Archives for 2013

Bellevue could see another boom

bellevue_waIt’s been a little over four years since downtown Bellevue has seen an office tower go up. The 15-story Summit III project was left unfinished in 2009 when the recession hit. But some developers believe that this Eastside hub will soon become the site of large-scale construction, reports the Seattle Times.

Five residential projects with more than 1,100 units and three office towers featuring 1.5 million square feet are in the works for 2013. Kemper Development plans to expand Lincoln Square by building two office towers to create additional office and retail space as well as a 120-room hotel and 200 condos or apartments. CEO Kemper Freeman says that construction should start in the early summer.

Demand for living and office space in the region is on the rise, and developers are focusing on downtown Bellevue, with its relatively low office-vacancy rate, as a site for construction. There’s growing concern that Seattle neighborhoods are getting overbuilt. Traffic, tolls on Highway 520, and talk of additional tolls on other roadways are causing commuters to consider living in the city where they work.

Lisa Picard, executive vice president of developer Skanska USA, says that the Bellevue “has really developed into an urban center.” The second largest city center in Washington made CNN Money’s 100 Best Places to Live list for 2011. What used to be a suburban business district has transformed itself into an urban destination with retail shops, restaurants, and cultural amenities.

Inflation Since 1775 And How It Took Off In 1933

inflationYesterday at the American Economic Association’s 2013 Annual MeetingCarmen Reinhart and Ken Rogoff offered a paper titled Shifting Mandates: The Federal Reserve’s First Centennial.

The paper included a cool chart of inflation since 1775.  The authors argue that inflation didn’t take off until the U.S. went off the gold standard in 1933.

From the paper:

It is probable that in 1913, while financial panics were not uncommon, high inflation was still largely seen by the founders of the Fed as a relatively rare phenomenon associated with wars and their immediate aftermath. Figure 1 plots the US price level from 1775 (set equal to one) until 2012. In 1913 prices were only about 20 percent higher than in 1775 and around 40 percent lower than in 1813, during the War of 1812. Whatever the mandates of the Federal Reserve, it is clear that the evolution of the price level in the United States is dominated by the abandonment of the gold standard in 1933 and the adoption of fiat money subsequently.    One hundred years after its creation, consumer prices are about 30 times higher than what they were in 1913. This pattern, in varying orders of magnitudes, repeats itself across nearly all countries.

inflation

source: BusinessInsider

Budgeting: A Visual Guide to How Small Cutbacks Lead to Great Savings

budget picBudgeting doesn’t have to be hard.You don’t even need to be tied down to the idea of “making a budget.” Saving money can be as simple as making a few small changes at home. This infographic shows you easy, convenient ways to save up to $8,800 a year, without ever feeling the pinch of a restrictive budget.Budgeting-How-Small-Cutbacks-Lead-to-Great-Savings

2012 United States and Canada Household Moving Migration Patterns

2012-united-states-and-canada-household-moving-migration-patterns

 

source: AltlasVanLines.com

Guitar-Shaped Kitchen Sink for a Harmonious Home

guitar-sinkWashing dishes will probably never be fun – it is a chore, after all. But would it be a bit less of a pain if you could do it in a fun and unusual kitchen sink?

This custom guitar-shaped sink was fabricated by the creative minds at Pearidge Concrete and Crafts. The unique sink was installed outdoors on a custom cabinet made from salvaged wood.guitar-sinkAt eight feet long, this one-of-a-kind outdoor sink might not fit in every household. But there is no reason that creative sinks like this should only be installed outdoors.Concrete sink basins can be made in other shapes also – just in case you aren’t a guitar fan. But for anyone who plays or just enjoys the sweet sounds of a guitar, these pictures ought to inspire a kitchen – or at least a sink – makeover.

100 Social Networking Statistics & Facts for 2012

100-social-networking-statistics--facts-for-2012source: creativo

List on Friday for the best price!

listing-day-Fonte

DIY Home Improvement Infographic


Norstone DIY Infographic

5 Tips for Buyers Who Use Downpayment Gifts

downpayment giftAbout a quarter of first-time home buyers use gifts from relatives to fund a down payment for a home purchase, according to data from the National Association of REALTORS®. But lenders are carefully scrutinizing such gifts.

“Basically, the banks want to make sure that you’re not getting a second loan,” Ray Mignone of Ray Mignone & Associates, a financial planning firm, told The New York Times. “If all of a sudden $50,000 pops into your account, they want to make sure it’s not a loan against the property that they’re going to put a mortgage on.”

In a recent article, The New York Times provided some of the following tips in making make these lenders’ checks and balances go smoother for home buyers:

  • Have the money come in a check or wire transfer so that it’s traceable. Lenders often become cautious over cash gifts. 
  • Have the giver provide the lender with a gift letter, which verifies the money is a gift, the specific amount being given, the relationship to the borrower, and that repayment is not required. 
  • Deposit any gift money into the borrower’s account a few months before applying for a mortgage so the lenders have fewer questions about it, Mignone says. 
  • Consider federal gift-tax regulations: Individual gifts of more than $13,000 must be reported to the IRS and are subject to tax. 
  • Be aware that certain types of mortgages may limit how much of a down payment you can receive as a gift. For example, with conventional loans, lenders may require at least 5 percent in the borrower’s own money that is not a gift. However, Federal Housing Administration loans — which are popular among first-time home buyers — do not have any limits on gifts and borrowers can use gifts to cover the entire down payment.

Source: “To Givers of Down Payments,” The New York Times