Lynnwood’s Martha Lake Neighborhood

Martha Lake is a popular and rapidly growing neighborhood in Lynnwood, Washington. As of the 2020 Census, it’s home to just over 7,300 people.

Known for quiet streets and a secluded feel, this enclave of generally spacious homes is only half an hour’s drive north of Seattle, and ten minutes northeast of the lively commercial areas around Alderwood Mall.

Homes

The roomy homes around Martha Lake fetch a fairly high price per square foot, in keeping with other desirable spots in Snohomish County.

Owner-occupied single-family homes are the norm. Houses aren’t often for rent, although there are a couple apartment complexes along the neighborhood’s southern edge.

As you’ll find throughout Lynnwood, prices are changing quickly as more people seek to settle here.

Education

The well-regarded Edmonds School District serves the majority of Martha Lake and several adjoining areas. Most local families attend Oak Heights Elementary School, Alderwood Middle School, and Lynnwood High School.

The northernmost portion falls within the Mukilteo School District, and attends Discovery Elementary School, Voyager Middle School, and Mariner High School.

Some parents also opt for one of several private schools within about 5–10 miles of the neighborhood.

Transportation

Like most of Lynnwood, Martha Lake is roughly halfway between Seattle and Everett.

The neighborhood has good freeway access, being adjacent to I-5 and just minutes north of the I-5/I-405 interchange. Five miles south of Martha Lake, an upcoming light rail station will give locals a great option to leave town—and leave their cars behind.

Recreation

Close to home, residents can enjoy the fresh air and greenery at Martha Lake Park and the former Martha Lake Airport, which was converted to a large park after the airfield’s closure. Dozens of other parks, trails, and green spaces are also accessible within a few miles’ drive.

Seattle’s big-city amenities and Everett’s burgeoning cultural scene are both readily accessible, while outdoorsy types enjoy easy access to the Cascades via Highway 2.

Moving to Martha Lake in Lynnwood

It’s easy to see why so many out-of-towners opt for Martha Lake, and why plenty of Lynnwood locals hope to own their first house here.

If you’d like to call it home, too, then here are three tips for an easy transaction and transition.

1. Don’t be scared!

If the homebuying process seems a bit overwhelming or mystifying, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Even if it’s not your first house, it’s still normal for the whole thing to feel like…a bit much.

Remember that a big part of your agent’s job is to help you stay on top of all those moving pieces!

2. Find a local expert to guide you

Speaking of agents, it’s essential to find someone who knows Martha Lake and its vicinity like the back of their hand.

Agents who can fill out paperwork are a dime a dozen, but there’s no substitute for the street-by-street knowledge of someone who actually lives and works in the Lynnwood area.

3. Talk to lenders & get pre-approved

Before doing anything else, it’s important to consult a lender and have a mortgage pre-approval in hand.

This will let you move quickly and make a successful offer—fingers crossed!—once you’ve found the ideal Martha Lake home.

Mountlake Terrace’s City Center Neighborhood

The City Center is a popular and rapidly growing neighborhood in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. As of the 2020 Census, it’s home to roughly 4,200 people.

Known for its mix of quiet streets and an emerging urban vibe, this trendy enclave is about 20 minutes north of Seattle, and within 10 minutes of picturesque downtown Edmonds and the bustling Alderwood Mall. As development progresses, it’s also becoming a livelier and more walkable spot in its own right.

Homes

Homes around the City Center vary considerably in size. Most fetch a fairly high price per square foot, in keeping with other desirable spots in Snohomish County.

Owner-occupied single-family homes are the norm, although townhomes and condominiums are more readily available than most other parts of the city. Houses aren’t often for rent, but there are numerous apartment complexes in the neighborhood, and several more just beyond.

As you’ll find throughout Mountlake Terrace, prices are changing quickly as more people seek to settle here.

Education

The well-regarded Edmonds School District serves the City Center and several adjoining areas. Most local families attend Terrace Park and Mountlake Terrace Elementary Schools, Brier Terrace Middle School, and Mountlake Terrace High School.

Some parents also opt for one of several private schools within about 5–10 miles of the neighborhood.

Transportation

Like most of Mountlake Terrace, the City Center is roughly halfway between Seattle and Everett.

The neighborhood has good freeway access, being adjacent to I-5 and a couple miles from SR 99. In the heart of the City Center, an upcoming light rail station will give locals a great option to leave town—and leave their cars behind.

