Real Estate | Christina Hyun

Sell With Me

#BeginSomedayToday. That’s the message I like to give friends & family lately. I’m in real estate to help people achieve what they want to achieve – a partner in selling to move up, to downsize and travel, to move away for a new job, a partner when there is something (or someone) on the horizon that’s prompting change. Selling can also be prompted by difficulty, so I’m here for you on that front too. No matter the situation, we all want to be able to go where we want to next without undue stress or delay, and that’s what my partnership with sellers is all about – helping them get to their “someday.’

HOW DO YOU GET A HOUSE READY TO SELL?

If you feel unsure about how to prepare your home to sell, I can advise you from a researched and tested design-to-sell perspective. I have an interior design degree from the University of Illinois, worked as a Visual Merchandiser with Room & Board, an Interior Designer with Marshall Field & Co., and Store Designer for several furniture showrooms prior to starting a real estate business. Staging is its own animal within the design world with specific strategies that work, the most important being helping a potential buyer envision your home as their own ‘someday’ home.

WHY SELL WITH ME?

If you sell with me, you’ll see what’s possible in creating a modern home sale buyers will want to check out. I have a successful history in digital promotion from the full range of social media to blogging at MSN and the Seattle P-I to electronic media/book production with Amazon. I know the incredible power of story, how it engages. Stories I tell digitally draw people in, and I will unleash that ability to create story and visuals about your property, both formally, and on the fly using social media’s immediate and viral energy. My past posts online have drawn as many as 30,000 engagements in a single day.

I DON’T KNOW WHAT MY HOUSE IS WORTH

Start here to get a fast, free, emailed “Comparative Market Analysis” of what your home is worth based on competing market activity in your neighborhood.

Pro Tip: COMPETITIVE and COMPELLLING are the key concepts to understand when pricing a home to sell. You must know what similar homes are priced at (COMPETITIVE) and then price yours to be seen as the must-have house (the COMPELLING one) among all that competition. If you or I needed to buy a car and went to three dealers to compare the same model, and one dealer was priced higher, that dealer wouldn’t get our sale for what is essentially the same car as the other two that cost less on today’s market. Real estate is similar. Buyers always want a deal and also search with specific criteria that they use to compare homes.

Pricing to compel – meaning pricing even just a little lower than competitive market value – is the strategy that will result in the most showings from the biggest number of buyers, and the most buyers bidding up for your house. The idea behind this is not for you to fight with just one buyer over the price of your house, but for multiple buyers to compete with one another which drives up price.

WHAT MAKES JOHN L. SCOTT DIFFERENT?

We are connected with the international network, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World. Our reach is enormous in drawing buyer interest from all over the globe. John L. Scott is also leading the real estate industry digitally and technically. If you haven’t tried the best mobile home search app in the country or seen our latest digital footprint, check us out. You won’t go back to using lesser tools.

John L. Scott is celebrating 85 years of successful service to our clients. We are a locally owned company that knows and loves the Northwest.

READY TO START?

The next step to list your home for sale is for me to visit and hear the story of your property. What made you fall in love with your house? Was it the land, location, architecture, or views? And what’s the story of where you’re going next? We’ll create a strategic plan so you can get to that next “someday” place. Feel free to reach out to set up a time together. Can’t wait to meet you!

With warmest regards,
Christina Hyun

#BeginSomedayToday
Call | Txt: 425-246-9456
Email: christinahyun@johnlscott.com
My Home Search App

Buy With Me

#BeginSomedayToday. That’s the message I like to give people who are thinking about buying. Start taking steps today. I believe home ownership is one of the best gifts a person can give to themselves. A home is a place that is all yours where you can kick back and be yourself while enjoying life with loved ones, but it also can be your greatest investment.

I bought a condo at 27 years old, a starter home next, and then a family home. I wasn’t market saavy. I didn’t have a detailed plan. I worked in retail. I was young and needed down payment help. I learned everything the hard way as a 20-something landlord when I rented my condo to three tenants. But I know two things for sure – I didn’t have to throw away years of rent, and I was a homeowner so no one could raise that rent. Rent or own, we are all paying a mortgage on an investment property. It’s just a matter of whose investment. Yours…or a landlord’s.

I hope my blog is thought-provoking and encouraging as you take steps toward your own ‘someday’ dreams. Always happy to answer new buyers’ questions. Being at square one is ok!

DO I NEED A REALTOR?

As a buyer, do you really need a realtor anymore? Everyone starts their home search online now because of access to really helpful apps and sites. My answer would be yes, buyers need a realtor, and a good realtor. Buyers say their biggest need is someone professional to negotiate for them. And they also need someone who can handle problems and contracts as every sale has legal pitfalls and other complications. Realtors know how home buying works. We have complete access to the MLS. We know our local markets. Also, for buyers, a realtor’s services are free (sellers pay the entire commission) so there is nothing to lose and much to gain in having your own realtor.

WHY WORK WITH ME?

