meal baskets containing ingredients to prepare a full Thanksgiving dinner, to families in need in the Gig Harbor and Key Peninsula areas.  In 2011 the Gig Harbor Basket Brigade delivered 516 baskets which fed more than 2000 community residents, and this year will most likely surpass that. 

Your donations were picked up on Monday and delivered to the Tacoma Narrows Airport where this year’s baskets will be assembled.  The valiant Basket Brigade crew, made up of community volunteers like you, will be setting up for assembly this evening from 5:00 – 7:00.  The big fun starts tomorrow, Wednesday 11/21, at 11:00am, when the baskets will be assembled and, this is the rewarding part, DELIVERED!  This is a bee-hive of activity that is thrilling to partake and fascinating to witness.  If you would like to lend a helping hand visit the Gig Harbor Basket Brigade website for additional information, or drop by the Tacoma Narrows Airport and follow to the crowd of happy volunteers.

Upcoming 3.8% Home Sales Tax

The other day I was fortunate to be included in a dialog with some fellow brokers and financing professionals concerning the upcoming 3.8% tax on real estate and investment income scheduled to take affect January 1, 2012.  This was quite an interesting topic but it's very convoluted and can be confusing.  The big take-away from this discussion was that this new tax will not affect you unless your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) is over $200,00 for single filing taxpayer, or $250,000 for married couples filing joint returns.  This relieves many of us, but now you ask ‘What happens when I sell my home for a substantial gain?  Will I be subject to this new tax?’  This new 3.8% tax does not interfere with the current tax-free exclusion on the first $500,000 (joint filers) or $250,000 (single filers) of gain you make on the sale of your principal home.  However, gains of over this or the sale of investment properties may be subject to this new tax depending on your AGI and your profit from the sale.  This is where it can get confusing.  For more clarification and details, take a look at the attached article, ‘Few to feel hit from home-sales tax tied to health law’ published July 13, 2012 by the Seattle Times, or give me a call and I would be happy to discuss this with you in greater detail. 

Santa Claus is Coming to Keller Williams

On December 6th from 3:00 to 7:00pm Santa, and a few of his merry elfs, will make a special appearance at our Keller Williams office in Gig Harbor.  He's anxious to visit with all the good boys and girls, moms and dads, and pets and pals in our wonderful community.  He’ll be providing a FREE disc with digital photos of your visit, perfect to print or post online.  Usher in the Holiday's by stopping by to share in this wonderful experience, visit with friends and neighbors, and enjoy some Cookies and Hot Cocoa.  Contact me for additional information.

Phillips Lake Waterfront Getaway

Enjoy life on Phillips Lake in this classic log home surrounded by colorful generous half acre landscaped, fenced yard. As perm residence or summer retreat you’ll love this spacious lakefront home with huge deck and your own private dock on 97 ft of lakefront. Enjoy the comfort of this updated 1632 Sq Ft, single level log home with open living to dining room w/propane stove, easy care Purgo and tile flooring, two nicely sized guest bedrooms and spacious Master with walk-in closet and built-ins.

Click here to view listing details and view additional photos, or contact me for additional information and set up a showing of this remarkable lakefront retreat.