Close To Home

This week in the first of a two part series Brennen is talking about Air B&B's, specifically the upsides and downsides. This is the good week where it's all about upside. Enjoy! Converting an in-law unit or studio space into an Air B&B for an additional revenue stream is becoming more and more popular recently (with some notable recent exceptions). But with a Covid vaccine on the way and life possibly returning to normal within the next year we thought now would be a good time to give our listener some info about the worthiness of this particular additonal revenue stream. Who knows? Picking up a new project to fix up and renovate could be a great way to pass the next six months or so, and we all kind of need one of those right now. If you have additional questions or ideas for future episodes please don't hesitate to reach out! We love to hear from you. Instagram Facebook Twitter Also online at: TheClouseGroup.com And as always thank you for listening! Our Opening theme: “Inspired” By Kevin Mcleod (i

We are back with part two of our interview series with Stacia Weishaar from  Cornerstone Home Lending inc.. This week only has one topic: refinancing. Together with Brennen and Tracy Stacia is going to give an in depth analysis of the state of the lending market right now and how you could potentially refinance in order to pay off debt and own your property in a potentially ludicrous amount of time.   It's been a truly insane year on a number of axis and the housing lending market has also been impacted. However, unlike many other industries those impacts could lead to potential opportunity for those bold enough to seek it out. The added layers of security to housing lending after the crash of the early 2000's, and the federal government backing mortgage securities in 2020 have lead rates to hit an all time low while equity has remained high. What does that mean? It means buying power is up, refinancing is up, and now might be your best opportunity to set yourself up to get a low interest rate, pay

This week Brennen is giving a sneak peak at what goes on under your floorboards, more specifically your sewage line which is, I think we can all agree, something you don't want anything to go wrong with. what are the proper steps to take to make sure your new home is also not sitting on a giant pile of... well you know. Find out this week on the Clouse Corner! There are a lot of things to check and maintain when it comes to buying or upkeeping a home but your sewage line isn't one that immediately springs to mind for most people, probably because it isn't a very pleasant to think about. It is however very important. For starters your sewage line is actually two separate parts, the line in the street outside your house which is the cities job to maintain, and the line which connects to it which is yours. Now the test that checks how well the line connecting your house is holding up is called a, "Sewer Scope" and long story short just get one, please it's so gross if something goes wrong with it. Just get the s

This week a trip to the dentists office gave Brennen gave Brennen the surprising fact that a lot of dental hygienists also work part time in real estate, so this week we are discussing the advantages of hiring professional versus part time when it comes to buying your home. Hello listeners! Look, we've all hired a "guy" at some point, everyone knows a "guy." It starts with a project, some minor build or home improvement that is just a little too pricey to justify and so you let it slowly get worse until eventually you decide to bite the bullet. But of course you want to save a few bucks so instead of a professional you ask around and you find a "guy." Maybe they do a good job, and maybe they mess something up and you have to call in a professional for even more money. The point it at that point it's a crapshoot. There are benefits to hiring a professional from the outset, not a part timer, not a moonlighter, but someone who really lives and breathes the thing you hire them for, and that's what we are discussi

When Stacia Weishaar decided to buy her fist home it was tragic experience, her agents were aloof and unresponsive, her lender couldn't clearly lay out the financials, and everyone (including her own parents) couldn't explain the process to her in a clear competent fashion. The whole experience left her with a bitter taste in her mouth and since this was the not the last home she ever planned on buying she decided to educate herself on the process. Smash cut to today where she is sitting down with Brennen and Tracy to discuss her business Cornerstone Home Lending inc. Through Cornerstone Stacia and her team are approaching home lending in a whole new way that is the total opposite of that first bad buying experience. Stacia prides herself and her team on educating their clients through every step of the process and being responsive and available to them throughout should they have any questions. It's a whole journey that's meant to really inform and educate buyers into the legacy of home ownership, from the d

