Articles by Kevin Lisota

A review of the new CenturyLink fiber internet service in Seattle

by Kevin Lisota on December 22, 2015 December 22, 2015 in Technology

Do you live in the City of Seattle? If so, CenturyLink has been rolling out new fiber optic internet service neighborhood-by-neighborhood in Seattle over the past year. I recently switched my internet service from Comcast cable internet to 1Gbps fiber service from CenturyLink. If you are looking to evaluate the service for your own home, … Read More

Should a buyer trust a home inspection report provided by the seller?

by Kevin Lisota on September 2, 2015 September 2, 2015 in Buying a Home

In a very hot real estate market, competition and bidding wars are prevalent on most homes. That is what we are experiencing in Seattle at the moment. When a real estate market gets very hot, buyers will need to place offers without inspection contingencies to win. A seller will strongly prefer offers that are not … Read More

We need time to decide. Will the seller let us know if they get another offer on their house?

by Kevin Lisota on May 22, 2015 July 8, 2015 in Buying a Home

You are eyeing a home that you want to make an offer on, but you need a little more time. Maybe you want to see it once more, discuss it more with your spouse or get the opinions of friends and family before proceeding. If you ask your agent to be informed by the seller’s agent … Read More

Do you own a rental home or apartment in Seattle? You need to register it with the City.

by Kevin Lisota on May 21, 2015 May 21, 2015 in Real Estate Investing

Attention Seattle landlords: If you own a rental property in the city of Seattle, you are now required to register it with the city under the Rental Registration and Ordinance Program. You are subject to periodic inspections. For small rental properties, the deadlines are beginning shortly and the penalties for non-compliance are expensive, so you … Read More

findwell launches Offer Enhancer to help home buyers win bidding wars

by Kevin Lisota on April 1, 2015 April 1, 2015 in findwell

Seattle – April 1, 2015 – Seattle real estate brokerage findwell announced a new program for home buyers today called Offer Enhancer, helping buyers to craft offers that have a dramatically better chance of winning a bidding war. Winning a bidding war for a hotly-contested home isn’t always about the highest price, and home buyers … Read More

I am struggling to buy a home. Should I just build my own?

by Kevin Lisota on February 21, 2015 February 21, 2015 in Buying a Home

Frustrated by the low inventory of homes for sale? Tired of getting outbid by other buyers? Should you just find some land and build your own home? For the vast majority of home buyers, this is not the solution. Building a home requires a lot of time If you haven’t built a home before, you … Read More

Your choice of mortgage lender can help you win a bidding war for a house

by Kevin Lisota on February 21, 2015 February 21, 2015 in Buying a Home

I’ve written recently about how difficult it can be to win a bidding war as a home buyer. I’ve also voiced strong support for using a local mortgage lender to help with the process. What many home buyers don’t realize is that picking the right mortgage lender can help you to win a heated bidding … Read More

“Who wants it more?” – The key to winning a close bidding war for a house

by Kevin Lisota on February 1, 2015 February 2, 2015 in Buying a Home

The past couple years have meant lots of aggressive bidding wars for home buyers in Seattle. Bidding wars are nerve-racking, and it is easy to be disappointed or discouraged when you lose, particularly if the final price was the same or very similar to what you were willing to pay. Having watched hundreds of bidding wars … Read More

A first look at Zillow’s new book: ‘Zillow Talk: The New Rules of Real Estate’

by Kevin Lisota on January 23, 2015 January 23, 2015 in Real Estate Industry

We got our hands on an advance copy of Zillow’s geeky new real estate book called Zillow Talk: The New Rules of Real Estate. The book is a fun and engaging read, weaving together tons of statistics with topics like “is it better to remodel your bathroom than your kitchen” or “you shouldn’t buy the … Read More

Having trouble selling your home? Maybe you should install a roller coaster

by Kevin Lisota on December 13, 2014 December 13, 2014 in Awesome Home Features

Dutch bank ABN AMRO came up with one of the most interesting ways to market your home for sale. If your prospective buyers don’t puke, this is sure to encourage them to make an offer! Read More

Our take on Zillow buying Trulia for $3.5 billion

by Kevin Lisota on July 28, 2014 July 28, 2014 in Real Estate Industry

Huge news in the real estate world today, as Zillow announces that they are going to acquire Trulia for $3.5 billion. Seattle has definitely become the epicenter of online real estate and technology. Read More

Is it possible to get a great deal when buying a house?

by Kevin Lisota on July 3, 2014 July 3, 2014 in Buying a Home

We’ve received thousands of inquiries from potential home buyers over the years. By far, one of the most common things we hear is “I want to get a great deal, so send me homes that are fill in the blank.” The “fill in the blank” part is stuff like under market value, foreclosures, short sales, … Read More

Articles by Kevin Lisota

A review of the new CenturyLink fiber internet service in Seattle

Should a buyer trust a home inspection report provided by the seller?

We need time to decide. Will the seller let us know if they get another offer on their house?

Do you own a rental home or apartment in Seattle? You need to register it with the City.

findwell launches Offer Enhancer to help home buyers win bidding wars

I am struggling to buy a home. Should I just build my own?

Your choice of mortgage lender can help you win a bidding war for a house

“Who wants it more?” – The key to winning a close bidding war for a house

A first look at Zillow’s new book: ‘Zillow Talk: The New Rules of Real Estate’

Having trouble selling your home? Maybe you should install a roller coaster

Our take on Zillow buying Trulia for $3.5 billion

Is it possible to get a great deal when buying a house?

Pioneer Square

Ballard

Mount Baker

Alki

Alaska Junction

Eastlake

Madison Valley

Fauntleroy

Roosevelt

Blue Ridge/North Beach

Broadview

Madrona

First Hill

Wedgwood

Belltown