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Certainly exacerbated by the pandemic, this housing crisis is all about one thing: supply

A harbinger of the 2021 market is tight listing inventory, low interest rates, and high buyer demand continuing to drive momentum.

“Insatiable buyer demand” is keeping inventory scarce as house hunters try to outmaneuver and outbid each other, according to reports from Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS). Its statistical summary for the end of 2020 showed strong activity throughout the holiday season with double-digit increases in new listings, pending sales, closed sales, and prices.

Measured by months of inventory, there is only about two weeks of supply (0.53 months) overall. Only five counties had more than a month of supply, well below the…

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This is the real estate climate we're currently living in—and it has everything to do with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the real estate industry, and as a result, many parts of the country are experiencing what is known as a seller's market. The pandemic caused everyone to reevaluate where they're being quarantined.  Take the simple fact that a home is no longer a home, the home is now a workplace as well. It's also a school. And that really has gotten a lot of people in a position where they've decided to pull the trigger and change the condition that they live in.

"Simply put, a seller's market is a marketplace in which sellers have a competitive advantage due to pent-up buyer demand and low home…

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Sammamish was one of the hottest markets on the Eastside for 2020. Overall, there were substantial increases in price coupled with declining days on market and bidding wars often driving homes sales well above asking price.

Several neighborhoods such as Trossachs and Klahanie saw record prices for homes sold and also record increases in price per sq foot.

Here is a quick breakdown for Trossachs, Beaver Lake, Aldarra, and Klahanie.

So, What’s in store for 2021?

  •        All indications are continued price growth estimated to be at least 10% or higher.
  •        Bidding Wars and multiple offers on homes.
  •        Low inventory
  •        Low but slightly increasing interest rates

Take a look at the stats below for a full breakdown.…

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Klahanie was one of the hottest markets on the Eastside for 2020. Overall, there were substantial increases in price coupled with declining days on market and bidding wars often driving homes sales well above asking price.

One example detailed below listed at $1.1 million and sold for $1,220,005 in only 6 Days on Market which equates to 110.91% of Asking Price!

So, What’s in store for 2021?

  •        All indications are continued price growth estimated to be at least 10% or higher.
  •        Bidding Wars and multiple offers on homes.
  •        Low inventory
  •        Low but slightly increasing interest rates

Take a look at the stats below for a full breakdown. Please remember that each home is different as are the motivations of each…

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KIRKLAND, Washington (January 6, 2021) – “Insatiable buyer demand” is keeping inventory scarce as house hunters try to outmaneuver and outbid each other, according to reports from Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS). Its statistical summary for December showed strong activity throughout the holiday season with double-digit increases in new listings, pending sales, closed sales, and prices.

Northwest MLS brokers added 5,260 new listings to inventory during December, a hefty 39.3% increase over the same month a year ago. Last month’s additions fell short of meeting demand as members reported 6,883 pending sales (mutually accepted offers). That number surpassed the year-ago volume by 940 transactions for an increase of 15.8%.

Pending sales…

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Brokers/Agents working at The Cascade Team are asked to NOT include any Buyer letters or allow them to be received with offers on properties they represent:

The Fair Housing Act provides, in part, that sellers cannot refuse to sell a house based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, family status or disability. Furthermore, the law further protects homebuyers from discrimination based on age, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, ancestry or source of income.

Homebuyers ask all the time about buyer letters. You know the letters I mean: the ones where the buyers write about how much they love the house and why they or their family or their kids will love living there and why the sellers should pick their offer.

That…

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2020 was a unique one for real estate. Though the pandemic slowed the majority of the economy down, the housing sector boomed.

In fact, it saw almost unprecedented success. Buyer demand soared (up 40% at one point), bidding wars were a constant presence, and mortgage rates bottomed out — hitting a new record low more than a dozen times over, according to Freddie Mac.

The market even bucked the traditional fall slowdown, with unseasonably strong demand well into the cooler months. All this, despite an ever-worsening pandemic.

But now that 2020 is (finally) at its end. Will it be the end of the current housing boom as well?

Probably not!

According to experts, we can expect more low rates, still-rising prices, and a continued exodus to the…

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‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse

My signs were all out and brochure boxes loaded
The ad copy in and the lock boxes coded

I just wrote an offer with that one perfect buyer
eeghads its so low…they say they won’t go any higher

So I call up my seller with the not so good news
And they agree to meet with me…what have they got to lose?

So we sit at the table and I do what I do best
Crunch numbers, talk deadlines and give it a rest

So the sellers agree and get ready to sign
And then they exclaim… “We’ve got an equity line!”

More crunching and digging to find extra money
The sellers are smiling…but this really isn’t funny

Three months on the market with nary a…

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Understanding the Numbers When Buying in a Low Inventory Real Estate 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.

While it’s not quite rocket science, there is definitely a significant competitive advantage to those that understand the trends of a real estate market.

Sometimes, being competitive means not…

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Northwest MLS brokers say real estate activity across Washington remains strong

 KIRKLAND, Washington (December 7, 2020) – Some real estate brokers expect the competition for homes to ease somewhat over the holidays, but the latest statistics from Northwest Multiple Listing Service indicate activity is unusually strong heading into December.

 “The rush is on for housing,” exclaimed J. Lennox Scott, chairman and CEO at John L. Scott Real Estate. “Real estate activity typically chills as temperatures drop but buyer demand remains high. “With low unsold inventory, all eyes will be on each new home that comes on the market,” he suggested, adding, “This strong demand is present in the more affordable mid-price ranges and extends into high-end…

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