2018 Real Estate Market Trends - Seattle Area Prices Continue Upward March

If there’s one thing most early forecasters agree on, it’s that home prices will continue to rise. Where they differ however, is how much they will rise.

The median price of a home across the Seattle metro area has now soared 80 percent since bottoming out five years ago, and its up 20 percent over the old pre-bubble peak a decade ago.

As Seattle marks a full year as America’s hottest housing market, with no end in sight, recent predictions from housing analysts suggest that the Seattle real estate market could continue to outpace the nation well into 2018, in terms of home price appreciation.

Seattle is now a full year into its reign as the hottest housing market in the country, an unusually long surge that doesn’t look likely to end…

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Follow up to Question on: Tax Reform And How It Affects Real Estate

The Following is from Ed Irwin a Broker here at The Cascade Team:

Nice summary. One question for you: the way the article is written (and, who knows, perhaps the law itself) it states While homeowners could, up until now, deduct interest on a home loan of up to $1 million, that cap will be lowered to $750,000 come 2018. Now if you have an existing mortgage, you don't need to worry about this change, but if you're applying for a new home loan in 2018, you should know about the impending cap.

It states the homeowners can deduct interest on a home loan of up to $750k. 

What if a person gets a new mortgage of $800k. Does that mean that interest on that loan is not deductible at all, or is 75/80ths of that interest deductible? 

…

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Tax Reform And How It Affects Real Estate

First of all I want to make it clear that this blog is intentionally working to be nonpolitical and non-partisan. We're just going to directly state the changes to the current tax policy, how they are projected to affect the average home owner or buyer and of course those of us in the Real Estate profession. And while countless Americans will be impacted by the new laws, both for better and for worse, homeowners in particular will see a number of key changes take effect in the very near future. If you own property, here's what you can expect. 

At the bottom of the page is a little more detail on three of the most important changes and how they affect Real Estate Transactions and Buyers and Sellers:

Increased standard deduction: The standard…

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Baby It's Cold Outside: 10 Tips for Winterizing Your Home

If winterizing your home is a foreign term to you, we are happy to share a little expert advice. The Winter Equinox is a good time of year to start thinking about preparing your home for winter, because as temperatures begin to dip, your home will require maintenance to keep it in tip-top shape through the winter. By focusing on upgrading and maintaining items that keep the cold air out and make your heating more efficient, the following winterizing tips are able to both decrease cold weather utility bills and make your home a cozier, more comfortable place to be in!

1) Furnace Inspection

·        Call an HVAC professional to inspect your furnace and clean ducts.

·        Stock up on furnace filters and change them monthly.

…

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Star Wars: Awaken The Real Estate Force Within You (This is Star Wars Week After all!)

May The Home Selling Force Be With You!

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.

Likability is a powerful force to get prospects and your peers to trust you more. Deceit isn’t behind the following tricks to make you more likable, recently featured at Forbes.com, but a few traits to keep in mind that can unconsciously influence others to see you in a new light. Here are a few:

1. Use…

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What’s Hot: Home Trends in the Pipeline for 2018

  Every industry tracks innovations in its field, and housing is no different. As a real estate pro, here are the need-to-know products and services promising to transform homes and your clients’ lifestyles over the next year or so.   December 2017 | By Barbara Ballinger  

The big-picture view on housing trends in 2018 center around integrating technology and creating healthy and connected living environments. That’s why building materials, systems, and products that speak to these concerns are expected to generate greater buzz in the coming year. And with more generations living under the same roof, home-related features that provide an extra pair of hands or calming—even spiritual—influence are also being enthusiastically…

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Holiday Shopping Crowds – In The Local Housing Market!

KIRKLAND, Washington (December 6, 2017) – “Normal seasonal slowdowns” are reported by some
real estate leaders with Northwest Multiple Listing Service, but other brokers say this holiday season is
still drawing crowds at open houses along with competitive bidding in some neighborhoods.

• Accepted Deals Outpace New Listing Again
• Inventory Levels Continue To Tighten
• Home Values Continue to Escalate “Up 10.8%”

Both inventory and pending sales dipped to their lowest levels since April, while prices still increased by
double-digits in most of the 23 counties served by Northwest MLS.

MLS members reported 8,304 pending sales of single family homes and condos, a slight (1.6 percent)
gain over the year-ago figure of 8,173. Last month’s mutually…

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Congratulations To The 2017 SOS Designation Winners From The Cascade Team!

The Cascade Team SOS Agent Designation

The S.O.S. designation is the highest honor a member of The Cascade Team Real Estate can earn. S.O.S. encompasses not only the strive and achievement of being among the top producing agents in sales, but also the commitment to the communities we serve and work in.

The S.O.S. designation is awarded to agents and brokers who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to community. Holders of the S.O.S. designation are the cornerstone of The Cascade Team Real Estate. They continually give back through community programs like Project Crayon Drive to benefit Children’s Hospital, during the free holiday sleigh rides events, and within their local schools, charities, and local youth team sports.

By giving more…

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When Selling Your Home For The Holidays? Don't Be A Curb Appeal Scrooge

Written by Jaymi Naciri

Thanksgiving means turkey and all the trimmings and family get-togethers and football and the Macy's parade and eating until you can't breathe. It also means you're going to be seeing your neighbors up on ladders in the next few days putting up their holiday lights. If your house is currently for sale or if you're considering listing it, you may be wondering whether you should bother at all with holiday decorations this year. In a word: "YES", But there's more to it than that. There's a long way between Scrooge and The Griswolds.

"It's hard to argue with the fact that glitter lights and colorful accents make a home look more cheerful and inviting," said Realtor.com. "But you also probably know that if you're trying to…

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What Cities Have the Largest Household Holiday Budgets In Washington State?

By MyNorthwest.com

When it comes to the holidays, we should all make friends with people in Bellevue. Residents in that city are expected to have the largest holiday budget in the state.

In fact, with an average holiday budget of $2,367, Bellevue takes third place in the nation for spending between now and Dec. 25.

Find Western Washington holiday events and more with this Holiday Map

Credit and finance website WalletHub which dove into its data to rank the holiday spending of the nation’s top cities — a total of 570 — between the middle of November and Dec. 25. Bellevue came in just under Naperville, Ill. with $2,381, and Sugar Land, Texas with $2,368. And because you know you’re wondering — at the bottom of the list is Flint, Michigan with…

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