Buying a Home Step 4: Start Touring Homes

Scheduling home tours can be an exciting but overwhelming process. To ensure that you make the most of your time and find the home of your dreams, it's important to have a checklist of what to look for when touring a property. Here are some key items to include on your checklist:

1. Location: Is the home in a desirable neighborhood? Are there nearby amenities such as shops, restaurants, and parks?

2. Exterior: Check the condition of the exterior, including the roof, siding, and landscaping. Are there any visible damages or needed repairs?

3. Interior layout: Does the layout of the home suit your needs? Is there enough space for your family and belongings?

4. Rooms: Check the size and condition of each room, including the kitchen, bathrooms, and bedrooms. Are they in good condition and do they meet your needs?

5. Storage: Is there enough storage space such as closets, cabinets, and pantry areas?

6. Lighting: Check the lighting in each room to ensure that it meets your preferences.

7. Appliances: Check the condition and functionality of appliances such as the refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, and washer/dryer.

8. Plumbing: Check for any leaks, water damage, or plumbing issues.

9. Noise level: Pay attention to the noise level inside and outside of the home. Is it located near a busy road or noisy neighbors?

10. Safety: Check for smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and fire extinguishers.

By utilizing this checklist during your home tours, you'll be able to make informed decisions and find the perfect home for you and your family.

Are you ready to start your homebuying journey? Fill out the Ready to Buy survey, and our team will reach out to help you begin!

Buying a Home Step 3: Start shopping for the home of your dreams

When shopping for a new home, there are several key factors to consider. First, think about your budget and how much you can afford to spend. Next, consider the location and neighborhood, including proximity to schools, shopping, and other amenities. It's also important to consider the size of the home and whether it meets your needs, as well as any potential maintenance or repair costs. Other important factors to consider include the age and condition of the home, the layout and design, and the availability of outdoor space. By taking these factors into account, you can make an informed decision and find the perfect home for you and your family.

Here's a checklist of things to consider when shopping for a home:

• Location and neighborhood

• Size and layout of the home

• Condition and age of the home

• Safety and security features

• Natural lighting and ventilation

• Energy efficiency

• Outdoor space and landscaping

• Storage space and closets

• Number of bedrooms and bathrooms

• Access to amenities and public transportation

• Noise level and traffic in the area

• Resale value and potential for home improvements.

Are you ready to start your homebuying process? Fill out our Ready To Buy Survey, and our team will help you get started!

Buying a Home Step 2: Prepare Financially and Get Pre-Approved

Buying a home is a significant financial decision that requires careful planning and preparation. One crucial step in the home-buying process is getting pre-approved for a mortgage. This involves submitting your financial information to a lender who will evaluate your credit score, income, and debt-to-income ratio to determine how much you can borrow and at what interest rate.

To increase your chances of getting pre-approved and securing a favorable mortgage rate, it's essential to prepare your finances beforehand. This includes reviewing your credit report and addressing any errors or areas of concern, paying down high-interest debt, and saving for a down payment and closing costs. It's also important to avoid making any major financial changes, such as opening new credit accounts, taking out a new loan, or changing jobs, as these can negatively impact your creditworthiness and affect your chances of getting pre-approved.

Choosing the right mortgage lender when buying a home can be a daunting task. Here are some tips to help you find the right lender for you:

1. Shop around: Don't settle for the first lender you come across. Research and compare rates, fees, and services offered by different lenders to find the best fit for you.

2. Read reviews: Look for reviews from other homebuyers to get an idea of the lender's reputation and customer service.

3. Consider your needs: Choose a lender that can meet your specific needs, whether it's a low down payment, flexible repayment options, or a specific type of loan.

4. Check qualifications: Make sure the lender is licensed and insured, and that their loan officers are experienced and knowledgeable.

5. Ask questions: Don't be afraid to ask questions about the lending process, fees, and terms of the loan. A good lender will be happy to answer your questions and help you understand the process.

Want to make the process even easier? Be sure to gather these pieces of information; you’ll likely need them for the approval process.

• W2s from the past 2 years

• 3 months’ worth of pay-stubs

• Bank statements (past 3 months)

• Previous 2 years of tax returns

• List of your debts & assets

• Divorce decree*

• Additional income documents

Remember, choosing the right lender is an important step in the home-buying process. Take your time, do your research, and find the lender that's right for you.

Are you ready to begin the home-buying process? Whether your timeline is 3 weeks, 3 months, or 3 years, our team is here to help you every step of the way! Get started now by filling out our Ready To Buy Survey, and our team will reach out to schedule a call to discuss how we can support you on this path. 

Terra Wright Knudsen- Bainbridge Island Realtor

Buying a Home Step 1: Selecting a Realtor

Choosing the right realtor is crucial when buying a home. Your home purchase is likely one of the largest financial investments you'll make. It's also one of the most emotionally weighted purchases you'll make if you plan to live there.

