Offering insight on local real estate

Welcome to my column "Let's Talk Real Estate."

I realize that in order for you to have confidence in me as a real estate expert, you need to know a bit about me. I have been helping people buy and sell real estate since 1985, back when interest rates topped 13 percent.

Personally, I have lived in the Federal Way community for the past 13 years. I have a 17-year-old daughter who will graduate from Decatur High School in June 2008. I know many of you, having been involved in her school, sports and other community activities.

In reporting about the current real estate market, I hope to be able to keep you in the know about Federal Way specifically. I plan to report statistics of previous real estate activity here in our community as well as talk about current market trends, how to sell your home yourself, the difference between a real estate agent and a Realtor, how to choose an agent to sell your home, steps to take in buying your first home — and anything else you would like to know about.

I want this column to benefit you. I have a passion for educating people about real estate and believe personal freedom and wealth building start with owning your own home.

Real estate is one of those things that can be very confusing and overwhelming for many, and that most people have a lot of questions. I welcome all of your questions and hope to answer them in this column — so that other who have probably been wondering the same thing as you can benefit.

Contact Federal Way real estate agent Joni Ribera at (253) 632-5779 or jribera@windermere.com. Also visit www.JoniRibera.com.

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