Close to Home

What kind of timeline should you plan for when putting your house on the market? Brennen tells you what to expect this week on the Clouse Corner.

Putting a property up on the market can be a challenging process. From staging, to photo shoots, to actual market logistics there are a lot of things to consider and they all need to occur in a specific timeline. How should you prioritize, what comes first, and how long should you plan for it all to take. Well, that's what we are talking about this week on the Clouse Corner. With any luck this weeks episode will have all in the information you need to start putting together your own sellers timeline!

As always  if you have more questions about this or any other topic we are happy to answer them all. You can contact us through our various social media presences: 

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 it Ends”

By Lee Rosevere (leerosevere.bandcamp.com)

Music obtained and Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 

In the second of their two part series on small business finance Brennen and Tatiana Tsoir (personal finance wizard, and host of the podcast "Anything Would Work") delve into dicey subject of debt, what's good, what's bad, and how to deal with it. 

Hello all you cool cats out there! this week we are bringing you the much anticipated second episode with Tatiana Tsoir! It's been a real blast having her on for a couple of Close to Home episodes in a row here, so we hope you'll show her some love by checking out her new book: “Dream Bold, Start Smart” as well as her personalized learning courses, and her own podcast. You can do all of that, or maybe just one or two, whatever is convenient, over at: tatianatsoir.com

And hey, if you're already over there maybe drop her a comment telling her you enjoyed her on the CTH podcast and she should come back, we would sure appreciate it if you did. 

Anyway on to the main event, this week while we still have Tatiana's expertise we are talking all about debt, both yours and your small businesses. Now one thing you'll often hear about this topic is that debt is good, you want a long credit history, and you should grow that history by paying off debt for increasingly large items over years and years. Get ready to have that idea put thoroughly on blast this week. I will be the first to tell you Tatiana is here to bust upon those preconceptions and leave you hard honest facts about what debt is worth the risk of taking on, and how you should deal with it once you have it. Honestly, it's a refreshing take and you'll pick up some good stuff, but I'm not going to spoil it here, it is 20 minutes well spent though. 

If you have any questions, or you just want to badger us to have Tatiana again we always love to hear from you guys via our various social media platforms: 

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

Also online at: TheClouseGroup.com

And as always thank you for listening!

Our Opening theme:

“Inspired”

By Kevin Mcleod (incomptech.com)

Other music (in order used):

“Just Breathing”

By Coyote Hearing

“We Don’t Know How it Ends”

By Lee Rosevere (leerosevere.bandcamp.com)

Music obtained and Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

This week Brennen gives a quick overview about what makes a move up buyer and how you can get started on becoming one. 

Hello Lovely listeners! This week we are broadcasting from a very special location, our living rooms! apologies for the less than stellar audio quality, we left the good mics at the office. However, we didn't leave the good tips and this week we are going to talk to you about one of the most important things in real estate: being a "move up buyer." Now what is a move up buyer you might ask? The quick and dirty answer is someone who in the process of buying and selling real estate gradually moves into properties of greater and greater value, or, "moves up" if you will. It's really the dream for most people when starting from when they buy their first home, and we want to help you achieve it. How do you get started? Well you'll just have to listen and find out. Keep washing those hands and stay safe out there!

If you have any questions about being a move up buyer or anything else feel free to reach out to us, we can always be reached through our various social media outlets: 

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

Also online at: TheClouseGroup.com

And as always 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 it Ends”

By Lee Rosevere (leerosevere.bandcamp.com)

Music obtained and Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

In the second part of our short series on condos versus single family homes Brennen shares some tips on how to market and sell these two distinct pieces of property.

Hello again lovely listeners! I hope you are all staying safe out there. Last week on the Clouse Corner we talked a little bit about what to look for when you’re deciding to buy a condo or a single family home. Well this week the shoe is on the other foot and we are talking to the people out there looking to sell these kinds of properties. Now obviously you could infer a lot of this from last week's episode, in fact let's make a game of it: if you want, listen to last week's episode and then listen to this week's episode and see if we tell you to answer all the questions we told buyers to ask last week. Let us know with a comment or DM if we missed anything, and of course if you think of any new questions we didn’t answer in either we are always happy to answer those questions as well.

You can always reach us through our various forms of social media:

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

Also online at: TheClouseGroup.com

And as always 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 it Ends”

By Lee Rosevere (leerosevere.bandcamp.com)

Music obtained and Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Starting your own business can be equal parts stressful, rewarding, and challenging. This week we are lucky enough to talk with Tatiana Tsoir, a tax expert and accountant specializing in small business, about setting yourself up to succeed from the beginning.

Welcome back Close to Homies!  It’s been a while since we did a Close to Home episode and, as is fitting, we are coming back with a bang. The world of real estate is very large and one could talk about it, even make a podcast about it, basically forever. But sometimes it’s nice to take a step back from the fast paced world of home ownership and check in on the equally exciting world of small business and side hustles! We are so lucky this week to have Tatiana Tsoir on as our guest, not only is she a fabulously talented and intelligent accountant, but a personal friend and long time business adviser to Brennen our host! Together they are going to delve into the financial groundwork every small business needs in order to succeed.

