Area Home Sales Notch Best August Since 2005!

Housing market still active, with overall direction “positive” 

KIRKLAND, Washington (Sept. 7, 2016) – Home sales in Western Washington continued to outpace year-ago activity, but member-brokers at Northwest Multiple Listing Service say persistent inventory shortages are constraining activity. 

Despite a sparse selection in many areas, an expected summer slowdown, and “appraisal conundrums,” Northwest MLS members notched 11,898 pending sales during August, eclipsing the same month a year ago by 1,295 transactions for a 12.2 percent gain. There were 8,628 pending sales in the four-county Puget Sound region -- the best August for mutually accepted offers since 2005 when members tallied 8,874 sales.

Brokers added 11,411 new listings to the…

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5 Home Buying Myths: Get The Real Story

Home buyers get a lot of advice from friends and family – some good, some bad. A lot of myths can pop up and negatively guide their home purchasing experience. Make sure you don’t fall for one of these common buying falsehoods.

1. The only upfront cost is the down payment.

Buyers need to be prepared for several expenses – everything from fees, taxes, costs for inspections, credit reports, insurance, and others. Closing costs can be anywhere from 3 percent to 6 percent of the purchase price. Those costs can fluctuate greatly depending on the state you live in too.

Read more: Questions for Prospective Homeowners

2. Just looking for a house casually is not a big deal.

Some people may want to just start looking at homes to get a feel…

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Has The Local Real Estate Market Stabilized?

This year has brought steady improvements in the real estate market. Prices rose driven by lower inventory in many markets, and consumers remained relatively optimistic about the economy and its direction—an encouraging indicator for real estate. While the long-anticipated increase in interest rates will likely occur in late 2016 or early 2017, a number of positive signs point to a balanced market with benefits for both homebuyers and sellers in the next year. For example, an increased supply of inventory and slightly more transactions are expected in late 2016 and on into 2017. Home prices are forecasted to see more modest increases, with some markets still facing bidding wars while other see slight price drops or fairly flat prices.

What is a…

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What You Need to Know About Comps When Selling Your Home

The sales price of neighboring homes is only one part of the equation. Be sure that sellers understand the other factors that affect how their home compares to their neighbors'.

Location within the neighborhood.

If your seller’s home is in a part of the neighborhood that borders a highway, train tracks, or an industrial area, it’ll likely fetch a lower price. Make sure you pull comps of other homes in similar locations to compare and explain pricing differences to sellers.

The home’s lot.

Take into account that hilly terrain can affect the usability of each home’s lot and bring your seller’s price down. You can have two one-acre lots next to each other, and one can be fully usable while the other is only half usable because of steep…

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A Super Hero Themed Issaquah Highlands Day Saturday, August 27th with The Cascade Team!

Saturday, August 27th!

Join The Cascade Team for the Issaquah Highlands Day Festival!

This annual summer celebration is Saturday, August 27th from 12PM-4PM. 

Located at Blakely Hall and Village Green Park: 2550 NE Park Drive, Issaquah WA 98029

Be sure to check out our booth!  Meet Batman and Deadpool and get your picture taken with them!  Download our Comic Book HERE and read the action packed story of Batman and Deadpool VS "The Commission Creeps"!

Batman And Deadpool VS. The Commission Creeps!

Download our Comic Book HERE to read the story!

We will also be giving away FREE beach balls and Frisbees!
 
Other highlights of the event include carnival rides, giant inflatables, food trucks and the always popular market place of…

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Today's Move-In Ready Homes = Smart Home Technology

Out with the old and in with the high-tech. A new survey found that Americans are thinking differently about “move-in ready” homes; they now want it to be “smart ready” too. The survey of 1,250 U.S. adults who have broadband Internet access at home found that 71 percent of all respondents want a move-in ready home. But the poll uncovered an interesting twist. Of the respondents who opted for a move-in ready home, 44 percent said that smart home technology should already be installed. Another 57 percent would consider an older home updated if it had smart home technology.   Move-in ready is being redefined by home technology.  

• 71 percent of all U.S. Broadband Households if they were to buy a house today, they would want it to be…

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Top Tips For Buying Your Dream Home in a Hotly Contested Market

As a homebuyer in today’s market, you’re no doubt at your wit’s end trying to find your dream home.

And when you find a home you love,  you’re competing with all cash offers and bidding wars driving the sales price above what it’s listed for, and many times, even above what the home is actually worth!

While there is nothing you can do to create more homes for sale, you can certainly arm yourself by understanding the trends and patterns in the areas you’re trying to buy in.

• Price. Price is not always the most important factor.  (We will help you learn the hidden secrets!)
• Earnest Money Deposit.  (How much to put down and on what terms.)
• How much are people paying for similar properties in the area?
• How Much can you…

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Good Schools Give 77% Boost to Home Values

Community And School Reports

Home values can get a big increase from having a highly rated school nearby. According to the new ATTOM Data Solutions 2016 Schools and Housing Report, homes in ZIP codes with at least one good elementary school have values about 77 percent higher than in ZIP codes without highly ranked schools close by.

Researchers looked at home values and price appreciation against 2015 average test scores in nearly 19,000 elementary schools across 4,435 ZIP codes. They considered a “good school” to be one that had an overall test score that was at least one-third above the state average.

The research team found that out of 1,661 ZIP codes with at least one good school, the average estimated home value was $427,402 – 77…

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37 New Listings this Week! New Record for The Cascade Team as Housing Inventory Begins to Open Up!

Thirty Seven (37) listing just this week for www.TheCascadeTeam.com setting a new single week record for the most listings and also a single day record of 23 listings in one day this Friday! All of this further pointing to signs that the local real estate markets are beginning to come into balance. Learn More Here: 

Those listings can be viewed at this link: http://www.thecascadeteam.com/greater-seattle-listings.php

This year has brought steady improvements in the real estate market. Prices rose driven by lower inventory in many markets, and consumers remained relatively optimistic about the economy and its direction—an encouraging indicator for real estate. While the long-anticipated increase in interest rates will likely occur in late…

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Western Washington Real Estate Brokers See Early Signs of “A More Balanced Market"

        See Our Results             Ask These Questions      Our Marketing Program   Free Home Value Analysis

KIRKLAND, Washington (Aug.4, 2016) – Home prices are still rising but the supply of homes is improving, prompting brokers to suggest some relief is in sight for would-be buyers. “We might actually be starting to move very slowly back toward a more balanced market,” said OB Jacobi, president of Windermere Real Estate, in commenting on July’s figures from Northwest Multiple Listing Service. 

The MLS report summarizing last month’s activity shows active listings (including single family homes and condominiums) are at the highest level since September 2015 and the volume of new listings added to inventory topped the 12,000 marked for the…

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