The Names of the agents have been withheld to protect their privacy and that of their clients and in some cases "The Guilty Parties".  

Doing the Jitterbug

My clients and I were coming in from the backyard of a listing when something darted up my pant leg. I started screaming and jumping around like a crazy person, and my clients were obviously alarmed. Whatever was in there kept jumping higher and higher, and all I could think was, “I have to get these pants off! Am I really going to take my pants off with clients here?”

I bolted into the master bedroom, and my clients followed behind. Now they were screaming as loudly as I was. I dashed into the master closet and slammed the door behind me. Still squealing, I ripped my pants…

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Homeowner’s Net Worth is 45x Greater Than a Renter's | Keeping Current Matters

Every three years the Federal Reserve conducts a Survey of Consumer Finances in which they collect data across all economic and social groups. The latest survey, which includes data from 2010-2013, reports that a homeowner’s net worth is 36 times greater than that of a renter ($194,500 vs. $5,400).

In a Forbes article the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) Chief Economist Lawrence Yun predicts that in 2016 the net worth gap will widen even further to 45 times greater.

The graph below demonstrates the results of the last two Federal Reserve studies and Yun’s prediction:

Put Your Housing Cost to Work For You

Simply put, homeownership is a form of ‘forced savings’. Every time you pay your mortgage you are contributing to your net worth

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By Joanna Kresge

There are between 3,500 and 4,000 home-based businesses in the 50,000-resident city. “It really is the American dream,” said Deb Sogge, executive director of the chamber. “Our home-based businesses are very eclectic and very interesting. We just have a lot of entrepreneurs here in Sammamish.”


Sammamish’s residential businesses include an Etsy store selling abstract paintings (Betty Krause Art) and an in-home wine cellar complete with tasting room (Fivash Cellars). Sogge said Sammamish’s proximity to large tech companies means the city boasts a high population of college educated, tech-savvy citizens (more than 70 percent of residents have at least a bachelor’s degree), which contributes to the quality of Sammamish’s home…

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No matter if you are buying a home in this competitive market or looking to sell, The Cascade Team has you covered. From “Smart Search” which learns with you as your browse for homes to our PRIME Marketing program designed to stimulate high interest and multiple offers we have the information, technology solution and personal service designed to take your real estate experience to the next level!

School and community information is just as important as the right number of beds and baths when looking for a home and The Cascade Team has you covered. It's so important that we built school and community reports right into every listed property at our website.

For schools, we show you which ones are nearby and even how much they spend per student. 

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It’s hard to believe that sixteen years ago my life would be forever changed by the birth of my son. It has been such a pleasure to watch him grow and to become the fine young man he is today! Keenan I am very proud of your big heart, how hard to work to be a strong leader and all around good person. You have inspired me to be a better man and father, and I have no doubt that you will do great things in your life!

 

Here’s to Keenan and for everyone else a few fun facts about Keenan “The Gooch” Porter I’d like to share!

  • Keenan does not "style" his hair. It lies perfectly in place out of sheer terror.

  • Keenan has counted to infinity - twice.

  • When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night he checks his closet for

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Sixty-nine percent of consumers recently admitting to having a “home crush”—a property they liked so much they were drawn back tolooking at it more than once online or in person, according to a new realtor.com® survey of 1,000 consumers. But men and women respond quite differently to these crushes, according to the survey.

For example, the survey found that women are more likely than men to have a crush on a home that was out of their financial league. Forty-one percent of women revealed their home crush is out of their price range, compared to only 30 percent of men who said the same.

Men were more likely than women to move from one home crush to another. Thirty-six percent of men surveyed say they find a new house crush weekly, compared to 29…

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The NWMLS recently sent out their annual summary of the year that was in Western Washington real estate. We probably don't need to tell you that most of those numbers are up, up, up. Especially if you've been trying to buy a house all year long. We perused the report, which was chocked full of numbers, and picked out some of the most shocking, revealing and fascinating numbers within.

1. 2015 saw 88,331 closed sales amongst NWMLS members in 2015, up 14.3 percent from 77,276 in 2014.

2. The value of every NWMLS member single-family home & condo sale was over $34 billion, up almost 23 percent from 2014.

3. Both of those numbers are higher than the previous highs of 2007 when the housing market peaked (don't ask what happened after that...).

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The Cascade Team is looking for an experienced photographer to add to our preferred vender list. We have a Matterport 3D camera that we can lend you to enhance the still photos you take.

Ideal candidate will:

  1. Have experience taking Real Estate Photography

  2. Have their own quality photography equipment

  3. Have good availability and time management skills. (During peak months of March – August we list 20—30 homes per month. We have 1 photographer in place, but this position should be prepared for 8-12 shoots per week)

  4. Be tech savvy. The Matterport 3D camera is fairly easy to use, but does require uploading of the tours via our server and is operated through an Apple iPad interface.

  5. Compensation is $200 per…

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The Cascade Team 3D Walkthrough Showcase is an online experience that lets home buyers move through a property and see it from any angle. Even get a completely unique sense for the place with our “dollhouse” view.

See Sample 3D Tour Below:









 

Image galleries, 360º panoramas and fly-through videos lack the perspective and “feel” that home buyers and sellers crave. A Matterport 3D Showcase™ creates an emotional connection with the home.

 

3D Virtual Tour Showcase

 

The Cascade Team is happy to announce its new 3D Walkthrough Showcase and these very exciting new enhancements. 3D Walkthrough Showcase Tours are available for every Cascade Team listed property. We use Matterport's 3D technology and…

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KIRKLAND, Washington (February 4, 2016) – Depleted inventory is contributing to "overwhelming" traffic at open houses, shifts in strategies for both buyers and sellers, and escalating prices, according to officials with the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

Dick Beeson, a former chairman of the MLS board, said the lack of inventory in almost every county is, "without question, a 2016 game changer." He described traffic at open houses as sometimes simply overwhelming. "There haven’t been any battle royals on the premises, but it could happen any day now," quipped Beeson, the principal managing broker at RE/MAX Professionals in Tacoma.

The latest figures show a drop of nearly 28 percent in the number of active listings in the MLS database…

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