In The Media

Is it possible for proud home owners who pay their mortgages on time to have their houses foreclosed on? KPLU’s John Maynard talks with real estate appraiser Richard Hagar who says this sort of thing happens all the time, thanks to sloppy bank practices.

Examples of this are rampant, says Hagar.

• There’s the story

In Seattle, there’s a lot of potentially dangerous places where the soil could give way any moment. This is especially true in neighborhoods with good views.

The City of Seattle publishes a landslide map that makes this abundantly clear.  On the map, landslide-prone areas are marked in red. And, boy, is there a lot …

Seattle area landlords are breathing a sigh of relief these days due to dropping rental vacancies. Real estate appraiser Richard Hagar tells KPLU’s  John Maynard that two forces are driving this.

This article first appeared on KNKX. Read the complete article here.…

It’s happening all over the country, including in the Pacific Northwest. People are walking away from their mortgages. In most cases, the homes that are being abandoned are valued for less than their mortgage.

This article first appeared on KNKX. Read the complete article here.…

It’s that time of year again when KPLU’s John Maynard and real estate appraiser Richard Hagar look at the least expensive and the most expensive homes on the market. This time around, they’re zeroing in on King County.

This article first appeared on KNKX. Read the complete article here.…

Is the active street life in places such as Tokyo and Barcelona due, in part, to the fact that many people there live in very small apartments? When your living quarters are about the size of a jail cell (90 to 100 square feet, including the bathroom), then perhaps it’s nicer to be outside …

The good news is that some sellers in the current real estate market are getting multiple offers on their property but buyers are being much more choosy when it comes to deciding on a new home.

This article first appeared on KNKX. Read the complete article here.…

These days home sellers are facing an uphill battle, and qualified buyers are becoming ever pickier. Find out how traffic congestion and pending construction project – even those that benefit the community at large- can impede the sale of a house.

This article first appeared on KNKX. Read the complete article here.…

Back in the early 1960’s, a string of motels along Seattle’s Aurora Avenue North sprang up to accommodate tourists pouring into town to visit the Seattle World’s Fair. Real Estate Appraiser Richard Hagar tells KPLU’s John Maynard that a lot of this property is being redeveloped.

This article first appeared on KNKX. Read …

Great deals on new homes can be found on the plains and near the planes.

That’s the word from Seattle-area real estate appraiser Richard Hagar. New developments on the  flatlands of  Quincy, Wash., and the “loud lands” near Sea-Tac Airport are being built and sold at a pretty fast clip. Hagar tells KPLU’s John …

It’s a drawn out, frustrating process, but if you’re willing to put in the time,  buying a home from a bank can save you a lot of money. Seattle-area real estate appraiser Richard Hagar tells KPLU’s John Maynard that while it is mostly investors who seek out these properties, average home buyers can score …

Some banks will pay you if you keep your foreclosed house in good condition. That includes things like  mowing your lawn and keeping your toilets and countertops spick and span.

Seattle-area Real Estate Appraiser and educator Richard Hagar tells KPLU’s John Maynard that some lenders offer in the neighborhood of $2,000.00 to ex-homeowners  for …

KPLU’s John Maynard bought a condo in 2007 – at the height of the market. He took out an adjustable-rate mortgage that’s “adjusting” in June.

That’s turned out to be good news for Maynard, who’s mortgage payment will go down considerably since interest rates are low right now and expected to be so for …

When most of us talk about condos, we’re usually referring to buildings with apartment units that are individually owned.  But as real estate appraiser Richard Hagar tells KPLU’s John Maynard, a condominium is technically a type of ownership.

So you can also “condominiumize” other types of property. Hagar says it’s a hot trend for …

Is it true that there there’s a bank vault out there full of cold, hard cash that’s now available to people trying to refinance? That’s what KPLU’s John Maynard asked Seattle-area real estate appraiser Richard Hagar when he dropped by KPLU’s studios recently. Without skipping a beat, Hagar responded:

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KPLU’s  John Maynard posed this question to Seattle-area real estate appraiser, Richard Hager: “If I sold a $2 million dollar house and paid the real estate agent his standard commission, then he’d get $180,000 out of the deal. Is that a negotiable situation?” Hagar’s answer?

This article first appeared on KNKX. Read the …