Puget Sound Properties & Lifestyle

  Offer Strategies That Work - Part II In the world of buying real estate, knowing what to offer on a home can be, one of the most anxiety filled decisions of the process. Am I getting a deal?    Am I paying too much?    Will the seller be interested in my offer?    Are their other offers?    How much are the other offers?    What can I do to set my offer apart from other offers?  The number of questions swirling around your head as a buyer (and real estate agent) can be overwhelming, especially when you’re ready to buy a home.  If you’re in the market, everyone is looking for a deal. But if you’ve been paying attention over the last few years, sellers have held the upper hand in real estate because we don’t have enough homes to sell for various reasons. Limited inventory keeps prices elevated. Buyers who’ve chosen to wait out this cycle may wait a very long time. And because there’s pent up demand that has been building f...

Relocating to a new state, is not for the faint of heart. It takes patience, tenacity, ingenuity and resourcefulness to make a long distance move happen. There are so many factors that come into play when you’ve finally decided to take that dive into the deep end. I manage a lot of people moving to Washington from places like Las Vegas, San Francisco, Chicago and elsewhere. Because the Puget Sound is a tech hub, with quality education options up and down the state, it’s hard to disagree with the sentiment that Washington is a great place to move to. If you love outdoor recreation, moving to Washington state makes a lot of sense. Like any state, Washington is vastly different north to south , but even more so, east to west. The Cascade Mountains separate the western side from the eastern side, and the climates are vastly different. From Bellingham to Seattle, Tacoma and down to Vancouver, Western Washington gets a lot of gray days, with ample precipitation, though not as much as people...

  Why Buying Real Estate Today Still Makes Sense Real estate has been a topic of conversation on most people’s minds the last several years. From the Great Recession of 2009, through the years of post-recession stagnation and the decreasing volume of new construction, to the pandemic and seismic shift in real estate, causing prices to skyrocket, we have seen many markets in a relatively short period of time. Without those previous markets, we would not be where we are today. Supply Shortages Driving Price Appreciation : Many regions are facing a shortage of available housing units relative to the growing demand for housing. Rapid population growth, urbanization trends, and limited land availability exacerbate this supply shortage. As a result, property prices are on an upward trajectory, presenting opportunities for investors to capitalize on potential capital appreciation. As homeowners committed to historically low interest rates through the end of 2021, even through the extremes...

  3 Simple Takeaways You Should Know…from the National Association of Realtors Settlement I have been a full-time broker for more than 15 years, and though my primary role is facilitating the sale of real estate, I also educate consumers on best practice and updates that affect you. Though the information below is relevant to all states, I’m specifically speaking to my home state of Washington.   The Association (NAR) has reached a proposed settlement with the plaintiffs in the case brought against NAR, but it is not yet finalized and could change. For consumers, the settlement creates added transparency around brokerage compensation and how brokerages are paid. Traditionally, in real estate, the seller has the responsibility to compensate both the listing and the buyers brokerage. The buyers financial responsibility traditionally has been downpayment, closing costs and appraisals and inspections. That could now change.   The first change, which was already signed into la...