There’s a moral component to that decision, of course. People naturally feel embarrassed about breaking a contract and not paying their bills; no one wants to be branded a deadbeat. But remember that companies default on their obligations when it makes financial sense for them to do so, via the bankruptcy process. Even the Mortgage Bankers Association itself, in a flourish of irony, arranged for a short sale of its Washington headquarters.

It’s not personal; it’s business. So think of strategic default as a business decision, and do a cold-eyed cost-benefit analysis of whether it makes sense for you, seek a real estate attorneys advise times 3. But the more businesslike attitude is to say that there’s a contract, there are penalties for violating that contract, and sometimes it just makes financial sense to break it.”  There is also the short-sale which agents like myself will help a homeowner sell their property after a consultation with a real estate attorney. Washington is a deficiency state non-recourse on your 1st mortgage explore your options give us a call ^the Cobbin Group we are happy to assist you with expert knowledge and experience.

Tracy Cobbin ^the Cobbin Group

Hello blog readers and Happy New Year with already 18 days and counting into 2012 ^the Cobbin Group wants to inform you of our umbrella of services offered. Down sizing? “Compassion Transitions is a senior and disabled transition company that will help you from start to finish.

You won’t have to lift a finger and have peace of mind knowing that all the details are taken care of for you, so you can enjoy what really matters! You’ve made the decision to make a living transition. Now what? Our in home consultant Jana Cobbin will come to your home and have a face to face conversation about what your transition looks like to you! she will then set up a step by step plan tailored to your specific needs. That plan will include.

1. Identifying what items in your home you will be keeping

2. Identifying what items will be giving to family members, friends charity, donations etc..

3. Packing of all personal items

4. Arranging moving with trusted movers

5. Move out cleaning

6. Staging for the home to go on the market

And more!

Tracy Cobbin will evaluate the property and research the homes in your market area. So that we can come up with a marketing plan and fair price for your home. Tracy will also tailor his marketing plan to your specific needs and get your property “SOLD”!!

And that’s how we work! You see, you, or your family members will not have to lift a finger, we will handle it all from start to finish!            

Our Mission Statement                           

It is our goal to offer the highest level of service our seniors and their families.To listen with caring hearts and compassion to enhance the spirit of each individual we come in contact with and to fulfill each individual’s needs with dignity.

We support the following assisted living communities:

> Leisure Care

> Ida Culver House Broadview

> The Garden at Town Square

> The Lake Shore

> Alojya Thornton Place Northgate

> Aegis of Kirkland

> Ballard Landmark

> Mirabella

> University House Wallingford

> Aljoya Mercer Island

Financial fitness includes getting your real estate business in order. But you can’t set up your real estate plans for the year in a vacuum. They must be done in context of what’s going on in the market. Here are four predictions about what that market context will look like in the coming year: 1. More foreclosures to come, 2. RROs  and short-sales will become the norm, 3. Smart cities will do well, 4. Consumers be come hopeless. In a positive way home buyers have been waiting for the real estate market to recover for a while.

But 2012 will mark the fifth or sixth year of the real estate recession, depending on who you talk to. I predict that those consumers who have not already done so will drop unrealistic hopes for a fast return to the heady real estate fortunes of the subprime era.  Instead, people will make their real estate plans based on:

• today’s low home prices, rather than the fantasy of what could happen if the market miraculously came back;
• assumptions of very low, or no, appreciation in home values for years to come; and
• very conservative estimates of their own finances and how they will grow.

The legality of referral kickbacks may vary from state to state. But regardless of legality, the practice of paying referral fees to real estate agents is entirely unethical and is prohibited by recognized home inspector associations such as the American Society of Home Inspectors, the National Association of Home Inspectors, and similar state associations. If your working with an inspector from one of these associations that is giving kickbacks it should be reported for violating their professional codes of ethics. There are many honest real estate professionals that would not participate in kickbacks from inspector your hearing form one me.

Homebuyers should be careful when choosing a home inspector. The best bet is someone with many years of experience and a reputation for thoroughness. If kickbacks are a problem in your area, be sure to ask the inspector, point blank, if a referral fee will be paid to the agent.

