Category Archives for Seattle Real Estate

Seattle Washington Home Buying Survival Guide

Are You Buying a House in Seattle? Here’s the Ultimate Survival Guide

August 14, 2018
/ Seattle Real Estate
/ By Joe Tafolla

Things that aren't for the faint of heart: applying for a loan. Understanding interest rates. Reading complex contracts and documentation. Packing everything you own into a lot of cardboard boxes.

But if you're buying a house, chances are you're about to do all of that and more. It's daunting to make a huge financial decision and find the place you'll spend at least the next few years of your life.

We're here to help! Our home buyers' survival guide will tell you everything you need to know before you take the plunge.

Everything you Need to Know About Seattle Jumbo Mortgages

July 9, 2018
/ Seattle Real Estate
/ By Joe Tafolla

If you are shopping for homes in the King County area—any price over $679,650 may put you in need of a jumbo loan. Just a few miles north, in nearby San Juan County, it's 200k less than that.

How Hot is the Seattle Real Estate Market?

June 13, 2018
/ Seattle Real Estate
/ By Joe Tafolla

The real estate market in Seattle is hot—home prices are breaking records left and right all around the region.

Whether you live in the city, on the outskirts of King County or in the general area, you'll find that the real estate market has never been hotter. Investing might be hard right now but if you're selling, there's never been a better time for you to get rid of your home in the Seattle real estate market.

Here is a breakdown of everything you need to know about the market before you make any moves:

Best Seattle Washington Suburbs To Buy In 2018

Top 5 Seattle Suburbs to Buy In 2018

June 3, 2018
/ Seattle Real Estate
/ By Joe Tafolla

Seattle and its surrounding areas are great locations to work, live, and play! Even so, it’s getting increasingly pricier to buy a home in the Seattle city limits.

In April 2018, the median price in the city rose to just under $820,000, a 112% increase over the last five years. For some prospective home buyers, that number might be unattainable.

Even if you can afford that high price tag, city life can be tough.

For that reason, many people are opting to buy their homes in the suburbs of Seattle rather than within the city itself.

Seattle's Mortgage Broker - Joe Tafolla

5.0

Terry Vehrs

19:28 03 Jul 18

Joe is in a class by himself. Extraordinary Service! Others talk, He truly delivers. Extremely Fast Service. It is hard to impress me but he does every time. Terry Vehrs Windermere Real Estate.

Sarah Langum

01:49 13 Jun 18

My experience with Seattle Mortgage Broker, Joe Tafolla specifically, was amazing. I never felt overwhelmed or like I was being an inconvenience with all of my questions. You did a great job of educating me and guiding me through what was going on without me feeling incompetent for not knowing what was going on. Your ability to work so effortlessly with all of the other people involved with my transaction was fantastic. Also, your ability to close so quickly was a great bonus. I do not have enough great things to say in regards to my experience and cannot wait till we get to work together again! Thank you so much for working so tirelessly for me and getting me the best deal absolutely possible. You are the best!

John Dallas

17:41 07 Jun 18

FASTEST & MOST PROFESSIONAL I've had the pleasure of working with Joe for almost two years and can easily say that he is one of the most professional and punctual loan officers I work with. I am an Account Executive for a large wholesale lender so I get the opportunity to interact with thousands of loan officers throughout every point in their career. It is easy to see that Joe is a true professional, he doesn't have issues or last minute 'surprises' in underwriting, his rate locks never expire and every one of his loans are ready at escrow days, sometimes weeks, before they were scheduled to be there. My internal staff love him, the underwriters bend over backwards to help and the senior level management fight over who gets to work on his files, because they are just that smooth. Watching him work is like an episode of the Twilight Zone, the guy is a machine. He originates, processes, closes and somehow still manages to blow people away with his 5 Star service. During the time I have known him he has always picked up his phone, realistically I think there have been two times in two years that he didn't answer within the first 3 rings. If you don't believe me, give him a call and see for yourself.

daniel natividad

07:36 07 Jun 18

Joe was a extremely personable and efficient broker. The communication was effective and timely. We felt great with the entire process and were fully prepared to make an offer and purchase our home so seamlessly.

