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Just wanted to send a quick shout out about two recent listings that both went for more than $300,000 OVER asking price!    Jennifer Beeler who works in our Woodinville office is first on the list.   Her Clyde Hill Listing came on the market for $2,589,000 and sold in only 2 days for $311,000 OVER asking price! Her clients saved an additional $58,000 in commissions by using The Cascade Team's Full Service for 1% Listing Fee model accounting for a total value to her clients of $369,000!   Just amazing!   About Jennifer:

I am a Washington native and real estate professional serving my hometown of Woodinville and the greater Seattle area.

My passion for real estate began at the age of 18 when I bought my first condo. I have…

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home-heat-wave3 By Rena Behar

The days are getting longer. Ice cream truck jingles echo up and down the block. But the surest sign that summer is here? It just might be those "For Sale" signs popping up like dandelions in your neighborhood.

Yep, we're smack dab in the middle of the most popular time of the year to buy and sell a home. If you're thinking of starting your home search, your first instinct as a savvy shopper might be to stay away and wait for the weather—and the market—to cool down. Why battle the crowds and bidding wars if you're in no rush to move?

1. Prices aren't necessarily higher

A huge myth about the real estate market is that homes sell for more in the summer and less in the winter. This is simply not true!

Let's be clear:…

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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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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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