This week Brennen wanted to talk about refinancing because right now with the market where it is it can look like a very tempting offer. However, what are the mitigating questions people should be asking? Refinancing is a big decision. Right now with the housing market in Seattle being what it is getting a better deal on your mortgage through refinancing seems like a slam dunk and for many people it is, but not everybody. It's important to remember that among other factors refinancing costs money up front, which is luxury not everyone has right now. Of course there is the benefit of potentially saving money over the long term that might offset that initial amount. Basically things are more complicated than they appear and it's important to ask yourself some key questions before you slap down cash for refinancing your home. What are those questions? Listen and find out. If you have additional questions or ideas for future episodes please don't hesitate to reach out! We love to hear from you. Instagram Facebook

This week Brennen is giving some insight into how strategically lowering your listing price can actually help out with the sale of a property. Lowering your listing price may seem like the last thing you want to do, after all who doesn't want to make the most money on their sale? The real answer is a little more nuanced than that though. The truth is lowering the listing price on a house or property if done correctly can actually do a lot to help get a property attention when it is otherwise struggling to sell. Of course the best scenario you can have your cake and eat it to and just sell the property at or above asking, but in order to do that you have to work with a hands on professional who knows all the ins and outs of the system. Maybe one who also hosts a couple of podcasts, who knows?  If you have additional questions or ideas for future episodes please don't hesitate to reach out! We love to hear from you. Instagram Facebook Twitter Also online at: TheClouseGroup.com And as always thank you for l

Have you ever gone into an interview only to have it flipped around on you entirely and suddenly you're the one on the spot? Us neither, that is until this week when Brennen and Tracy sat down with their coach and mentor Jason Farris! In a surprising move, which is in retrospect not too surprising, Jason completely flipped the script on us and spent the whole time interviewing Brennen and Tracy.  Jason Farris was an early adopter of new technologies in the real estate industry and was recently  named: "one of the top Video influencers of 2018," by BombBomb. These days he does lots of coaching and consulting helping people (especially small newcomers) in the industry grow their businesses by embracing the added reach of new technology. And he does all this while maintaining his own company FresYes, which employs almost 100 agents.  But that's about all you're going to hear about it. Because he did not come to be interviewed but to interview. In case you've been wondering what is going on behind

What exactly does the buying process look like during Covid? Does it come with extra risks of exposure? This week on the Clouse corner we are hoping to allay those fears by clearly laying out how the buying process has changed and how you are being kept safe. Greetings listeners! We hope all of you have gotten out and cast your ballots, or if not yet that you will do so tomorrow! We published some Covid 19 centered episodes earlier in the pandemic but I think we were all hoping that we would be over the worst of it by now. Turns out, sadly, that is not the case. Nonetheless we have learned a lot about how to keep people safe and still go about business as usual (or as close to it as possible) and this week Brennen is going to lay it all out for you. You'll be walked through the buying process with descriptions of each step, the risks, and the protective measures taken. If you, or someone you know, has been wanting to buy a new house but second guessing based on the pandemic then we hope this information will

We hope you're hungry! This week Brennen and Tracy are sitting down with Chef Shama to talk about her culinary journey, from working at Microsoft, to starting a food truck from scratch, to now teaching through various culinary schools and online, it's pretty wild. Roll Okay Please started out as a bottle of ketchup and some loose noodles in then not Chef Sama's refrigerator, which doesn't sound like a lot. Nonetheless she used those humble beginnings to feed the hungry tech bros she worked with at Microsoft and found a new calling. That calling took the form of her food truck which she named, "Roll Okay Please" as an homage to the term, "Horn Okay Please" that is often found painted on trucks or busses in India. The message was clear to the people who understood it, if you want amazing authentic Indian food, look no further. These days she no longer runs the food truck, but she does teach over Zoom, so if you want to learn to make a Paneer that will blow some socks off head over to her Facebook page and get s

