Rostad Realty

Name: Geordy

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Windermere bridge loans available at 0% interest

October 5th, 2009

Windermere has typically been one of the few brokers who could offer bridge loans.  Recently they launched an even better offer to give qualified buyers a bridge loan of up to $100k for six months at 0% interest or $200k for 3 months at 0% interest.  This is an excellent deal if you currently have a home you need to sell before you buy a new one.  Here is an article from the Seattle Times with more details.

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How to find the best schools

August 6th, 2009

Schools have been very important to many of my buyers.  We all want our kids to have the best chance possible so it makes perfect sense.  A client recently asked me to find a website that rated or ranked the local schools in a given district.  I started my search on google but ended up bogged down with a bunch of garbage sites.  There are plenty of scammer sites that want to take your money and don’t necessarily have the best information.  After more research, I narrowed it down to a couple of good research sites I can recommend for finding the best schools.

Great Schools : This one is free.  There are some ads but it’s a small price to pay.  You get user ratings here.  Just like on Amazon.  Keep in mind that people tend to speak out more when something is bad than when it is good so the results can be a little bit skewed.  Still, it’s a good place to obtain some perspective.

School Match:  This one is more involved and costs money.  They will generate a “report card” for any given school.  They also provide some rudimentry information about the schools for free.  Things such as how many teachers are at the school, etc.  For $35 you’ll get an unbiased opinion from a neutral third party.  If you have narrowed down your search already, this is probably not a bad investment.

Please leave some comments if you have any personal experience with either of these or have other suggestions.

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Rostad Realty launches video clips for virtual tours

August 1st, 2009

We now have the equipment to add video clips to our virtual tours for clients.  We are able to track traffic and traffic sources on these clips so we will hopefully be able to gauge how effectively our tours capture the viewer’s attention.  We feel this is an improvement over the older “fisheye tours” that were so common a few years back.  As internet bandwidth is expanded, we expect the quality of these clips to rise dramatically as well.

Here are examples of our new video tours:

Ashley House Video Tour

Squak Mountain Video Tour

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Tidal wave of foreclosures scheduled to be auctioned off

July 30th, 2009

On any given Monday there are approximately 400-450 homes scheduled for Friday’s foreclosure auction on the King County Courthouse steps.  On the 2nd Friday of September there are over 1100 scheduled!  There will not be enough investors and some of the homes will sell for $1.00 over minimum bid.  Not to say this is the last time we will see this volume but it is certainly worth sitting up and taking notice.  The banks are finally cutting some of these properties loose.  If you are looking to build up your rental portfolio, this is an excellent opportunity.  If you need help financing a property at the auction, we have some resources.  Give us a call.

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Like new Squak Mountain home close to downtown Issaquah

July 26th, 2009





































Thank you for checking out our listing on Squak Mountain.  Squak Mountain is a short 2 minute drive from downtown Issaquah.  If you’ve never been out this direction, it’s worth seeing the area.  It has a unique feeling to it.  There are lots of trees so the air is very crisp and fresh.

The home is 2420 square feet.  There is a den on the main floor and a large living room that would make an excellent media room since it has a large flat wall that would be perfect for the screen and only one window to cover.  Towards the back of the home is a huge laundry/mud room that could easily be used for crafts and sewing as well.  Upstairs there is an 8′x10′ alcove space that is open to the hall.  There are 4 large bedrooms including the master which features a walk-in closet and a bathroom with a 5′ tile shower.

This home has been totally renovated from the outside in.  Everything was stripped out of the home and then it was meticulously rebuilt.  The home feels just like new.  New items include hardiplank siding, new roof, wide-plank red oak hardwoods, new insulation, ALL new drywall, new plumbing, new cabinets, new granite counters, new bathrooms and more.  All of the work was documented, permitted and certified.

Outside the house, the property is huge.  There is over 15,000 square feet of land.  Plenty of room for playsets, gardening, RV parking and anything else you can think of.  Please follow this link for a virtual tour including several video clips.  If you have any questions or would like to schedule a private showing, please contact Rich Rostad at 206-841-8460.

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Preforeclosure on Redmond Ridge

July 21st, 2009


































We are listing an excellent home on Redmond Ridge that has everything you could want in a compact and efficient footprint.  It is 1690 square feet with 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and a den on the main floor.  There are Maple hardwood floors on the main level and slab granite countertops in the kitchen.  The home is decked out in a Pottery Barn style with a touch of shabby chic.  Out back is a cute little yard with a patio and a detached garage off the alley.  On each side of the building is a nice strip of grass that could easily be fenced in for a dog run.