With the world’s lowest birth rate — an estimated 7.3 births for every 1,000 people — Japan is home to many young couples who choose pets in lieu of children. Additionally, many older couples in Japan revere dogs and cats.

“For people who have pets, they’re like family,” said Akira Koyama, the owner and representative director of Tokyo-based Key Operation Inc., an architecture firm.

And there is a market for pet-focused design, said Koyama, who designed a residence dubbed “House Taishido,” or “Cat House.”

Located in a densely populated urban district west of Tokyo, the three-story, 30-square-meter home features stepping-stone-like shelves that allow the home’s feline resident to navigate vertically into and out of the main living room via small openings.

The small openings in the wall lead to other rooms on the first floor.

The cat can also access the second floor of the unit by walking up the shelves and slipping through a slot that functions as a cat-only portal. Freeing up the unit’s staircase from cat traffic allows the space to double as a home library, with bookcases and space for reading.

“It wasn’t too expensive (to add the cat features), and was quite fun,” he said, adding that the home’s design focused on creating a space with rooms of different heights and sizes connected by doorless transitions and windows.

This initial design concept inadvertently made for excellent cat mobility.

While the cat-friendly features implemented by Key Operations weren’t conceived during initial design, another Tokyo-based firm designs homes specifically with pets in mind.

Of course there is the cost involved for over 500sq feet 13% of total construction cost is 3.2 million yen ($42,000 US dollars)

Lets not leave out one of the most loyal creatures on earth “dogs”

The firm is experienced with dog-focused projects, too, as its two most recent projects involved the design of an indoor waterproof kennel for the home of two dachshunds and the remodel of an apartment that houses a basset hound.

Features of a dog-friendly home typically include proper ventilation to eliminate hair shed; odor absorbent materials; and a dog shower or toilet.

“For dogs it’s … more difficult (than designing a home for cats),” Koyama said, adding that special attention must be given to materials used for the floors and stairs.

The cost to design a two-story wooden home to dog specifications can range from 3 million yen (about $39,000 in U.S. dollars) for a 20-square-meter space (about 215 square feet) up to 12 percent of total construction costs for a space exceeding 50 square meters (about 538 square feet)

If your thinking about a custom design home  that would include accommodations for you pet plans available through ^the Cobbin Group

Builders specializing in communities for “active seniors” over 55, such as PulteGroup’s Del Webb brand and D.R. Horton, are offering new home designs featuring snore rooms near the master bedroom for couples who can’t always catch a good night’s sleep together due to differing schedules, nocturnal habits or medical conditions.

The concept of the snore room isn’t unknown: Celebrities such as Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, and “Judge Judy” Scheindlin and her husband, reportedly have snore rooms in their homes. Crowne Plaza, the international hotel chain, began testing “snore absorption” rooms this year to cut down on noise in 10 hotels in European and Middle Eastern locations.

Indeed,  as many as 23 percent of married couples don’t sleep side-by-side through the night, up from 12 percent in 2001, according to research cited by Del Webb.

As a real estate agent showing homes we get lots of information from our clients regarding their living habits well if your getting signals that sleeping habits are different there is an alternative coming town!

Del Webb and D.R. Horton don’t specifically refer to snoring but market the new areas as  optional “dual owner suites” (Del Webb) or “alternate dual master suites” (D.R. Horton). Both builders say these elements don’t typically change the overall size or price of a home. At Del Webb, for instance, a dual owner suite may mean trimming a little garage storage space or slightly reducing the size of a walk-in closet.

Del Webb has begun offering the dual owner suite configuration as a customization option at communities in Houston and Nashville and will be available in Southern California starting this fall, according to a spokeswoman. D.R. Horton, which is building model homes showcasing the designs at sites in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

“In today’s active adult and empty nester communities it’s about choice and adaptable home designs,” says Jessica Swanson, a spokeswoman for D.R. Horton.

The room designs aren’t just for senior couples but also can serve extended families.  “Flexible home designs such as this are perfect for dual-generation active adults that live in the same home.

Seattle real estate market which features DR Horton beautifully built homes should be next on there list if you ask me. With the short summer we had fall upon us where the days are shorter and nights longer getting a good night sleep is ultimate!

^the Cobbin Group & exprealty