If you want to pre-order Tatiana’s new book “Dream Bold, Start Smart” you can do that at: tatianatsoir.com

While you’re there check out the podcast she co-hosts “Anything Would Work” which is all about how to turn your day dreams and passions into job opportunities!

That’s about it for us this week. Check back with us on the 22nd when we’ll have part two of our series with Tatiana up. In the meantime if you have any questions we would be happy to answer them, we can always be reached on our various social media platforms:

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):

“Just Breathing”

By Coyote Hearing

“We Don’t Know How it Ends”

By Lee Rosevere (leerosevere.bandcamp.com)

Music obtained and Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

This week we are taking on the pros and cons of buying Seattle area condominiums versus single family homes on the Clouse Corner!

Hello lovely listeners, these days a lot of us are finding ourselves with a little extra time on our hands. That kind of thing can be a mixed blessing. On the one hand a little extra time to daydream, or maybe enjoy a good book is a precious thing, on the other hand it’s easy to get stuck in a rut thinking the same thoughts over and over again. If you’re one of the people stuck in a small apartment maybe some of those thoughts have been about how you should really get serious about getting a bigger place in the fall.

If any of that sounds familiar then this week's episode is for you! Brennen is debating condominiums versus single family homes with… well himself. Look, we’re all short on conversation partners these days. Seriously though, reach out to some friends or family, these are trying times and you’ll probably be glad you did. And if you’re short on conversation partners and want to talk real estate you should consider reaching out to us, we always love to hear from you! We can always be reached on our various social media platforms:

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 it Ends”

By Lee Rosevere (leerosevere.bandcamp.com)

Music obtained and Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

This week Brennen explains credit scores, what is the magic number to get the best loans and mortgages? Listen and find out!

Everyone knows a little something about credit. The basic gist is high numbers are good and low numbers are bad, don’t get that one wrong whatever you do! But what are all the things your credit score is used to calculate when it comes to buying a home, and how do you go about improving your credit if it is... let's say less than optimal. Those are exactly the questions we are diving into this week on the Clouse Corner. As a special bonus most of these tips are things you can do from home, which as we all know is quite trendy right now. That was a joke, please stay safe out there.

As always if we didn’t answer a question you have or you want a more in depth answer feel free to contact us. We are always available through our various social media channels:

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 it Ends”

By Lee Rosevere (leerosevere.bandcamp.com)

Music obtained and Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

This week Brennen talks about one of the most important steps to buying a property, choosing a lender.

These days it seems like everything is getting smaller, literally, last week I could go anywhere and now I just live in my house. I mean I always lived in my house but you get my point. The walls are closing in and it seems like the only solution is building strong local infrastructure. What does this have to do with loans and lenders? I am getting there. Now more than ever it seems people are seeing the need for that special something, that local, home grown, organic, touch of personal attention. Minus the actual touch, wash your hands for God's Sake! And that kind of thinking applies to the home buying process as well! Sure, you might have gotten pre-qualified online, most people do, but when it comes to getting pre-approved and beyond that’s when you want that human local touch. That’s just one of the many great tips in this weeks Clouse Corner!

If you want to talk more about the finer points of real estate, or are looking for a good lender in the Seattle area then we would love to talk to you! You can reach us on our various social media platforms:

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

Also online at: TheClouseGroup.com

Thanks for listening and we hope to hear from you!

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 it Ends”

By Lee Rosevere (leerosevere.bandcamp.com)

Music obtained and Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

It’s time to get the details on what’s going on in Seattle's real estate market, Brennen compares and contrasts February of this year with the market in 2019.

Hello lovely listeners! We hope all of you are staying safe out there. As you may have guessed we record our episodes a bit in advance so there isn’t any speculation on the effects of Covid 19. We try and pride our podcast on good accurate information and facts and the truth is we don’t have the data yet for accurate predictions on the market. Look forward to next month's market update for that. In the meantime if you find yourself with questions we are always happy to answer them, either via our various social media channels, or in future episodes.

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

Also online at: TheClouseGroup.com

Thanks for listening, we hope to hear from you!

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 it Ends”

By Lee Rosevere (leerosevere.bandcamp.com)

Music obtained and Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Now that we’ve talked about the importance of being pre-approved, this week we are going to discuss what to do when that number is not what you were hoping for.

So last week we talked about the difference between being prequalified and pre-approved and how important the latter is over the former. If you want a quick refresher take a quick break from reading this and go give it a listen, we can wait. If you’re really pressed for time the broad strokes are: prequalified is a theoretical number for the loan you might eventually be pre-approved for which you will actually use to purchase your property. Get it? Got it? Great. But what do you do when that number is lower than you were hoping for? That’s the question Brennen is looking to answer in this week's Clouse Corner.

If you found this weeks episode helpful, or you have ideas for future episodes, you can always reach us on our various social media platforms:

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

Also online at: TheClouseGroup.com

Unfortunately there won’t be a Close to Home episode this week, we’ve had to move our recording schedule around a bit, so we’ll have that to you next Wednesday! Thank you for your patience, and 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 it Ends”

By Lee Rosevere (leerosevere.bandcamp.com)

Music obtained and Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/