Feel free to ask me for contact info of recent clients, my managers, or vendors who work with me. Ask them what kind of person I am. In our competitive market, I advise buyers wisely and negotiate fearlessly with the end goal in mind – get my clients the best deal with the best advantages. Seattle is the most competitive real estate market in the country right now, and I know what I do for my clients gives them financial wins and vetted resources they wouldn’t have alone. In a recent sale, in this bidding war filled market, I helped my buyers win in a multiple offer situation, with inspection, financing, title contingencies all in force, requested a seller-paid home warranty for them, renegotiated a 7K price drop after inspection, and closed right on time. That’s the kind of extra mile work not everyone does, especially if they are giving you discounts. I do full out service like this because I want my clients to win and believe in advocating strongly for their financial interests.

All that said, I’m also that person who listens more than talks. I’ll work hard to carefully hear your needs throughout the process. I am a down-to-earth person. I’ll shoot straight with you. Always happy to go for coffee with anyone who wants to interview me before working together. I get it that you want to find someone you can relate to and trust. I am thankful for my current sphere of clients and friends for those exact reasons.

READY TO START?

If you already know you want to buy within the next year, let’s have that coffee right away! There are steps to do before even looking at properties. I will help walk you through those so yours can be one of the offers most likely to be accepted if that someday house you love comes up. Would love to meet so I can hear all about what you’re looking for in your next place.

HOW CAN I FIND OUT IF I CAN AFFORD IT?

Good realtors have long term relationships with good lenders. I can provide a list of those kinds of lenders so you can find out how much house you can afford. There are more loan and down payment options than buyers realize. Don’t assume you can’t afford to buy. Don’t assume you have to put down 20%. This past spring, 71% of first time buyers put down less than 20%. And 60% of first time buyers put down less than 6%.

Here are two graphics to illustrate an estimated bottom line for 10 yr and 20 yr Renting vs. Buying scenarios for a $369,000 condo vs. a $2100/mo apartment (2 BR/2BA, 10% down). Taking steps now, whether you buy this year, or need to work toward five years from now, is something you can’t afford to not consider.

Buying saves you approximately $157,980 over 10 yrs of renting.

Buying saves you approximately $468,812 over 20 years of renting.

Happy to answer any questions!

Look forward to buying you a coffee and hearing what ‘someday’ looks like for you.

With warmest regards,
Christina Hyun

#BeginSomedayToday
Call | Txt: 425-246-9456
Email: christinahyun@johnlscott.com
My Home Search App

Why John L. Scott And Not Zillow When Buying A House

Zillow offers market info and reviews so it’s definitely a resource when buying or selling a house in Issaquah, or around King County at large, but here are 3 reasons why you should try John L. Scott’s website for your home search instead.

Reason 1 | You Can Be Texted Notifications of New Listings

John L Scott, and all company sites, are linked directly in real time to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service (MLS), but Zillow is not here. So Zillow’s site updates approximately 24 hours after a new listing hits the market whereas they show up on John L Scott’s site in just a couple of hours. If you are part of John L. Scott’s Property Tracker service, you can even set yourself up to get texts of these new listings. No other company can do that for you. Often several buyers will already have been in a home that comes to market by the time a Zillow-only user even sees it.

In our competitive market today, some listings go pending within that 24 hour time period, so you can see why it’s an advantage to be in the know and get notified by text ASAP.

Reason 2 | Getting Correct Info

Zillow is a compilation of listings from sources, but not directly from the most accurate one – the MLS. Sometimes people inquire about listings that have been sold for quite some time already but are still on Zillow’s site as available. I had a buyer who sent me a large list of possible homes to see that he found on Zillow. Of the 15 listings he emailed, 10 were already pending or sold. One of the solds was from nine months ago. He had spent time online looking, compiling this list, and sending it to me. Looking on Zillow is not the best way to use your valuable personal time when searching.

Reason 3 | Don’t Like Being Solicited?

John L. Scott’s site lists active homes for sale from all companies. Zillow has other purposes. Zillow gets agents to pay for priority exposure and ads on their site’s listings. This means clicks on homes matter so Zillow can keep getting agents to pay to be seen on their site, whether the homes you get baited to click on are for sale or not right now. When you click, the agent who’s paid Zillow gets you as their ‘lead’ to then call. I’ve spoken with people who have gotten calls from multiple agents after clicking on a listing. If you have an agent already, this is also not a good use of your time.

If you want to make good use of your time, you can use this link christinahyun.johnlscott.com/search/ or download our mobile app at JLSapp.com/ChristinaHyun and search to your heart’s content by map, neighborhood name, and even see all upcoming open houses in your chosen search area. On either, you can get our free “Property Tracker” feature to keep track of/fav your searches, get that text notification feature, and also have a way for only your chosen agent to stay connected with you to actually help.

Let me know if you have any questions. Visit my Buy & Sell tabs above for more tips. It’s perfectly fine to be at the beginning of the process if you’re here in my neck of the woods buying or selling a house in Issaquah. Or just starting to learn about how home buying even works. I’m happy to help anyone around the Seattle region.

