How Buying or Selling a Home in Spring is Like Driving In Rush Hour

Posted by Cary W Porter on February 10th, 2017

by Karen Briscoe  

Key Takeaways

• There are benefits to avoiding peak real estate seasons for home sellers, like less competition. The buyers in the market are often more motivated.
• The benefits for buyers in the offseason can go the same way, because sellers are also more motivated.
• Ancillary services, like home appraisers or lenders, are more available during the offseason.

Traditionally, the spring real estate market is March through May, but in many markets it can start as early as February, around Ground Hog Day. Sometimes sales continue to be robust, and the peak selling season will stretch into June.

Lessons from rush hour

Rush hour for traffic in many metropolitan areas is from 7 to 9 a.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. Commuters…

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Stunning Issaquah Highlands Townhome: Offers Reviewed As Recieved!

Posted by Cary W Porter on February 9th, 2017

$550,000 - 884 3rd Ave NE, Issaquah    Bedrooms: 3    Bathrooms: 2.25    Sq. Footage: 1,707    Year Built: 2011    Garage Spaces: 2    Type: Townhouse / Condo    MLS® Number: 1076532

OFFERED BY: PROPERTY DESCRIPTION:   Cary W Porter Designated Broker & Owner 425.891.7447 Schedule a Showing Request More Info Seller is reviewing offers as they come in so don't wait! 3 Bedrooms w/ 2 Car Garage in The Highlands will go fast!!!... Welcome to Highlands Square at The Issaquah Highlands. Stunning 3 bedroom, 2.25 bath, 2 car garage Dream Home. Slab granite and Stainless…

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Western Wa Housing Report| “High Velocity” Market, But With Hope for Homebuyers

Posted by Cary W Porter on February 7th, 2017

  KIRKLAND, Washington (Feb. 6, 2017) – Western Washington’s “high velocity” market continued during January with the number of pending sales (7,745) outgaining the number of new listings (6,507), according to new figures from Northwest Multiple Listing Service.  

• Properties are moving through the market at an unusually fast pace
• Active Listings Decline By 21%
• If home buyers were hoping that January would start to bring more balance to the housing market, they’re going to be sorely disappointed.
• Prices up another 9%

“Properties are moving through the market at an unusually fast pace,” remarked John Deely, chairman of the board at Northwest MLS and the principal managing broker at Coldwell Banker Bain. “Although we have…

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2 Feet of Snow Doesn't Cool This Housing Market!

Posted by Cary W Porter on February 6th, 2017

  In spite of the record snowfall from Seattle to Spokane and down to Portland our markets have been amazingly HOT.. (And that certainly doesn’t leave Arizona out, which even though use to the warm temperatures is also setting records for the number of transactions this early in the year!) Just last week we had 16 new listings which is a RECORD for the last week of January 1st half week of February. It is wonderful seeing many of you getting out there and spreading the word. At The Cascade Team we have so much more to offer than other brokerages in this crazy market, and with homes flying off the market in only a day with as many as 30 offers our value proposition is just enormous.   “The greater Seattle area saw the fifth highest average…

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Home Sellers See Biggest Profits Since 2007

Posted by Cary W Porter on February 3rd, 2017

“The greater Seattle area saw the fifth highest average home price percent gain since purchase in 2016 in the country — a quite remarkable data point — and one which demonstrates the strength of the area’s economy,” said Matthew Gardner, chief economist, covering the Seattle market. “However, despite this rampant price growth, very few home owners are cashing in on these gains, as listing inventory remains at levels not seen since the late 1990s. Those who are taking advantage of the market are primarily banking their gains and buying another home locally rather than moving to less expensive areas. As long as the Seattle economy continues to outperform the nation, the region will continue to remain high on the list of bullish markets.”

…

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Hot Tools For A Hot Market - Hi Tech/ Hi Touch Tools for Buyers and Sellers

Posted by Cary W Porter on February 2nd, 2017

        See Our Results                Ask These Questions                 Our Marketing Program          Free Home Value Analysis

It doesn't matter if you are ready to sell, ready to buy or looking to do both, The Cascade Team has you covered. From “Smart Search” which learns with you as your browse for homes to our PRIME Marketing program designed to stimulate high interest and multiple offers we have the information, technology solution and personal service designed to take your real estate experience to the next level!

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…

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TCT Marketing Class: The Answers To All Your Questions | Instructed by: Janet Porter & Summer Porter

Posted by Cary W Porter on February 1st, 2017

TCT Marketing Class: The Answers To All Your Questions | Instructed by: Janet Porter & Summer Porter

This is the class you have been asking for! For all your questions about how and where to access your marketing resources, the TCT Marketing Team is here for you! 

Mailers at www.TheCascadeTeam.com/mailers

Agent Mailers

Here are The Cascade Team's Mailer Templates.  Just click on the images below, select download, and open the Publisher file.  Once opened, Save As to your computer.  From there, you can swap out the agent photo and contact information for your own.  All pages have been uploaded separately, so feel free to mix and match.  Just make sure that you follow the instructions in red below.

For compliance, be sure that at…

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Understanding The True Price Tag of a New Home

Posted by Cary W Porter on January 31st, 2017

The true cost of buying a home can be a lot more than the agreed-upon sale price. Along with your monthly mortgage payment, you will likely find yourself shelling out for other upfront and ongoing expenses. Closing costs, homeowners association fees, property taxes, utility bills and imminent home repairs can add hundreds — if not thousands — to your expenditures.

Avoid unpleasant financial surprises by familiarizing yourself with some of the more common expenses associated with buying or building a new home. Budgeting for added monthly expenses — and setting some aside for emergencies — will help ensure your new dream home is also an affordable one.

1. Closing costs: Add in an estimated 2% to 5% of home price.
2. Homeowners insurance: Add…

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Where Are The Homes For Sale? Home Prices Soar as Seattle Area Reaches Top 2 Markets For Low Inventory

Posted by Cary W Porter on January 27th, 2017

Just 0.4 percent of all homes in the Seattle region were on the market at any given time last year — a lower rate than in any U.S. metro area except the San Francisco Bay Area, according to a new report from realtor.com.

In other words, just one of every 263 houses and condos in the Seattle area was for sale. That’s more than three times worse than the national average, creating a market heavily tilted against buyers.

Seattle homebuyers have known for a while how competitive the market is; 41 people recently made offers on a toxic West Seattle house that was too dangerous to enter and ultimately sold, as a likely teardown, for $427,000.

But the new data shows just how much fiercer the competition is here compared with other hot markets around…

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Study: January, February Great for Buying

Posted by Cary W Porter on January 25th, 2017

For home buyers hoping to snag a deal, they may want to make a move now. Home prices in January usually decrease compared to the spring and summer buying season.

There’s plenty of research to back that up too. NerdWallet recently crunched two years of realtor.com® data that reflected the 50 largest U.S. metros. Researchers found that January and February were the top months for those looking to get a bargain. In those months, home sales prices were 8.45 percent lower on average than in June through August.

However, this year may be a little different. Buyer demand has remained high throughout the fall, and home prices did not take their usual dip this January, says Jonathan Smoke, realtor.com®’s chief economist. Still, he maintains right now is…

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