Street Cents

If you're planning to buy a house this year, closing on the deal will come with some changes. The two biggies, says Seattle area real estate appraiser Richard Hagar, involve appraisals and the final approval of your bank loan.

With the economy picking up, housing sales have also been on the rise, including recreational property. Many of those ski chalets and charming cabins often include furniture. Is it OK to include couches, lamps and things in a sale? Maybe, says Seattle real estate appraiser Richard Hagar, but you need to be careful.

Should you vet a residential appraiser before letting him in the door? That's the question KPLU's John Maynard had. "Ask questions!" says Richard Hagar, a Seattle-area real estate appraiser and educator.

Want to know the value of a house? There are plenty of online resources to help you find the answer, including popular sites like Zillow. But KPLUs John Maynard wants to know whether online sources for property values are enough to go on.

Apartments in the Seattle area are in high demand, but the retail space in many of the new mixed-use complexes are not filling up as fast. Local appraiser Richard Hagar tells KPLU's John Maynard that there's a surplus of retail space and that's keeping the "for lease" signs up longer on vacant store-front windows.

Interested in buying a home that's on a register of historic places? If so, you could be stepping into a lovely slice of history, but it's likely you will be expected to help preserve and maintain it. This goes for stand-alone houses and condos that are part of a historically-significant building.

Say you have out-of-town friends who are moving to Seattle. They want advice on whether to buy a house right away or rent first. What would you say to them? Seattle real estate appraiser Richard Hagar tells KPLU's John Maynard that he would urge them to buy right away.

The air above your house could be worth a lot of cash if you have a view that's enjoyed by others in your neighborhood. If you have a low-lying home that sits on a bank overlooking Puget Sound, for example, chances are the neighbors on the hill behind you may want to pay you to keep you from building up and blocking their view.

Millennials are the most connected generation in history. In fact, The Pew Research Center calls them "history's 'always connected' generation, treating their handheld devices 'almost like a body part.'" So when it comes to buying a home, Millennials (those born after 1982) are more likely to do most of their research online as well as communicate electronically. This extends to communicating with real estate agents. But real estate appraiser Richard Hagar says if you're buying a home, "talking" through texting is useful only up to a certain point.

Many of us have heard about houses and even hotel rooms that have been used to cook methamphetamine. But most of the time, the pictures of those crime scenes show a rundown house in a rural area or a seedy hotel that few of us would frequent. Seattle-area real estate appraiser Richard Hagar told KPLU's John Maynard that even though it is more common to find meth labs in such places, they are also popping up in upscale residential areas, particularly where houses are in foreclosure. "Of the known meth labs around this area, there are approximately 250 in Pierce County and between 50-60 in King County. There are more in the outlying areas, but not all," Hagar said. Health risks are real "If meth has been cooked inside a house," says Hagar, "the chemicals can penetrate through paint, sheet rock and go right into the wood structure of the house and contaminate them. A person living in this environment can get it on their skin, and there will likely be adverse reactions." In addition to

What exactly do our houses sit on? Seattle area real estate appraiser and educator Richard Hagar tells KPLU's John Hagar that it's not uncommon for office buildings and homes to be built on former garbage dumps.

What's ahead for Seattle when it comes to property values and density? Seattle-area real estate appraiser Richard Hagar tell's KPLU's John Maynard that San Francisco may have some of the answers.

Stormy weather and high tides may add drama to a waterfront view but they can also lead to major property damage, especially if your home sits close to the shore.

As Seattle continues to focus on urban density, parking for those living within the urban core is becoming harder to find.

If you buy a house and shortly after moving in you're surprised to find a big crack in the foundation or the septic tank bubbling over, wouldn't your first question be, "Did the seller know about this?" Seattle-area real estate appraiser Richard Hagar says it's bad news all around if problems are not disclosed before the sale. Surprises like this not only mean headaches for the buyer but more times than not they lead to lawsuits for the seller and his real estate agent. So, what exactly should a seller disclose?

In these tough economic times, it's always tempting to look for ways to bring in extra income. So how about fixing up your basement so that you can rent it out? It would be nice to have an extra $800.00 or so coming in every month. But are there questions that should be answered before moving forward?

Remodeling can turn boring into wow but will it add to the value of your home? If your goal is to sell your home at a higher price after you doll it up, it pays to first ask some serious questions about the house, the land it sits on, and the neighborhood.

As more people move into the Seattle area, the demand for housing goes up. And so does the style of housing with high-rise apartments and condos replacing older, stand alone homes. Real estate appraiser and educator Richard Hagar tells KPLUs John Maynard this trend is expected to continue, thanks to our relatively stable economy and mild weather. Both are factors for people moving here, as are the companies that continue to employ thousands of people such as Amazon and Microsoft.

There are not many places on the West Coast where you can find house boats. That means the supply is limited so they are usually in high demand. And dont forget the slips for the homes. Those can go for a pretty penny, too. A recent ad in the Seattle property listings featured a piece of property on Lake Union thats 14 x 30 feet, 35 feet of water, with an asking price of $95,000.

There are apartments and condos. Then there are co-ops. This type of real estate ownership is pretty common in large East Coast cities such as New York, Philadelphia and Boston, but its not as common here.