A good realtor can help you navigate the complex process of buying a home, negotiate the best price and terms, and provide valuable insights into the local market. They can also help you find homes that meet your specific needs and preferences. A great realtor will feel like your ally, your friend, your confidant, and your guide every step of the way.

On the other hand, a bad realtor can cost you time, and money, and may even lead to legal issues. It's important to do your research and choose a reputable and experienced realtor who you feel comfortable working with. Investing in the right realtor can make all the difference in your home-buying experience.

Are you ready to begin the homebuying process? Whether your timeline is 3 weeks, 3 months, or 3 years, our team is here to help you every step of the way! Get started now by filling out our Ready To Buy Survey, and our team will reach out to schedule a call to discuss how we can support you on this path.

Terra Wright Knudsen - Bainbridge Island Realtor

How Accurate is a Zestimate?

How accurate is a Zestimate? In my professional opinion… it's about as personalized as that carnival game where a stranger guesses your age and weight…

A few weeks ago, my neighbor was sharing how the Zestimate for his home seemed ‘off,’ compared to recent activity in our area. When he shared the value they gave, I agreed!  I offered to give him and his wife a Home Valuation and they were shocked to learn what their home would actually be valued at in today's market. (Spoiler alert, it was significantly different than that Zestimate!)

Our team uses a comprehensive system to give you the most accurate evaluation possible. It's not your job to dig into the layers of data- all you have to do is reach out to us to do the work for you. 

We're all about fact driven decisions! Knowing what the market means for your home can help you make confident choices when the time comes to move, renovate, or simply enjoy your home as-is!

Are you curious how your home valuation compares to your Zestimate? Click the link below! Our team would love to put together a FREE home valuation for you. 

Get my free home valuation

What's for dinner: Quick Italian Wedding Soup

Recipe and photo courtesy of food network

Italian Wedding Soup is a delicious and hearty soup that is perfect for any occasion. It is traditionally made with meatballs, vegetables, eggs, and cheese in a flavorful broth. The soup is named after the Italian-American tradition of serving it at weddings, but it is now enjoyed all year round.

Italian Wedding Soup is a comforting and satisfying meal that is easy to make and always a crowd-pleaser. Serve it with crusty bread and grated Parmesan cheese for a delicious and complete meal.

Ingredients (recipe courtesy of Food Network)

Meatballs:

• 1 small onion, grated

• 1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 slice fresh white bread, crust trimmed, bread torn into small pieces

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

• 8 ounces ground beef

• 8 ounces ground pork

• Freshly ground black pepper

Soup:

• 12 cups low-sodium chicken broth

• 1 pound curly endive, coarsely chopped (1 pound of escarole would be a good substitution)

• 2 large eggs

• 2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. To make the meatballs: Stir the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese, beef and pork. Using 1 1/2 teaspoons for each, shape the meat mixture into 1-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a baking sheet.

2. To make the soup: Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and curly endive and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the curly endive is tender, about 8 minutes. Whisk the eggs and cheese in a medium bowl to blend. Stir the soup in a circular motion. Gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the moving broth, stirring gently with a fork to form thin stands of egg, about 1 minute. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve. Finish soup with parmesan cheese if desired.

5 Sanity-Saving Holiday Tips - 5 years later!

5 years since this original post, and LOT of life has happened. We’ve got another kiddo, and we’ve been working through a global pandemic… but these 5 tips are even MORE helpful as we start to redefine our holiday season and holiday traditions. More than anything, the past few years have taught me not to trade my peace for ‘tradition.’ I’d encourage you to honor your needs, your space, and your peace this holiday season, and every season.

lots of love, Terra

We've all been there. It's 11:30 on Christmas Eve, and you're halfway through wrapping gifts when you run out of tape... or paper... or bows... and you realize that the last month has flown by. Though you're certain it's been busy, you're not quite sure what happened, who you saw or who you didn't, and you don't remember the last time you got a full night's sleep.

Ok- so you've never experienced that? Congrats! I, however, have been very guilty of spreading myself too thin during what is actually my favorite time of the year. One year, I even managed to forget to take Peyton to see Santa. Like, literally forgot until he said something... On December 23rd... #momfail.

Anyhoo- a few years ago, my husband and I decided to take back our holiday season. Spending time with loved ones- doing the things we love to do- is what makes the holidays our favorite time of year. We had tumbled down a rabbit hole of overcommitment (why is that so easy to do?!) and had gotten away from what really mattered to us. Here's the thing, at the end of the day, when the parties are over, and the gifts have been unwrapped, and the dances have been danced, and the carols have been sung, we still need to be present for each other.  Somehow we lost sight of that! Luckily, we both committed to learning from what didn't work and moving forward as a team. 

