Real Estate

Real Estate Buying a Home: A Start-to-Finish Guide You want to buy a home. Where do you begin?   When you’re ready to buy—or maybe just ready to start seriously thinking about it—there’s a lot you can do to prepare. Here is a checklist to help you get started…   1. Determine a Price Range Step one is finding out your budget for […]
Real Estate How’s the Market? Q1 2023 Review of Seattle Area Real Estate The first quarter of 2023 saw a price correction compared to last year’s spike, with year-over-year median prices down by 9% in Seattle and 14% on the Eastside.  That being said, prices are already beginning to climb again with steady growth since the beginning of the year.  Buyer demand remains strong despite higher interest rates—competitively […]
Selling 7 Ways to Make Life Easier When Selling Your Home When it’s time to sell a home, we all dream of a flawlessly executed transaction where everything goes smoothly and ends with a win-win for you and the buyer. Here are seven tips to help make that happen—and avoid surprise expenses along the way… 1. Repair Your Home First Making repairs to your home before […]
Selling Preparing to Sell Your Home: A Complete Checklist Getting your home ready to sell can feel like a circus act. Without the right organization, juggling the countless moving parts involved in this stage of the selling process can take its toll. This is the perfect opportunity to create a checklist to keep yourself on track and within your budget. The following information will […]
Living, Trends & Community Property Tax Relief Programs in King County More than 26,000 low-income seniors and disabled people in King County who qualify for a tax exemption haven’t claimed it…are you or your family member one of them? If you are homeowner, make $58k or less per year, and are either age 61+ or retired due to disability, there is a good chance you qualify. […]
Real Estate Q4 2022 Western Washington Economic & Real Estate Update The following analysis of select counties of the Western Washington real estate market is provided by Windermere Real Estate Chief Economist Matthew Gardner. I hope that this information may assist you with making better-informed real estate decisions. For further information about the housing market in your area, please don’t hesitate to contact me.   Regional […]
Real Estate How’s the Market? Annual Review of Seattle Area Real Estate While 2022 began on the heels of an extreme seller’s market we saw in the wake of the COVID pandemic, the second half of the year showed a marked shift back toward normalcy.  Rising interest rates and tech layoffs significantly slowed down the number of home sales.  The good news for buyers is that we […]
Real Estate Matthew Gardner’s Top 10 Predictions for 2023 This video shows Windermere Chief Economist Matthew Gardner’s Top 10 Predictions for 2023. Each month, he analyzes the most up-to-date U.S. housing data to keep you well-informed about what’s going on in the real estate market. 1. There Is No Housing Bubble Mortgage rates rose steeply in 2022 which, when coupled with the massive run-up […]
Don't Miss Our Next Post
Subscribe Now
Real Estate What is an Adjustable-Rate Mortgage (ARM)? Securing the most advantageous financing for your situation is an integral part of the success formula of buying a home. After getting pre-approved but once you’ve found the home you’d like to pursue, one of your primary tasks is exploring different loan products to see which best fits your situation. This is the fork in […]
Real Estate How’s the Market? Q3 2022 Real Estate Review While still considered a seller’s market, our July-September home sale activity signaled the return of some much-needed balance.  Seattle and Eastside home prices still posted year-over-year gains in Q3, but rising interest rates markedly slowed the pace of both listings and sales.  Houses also stayed on the market longer than we saw during the frenzy […]
Real Estate How’s the Market? Q2 Real Estate Review While Seattle and the Eastside are still considered a seller’s market, buyers experienced some much-needed relief in the second quarter with new listings outpacing the number of homes sold. Rising interest rates have initiated a shift toward a more balanced market. Opportunities abound for both sellers (who are still seeing higher sales prices than this […]
Buying How to Avoid Overpaying for a Home in a Transitioning Market Look Carefully at the Home Itself Here are four home attributes beyond the number of bedrooms and baths that you should have your eye on…   Home (building) quality: Very well-built homes are a rare find and typically worth every penny of their price. Don’t confuse them with so-so homes that just measure up to […]
Real Estate Seattle & Eastside Farmers Markets: Locations, Times & More Summer is just around the corner, and so are these farmers markets! Spend an evening or weekend finding your new favorites among the tents. Think it’s all about kale? Think again. Most offer live entertainment along with a mouth-watering variety of local brews, cheese, bread, meat/seafood, honey, hand roasted coffee, and other hidden gems (in […]
Real Estate How’s the Market? Q1 Real Estate Review Across the region, home values continued to see huge year-over-year gains from 2021 to 2022. Most homes sold in the first 10 days and for well above the asking price. We started the year with an extreme shortage of homes for sale, resulting in an overall lower number of sales compared to the start of […]
Real Estate Should You Remodel or Sell Your Home As Is? Homeowners who are preparing to sell are often faced with a dilemma about whether to remodel or sell their home in its current state. Each approach has its respective advantages and disadvantages. If you decide to remodel your home, it will likely sell for more; but the increased selling price will come at the cost […]
Real Estate How’s the Market? Annual Report on Seattle Area Real Estate… In the wake of extreme buyer demand and mind-blowing bidding wars, housing prices soared in Seattle and reached staggering heights on the Eastside. Record low interest rates were the silver lining for those buyers who were able to successfully purchase a home with financing.   2022 looks to be another strong year for real estate. […]
Buying Thinking About Buying a Second or Vacation Home? Here are a few tips to make sure it’s worthwhile… These days, having your own home away from home is a compelling concept. There are many clear benefits including being able to use your home how you wish, decorate to your taste, and include your furry friends in your time away. There are also challenges […]
Buying Interest rates make a BIG difference when you buy…   You probably know that interest rates affect your monthly mortgage payments, but most of us aren’t aware of just how big an impact they really have on a home loan. Each 1% change in interest rate equates to roughly a 10% change in buying power. This means you can qualify for a much more […]
Living, Trends & Community Payback Times for Energy Efficient Home Upgrades   Thinking of going green? Today’s technology offers a whole host of ways to boost your home’s efficiency, reduce your carbon footprint and lower your energy bills. Some upgrades can pay for themselves in a relatively short amount of time, while others with large price tags might take decades to start paying back. The good […]
Real Estate Economic Insights from Matthew Gardner   As we all hunker down through these challenging times, it is comforting to remember that there will be light at the end of the tunnel. A voice of calm and reason in this time of uncertainty has been our Windermere Chief Economist, Matthew Gardner. While he is expecting an economic slowdown accompanied by a […]