Jon Robles

00:34 06 Jun 18

Joe was amazing! Made the experience so easy for us, being first time home buyers and all. So thank you Joe and keep on doing your best.

Kaitlin Goodsell

23:30 04 Jun 18

I am a transaction coordinator and Joe was great to work with! Thorough communication throughout the entire loan which made everybody's job easier. Would love to do business with again.

Annie Park

16:46 21 May 18

Joe Tafolla is an AMAZING Loan officer and his Team at Seattle Mortgage Broker. He is so helpful and knowledgeable. He helped me and my family with buying our home 2 yrs ago and still continuing to help us with any questions we have. I Extremely Recommended Joe Tafolla with no Hesitation.

Chris Raunio

16:26 16 May 18

Joe was EXTREMELY helpful in guiding us through the mortgage process. He was great at explaining everything to us clearly and presenting all of our options. We never waited more than 10 minutes for an answer to our questions, even on the weekends! He made the whole process very relaxing, and made us confident that we understood what we were signing up for. On top of that he was able to close in 2 weeks! Highly recommended!

Lisa Thompson

22:09 13 Feb 18

Joe Tafolla with Seattle Mortgage Brokers is an outstanding loan officer to deal with - he is thorough, organized, prompt to reply, and makes the loan process seem like a breeze. He was able to quickly analyze the best rate and terms for us, provide an approval letter, and get us to the closing in less than two weeks if we needed that, even when I was communicating with him from overseas. Words along can not express our gratitude and appreciation for all the Joe was able to do for us to close in minimal time. Joe is fantastic to work with and we will definitely work with him again. Ten stars would be more appropriate for Joe. He provides the best customer service, knows his stuff and we would highly recommend him to anyone!

Tony Diaz

06:43 11 Jan 18

As a first time home buyer we were nervous about buying a house but Joe made it a very easy for us. He is very knowledgeable made it a easy experience. We had a fast closing and he explained everything clearly and got it done faster then we thought. I would highly recommend to anyone.

Maxim Khailo

18:13 27 Nov 17

Joe is amazing and works very hard for you. I highly recommend him. 10/10 would use again.

Mark Oberpriller

16:03 27 Nov 17

Joe is amazingly fast and extremely professional. I would recommend him to anyone without hesitation. If you need to close fast in the Seattle area, stop searching and use Joe.

Jesse Rodriguez

22:20 13 Apr 17

Joe is the best of the best. I've been referring clients to him for over 12 years. He'll close your loan fast!

See All Reviews Write a review

Seattle Mortgage Brokers

5.0

Based on 35 Reviews

Terry V.

2018-07-03 12:30:21

Joe is in a class by himself. Extraordinary Service! Others talk, He truly delivers. Extremely Fast Service. It is hard to impress me but he does every...read more

Caitlin M.

2018-06-12 19:06:45

Living as natives in the ever growing Seattle housing market, my boyfriend and I thought it was out of our reach to ever buy a home as prices got higher, so...read more

Daniel N.

2018-06-07 00:37:50

Joe was a extremely personable and efficient broker. The communication was effective and timely. We felt great with the entire process and were fully...read more

James G.

2018-05-17 10:16:52

Joe was nothing short of fabulous! He guided my clients through the loan process and when they bought a high end home, he had their jumbo loan ready to...read more

Chris R.

2018-05-15 13:50:12

Joe was EXTREMELY helpful in guiding us through the mortgage process. He was great at explaining everything to us clearly and presenting all of our options....read more

Alma G.

2018-02-01 10:43:06

Above and Beyond! I dreamed of owning my first home and had been discouraged by many other brokers. Joe took the time to review my documents and suggest...read more

Jana S.

2017-12-28 15:10:16

300 hand claps for Joe!!! Wow service from start to finish. I presented an offer for a client and the listing agent was very hesitant. Joe called the...read more

Bo L.

2017-10-24 12:28:27

One word to describe Joe is WOW! We got our key in 2 weeks. Joe is on his game and a Broker extraordinaire. He's extremely responsive, professional, true...read more