SO. **drumroll please** here are FIVE things we do during the holidays to keep our sanity and stay connected as a family.

COOKIE TIME! COOKIE TIME! COOK-IE-TII-IIME

Sanity-Saving Tip #1: Frozen Cookie Dough

AND SCENE: It's Thursday night, it's bedtime, and your darling child tells you that there's a class party TOMORROW, and he needs to bring a treat... Your friends are driving through town, and call to see if you're home for a quick visit... Your annual neighborhood 'Cookies, Carols, and Cocktails' party is tonight at 6, and you forgot until you see your neighbor at the mailboxes... at 5:30.

Let me tell you how to save the day in every one of these situations- frozen cookie dough. At the beginning of December, I spend a few nights with my son making cookie dough, rolling it into balls, and FREEZING IT. We do a big family cookie party, but I love these nights because it's just the 2 of us in the kitchen.

No matter how last minute any treat request is, for the next 8 dozen cookies needed, I'm only 15 minutes away from a solution. I have 2 go-to recipes. these Pumpkin Snickerdoodles. This recipe needs no alterations, they are delicious. The second is my family's Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe with Christmas colored M&M's. Both of these recipes are crowd pleasers over and over again. 

Sanity-Saving Tip #2 Put It All Out There- Together

Have you ever said to your husband 'I told you last week....' SURE, neither have I. He and I totally remember everything the other says... the first time. Hahahaha no way.

My husband and I found this year that our schedules plus our son's schedule cannot be managed by memory. So, now we send each other calendar requests for EVERYTHING. Date night, haircuts, work events, holiday parties, school events, all of it. We used to spend so much time talking about what we had going on every week, but now, we spend time talking about what we did because it's all on the calendar. 

Another game-changer this season has been managing our Christmas shopping lists on Trello. We have running gift lists for everyone in our family, and can both add notes, ideas, and mark items complete from our phones. 

WHAT'S FOR DINNER?

Sanity-Saving Tip #3 -Keep weeknight dinners simple

Once we get into the first week of December, we have at least two holiday parties/happy hours/concerts every week through New Years. That mean's we're eating at home 4-5 days a week for dinner, and on those days, I stick to the family favorites that are SPEEDY! For us, this means Fajitas, Breakfast-For-Dinner, Meatballs, and Falafels on repeat. I want to spend time at home with my family, not in the kitchen working on dinner for an hour. Eating dinner together is a priority for us, and helps us slow down during this busy season! For more tips on how to get ahead of meal prep, check out this post!

WRAPPY HOUR

Sanity-Saving Tip #4- Turn the things you have to do into a party!

Last year, we started a new tradition that I don't know I can ever give up. The Thursday before Christmas, we get together with our friends and have a massive wrapping party. We lovingly refer to it as Wrappy Hour. We get a sitter for the kids and leave them at one house. Then, all of the adults wrap all Christmas presents at another house as to not be disturbed by kids. Here's the thing. Wrapping is a thousand times more fun when you do it with your friends, and cocktails, and a giant arsenal of wrapping supplies. It's also a great way to connect with friends while still being productive! In all, we spend about 90 minutes wrapping, and another 2 hours just laughing, relaxing, and enjoying good company. And helloooooooo!!! It means you can actually SLEEP on Christmas Eve!

JUST SAY NO

Sanity-Saving Tip#5 Don't overcommit yourself

This, I know, is easier said than done, but I truly think it's the most important tip. We opted a few years ago to stop saying yes to every invite we got, and instead, choose to attend the ones that mean the most to us. At first, I felt really bad declining invitations. Then I realized, no one really worries if I'm not one of the 50 guests at a cocktail party. I also realized that if I knew I wasn't going to enjoy myself at an event, I didn't have to go just to 'be nice.' It's so freeing to only go to the events you truly WANT to go to. 

Now, we are refreshed between events and not run ragged. As much as possible, we try to attend events as a couple. My top picks may not be a priority for my hubby, and vice versa, but WE are each other's top priority and make it a point to show up for each other. Because we've scaled back the number of events we attend, we actually get to treat them as date nights rather than items on an agenda. We also save on babysitters by being selective with events.

Bonus tip- schedule some downtime! We purposely schedule a Friday/Saturday or Saturday/Sunday between Thanksgiving and NYE with no events. This year, we used that weekend to watch Stranger Things. I wore pajamas one day until 2 pm. It. Was. Great.

From our family to yours, and from me to you, we wish you the happiest holiday season! Take a moment here and there to slow down, take a breath, and take it all in. 

Much Love, Terra

Renovations for Resale Value- 2 question to ask and 5 tips to maximize your return

When my husband and I decided to renovate the kitchen in our first home, we immediately started researching custom cabinets, marble countertops, and luxury appliances. Then we looked at all the line items and said, ‘we are never going to see the return on this if we sell this house.’

