The Cascade Team Blog - Agent Tips

Join The Cascade Team: Real Agents / Real Success

Contact Janet Jolly-Porter: janet@TheCascadeTeam.com or 425-830-6743 to set up your appointment to learn more.

While most brokerages will try to sell you what you need to succeed, we believe in providing our agents with these tools. We offer leads, mentoring, Certified Transaction Coordinators, monthly training sessions, 24/7 Managing Broker access, complete marketing support and much more--all for a 1% listing fee!

Come join our winning team!

The numbers don’t lie, we’re the top listing brokerage on the Eastside!

• The average Real Estate Broker in WA does 3.36 deals per year while the average full time Broker with The Cascade Team does 24.7 deals per year… That is nearly 8(X) the business!
• Per HR Report.com the average Real…

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What Experts Are Saying about Mortgage Rates

The Federal Reserve is finally taking more action to raise its short-term rates. Last week, it voted to raise the Fed funds rate by 25 basis points. That is expected to add pressure to mortgage rates, too. Many housing analysts fear that rising mortgage rates could further impact home affordability and lead home buyers to pause.

However, Rick Sharga, executive vice president of Ten-X and former senior vice president at RealtyTrac, disagrees. He thinks the rise in mortgage rates could prove to be a good thing for the housing market.

He argues that it will cause buyers to get off the fence faster and move into the market sooner, before rates go any higher. He expects that to help increase home sales in 2017, too.

Sharga also believes that…

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March/April 2017 Real Estate Market Pulse: Rising Rates, Rising Sales: Bidding Wars Heat Up This Spring

Price Increases Are Challenging Buyers

As home prices and interest rates rise, more buyers, especially first-time purchasers, are under pressure. Home prices rose sharply in the last quarter of 2016, fueled by low inventory, particularly in the entry-level home price range. Federal policies that restrict access to credit, including suspension of a planned reduction in FHA mortgage insurance premiums and high guarantee fees by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, will add to affordability woes.

More Renters Change Their Status

The share of former renters who have taken the plunge into homeownership has slowly but steadily increased over the last two years. The ex-renters include first-time buyers and so-called boomerang buyers who have reentered the…

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Real Estate March Madness: Is it Time to List Your Home?

There’s no shortage of advice online about the best time to list, and it all goes something like this: The majority of home sales occur when the weather heats up, and homes sold during this time of year tend to attract high prices. Conventional wisdom tells us it’s best to list early in the year. That way, you’re sure to benefit from the June peak in sales, and the premium pricing during the summer months as well. List too late, we’re warned, and you could miss this warm weather bump.

At first blush, this conventional wisdom seems particularly wise. After all, there’s one thing that all homeowners looking to sell have in common — they want to do so as quickly as possible, and for as much money as possible. Listing early, in theory, means more…

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Ignite Your Real Estate Career

While most brokerages will try to sell you what you need to succeed, we believe in providing our agents with these tools. We offer leads, mentoring, Certified Transaction Coordinators, monthly training sessions, 24/7 Managing Broker access, complete marketing support and much more--all for a 1% listing fee!

Not only will we save YOU thousands, we will make YOU thousands! Plus, with The Cascade Team you never walk into any transaction alone. You always have a Team behind you!

Contact Us HERE

Enjoy FREE access to the following incredible marketing resources:

• Fully Interactive Property Website branded solely to Your Home
• International Exposure of Your Home to real estate websites in 55 Countries, in 22 Languages
• Your Home…

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What to Consider When Pricing Your Home to Sell

Do your research, choose your listing price, and watch the buyers line up.

Unlike the cost of a gallon of milk or a flat-screen television, a home’s price can be hard to pin down. It’s complicated because each home is unique, and has its own story to tell.

When it comes to setting the price of a house, the only thing to do is to look at the recent sales and active listings of similar homes in your area. Combine this research with the inside market knowledge of a local real estate agent, and you can confidently choose your list price.

Here are some guidelines to keep in mind when determining how much to ask for your house.

Make sure to look at recent comps

Markets change fast, so it’s best to find comparable sales within the past…

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What's In and Out For Mobile Real Estate Apps?

The Cascade Team App ~ Real Estate on Your Time

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Introducing The New Cascade Team Apps: The Best Place To Find Your Next Home

The New Cascade Team Mobile App

The Cascade Team Real Estate's highly-rated real estate app for IPhone and Android allows you to search all available MLS listings of current homes for sale, so you know you're getting the best and most accurate information. Take your home search to go with the mobile app, complete with interactive maps, photos, and one-touch access to your local real estate agent. Plus, everything you do on the app syncs up with your account on www.TheCascadeTeam.com, so you always have your saved searches and homes with you and can save homes for sale that you love while you're on-the-go. 

***** "Full MLS integration on a responsive platform"
***** "Most accurate data for serious buyers/sellers"
***** "Great features and…

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Quotes to Survive the Home Search

House hunting is fraught with frustration and challenges. Keep these quotes in mind to keep you sane.  

Crazy seller, bad plumbing, wildly competitive open houses, misleading listings, sky-high prices, and ever-escalating offers: there is a terrible lot to contend with when finding a new place to live.

But there’s also no other process that deserves your time and attention like discovering a new place to call your own. Here are seven quotes that will help keep you sane during the emotional marathon that is the home search.

“Home is the nicest word there is.” — Laura Ingalls Wilder Looking for a new home is a lot of work, but it’s important to remember that, ultimately, this needs to be a place that makes you happy.

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Earnest-Money Deposit Mistakes Home Buyers Live to Regret

ericsphotography/iStock

Once home buyers find a home they love, they declare their commitment to the seller with a sizable chunk of change known as an earnest-money deposit. Yes, it sounds so sincere and serious because it is—and if you get it wrong, you could lose thousands of dollars. To scare you straight, here are eight mistakes with earnest-money deposits that home buyers often make. To ensure you don’t end up as one of them, read on to avoid these snafus.

Mistake No. 1: Not understanding what an earnest-money deposit is

First, make sure you fully grasp what an earnest-money deposit (EMD) is—namely, proof that a buyer is committed to completing a sale by having skin in the game. The earnest-money deposit is a negotiable amount between…

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