Recreation

Close to home, residents can enjoy the fresh air and greenery at Veterans Memorial Park and Forest Crest Playfield. Dozens of other parks, trails, and green spaces are also accessible within a few miles’ drive.

Seattle’s big-city amenities and Everett’s burgeoning cultural scene are both readily accessible, while outdoorsy types enjoy easy access to the Cascades via Highway 2.

Moving to Mountlake Terrace’s City Center

It’s easy to see why so many out-of-towners opt for the City Center, and why plenty of Mountlake Terrace locals hope to own their first house here.

If you’d like to call it home, too, then here are three tips for an easy transaction and transition.

1. Don’t be scared!

If the homebuying process seems a bit overwhelming or mystifying, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Even if it’s not your first house, it’s still normal for the whole thing to feel like…a bit much.

Remember that a big part of your agent’s job is to help you stay on top of all those moving pieces!

2. Find a local expert to guide you

Speaking of agents, it’s essential to find someone who knows the City Center and its vicinity like the back of their hand.

Agents who can fill out paperwork are a dime a dozen, but there’s no substitute for the street-by-street knowledge of someone who actually lives and works in the Mountlake Terrace area.

3. Talk to lenders & get pre-approved

Before doing anything else, it’s important to consult a lender and have a mortgage pre-approval in hand.

This will let you move quickly and make a successful offer—fingers crossed!—once you’ve found the ideal City Center home.

The Mountlake Terrace East Neighborhood

Mountlake Terrace East is a popular and rapidly growing neighborhood in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. As of the 2020 Census, it’s home to roughly 3,500 people.

Known for quiet streets and a secluded feel, this enclave of generally spacious homes is only half an hour’s drive north of Seattle, and within 15 minutes of picturesque downtown Edmonds and the bustling Alderwood Mall. It’s also a stone’s throw from Mountlake Terrace’s own burgeoning city center.

Homes

The roomy homes around Mountlake Terrace East fetch a moderate to high price per square foot, in keeping with other desirable spots in Snohomish County.

Owner-occupied single-family homes are the norm. Houses aren’t often for rent, although there is a large apartment complex in the neighborhood, and several more just beyond.

As you’ll find throughout Mountlake Terrace, prices are changing quickly as more people seek to settle here.

Education

The well-regarded Edmonds School District serves Mountlake Terrace East and several adjoining areas. Most local families attend Cedar Way or Terrace Park Elementary School, Brier Terrace Middle School, and Mountlake Terrace High School.

Some parents also opt for one of several private schools within about 5–10 miles of the neighborhood.

Transportation

Like most of Mountlake Terrace, Mountlake Terrace East is roughly halfway between Seattle and Everett.

The neighborhood has good freeway access, a couple miles east of I-5 and only slightly farther from SR 99. An upcoming light rail station immediately west (beside I-5) will give locals a great option to leave town—and leave their cars behind.

Recreation

Close to home, residents can enjoy the fresh air and greenery at Terrace Creek and Terrace Ridge Parks. Dozens of other parks, trails, and green spaces are also accessible within a few miles’ drive.

Seattle’s big-city amenities and Everett’s burgeoning cultural scene are both readily accessible, while outdoorsy types enjoy easy access to the Cascades via Highway 2.

Moving to Mountlake Terrace East

It’s easy to see why so many out-of-towners opt for Mountlake Terrace East, and why plenty of Mountlake Terrace locals hope to own their first house here.

If you’d like to call it home, too, then here are three tips for an easy transaction and transition.

1. Don’t be scared!

If the homebuying process seems a bit overwhelming or mystifying, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Even if it’s not your first house, it’s still normal for the whole thing to feel like…a bit much.

Remember that a big part of your agent’s job is to help you stay on top of all those moving pieces!

2. Find a local expert to guide you

Speaking of agents, it’s essential to find someone who knows Mountlake Terrace East and its vicinity like the back of their hand.

Agents who can fill out paperwork are a dime a dozen, but there’s no substitute for the street-by-street knowledge of someone who actually lives and works in the Mountlake Terrace area.

3. Talk to lenders & get pre-approved

Before doing anything else, it’s important to consult a lender and have a mortgage pre-approval in hand.

This will let you move quickly and make a successful offer—fingers crossed!—once you’ve found the ideal Mountlake Terrace East home.

Real Estate Appreciation Data: Q4 2018

The Federal Housing Finance Agency recently released year-end price figures. Just click on the image below to explore an interactive map with the most up-to-date rates of change in home values, as well as appreciation rates over a number of different time periods. Data at this site is updated quarterly, so feel free to bookmark it for easy access.

