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By concentrating on the political issues that are likely to affect real estate markets, you’re casting a vote for your profession and community.

September 2016 | By Robert Freedman 2016 button on partiotic decorated porch  

What are you voting for when you go to the polls as a member of the National Real Estate Brokers Party? You’re choosing candidates at the federal, state, and local levels who understand the role of real estate and property rights in keeping the economy strong and building vibrant communities. Lawmakers who “get it” will step up on matters affecting your business. Here’s a rundown of key issues on the legislative and regulatory agenda that affect real estate brokers and home owners across the nation.

Business Issues

Patent trolls

These companies…

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  • New Listings up 14.5% Year over Year
  • Pending Sales up 9.3%
  • Closed Sales Increased by 9.5%
  • Prices up nearly 9% YTD
KIRKLAND, Washington (Oct. 5, 2016) – It’s still a seller’s market, but some leaders from Northwest Multiple Listing Service think the imbalance may be easing in some areas, pointing to a slower pace of sales and moderating prices. Others aren’t convinced, citing mixed indicators.  
Northwest MLS statistics summarizing September activity show year-over-year gains in the volumes of new listings (up 14.5%), pending sales (up 9.3%), closed sales (up 9.5%), and prices (up nearly 9%). Inventory for single family homes and condominiums across the 23 counties in the report dropped about 8 percent from a year ago.
…

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We can expect a hot year for home sales in 2017, according to recent forecasts from the National Association of REALTORS®, the Mortgage Bankers’ Association, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and more.

NAR is predicting existing-home sales to reach 6 million in 2017, higher than its 5.8 million forecast for this year. But other entities are even more bullish. MBA is predicting home sales to eclipse 6.5 million next year, while Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are both predicting 6.2 million.

As we can see, each is projecting sizable increases in home sales next year!

A huge wave of Generation Yers, who have delayed home buying, are emerging into their key buying years. They are predicted to keep home sales and condo sales strong well into 2020,…

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The Only Thing Scarier Than Selling Your Home is Realizing How Much You Overpaid on Commissions!

Home Seller Marketing Has Changed

Leveraging The Latest In Real Estate Marketing Technology

A solid real estate marketing plan is very important. It takes more than a MLS listing, sign, some paper flyers, and an open house to sell your home in today’s market. Make sure your real estate agent has real leading edge housing market intelligence. Our leading edge marketing plan is designed to sell your house as quickly as possible.

A FULL SERVICE REAL ESTATE BROKERAGE FOR HOME SELLERS

The Cascade Team provides a full service experience that is a step above; by executing a marketing plan that is unique to your home, rich in technology…

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AT A GLANCE

                                                                                          
Population 50,248
Median Home Price      $802,275
Property Tax $7,179
Unemployment rate 4.3%
Commute time 28 minutes

Until recently, Sammamish was probably best described as an enclave of leafy neighborhoods rather than a city in its own right. Located about 20 miles from Seattle, the city sits on the east side of the seven-mile-long Lake Sammamish and wasn’t incorporated until 1999.

While Sammamish still lacks a proper “Main Street,” it ranks high because of its superb schools, proximity to major employers, and gobs of green space. The city is also making steady…

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Seattle Among Markets That Badly Need a Jolt of New Housing

There aren't enough new single-family homes being built in the U.S. Eighty percent of metro areas recently analyzed are faced with a “housing shortage crisis,” according to new research from the National Association of REALTORS®.

NAR reviewed new-home construction relative to job gains over a three-year period, from 2013 to 2015, in 171 metro areas. Markets in the West made up half of the top 10 areas with the largest shortages of newly built homes, NAR’s study shows.

The NAR analysis comes just as the Census Bureau released data on housing starts for August. On September 20, the bureau reported a drop in building permits for August 2016, compared with both July 2016 and…

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By Mike Rosenberg Seattle Times business reporter:

There’s been a large increase this year in Chinese buyers looking for property in the Seattle area, and a new tax on foreign buyers in Vancouver, B.C., is expected to amplify the trend.

A growing wave of money from China and other foreign countries is pouring into the Seattle-area housing market, helping drive home prices even higher. And since July a new tax on international buyers in Vancouver, B.C., long a popular market for home seekers from China, has focused even more global interest here.

Seattle saw more inquiries from mainland-Chinese homebuyers than any other American city in four of the last seven months, according to Juwai.com, China’s biggest real-estate site for buyers looking…

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  I recently got this question from a neighbor of mine: "I keep reading that it’s a sellers’ market because fewer homes are available for sale than normal. And home prices are going up, so it should be a really good time to sell. Why aren’t more sellers selling?"

My not so simple answer was this.... This is a confusing real estate market, with both good news and bad news for almost everyone in the marketplace. Let’s start with buyers, who are having trouble finding homes to purchase that they like and can afford. At the same time, home prices are rising steadily, and sometimes dramatically.

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), there’s a paucity of homes for sale now and because of this, existing home sale numbers…

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cartoon illustration of many things comically wrong with a house

Bad homeowner habits could be undermining your house. Here's how to nip serial "oopses" in the bud—and how to make them right!

By Sal Vaglica of This Old House magazine // Illustration by Ross MacDonald

Your home means the world to you—of course you intend to do right by it, from the front door to the wood floors to the walls, the roof, the porch, and yes, the septic system. But sometimes you may (unwittingly) get it wrong, and then compound any potential damage you inflict by repeating your mistake again…and again. Luckily, we're here to help. Coming up: our list of common ways even the most well-intentioned homeowners habitually hurt their houses, with advice on how to do better from here on.

1 | Maxing out Closet Rods
Hanging…

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City Enacts Development Moratorium

The Issaquah City Council voted Sept. 6, 2016, to enact a six-month moratorium on certain types of development.

In 2012 — to protect Issaquah's existing neighborhoods and natural environment — the City adopted the Central Issaquah Plan (CIP), which guides the long-term evolution of Issaquah’s existing commercial core into an urban center.

Since the plan was adopted, several developments have been built, approved or are currently under review.

During a City Council work session in July 2016, the City assessed whether those projects met the community's vision for the CIP.

Several issues were identified, including:

  • Architectural fit with the community
  • Urban design elements
  • Vertical…

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