There are a lot of ways to get the leg up in the real estate market, on this weeks Clouse Corner, Brennen explains how and when to utilize an additional down payment to gain a tactical advantage.  Halloween is closing in this week and in the sprit of clever disguises this week Brennen is offering up some practical advise. Now I'm sure some of you are still looking at the words "additional down payment" and thinking, "really?" Trust us, we know that sometimes it feels like there isn't another pound of flesh to give when it comes to purchasing a home. That being said tactically using an additional down payment, particularly on a single family home in the Seattle market right now can yield surprisingly good results. Find out all the details by listening to the episode. As always if you have additional questions we would be delighted to answer them" Instagram Facebook Twitter Also online at: TheClouseGroup.com Thanks for listening! Our Opening theme: “Inspired” By Kevin Mcleod (incomptech.com) Other music

This week Brennen is breaking down the various timelines that go hand in hand with various real estate practices, his theory is that it's better to be well informed than to live dangerously, but he's open to dissenting opinions.  We've covered timelines a few different times on this program, both from a buyer and sellers perspective, but something we've never dared ask before: Are timelines exciting?  Could it be that timelines in real estate are actually sexy bad boys, and not just high stakes homework assignments which cost you an arm and leg if you mess them up? Maybe they cost you an arm and leg but like, in a cool sexy way... Nope, I can't do this. It's about timelines guys, they are things your real estate agent should know. If your agent doesn't know about them you need a new agent. Maybe get in touch with Brennen? Especially if you have any questions, we are all about answering your questions.. when we are not busy anthropomorphizing real estate terminology. New Close to Home episode this We

It's time to get Upstaged! Brennen and Tracy are sitting down with Fernanda and Flavia, best friends, business partners, and creators of Upstaging Seattle, to talk about how they met, how they make homes so beautiful so fast, and how to start a successful business using only Google searches and Instagram. If you're a theater kid, like some of us who work on the show, then you think of upstaging as a bad thing. Well get ready to have that idea turned on its head, because when it comes to real estate stealing the spotlight is the name of the game, and Upstaging Seattle are the stars of the show! When Brennen or Tracy need a house made beautiful fast these are the experts they turn to, in fact Brennen was the first customer to earn their regular customer discount last year (that's how much we love these ladies). Don't believe us? Check out their amazing Instagram for before and after shots that will blow your mind! If you like looking at glamorous home décor shots (a strong possibility if you enjoy our show) the

This week Brennen is talking about the rumors of a, "Seattle Exodus"  is it a real thing and should people be alarmed? Listen and find out! If you live on the West Coast and have tried to rent a U-Haul recently you've probably heard from someone on the customer service chain that truck supplies are low because of everyone is moving right now. This is certainly the case in Manhattan and San Francisco where previously very in demand areas are suddenly seeing an excess of available inventory relative to the demand.  But what about Seattle and other major cities, are they also experiencing this disparity and if so what might that mean for people who own property or are looking to buy? Well, we've only got about 5 minutes, but we'll certainly do our best to answer all these questions on this weeks Clouse Corner.  As always if you have additional questions please feel free to reach out to us, we love to hear from you! Instagram Facebook Twitter Also online at: TheClouseGroup.com Thanks for listening

This week in our ongoing effort to demystify any and all real estate terms Brennen will be digging into underwriting and how it can effect the buying process. Taken at face value underwriting sounds like those correction notes teachers used to leave on your essays back in school. However, it's actually an important part of acquiring a loan for buying a house or property. Basically it's an assessment of the amount of risk that a loan would carry, but that is the most skin deep of definitions. In order to get the full picture you'll have to actually listen to the episode. Brennen does a better job of explaining it all than I ever could.  Of course, if you have questions feel free to send them our way, we love answer them and we love to hear from you! Instagram Facebook Twitter Also online at: TheClouseGroup.com Thanks for listening! Our Opening theme: “Inspired” By Kevin Mcleod (incomptech.com) Other music (in order used): “Low Life High Life” By Dan Henig “Ruination 2” By Vibe Mountain “We Don’t Know How