Understanding recent and long-term trends can help you remain an informed consumer, whether you’re comfortable in your home or considering to move to a new home.

If you have questions or if we can ever be of service to you, your family and your friends, please let us know. We are here to help and happy to do so.

Changes to VA & USDA Funding Fees! Oct 1st 2011 – Still 100% Financing Available

This is my first blog and there has been many changes along life’s way and certainly in the lending industry.

Back in 2008 there were over 13,000 loan officer/mortgage brokers in Washington State.  Now, we are under 4,000.  It has a lot to do with all the lending and educational hurdles.  The folks in this industry typically are full-time hard working professionals.

For all those people you knew who use to do loans, here is my advertisement.

I am still in business and would be happy to hear from you!  Why would you call or want to do business with me???  Fair question.  I can say this, after licking all my wounds from this crazy business, I am still standing!  Why?  Because I love this business.

Yes, it is now more difficult to do home loans but I am still doing them and having a great deal of success by educating the buyers and sellers along with my extensive follow-up.

I can definitely say that today’s real estate agents have been knocked around harder than we (lenders) have.  The seller needs to sell even though the values have dropped.  That is not a fun conversation to have!  I get it!  For those Realtors still doing business – good job!  That will pay dividends as there is always ebb and flow, with the pendulum swinging too far left and then too far right but soon it settles in the middle and evens out.  Okay to chuckle here…For those that are new in real estate that is all you know and for the veterans, you know the motto and creed: contacts, shake those hands and plenty of face time.  That is what it is all about!

Now to address the title question: Yes, these are still 100% Financing – Zero Down Loans*

VA Funding Fees Are as Follows:

Purchase and Construction

Loan Type Down Payment Active Duty Personnel / Veterans National Guard / Reservists
Purchase & Construction 0% 2.15% Funding Fee 2.40% Funding Fee
5% 1.50% Funding Fee 1.75% Funding Fee
10% 1.25% Funding Fee 1.75% Funding Fee

All Other VA Home Loan Types (First Time Use)

Loan Type Active Duty Personnel / Veterans National Guard / Reservists
Regular Refinance
(including cash out)
2.15% Funding Fee 2.40% Funding Fee
Interest Rate Reduction
(IRRL) Refinance
0.50% Funding Fee 0.50% Funding Fee
Native American Direct Loans 1.25% Funding Fee 2.00% Funding Fee
Manufactured Housing
& Mobile Home Loans
1.00% Funding Fee 1.00% Funding Fee
VA Home Loan Assumptions 0.50% Funding Fee 0.50% Funding Fee

 

Additional Use / Subsequent Use:

Purchase and Construction

Loan Type Down Payment Active Duty Personnel / Veterans National Guard / Reservists
Purchase & Construction 0% 3.30% Funding Fee 3.30% Funding Fee
5% 1.50% Funding Fee 1.75% Funding Fee
10% 1.25% Funding Fee 1.75% Funding Fee

All Other VA Home Loan Types (Other Than First Time Use)

Loan Type Active Duty Personnel / Veterans National Guard / Reservists
Regular Refinance
(including cash out)
3.30% Funding Fee 3.30% Funding Fee
Interest Rate Reduction
(IRRL) Refinance
0.50% Funding Fee 0.50% Funding Fee
Native American Direct Loans 1.25% Funding Fee 2.00% Funding Fee
Manufactured Housing
& Mobile Home Loans
1.00% Funding Fee 1.00% Funding Fee
VA Home Loan Assumptions 0.50% Funding Fee 0.50% Funding Fee

The funding fee on VA Assumptions and Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loans is currently 0.5%. This rate remains unchanged regardless of the number of times it is used.

VA funding fee must be paid within 15 days of closing or included in the loan amount.

Veterans whose entitlement is based on active duty will pay a 2.15% fee on their first VA loan and 3.30% on all future loans for the purchase of a home or cash-out refinances.

Veterans whose entitlement is based on Guard/Reserve service will pay 2.40% on their first loan and 3.30% on all future loans for the purchase of a home or cash-out refinances.

USDA – Not just for Beef! It is a loan too…. who would of guessed? Your Home Buyers????

New USDA Funding Fee Changes:

For the first time in the history of USDA, the Single Housing Guaranteed Loan Program has implemented an Annual Fee.   The annual fee will be calculated based on the guaranteed loan amount and based on the average annual scheduled unpaid principal balance for the life of the loan. 

