When selling a home how important is professional photography? In one word. VERY.

Real estate advertising has changed so much in the last 20 years. From monthly property books with single photos and weekly print ads to low resolution photos that were limited to just a handful of pictures. Now, there are thousands of real estate websites with property data at your fingertips and high definition photos and videos for nearly every home.

I've spent hours in classes, conducting online research, and asking questions to the Department of Ecology to make this well and water basin post as informative and easy to read as possible. So let's begin.

Not to dive into much back story; the gist is, the Hirst Decision changed the way county building departments decide to approve or deny building permits that use wells as a primary water source. As property owners and potential buyers, if needing to know what watershed serves an address it can be challenging.

This post will aim to answer the following question and deliver information on how to research watersheds and water basins.

• How do I find a watershed for a particular property?

Let's start with the basics.

There are 5 watersheds in Snohomish County and they are the Lower Skagit-Samish WRIA 3, Upper Skagit-Samish WRIA 4, Stillaguamish WRIA 5, Snohomish WRIA 7, and Cedar-Sammamish WRIA 8.  Yet, it is very unlikely that a property will need to research the Cedar-Sammamish WRIA 8 since the SW area of Snohomish County relies on city water - view watershed map.

How much money do I need to buy a home? is a question that is regularly asked from homebuyers, especially from first time homebuyers. It's a normal occurrence as costs tend change over time. In this article, we'll dive into a typical homebuyer's costs for purchasing a home.

In a previous article Buying a Home Zero Down Doesn't Mean Free it was discussed that zero down loans are often confused with zero cost to buyers for purchasing. Equating zero down to needing no funds to purchase isn't readily discussed within the industry and in real estate blogs. So let's break it down as those items are very different.

Besides downpayment, whether its a zero down loan or not, there are other costs incurred when buying a home.

Home Purchasing Costs Include:

• Earnest Money
• Home Inspection
• Appraisal
• Closing Costs

What is Earnest Money? Earnest money is funds put up with an accepted purchase and sale contract, usually a personal check, money order, certified check, or wire. Those funds are held in a trust account at the closing company, typically the escrow firm, until closing. Upon closing, those funds are applied towards closing costs or refunded in the event a purchase and sale contract terminates. There are other scenarios but for sake of argument we'll not venture down that path.

As times change and new technology disrupts the real estate industry, the process of selling a home has become more complex and what once was customary isn't so much.

Whether you're a first time seller or just haven't sold a home in a few years, there is always something new and in the 10 Things to Know when Selling a Home, we'll cover many of these items and how homeowners should prepare themselves and their home.

What are quick home search links and how are they used to find homes? For a bit of background, our website is designed to show case properties in the area we serve.

The Home page, www.BarnettAssociates.net, is about Snohomish County as a whole and additional pages have been created for each of the County's cities and town.

If you're looking in Bothell, Mill Creek, Snohomish, Stanwood, and/or other cities/towns then just place the desired city's name at the end of the domain. Here you'll find the City Page.

Example: www.BarnettAssociates.net/Marysville

For this email, we'll keep looking at Marysville and see what Quick Links are available and how they make property searching simple.

Interested in learning how to find the best real estate deals when housing is scarce? Then continue on.

Housing inventory continues to decline in Snohomish County and if trends stay consistent then competition from other buyers might be twice as fierce this spring/summer.

So, how are buyers going to find the best real estate deals?

Is it a good time to sell a home in Snohomish County? Yes. It is a great time to sell properties in Snohomish County and that is not just a advertising ploy. Year over year, Snohomish County continues to experience extremely low inventory levels during the winter months and into early spring.

Being that we're well into 2018, lets visit residential inventory levels, over the last four years, to see when the ideal time to list a property is in its given city.

*Statistics are pulled from the Northwest MLS and look at just Residential properties.

Housing Inventory for Snohomish County

As of December 2017 there were 8,389 active properties listed for sale. Nearly half of January 2013's inventory of 16,419 properties and the least amount of properties for sale in the last 4 years.

Back in October 2017, we obtained access to our Lake Stevens rental after a 12-year occupying tenant vacated.

The home has gone through a major transformation from then. Briefly, the home has seen flooring removal, kitchen removal, some drywall removal/replacement, dump runs, drywall fixing, texture, PVA, and paint primer. Hit play and watch the progress with the latest video being the first up.

There are still more to come so please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more videos, comment with any questions, or share your thoughts with us. Enjoy and happy investing.

Credit score is an integral part of qualifying for a home loan and typically the most critical. So, here are 10 simple ways to improve your credit over the next 6 months.

But before getting into the the 10 ways, let's look at factors that impact a credit score. According to the Experian app.:

• Payment History: 35% of your FICO score is based on payment history.
• Types of Credit Used: 10% of your FICO Score is based on the different types of credit you have.
• Pursuit of New Credit: 10% of your FICO Score is based on recent inquiries and recently opened accounts.
• Length of Credit: 15% of your FICO Score is based on how long you've had your credit.
• Outstanding Debt: 30% of your FICO Score is based on your outstanding debt.

Over the years, I've spoken with many folks who think their credit is in such dire shape that there is little hope of fixing it. Since they think there's no hope, they usually do nothing and the credit problem persists. However, it is very important to know that there is hope, credit can be fixed, and it won't take the rest of your life to do.

These recommendations are not something dreamed up, these are strategies to improve your credit score.