The Cascade Team Blog - Agent Tips

Conversations On Real Estate Commissions Part 1

Transparency in Commissions

Fact: Real estate brokers’ commission rates are not regulated in any state and are ALWAYS 100% negotiable.

When you decide to sell your house, if you are like most people, you will want to hire — or at least consider hiring — a real estate agent to handle the process.

Surprisingly, many people think that real estate brokerage commission rates are “set” in their area and they have to pay a specific percentage of the sales price to the agent in order to get their services. This is absolutely not the case.  In fact, you can pay whatever you and the agent have agreed upon.

What is a “Fair” amount to pay for real estate commission?

Many people hear the word “discount” company instead of a “traditional” company but…

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Recession Fears Grow, But Economists Say Housing Is OK

Recession fears are growing, and that may prompt some Americans—who are still haunted by the last one—to get skittish about the housing market. Don’t expect another “real estate fire sale” if the economy heads into another recession, economists say.

“This is going to be a much shorter recession than the last one,” George Ratiu, senior economist with realtor.com®, notes in a recent article at the site. “I don’t think the next recession will be a repeat of 2008. … The housing market is in a better position.”

Just 2% of economists, strategists, academics, and policymakers surveyed believe a recession will occur this year, based on a survey of more than 200 members of the National Association for Business Economics. Thirty-eight percent believe a…

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Find Out What Home Inspectors Look For

By Janet Wickell

Nearly all home buyers hire a professional home inspector to take a close look at their new house before closing. You can speed things along by analyzing the condition of your home and making necessary repairs now before the house is under contract. Whole-home inspections cover numerous systems within the house, but there are a handful of hot-spots that concern buyers the most.

Mold and Mildew at the Home Inspection

Mildew stains and odors scare buyers, especially because toxic black mold is such a hot topic. You likely won't even get an acceptable offer if mold and mildew are present. Even if the mold in your house is the normal variety, treat it and address the source of the problem.

NOTE: If it comes up in…

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Local Housing Market "Balanced On A Fulcrum Between Growth, Stagnation, And Decline.”

MLS director John Deely, principal managing broker at Coldwell Banker Bain in Seattle, described King County’s residential market as “balanced on a fulcrum between growth, stagnation, and decline.” New listings of single family homes (excluding condos) in King County dropped year-over-year and when compared to last month, he noted. Total active listings and pending sales both improved from a year ago, but slipped from June’s totals.

• Median price dropped 2.7%.
• Increased listing inventory from prior months put pressure on pricing,”
• Home Prices declined about 2.9% from June.

 The Cascade Team Real Estate is a 2019 Neighborhood Favorite on NextDoor! 

Northwest MLS brokers report mixed activity during July, as volume of closed sales…

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The Cascade Team Real Estate is a 2019 Neighborhood Favorite on NextDoor!

We are very happy to announce that The Cascade Team Real Estate has been named the Best Real Estate Brokerage on NextDoor for 2 years in a row! The Cascade Team can be found in 617 different neighborhoods collectively representing 133,586 Home Owners. We are very proud to be a part of the neighborhoods we represent and are very proud in the trust you place in all of our amazing agents and neighbors!

Congratulations, you're a 2019 Neighborhood Favorite! It’s official - you’re a winner and neighbors love you! Only 1% of all businesses win this award, and The Cascade Team Real Estate is one of them!

The votes have been tallied and the winners are in. We're pleased to announce the businesses Nextdoor voted as 2019's Neighborhood Favorites!

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Foreign purchases of American homes plunge 36% as Chinese buyers flee the market

• The dollar volume of homes purchased by foreigners from April 2018 through March 2019 dropped 36% from the previous year, according to the National Association of Realtors.
• Foreigners bought 183,100 properties with a total value of about $77.9 billion, down from 266,800 properties valued at $121 billion a year earlier.
• “The magnitude of the decline is quite striking, implying less confidence in owning a property in the U.S.,” the Realtors’ chief economist says."

Challenging conditions in the U.S. housing market, along with tighter currency controls by the Chinese government, caused a stunning drop in foreign demand for American homes.

The dollar volume of homes purchased by…

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Summer (And Year Round) Home Security Tips

The weather conditions during the summer season encourage homeowners to naturally become a bit lackadaisical with their home security. Opening doors and windows for that summer breeze and causally straying over to neighbors houses, all the while, leaving their home at risk for a break-in. Homeowners can protect summer fun, personal possessions and family members with several easy security precautions.

Summer home safety checklist:

• Summer security: In warmer months, we tend to see a spike in property crimes. Take the time to prepare for summer security and avoid the mess of a break-in.

• Summertime maintenance for your home: Basic home maintenance can act as a natural deterrent to burglars. Performing basic tasks such as lawn…

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Clearly We Now See That The Local Housing Market Is Moderating

• Area Home Prices Increase a Normal 3.5% YTD
• King County Prices Slightly Down
• Inventory, pending sales and prices all increased during June

Buyers getting “some relief” as key indicators point to strong summer for housing market

KIRKLAND, Washington (July 8, 2019) – Inventory, pending sales and prices all increased during June
compared to a year ago, according to the latest report from Northwest Multiple Listing Service. The same
report, which covers 23 counties in Washington state, shows year-over-year drops area-wide in both the
volume of new listings and closed sales.

“Clearly we now see that the market is moderating – that is we’re definitely moving from a ‘hypermarket’
to one where a correction is underway compared to last year,”…

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Declare Your Independence From High Commissions!

High Impact Real Estate Marketing & 1% MLS Listing Commissions For Today’s Home Sellers

The Cascade Team Real Estate is a company like no other because of the marketing, service and home seller savings we provide. We understand that in today’s real estate & home selling environment, we need to provide a high level of real estate service and wide spread marketing of the home for sale, utilize technology to keep our home seller clients in the communication loop and provide added value to both buyers and home sellers in the real estate transaction. The effective use of technology tools allows our local real estate agents to focus more of their time on servicing our clients and finding buyers for your home, all the while providing the most…

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Would you spend more to get less for anything?

Check out our new commercial for The Cascade Team running on Jack FM July 1st 2019 until August the 11th!

Hey, hey you.

You’re an intelligent person.

Would you spend more to get less for anything?   Ever??

We didn’t think so. 

So why spend more on real estate commissions to get less technology and service when selling your home?

You don’t have to. 

With The Cascade Team, your home will get full online exposure with focused retargeting and an interactive text platform all the while saving you thousands.

Do yourself a favor, get more for your money.  Contact The Cascade Team today @ TheCascadeTeam.com or at 425-313-4752 to learn more.

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