Effective October 1, the upfront guarantee will decrease from 3.5% to 2% for purchase loans.   The up-front guaranteed fee for refinance loan transaction will remain at 1 percent.   In addition, an annual fee of .30 will be calculated when the loan is made and every 12 months thereafter until the loan is paid in full or no longer outstanding and the guarantee cancelled or expired.

Well I hope you enjoyed the reading, and if you made it this far you are still awake and ready to do some business!

Look forward to hearing from you.

David Haley

David Haley | Mortgage Loan Officer MLO-76555
Contact David Haley
425-471-6039
6100 219th St SW, Ste 480
Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043
www.DavidHaleyMortgage.com

FHA Mortgage in Bothell, Mill Creek, Lynnwood, Edmonds, Seattle vs.Conventional Mortgage

fha-updateWhen you are looking into your first home to purchase in the Bothell, Mill Creek, Lynnwood, Edmonds, or Seattle area and you are starting the loan pre-approval process, there are a few different loan programs to choose from.

1. FHA financing – which always has the up front mortgage insurance and monthly mortgage insurance built into your payment. The monthly mortgage insurance premium is 1.15% if financing over 95% or 1.10% if less than 95% with a 30 year mortgage and 15 year over 90% is .50% and from 89.99% to 78.01% it is .25% per month.

2. Conventional with mortgage insurance or no mortgage insurance per month, there are different ways to make this happen, there is always a premium to be paid, you can pay it all at one time, the seller can pay it through the closing costs, but be careful as conventional financing allows only so much in closing costs over 90% financing, make sure you are working with an experienced loan officer on these programs.

Another way to structure this is to have your monthly mortgage insurance premium be a little higher per month, reason for this is there is no premium paid in advance, but it does increase your monthly payment.

With conventional financing there are more considerations of what is called credit risk pricing to take into account, the higher your credit scores the better your mortgage rates can be, due to the risk layering set in place by FNMA and Freddie Mac guidelines.

To know which one is best for you, it is important to know your FICO scores, your total debt to income per month, also known as credit liabilities, your reserves i.e. savings, retirement funds, stocks, etc., and the loan to value, which will be your down payment.

When seeking pre-approval around the Seattle, Edmonds, Bothell or Mill Creek area your loan officer will ask for your financial paperwork over the last 2 years and will need to pull your credit, to give you the best way to structure your loan program and options.

Here is a good informational website: www.davidhaleymortgage.com

Seeking Good Loan Officer in Seattle connect with David Haley

Happy Mortgage Shopping!

VA Loan – Risk Assessment

In case some of you were not able to make it to the online web discussion – here is one of the biggest items we targeted on. VA loan and Risk Assessments:

Last Week’s Questions & Answers: 12/20/2011

Q: Did you know that there have been updates in DU to the Credit Risk Assessment for VA Loan casefiles? 

A: During the weekend of  Dec. 17, 2011, there were updates to DU for VA loan casefiles and evaluating
credit risk assessment. You may see loans impacted as follows:

  • Overall improved credit characteristics for loan
    casefiles may receive an Approve recommendation
  • A change in the underwriting recommendation for some
    loan casefiles. For example, some loan casefiles that previously received an Approve recommendation may now receive a Refer recommendation, particularly ones with back-end debt-to-income ratios over 45%.
  • Reduced Approve recommendation rates. The overall
    reduction may vary by customer depending on the credit characteristics of the VA loan casefiles submitted to DU.

VA Loan casefiles created on or after the weekend of Dec 17, will be evaluated using the new credit risk assessment. In addition, VA loan casefiles created prior to Dec 17, and resubmitted to DU for any reason (i.e. change in appraised value) on or after the weekend of Dec 17, will be evaluated using the new credit risk assessment if there are any changes to any key credit characteristics of the loan casefile (e.g. LTV).

When we run to find out if a home buyer for a VA Loan will qualify we run it through an automated underwriting system. This will give us specific criteria and tolerances for our loan approvals.

Should you have any questions please contact me.

FHA Mortgage – Gift Funds – Bothell, Mill Creek, Lynnwood WA

Gift funds still allowed for Home Buyers seeking to become a home owner, with home prices that are compared to 2000-2003 prices, and with today’s low interest rates, often times you can get into a home lower than what your rent payments are.

Gift funds can come from family members and all that is needed is 3.5% for your down payment, so if you were to purchase a home for as little as 150,000.00 then you will only need: 5,250.00  as a gift down payment.