#BeginSomedayToday
Call | Txt: 425-246-9456
Email: christinahyun@johnlscott.com

Summer 2017 Housing Market Prediction

Summer 2017 Housing Market Prediction: Hot… Very Hot

2017 home sales came out of the blocks strong in January; growing at its fastest rate since 2007. According to the National Association of Realtors®, houses were on the market for an average of just 50 days. In January of 2012, the average turn-around time was 99 days.

Optimism inserts money, primarily investor money, into the marketplace. When investors are optimistic and the stock market rises and shows stability, banks typically loosen their guidelines. Low interest rates, more forgiving mortgage guidelines, low and no down payment mortgage options and rent increases have put the housing market in gear, and it’s just starting to get heated.

Inventory remains the only issue as there is currently just a 3.6-month supply of inventory nationwide; which happens to be the lowest in history. That means if no new houses are listed, by May there would be no existing homes for sale in the market. I expect builders to be licking their chops and that’s a good thing for the housing market. When our country is building, it means people are confident in their futures. Business owners have positive expectations and employees are feeling comfortable with job security which is leading people to look at both new and existing homes. With rental prices increasing, millennials and other first time home buyers are taking advantage of low down and no down payment mortgages.

What about Sellers? Is it a good time to sell?

The simple law of supply and demand tells us that when there is more demand than supply, the value of sellers homes should rise right? Wrong with today’s sellers. Sellers today seem to think the market has reached its peak and prices will be declining. They are acting like we are in an economy on the decline, often taking the first reasonable offer and listing their homes for less than they should. This psychology perhaps is coming from the aftermath of the real estate meltdown as many people are satisfied with “getting out clean” or making very little on their real estate.

If you’re a buyer, you are in POLE POSITION right now; the market favors you. If you’re a seller, consider choosing a Real Estate Agent that properly educates you on real market trends and factual data; you may find that the sale of your home is more lucrative that you think!

Scott + Tracy + Kathy

Tracy contacted me on an afternoon this past spring to ask if I would search for a particular kind of house for her mom, Kathy. Her mom was open to moving here to help Tracy and her husband, Scott with their three beautiful daughters.

I met Scott and Tracy when they were first married. They were avid swing dancers and foodies. Scott had landed a good job in the Seattle area and was also a talented writer. Tracy became a podium level triathlete. They were one of the nicest couples I’d ever met and we became friends.

I met Tracy’s mom, Kathy, not long after when she visited Seattle. Besides Tracy, Kathy’s other kids (all sons) are all grown and living in different places with their own families.

Kathy currently lives on a farm in the Midwest and was interested in moving to the Seattle area if the right place could be found, so we all talked about what criteria mattered most and the timing of her move.

Over the next two months, we toured properties, all in Duvall, as that was the area Kathy could see herself moving to over other options. And eventually, we found a great rambler that fit the bill just uphill from the old-fashioned downtown and the rural beauty of Snoqualmie Valley. It had a large, sunny backyard and plenty of extra space for the granddaughters to stay over and for the sewing room Kathy wanted. It was close enough to Scott and Tracy’s.

We put together an offer, and this time ours was accepted after getting disappointed once before. In one of the most competitive sellers’ markets in the country, we won in a multiple offer situation, at list price, with inspection, financing, and title contingencies all in force, requested and got a seller paid home warranty, renegotiated a 7K price drop after inspection, and closed right on time!

To celebrate, I gave them a bottle of pinot and a bottle of prosecco because they have good taste in wines. And the girls each got a different colored, light-up, squishable caterpillar toy just because they’re fun.

Scott, Tracy, and Kathy, congratulations! You have been nothing but pleasant and patient to work with through the assortment of ups and downs. All real estate transactions have their share of complications – none goes as easily as people want, but you persevered and trusted the right house would be found. You’re all amazing, wonderful people.

And one last thing has to be said. Kathy, these girls are just waiting for you to move in so they can have lots of grandma time!

#BeginSomedayToday
Call | Txt: 425-246-9456
Email: christinahyun@johnlscott.com

Hello World!

Hi! I’m Christina Hyun, and as you can see, I’ve launched my new blog today! I realized I didn’t have a good place to write and tell stories anywhere else on my real estate business sites. And story is my thing. I love to write and read a good story. I hope you find this blog an informative, enjoyable place to see what’s happening in my life and in real estate in Seattle.

I have Buyer and Seller tabs above for anyone who wants to better understand the real estate process and how I can help. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions!

Thanks for reading and following!

With warmest regards,
Christina

#BeginSomedayToday
Call | Txt: 425-246-9456
Email: christinahyun@johnlscott.com

Sell With Me

Buy With Me

Why John L. Scott And Not Zillow When Buying A House

Summer 2017 Housing Market Prediction

Scott + Tracy + Kathy

Hello World!

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