Overall, the home is better than new.  It has been cared for very meticulously and repainted in Spring of 2009.  The home is a preforeclosure meaning that it could take a little longer to close than a standard transaction but you will be getting an incredible bargain on the property.  The current offering price is $400,000.

Close to shopping and the Microsoft Connector bus.  This is the best deal for a single family home on Redmond Ridge.

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Geordy Rostad is now a Certified Short-Sale Professional

June 17th, 2009



We have been on both sides of short sale transactions over the years.  Even in 2005 we sold a short sale property in the midst of a hot market.  Home owner’s situations are always subject to change.  This doesn’t mean that they are liars or bad people because they cannot pay their mortgage.  It’s nothing to feel bad about.  It is simply a problem that needs to be solved with some professional guidance.

In the interest of being able to better serve our clients, I have obtained my Certified Short-sale Professional designation.  With this education, I feel that our chances of successfully closing a short sale has been further increased.  In the past, the ones we have done have been successful but this education further helps with the organization and presentation of cases for our clients to their lenders.

Along with this designation and certification, we are also launching a new plan for pre-foreclosure properties that will reduce market times of short sales and ultimately generate less hassle for short sale sellers.  Feel free to contact us for more details.

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Don’t pay for a loan modification before reading this.

June 15th, 2009

Perhaps you’ve seen some of the recent advertising from companies who claim they can help you modify your loan if you are not current or expect to not be current soon with your payments.  Desperate times call for desperate measures and when times are tough, people will do or try almost anything to maintain status quo.  This is understandable but be wary of unscrupulous companies out there charging anywhere from $1,000-$3,000+ to modify your loan.  Yes, many of these companies have successfully helped borrowers modify their loans but how do you weed out the scams from the real deal?  What if you don’t have any money to pay to one of these companies?

If your loan is on a property in Washington State, there is free help available at homeownership.wa.gov.   On their website, there is TONS of free information on the foreclosure process in general.  Furthermore, there is invaluable information on loan modification scams.  You really need to read this page if you are in trouble with your payments.  Most importantly, they have a phone number you can call to get help.   The people on the other end of the phone are counselors trained by HUD to help you through your situation whatever it may be.  These people have nothing to gain from the advice they give you.  They are there to help you stay in your home if that is your desire.

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Juanita Point building site

June 5th, 2009



I am offering up a very unique piece of property that I own personally for sale.  The asking price is $375,000 $350,000.  The address is 8811 NE 116th Place, Kirkland, WA 98034.  I give you the address with a word of caution.  Don’t go visit the site without allowing one of us to meet you there.  It is very hard to determine the boundaries and orientation of this property without a guide who knows the land.   More general information on the listing can be found here.

What makes this property unique? This lot is a short walk from Juanita Beach, yet it feels very private.  the actual lot is just under 17,000 square feet but it sits just to the south of the Finn Hill Meadows.  The Meadows is a plat created by the Kirks (founders of Kirkland) in the 1920s.  There are 27 lots in the meadows that are all circular and roughly 1/4 acre each.  Those lots sit inside of 35 acres of open space.  This land is completely platted and will never change from what it is today.  There is a Meadow adjacent to my lot which has grazing horses in it from time to time.  The closest home this direction is over 300 feet away.  To the West is a large ravine with an existing home on the other side of the ravine.  In it’s current use, the ravine provides a nice natural buffer from your neighbor.  You don’t see that home without stepping well into the woods.  To the south is a 2 acre parcel with an large older home on site.  The property is impacted by two streams which means that platting not likely possible and redevelopment is not likely since the home is quite charming and not a teardown.  The property is heavily wooded and provides a good buffer from the harsh southern sunlight.  To the east is one neighbor with a very nice daylight rambler built in the late nineties.  There are even some views off this direction of Juanita Bay.  The access comes from this direction as well.

Where are the utilities; will I have to bring them in? This property is fully developed.  When I first purchased the land, there was no sewer in place.  Something odd happened with the platting process many years back and the sewer easement was never written.  Through negotiation with the neighbor to the south, I obtained a sewer easement and installed a six inch sewer line stub onto the south-eastern corner of the property.  As for the power, an undeveloped King County right of way borders the Northern side of the property and there is a power pole there.  The water main is right at the North-eastern corner of the property near the neighbor’s water meter and the gas is within close proximity of the water main.  Having the utilities at the site eliminates several unknown costs when compared to pieces of raw, undeveloped land.