There are other ways that you can accomplish this down payment if you choose to not receive a gift from your family, you can take a loan on your 401k up to 10,000.00 when you are a First Time Home Buyer.

When you are ready to go out and begin the home search make sure you have your finances, credit, and employment all worked out, by this I mean get pre-approved before you take the step to go out and look for your home. You must know what your payment and debt to income ratios will be, as well as what you can truly afford.

Buying a home can be easy when you have the right steps done in the right order, believe me, make sure you know what you can truly afford before you go out looking for a home.

Stanwood-listing-003 Who can qualify for a FHA Home loan, just about anyone, you do not have to be a first time home buyer! If you have owned a home before that is fine, you can have one FHA loan at a time, is the main guideline, however some exceptions have been seen before.

So to quickly summarize you can still purchase a home Zero Down* if you do receive a Gift! Should you seek more information and want to know what you qualify for go to the top right side of the website, click “Apply Now” and put David Haley as the loan officer and I will be glad to help you get started to owning your new home!

FHA – Increase in Mortgage Insurance – No April Fools Joke!

April 1st of 2012 will not be a good April Fool’s joke – once again FHA has been looking at their overall solvency concerns and has deteremined they need to pass along the added costs to the new borrowers.

The UFMIP will be increased from 1 percent to 1.75 percent of the base loan amount.  This increase applies regardless of the amortization term or LTV ratio.  FHA will continue to permit financing of this charge into the mortgage.  This change is effective for case numbers assigned on or after April 1, 2012.  Example: Loan Amount = 100,000.00 new Upfront Mortgage Insurance Premium is 1.75% = 1,750.00 being financed into new loan.

The Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011 requires FHA to increase the annual MIP it collects by 0.10 percent.  This change is effective for case numbers assigned on or after April 1, 2012.  FHA is also exercising its statutory authority to add an additional 0.25 percent to mortgages exceeding $625,500.  This change is effective for case numbers assigned on or after June 1, 2012. UPDATE: Here is the HUD LINK

So for quick examples and here is the easiest equation. Take  your loan amount 100,000.00 time new Monthly Mortgage Insurance Cost of 1.25% = 1,250.00 then divide this number by 12 to give you the Monthly Mtg Ins Premium Cost = 104.17 per month vs. the old MI factor of 1.15% = 1,150.00 / 12 = 95.83 per month.

Now these are all numbers based on if you are only putting the 3.5% minimum investment down for this type of loan.

Taken together, these premium changes will enable FHA to increase revenues at a time that is critical to the ongoing stability of its Mutual Mortgage Insurance (MMI) Fund, contributing more than $1 billion to the Fund, based on current volume projections through Fiscal Year 2013.

Should you have any questions please give contact me.


Ashley E. Avatar
David Haley is amazing! We were working with a mortgage broker before David that unfortunately had no idea what they were doing. They tried twice to close and couldn't figure out how to communicate with the HOA to get the appropriate docs to close on time. David came in and gave us a better mortgage option, provided better communication, and we are set to close next week. Thank you David for getting this done, educating us and providing a great experience.
[read more]
A. E. 6/13/2025
stephanie g. Avatar
David was so great and knowledgeable in every step when buying our house! He explained so much with a lot of detail to really help us as homebuyers understand everything during the process! He made it so easy, definitely will be using him again in our next home buying experience :)
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s. g. 5/11/2025
Jesus G. Avatar
Great team that explain things very well so you are never confused on what’s going on. 10/10 experience!
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J. G. 5/08/2025
Howard J. Avatar
Incredible team! Jan and David were amazing in helping my wife and I with the purchase of our second home. They walked us through every step and made the entire process as smooth and stress-free as possible. We couldn’t be more grateful — highly recommend working with them!
[read more]
H. J. 4/15/2025
Justin H. Avatar
Working with David was fantastic!! I learned more than just what my home loan needed and was going to have to pay, I took away so much knowledge of how to make my money work for me. David very communicative along the way and answered every question even if it didn’t make sense at the moment he would break it down. If you are going to get a loan and care about the details, go to David Hailey! I will always refer anyone I know to David and his Team. Thanks David!!!!
[read more]
J. H. 4/04/2025
Angie L. Avatar
David was great to work with. He took extra time to explain loan structure and made sure the process was as simple as possible, providing tips and detailed instructions at every step. Highly recommend!
[read more]
A. L. 4/01/2025
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