We knew our townhouse was a 5 year home, max. We knew that we’d likely sell it to another owner who was looking for a starter home or more affordable home option in our area. That meant we needed to keep 2 things in consideration when we renovated. First, we needed to choose finishes that would translate well to a buyer. We wanted a statement, but we knew anything too specific might turn buyers off. Second, we needed to maximize our return.

Two questions to ask yourself before any project: How long am I planning to stay in this house? Will these changes appeal to the next buyer of this home?

If you think selling is anywhere in your near future, here are my tips to help you maximize the return

1. Keep a functional layout. If you can resurface or paint cabinets vs replacing, you will save yourself thousands of dollars. Retrofitting functional cabinet inserts, adding new hardware, and painting cabinets is a great way to refresh a room for minimal expense.

2. Use widely appealing finishes. Updating a dated countertop to a clean quartz will always hold value in a buyer’s eyes. In our case, we replaced dated, TILED granite countertops for a marble-look white quartz. Not only did this modernize the space, it bounced so much more light into the room.

3. Choose the good appliances, and shop open box- we went with KitchenAid appliances in our house, and were able to find our fridge and dishwasher as open box items, which saved us about 40% off retail on both. This took some legwork, but was well worth it in the end. We checked websites daily, and knew exactly which models we were looking for when they popped up. On both items, they were open box with no visible damage to front facing panels.

4. If you want to make a statement, choose 1 area. If you love a bold tile pattern, keep the color neutral. If you love a bold color, keep the pattern simple. Adding too many layers can quickly make your house too specific for homebuyers. We opted for a bold backsplash, but kept the rest of our kitchen very clean.

5. If you’re looking for ROI- focus on kitchens and baths. My biggest regret was that we didn’t update the primary bath before we sold our townhouse- specifically that we didn't update it for our enjoyment! If I could do it all over, I would have tackled these projects when we purchased the house instead of waiting.

Loving where you live is so important, and great updates don’t have to cost a ton! These 5 tips can help you save money, and enjoy your space until you’re ready for your next phase of homeownership.

Bainbridge Island Restaurants

Just 30 minutes by ferry from downtown Seattle, Bainbridge Island has an incredible selection of restaurants for any cuisine you’re in the mood for. Here are are few of our favorites!

Coffee Shops and Breakfast Spots

Coquette Bakery - A French style bakery, the baguettes and chocolate croissants from Coquette transport you to the streets of Paris, the smell of warm butter welcoming you as you walk up to the cart. If you’re in the mood for something savory, don't miss out on the daily sandwich selection.

Blackbird Bakery- Both Coffee and Pastries will have you coming back for more! Famous for their Downtowners, I’m also a huge fan of the Gluten-Free morning glory muffin

Pegasus Coffee- A Bainbridge Institution, located right along the marina, come for the coffee, stay for the pancakes! Be sure to make a day trip to the island in fall as the ivy on the historic brick building turns all shades of red, rust, and Sienna.

Town & Country Market- The grocery store with something for everyone! Smoothies, espresso, and locally sourced breakfast pastries make this an easy stop as soon as you walk off the ferry.

Lunch Spots

Bruciato - Neapolitan-style pizza, craft cocktails, and a fab antipasti menu, this restaurant is sure to please everyone in your group. My personal go-to’s: the house made meatballs, tuna salad, and seasonal grilled veggies

Cafe Hitchcock- When you really need a great grilled cheese and tomato soup, look no further than Hitchcock. Their salads, smoothies, and egg skillets leave you satisfied without feeling weighed down.

BaSa- PNW meets Vietnamese cuisine. OMG it’s all delicious. You can never go wrong with a bahn-mi, but my go to here is the spicy prawn noodles.

Doc’s Marina Grill- Casual dining, family and large party friendly, with views of Winslow Marina, Doc’s offers a robust menu with PNW favorites.

Dinner Time

Agate Restaurant- Agate perfectly balances fine seasonal dining with an island ease that’s unique to Bainbridge. A perfect date night, birthday celebration, or way to dazzle out of town guests. The seasonal fish and rotating burger are always sure to please!

Restaurant Marche- Locally sourced, French inspired cuisine, I can’t say no to the perfect combination of a French 75, foie gras, and mussels and frites. Utterly romantic, this is a fab date night any day of the week.

Heyday Farms - Farm to Table in its truest form, Dining at the Heyday Farms is an incredible experience. Located on Old Mill Rd, Heyday is a local purveyor of choice for most island restaurants, is an incredible event space, and dining in the farmhouse itself is an experience you won’t soon forget. Trust me, this one is worth the drive, every. single. time.