What do I need to start construction? If you decide to use our floorplan which I will describe below, all you need to do is pick up the permit at King County.  It has mostly been paid for.  The remaining balance is roughly $7,000.  I will sign a transfer of applicant status form with King County to allow you to build with this permit.  You can start building right away!

What are the problems with the site? All sites of some issues.  Some worst than others.  You may look at this property and see that has some slope to it.  This is not a big issue.  The slope is less than 15% meaning that we are able to use a standard foundation with a standard footing.  We have a soils report written by a licensed geotechnical engineer that backs this up and states it clearly.  The next issue is that the access crosses a stream.  The county is requiring those to be removed and replanted with native species that we have specified already.  We are not paving across the stream for access, but it is necessary to pave in the stream buffer.  This is an issue that we have already dealt with through mitigation.  We have prepared an exact plan of what needs to take place.  There is a small portion of blackberry bushes near the access.  That’s it!  Last issue would be the road to the site.  For some, this is an issue, for others, it’s not.  The road spurring off of Juanita Drive is a one-lane road.  It is not heavily traveled but when a car approaches from the opposite direction, you will have to pull to the side.  There are many pullouts so this isn’t usually a problem.  The road in itself is eclectic and charming.  The cars that do go up and down the road tend to travel more cautious and slowly.  This is certainly not a bad thing for a neighborhood.

The site has lots of trees, can I clearcut it? In a word, no.  You WILL, however, be allowed to clear all of the trees that sit where the proposed structure is and all of the trees within close proximity of the structure.  We have drawings that show exactly which trees go and which trees will stay.  You may be allowed to clear even more trees, I did not ask to though since I didn’t feel there was any gain by doing so.

Do I have to build using your plans? Use our plans or build your own.  An architect and I have designed a fantastic 5600 square foot home to be built on this property.  The home features 5 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms and an open, casual floorplan with large spaces that are perfect for entertaining big groups of people.  There are two media rooms, and a den on the main floor as well.  If you wanted to save some money, you could always leave the basement unfinished to save costs.  This would shave the square footage down to 4100 and leave you with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.

If you wish to design and build your own house instead, you will have to resubmit for a building permit.  I have done all of the hard work such as installing the sewer line, obtaining geotech studies, etc.  You may need to update the soils report but it shouldn’t cost anywhere near the price of starting from scratch.  You may also be able to re-use certain studies and determinations that the county has already rendered for this parcel.






























Here is a video tour to show you the general shape of the home.  This video was never finished so the front porch is not present, the basement is missing some of it’s windows and the other window don’t match the architectural drawings but the general structure is will give you a rough idea of how the house sits.

How is the location; What is nearby? Instead of telling you, I would like to simply show you:


While you probably won’t be able to sell your car and walk EVERYWHERE here, you should certainly take note house close Juanita Beach, Starbucks, Spud Fish and Chips and Juanita Village are.   Another thing I should mention is the school district.  This property sits within the Lake Washington School District.  This is one of Washington’s finest districts.  The elementary school is Sandberg Elementry, the middle school is Finn Hill Jr. High and the high school is Juanita High.

Why would we sell such an incredible building site? We put a great deal of effort into obtaining the building permit on this property.  It took us over three years to get the final approval from the time we first purchased the land.  During this time, we grew anxious to move to a new location so bought an existing home.  While our home is not nearly as nice as the Juanita Point one will be, we don’t wish to move again.

If you want more information on this unique building site, please contact Rich Rostad at 206-841-8460.  Visit this page for more information.

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The Home Valuation Code of Conduct

June 4th, 2009

I recently went to a class about selling listings in a slow market.  It was a course on blogging, internet marketing, listing syndication, etc.  Great class but perhaps more important was something I learned there about the extent of the new HVCC laws.  Sponsering the class was Mike the Money Man Mike Carpenter who prefaced the class with a summary of the new appraisal laws which are supposedly put in place to help people but in the end, all it’s doing is making a few companies rich, bloating the appraisal process and making it very questionable if your financing is going to fall apart or not.

Mike has generously posted many more details about this “great appraisal conspiracy” on his website.  The punchline is, the more beuracracy and layers of absurdity you add to the process, the longer any housing recovery will take.  This law went into effect on May 1st, 2009.  It is too early to see the effect this will have on the market but I can predict it will not be good.

Mike has several action items posted in his article that you can do to hopefully help get this law repealed.  I urge you to follow up with them but let me get you started.  Please sign this petition.

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