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Tips from The Cascade Team Agents

May 2017 Market Snapshot Infographic

Brokers suggest improving inventory may mean “season of opportunity” for weary house hunters!

Inventory up 6.8% New Listings At A 7 Year High!
 13,497 New Listings Added in May (27% Increase from April) Pending Sales up 2.7% 9188 Pending Sales in May = All Time Record For Pending Sales in 1 Month!
KIRKLAND, Washington (June 6, 2017) – Would-be buyers who have been shut out of the real estate market should test the “real estate waters” during the summer months suggests one industry leader.
“Summer might provide some competitive relief for weary buyers,” said Gary O’Leyar, owner of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Signature Properties, pointing to some of the newly-released statistics from Northwest Multiple Listing Service as…

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View from Issaquah Highlands to Seattle:

by Tatevik Aprikyan

What do you think? How much would you be willing to pay to protect your view? Our area is growing at an amazing pace with new neighborhoods, remodels, and much needed new housing all over. Can you put a price on the peace of mind in knowing your current view will last?

SEATTLE — Seattle is one of the fastest growing cities in the nation, and now a popular trend in some of the country’s largest metropolitan areas is becoming more common here in Seattle.

People are buying air above homes to protect views, usually from new construction or neighbors wanting to remodel and build larger homes that will block views.

Imagine a house lower down on a hill and a home above it. The home…

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Brokers suggest improving inventory may mean “season of opportunity” for weary house hunters!

Inventory up 6.8% New Listings At A 7 Year High!
 13,497 New Listings Added in May (27% Increase from April) Pending Sales up 2.7% 9188 Pending Sales in May = All Time Record For Pending Sales in 1 Month!
KIRKLAND, Washington (June 6, 2017) – Would-be buyers who have been shut out of the real estate market should test the “real estate waters” during the summer months suggests one industry leader.
“Summer might provide some competitive relief for weary buyers,” said Gary O’Leyar, owner of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Signature Properties, pointing to some of the newly-released statistics from Northwest Multiple Listing Service as…

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By Judith Crown

Help Sellers Choose Between Multiple Offers

Juggling multiple offers is an enviable problem to have, but it isn’t always easy territory to navigate. For clients who think the highest bid is the default choice, it’s important to explain that price is just part of the calculation. Other factors include move-in timeline, potential appraisal and inspection contingencies, the amount of earnest money a buyer is willing to put down, and negotiations around home repairs, among other issues.

When Less Is More

Some sellers come into the process with priorities that are more important to them than the sale price. Make sure you know what those are at the start so that you can help weed out bidders who are not able to meet the…

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Moving into a home you've just bought is exciting—and sometimes exasperating. That's because, although you might love your new place, you don't know it all that well—which means that sooner or later, you're bound to end up in a situation where you're floundering cluelessly with the circuit breaker, or petting a neighbor's seemingly adorable Pomeranian who nearly nips off a finger. Home, sweet home, right?

Yet you'd be surprised by how many of these unfortunate surprises home buyers can circumvent merely by asking the person who sold them the home some pointed questions before moving in. Sure, you'll also be soaking up intel from the seller's disclosure agreement, the home inspector who gave a thumbs-up to the place, and eventually even the…

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By Brendon DeSimone

Usually, the buyer faces more line-item expenses, but the seller pays the commission.

Rarely does a buyer or seller show up to the closing without knowing exactly what their costs of sale will be.

In fact, based on the mortgage loan amount of the purchase/sale price, it’s not hard to ballpark either side’s closing costs. Before you get too far along in the process, ask your real estate agent or mortgage professional for an estimate.

Once you have a real, live deal with a closing date, you should be able to know your costs pretty close to the penny.

If you’re new to real estate or haven’t bought or sold in a while, here’s what you need to know about closing costs.

Buyers have a higher number of costs

In…

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I have heard from several of our Brokers/Agents here at The Cascade Team worried about the new Zillow "Make an Offer" tool, along with similar offerings from other companies.   Did most of you know that The Cascade Team has featured this same ability since October of 2013???? That's right! From the personal property website we create for each of your listings people have the chance to contact you directly to "Make an Offer"! That's one of the biggest reasons why it's so important for you to get out there on Social Media, to have your Marketing Boards out, and to e-mail those Personal Property Websites to everyone you know!  

We are ahead of the curve!

I'll address some tips farther down in the blog about how to deal with the Zillow…

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Image result for couple argue about house

Buying a home can be stressful on couples. Sixty-percent of millennial and Gen X couples say they disagreed occasionally, frequently, or “a lot” when buying a house with their partner or spouse, according to a new survey released by LendingHome. They surveyed 514 adults ages 25 to 45 who were in a relationship (engaged, married, or domestic partnerships) and purchasing

Couples who have been together a longer time tend to be more harmonious in the home-buying process, according to the survey. Those who had been together five or more years disagreed frequently only 14 percent of the time when searching for a home. On the other hand, couples who have been together for four years or less disagreed twice as much, with nearly 30 percent disagreeing…

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When "CBS This Morning" co-host Norah O'Donnell asked the chief executive of Zillow recently about the accuracy of the website's automated property value estimates — known as Zestimates — she touched on one of the most sensitive perception gaps in American real estate...

Picture this…There’s an inexperienced real estate agent in your town.

  • He hasn’t sold any homes yet.
  • He wants to drum up some business.
  • So, he climbs up onto your roof and paints what he estimates to be the value of your home.
  • He feels like this could be a win-win:
  • YOU get to know the value of your house, so he was helpful to you, without even having to meet with him…
  • … and HE gets to show you how that he knows his stuff. Hopefully you’ll turn to him for help…

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strange-questions2 By Daniel Bortz

Long before home buyers decide a certain place must be theirs, it behooves them to ask a lot of questions. For example: "How's the neighborhood?" or "How old is that water heater, anyway?" Ask away! Such queries help you pare down your options, so don't be bashful; real estate agents have heard them all.

However, the adage "There's no such thing as a stupid question" isn't always true. As proof, just check out this list of the strangest questions real estate agents have ever heard about a house. Cue the “Twilight Zone” music—things are about to get very, very weird. 

1. 'How do you keep alligators from coming up into the toilet?'

Michael Lyons, a real estate broker with Lyons Realty Group in Hollywood, FL, has…

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