Today's Move-In Ready Homes = Smart Home Technology

Out with the old and in with the high-tech. A new survey found that Americans are thinking differently about “move-in ready” homes; they now want it to be “smart ready” too. The survey of 1,250 U.S. adults who have broadband Internet access at home found that 71 percent of all respondents want a move-in ready home. But the poll uncovered an interesting twist. Of the respondents who opted for a move-in ready home, 44 percent said that smart home technology should already be installed. Another 57 percent would consider an older home updated if it had smart home technology.   Move-in ready is being redefined by home technology.  

• 71 percent of all U.S. Broadband Households if they were to buy a house today, they would want it to be…

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Top Tips For Buying Your Dream Home in a Hotly Contested 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.

• Price. Price is not always the most important factor.  (We will help you learn the hidden secrets!)
• Earnest Money Deposit.  (How much to put down and on what terms.)
• How much are people paying for similar properties in the area?
• How Much can you…

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Good Schools Give 77% Boost to Home Values

Community And School Reports

Home values can get a big increase from having a highly rated school nearby. According to the new ATTOM Data Solutions 2016 Schools and Housing Report, homes in ZIP codes with at least one good elementary school have values about 77 percent higher than in ZIP codes without highly ranked schools close by.

Researchers looked at home values and price appreciation against 2015 average test scores in nearly 19,000 elementary schools across 4,435 ZIP codes. They considered a “good school” to be one that had an overall test score that was at least one-third above the state average.

The research team found that out of 1,661 ZIP codes with at least one good school, the average estimated home value was $427,402 – 77…

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37 New Listings this Week! New Record for The Cascade Team as Housing Inventory Begins to Open Up!

Thirty Seven (37) listing just this week for www.TheCascadeTeam.com setting a new single week record for the most listings and also a single day record of 23 listings in one day this Friday! All of this further pointing to signs that the local real estate markets are beginning to come into balance. Learn More Here: 

Those listings can be viewed at this link: http://www.thecascadeteam.com/greater-seattle-listings.php

This year has brought steady improvements in the real estate market. Prices rose driven by lower inventory in many markets, and consumers remained relatively optimistic about the economy and its direction—an encouraging indicator for real estate. While the long-anticipated increase in interest rates will likely occur in late…

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Western Washington Real Estate Brokers See Early Signs of “A More Balanced Market"

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KIRKLAND, Washington (Aug.4, 2016) – Home prices are still rising but the supply of homes is improving, prompting brokers to suggest some relief is in sight for would-be buyers. “We might actually be starting to move very slowly back toward a more balanced market,” said OB Jacobi, president of Windermere Real Estate, in commenting on July’s figures from Northwest Multiple Listing Service. 

The MLS report summarizing last month’s activity shows active listings (including single family homes and condominiums) are at the highest level since September 2015 and the volume of new listings added to inventory topped the 12,000 marked for the…

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4 Challenging Visitors You Get at Open Houses

When you invite the public to view your listing, you attract many potential buyers who are on the fence and so will give you the runaround. Here are some tips for recognizing some of the people you’ll meet and how to tap into what they want.

The Dodger

He shies away from interacting with you, hoping you’ll leave him alone while he looks around. He doesn’t stay for long and tries to leave without giving you his name or contact information.

The bottom line: He hasn’t committed to making a move but is considering his options, and he’s afraid you’ll try to force a sale on him. He needs to make these decisions on his own time.

How to handle him: Give him space and watch for whether he lingers over a particular feature of the home. Pop over to…

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It’s a Pokémon Go Open House Weekend with The Cascade Team!

Seemingly everyone is playing Pokémon GO. If you’re not already playing it yourself, you’ve no doubt heard about it. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the new mobile and augmented reality game from Niantic Labs and The Pokémon Company is having an enormous impact on people’s daily routines. This has obsessed Pokémon players taking unusually long walks with their canine friends, people visiting Pokémon Gyms,  and a co-pilots double-fisting smartphones while you’re driving to dinner (please don’t drive and hunt Pokémon — get someone in the passenger seat).

For those not yet in the know, Pokémon GO uses your phone’s GPS and camera to turn the real world into a massive hunting ground for the iconic creatures, but it also transforms local…

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Housing Inventory Levels Improve in King County but still down 17% YTD While The Cascade Team Is UP 32% in Listing Inventory YTD

Market showing signs of adjusting, but buyers still see double-edged sword

• King County Prices up 14.7% to $573,522
• The Cascade Team Average List Price Hits $648,230
• Inventory shows signs of improvement but still 17.1% below last year's levels.
• The Cascade Team Listing Inventory Level is up 32% OVER last year's levels!
• 80% of new listings selling in the first 30 days on market over-all.
• 89.3% Of The Cascade Team Listings Sell in the first 10 Days!
  

 
KIRKLAND, Washington (July 6, 2016) – Home sales around Western Washington continued at a torrid pace during June, but a 10 percent year-over-year increase in new listings has some brokers with Northwest Multiple Listing Service suggesting a little relief may be emerging.

  
In…

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$100,000 Price Drop on Custom Sammamish Home For July 4th Weekend

Property Website HERE

3907 222nd Ave SE, Sammamish

Price: Now $1,400,000

Beds: 5

Baths 6.25

Sqft: 4,210

Stunning Sammamish custom home on exceptionally large and flat lot within Issaquah School District. The materials and details put into crafting this beauty are extensive. Start with the driveway comprised of Roman and Mediterranean pavers, exterior consists of Western Red Cedar shingles, clear cedar tongue and groove enclosed soffits. Custom stone work all around with artistic details. Metal railing on the deck and throughout the house is work of a local Redmond Artist. The reclaimed wood timbers on the deck and entry come from a barn in Vancouver WA. Exterior paint is Miller ‘Evolution’, a lifetime product and the roof is a 50…

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What Really Ticks Off Buyers and Sellers

Missed appointments, the impersonal nature of modern real estate transactions, scheduling struggles, and sellers lingering during showings are just a few of the common gripes from buyers and sellers, according to a recent article in The Washington Post. 

For example, one couple says they received a text message from their real estate agent saying that potential buyers wanted to view their home within a certain time frame. The couple made their house available, despite the hassle of the husband having to conduct a two-hour work call from his car and the wife having to keep the pets out of the house for two hours. But when the buyers never showed up, the sellers got angry and even more upset when the buyer’s agent never contacted them to…

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