This week, in part two of our ongoing series about pet care, Brennen and Tracy are sitting down with Whitney H. the manager of Frolic Pet Services to talk about the amazing services they are offering in the Seattle and Puget Sound area! We know that during quarentimes more than a few of people may have picked up a new furry companion to take the edge of their stress, or maybe you've just let their training lapse a bit and now you're worried about leaving your pet to go back to work, maybe none of these are true and you are just super into lizards. If any of these are sounding familiar then you definitely can have some great take aways from listening to this weeks episode and getting acquainted with the services Frolic Pet Services offers. Seriously, they deal with everything from dogs to poison dart frogs, it is wild.  Also check out their Instagram at www.instagram.com/FrolicPet/ it's cute pictures of animals, so what not to love? If you have a local business in the Seattle area you would like us to spo

This week Brennen is weighing out the advantages of buying a new home. You may have asked yourself what are the advantages of buying a home new? Some of the primary ones are having a greater say over the final touches of construction, as well as saving money on initial upkeep. Certainly most of the market is usually comprised of older homes and don't get us wrong they can be great too! However, if you are weighing all of your different options, and maybe there's a particular style of kitchen finish you have your heart set on, you are more likely to have a say over that kind of thing if you chose to buy new. There are other advantages as well, but you'll have to listen to this weeks episode of the Clouse Corner to hear them all! As always if you have additional questions feel free to reach out to us, we love to hear from you!  Instagram Facebook Twitter Also online at: TheClouseGroup.com Thanks for listening! Our Opening theme: “Inspired” By Kevin Mcleod (incomptech.com) Other music (in order used): “Lo

This week Brennen is demystifying the term, "equity" so that listeners can better understand how it translates to money in their pocket. What is equity? From context it's decently easy to pick up that it is a good thing. Our parents and friends tell us we should but property so that we can start gaining equity, but unless you are in the know that can really just lead to more questions. That's why we decided drop some basic financial literacy on you this week and make it abundantly clear just what exactly "equity" is, how it's calculated, and why you probably want it.  It's a super quick listen so check it out and then check off, "learn something new," learn something new from your list of things to do today. Also, as always if you have any questions or comments feel free to reach out to us, we always love to hear from you! Instagram Facebook Twitter Also online at: TheClouseGroup.com Thanks for listening! Our Opening theme: “Inspired” By Kevin Mcleod (incomptech.com) Other music (in order used): “Low Lif

This week we are introducing our brand new co-host the amazing Tracy Erickson! She is also a broker with Compass and going forward will be hosting Close to Home episodes with Brennen! Speaking of which, this week they will be discussing Selling Sunset, the new Netflix series centered on the glamorous life of selling high end real estate in Los Angeles. What, if anything, does it get right? Or is it in fact soapy overblown hyperbole? Together, Brennen and Tracy will discuss the show, their own experiences in the business, and what living the lifestyle of a real estate agent really means. We hope you enjoy! As always if you have questions or topics you would like us to discuss in future episodes feel free to reach out to us. Instagram Facebook Twitter Also online at: TheClouseGroup.com That’s all for this week, stay safe out there and thanks for listening! Our Opening theme: “Inspired” By Kevin Mcleod (incomptech.com) Other music (in order used): “Good Times” By Patrick Patrikios “We Don’t Know How it Ends” B

This week Brennen goes through the final checks and touches you should keep in mind during a final walkthrough of a property.  Hey folks! We are back again with another top 5 list and this weeks is an important one. It doesn't matter if you're buying or selling the final walkthrough is possibly the most important step of the process. If you're selling it's where you make sure that everything is in up to your standard and appealing to a potential buyer. And if you're buying it's your last chance to catch any problems you might have missed and make sure you don't get stuck with a lemon (pro tip, think electrical). If you genuinely don't know what you should be looking for in a final check of a property and were just planning to fake your way through by nodding along and inspecting some grout, then take 5 minutes and give this one a listen. We promise it's worth it! As always if you have questions feel free to reach out to us! Instagram Facebook Twitter Also online at: TheClouseGroup.com Thanks for listenin