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.

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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):

“Low Life High Life”

By Dan Henig

“Ruination 2”

By Vibe Mountain

"Chillstep House"

by Alejandro Magaña (A. M.)

Music obtained and Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

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

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 off your debt quickly, and potentially own your dream home. 

Last week we also mentioned Stacia helps run the charity: Housing Solutions for Hope which helps deliver safe, readily-available housing solutions for patient families in greatest need at Seattle Children’s Hospital in order to improve health care outcomes.

Check them out this holiday season at: housingsolutionsforhope.org

As always if you have additional questions about the show, or ideas for future guests or topics 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!

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”

By Lee Rosevere (leerosevere.bandcamp.com)

“Ruination 2”

By Vibe Mountain

Music obtained and Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

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

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 sewer scope!

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):

“Low Life High Life”

By Dan Henig

“Ruination 2”

By Vibe Mountain

"Chillstep House"

by Alejandro Magaña (A. M.)

Music obtained and Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

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

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 discussing this week. 

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 (incomptech.com)

Other music (in order used):

“Low Life High Life”

By Dan Henig

“Ruination 2”

By Vibe Mountain

"Chillstep House"

by Alejandro Magaña (A. M.)

Music obtained and Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

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

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 day they first pick up their keys and even beyond.

As if that were not enough she also founded and helps run the charity: Housing Solutions for Hope which helps deliver safe, readily-available housing solutions for patient families in greatest need at Seattle Children’s Hospital in order to improve health care outcomes.

Check them out this holiday season at: housingsolutionsforhope.org

As always if you have additional questions about the show, or ideas for future guests or topics 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!

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”

By Lee Rosevere (leerosevere.bandcamp.com)

“Ruination 2”

By Vibe Mountain

Music obtained and Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

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

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

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):

“Low Life High Life”

By Dan Henig

“Ruination 2”

By Vibe Mountain

"Chillstep House"

by Alejandro Magaña (A. M.)

Music obtained and Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

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

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 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 

"Chillstep House"

by Alejandro Magaña (A. M.)

Music obtained and Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

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

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 the scenes with Brennen, Tracy, and the rest of the team then this is your chance to get caught up! Spoilers: we are planning some really big stuff for 2021 and if you want to be involved you should probably start reaching out to book your month with us now!

Other than that sit back and enjoy a masterclass on how to completely take over a room, or avoid actually being interviewed but like, in a cool way.

As always if you have additional questions about the show, or ideas for future guests or topics please feel free to reach out to us. We love to hear from you!

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

Also online at: TheClouseGroup.com

As always thanks for listening, we'll be back on the 28th with a new Close to Home!

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”

By Lee Rosevere (leerosevere.bandcamp.com)

“Ruination 2”

By Vibe Mountain

Music obtained and Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

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

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 be helpful! 

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 (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/

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 signed up!

As always if you have additional questions about the show, or ideas for future guests or topics please feel free to reach out to us. We love to hear from you!

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

Also online at: TheClouseGroup.com

As always thanks for listening, we'll be back on the 28th with a new Close to Home!

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”

By Lee Rosevere (leerosevere.bandcamp.com)

“Ruination 2”

By Vibe Mountain

Music obtained and Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

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