Latest posts
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Moving Up From a Puyallup Starter Home: What Your Budget Buys in Bonney Lake, Sumner, and Orting
Selling a $525K Puyallup starter home with $300K owed can net about $183K. Here’s what that equity buys in Bonney Lake, Sumner, and Orting, with sample payments.
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Buying an Older Home in Downtown Puyallup or Sumner: What to Inspect Before You Make an Offer
Older Puyallup and Sumner homes need extra checks: crawlspace, sewer scope, oil tanks, wiring, lead paint, asbestos, and flood zones. Here’s the list.
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Puyallup School District vs. Sumner-Bonney Lake School District: What Home Buyers Should Know
Puyallup SD has about 23,200 students and junior highs; Sumner-Bonney Lake SD has about 11,000 and middle schools. Here’s how to verify a home’s district.
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Pierce County Homeowners Can Leverage Equity to Move Up
Learn how Pierce County homeowners can calculate and leverage their home equity to move up in the real estate market.
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Bonney Lake Water, Sewer, and Septic: How to Check Utilities Before You Buy
How do you check water, sewer, and septic for a Bonney Lake home? Don’t assume — verify by address. The City of Bonney Lake water utility serves the city and much of the surrounding plateau, roughly from Rhodes Lake Road to the King County line, but sewer coverage is narrower, and some homes — especially…
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How Much Does a House Cost in Puyallup Right Now?
How much does a house cost in Puyallup right now? From July through September 2026, single-family residential homes in Puyallup sold for a median of $577,500 — down 3.0% from a year earlier — at about $280 per square foot, according to NWMLS InfoSparks. Condos sold for a median of about $333,000. Homes sold at…
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How to Compare Loan Estimates From Two Lenders
How do you compare Loan Estimates from two lenders? Request both estimates on the same day, for the same loan amount, loan type, and lock period. Then compare the interest rate together with any points, the lender’s own fees in Section A (Origination Charges), and the “In 5 Years” total on page 3, which combines…
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Can You Keep Your FHA Loan and Buy Another Home When You Move Up?
Can you keep your FHA loan and buy another home with FHA? Usually not. FHA generally insures only one mortgage per borrower at a time, so most move-up buyers either sell the FHA home first, refinance it into a conventional loan, or use a conventional loan for the next home. HUD allows limited exceptions: an…
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Condo Reserve Studies and Special Assessments in Washington: What to Check Before You Buy or Sell
What should you check in a Washington condo’s reserve study? Look at the reserve balance and percent funded, the 30-year funding plan, any current or planned special assessments, and big upcoming projects like roofs, siding, decks, and elevators. Washington law generally requires associations to update the reserve study every year, with a site inspection at…
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North End, Proctor, or Stadium District? Comparing Tacoma Neighborhoods for Buyers
How do Tacoma’s North End, Proctor, and Stadium District compare? All three are established Tacoma neighborhoods with early 20th-century homes, but they live differently. The North End is mostly single-family streets of Craftsman, Tudor, and four-square homes, and it includes the Proctor District, a small business district with shops, restaurants, and a seasonal farmers market,…