General Tips:

Brick homes cost 3 times the insurance than non-brick homes.  In an earthquake, brick homes are the first to go.  Even though they never really fall down, insurance companies will use it as a way to charge you more.

Ballard, Medina, Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, Fremont, Mercer Island and Greenlake are the 7 top appreciating areas over the last 25 years.  Purchasing in these areas is always a good idea as the only thing that's never changed about real estate over the last 100 years is location, location, location (my grandma taught me this).

If you are currently set up on auto-pay on your mortgage, be sure to actively call and cancel the autopay when you sell your home.  The escrow company will handle the pay off of your loan but loan companies will still withdraw from your account if you don't cancel autopay.

If you have a job change or transfer 50 miles or further and you've lived in your home for less than 2 years, you qualify for a tax break on your capital gains tax.  Contact me to find out more details.

For investment property purchases, it is always a good idea to contact a local property management company whether you are planning to use one or landlord yourself.  The management company will give you important neighborhood information and will also tell you what areas and property types that tenants are asking to rent most often.  For example, in Pierce County, 4plexes are better than duplexes and Puyallup and University Place are the two most popular rental areas

Looking to get rid of PMI? Once you have 20% equity in your home, you can have your property re-appraised and take those PMI payments off your monthly bill. All you pay for is the appraisal.