Blog - Robin Myers

affordable housing, condominiums, economy, real estate

The Important Role First Time Buyers Play in the Long Term Housing Market

This week Matthew Gardner, Windermere Chief Economist, speaks to the importance first time buyers will play in the recovery of the country’s housing market.
affordable housing, condominium speciaist, economy, real estate, Windermere Real Estate

Can We Expect to See More Entry Level Affordable Housing In the Future?

This week Matthew Gardner, Chief Economist for Windermere Real Estate, discusses housing affordability and what we can expect moving forward. On average median housing prices nationwide are have increased by 23.5% above the 2008/2009 recession. While there has been some impact on values due to COVID-19, high demand from buyers in a market with limited […]
buying a home, condominium speciaist, condominiums, real estate, selling a home

Available Homes for Sale Significantly Below Last Year

The number of homes available for sale declined in April and May for obvious reasons – there were health and economic concerns brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since late May local home sales have been ahead of the same period last year. Buyer demand remains high but what is different about this year compared […]
condominium speciaist, economy, housing market, real estate, Windermere Real Estate

How Close Are We to Getting Back to Normal?

This week Matthew Gardner, Windermere’s Chief Economist, looks at high frequency data sets, data that is issued more frequently than the typical monthly or quarterly reports we’re used to reading. Using data from real estate, hospitality and travel sources Matthew provides interesting information on how close our economic growth is to getting back to normal.

affordable housing The Important Role First Time Buyers Play in the Long Term Housing Market This week Matthew Gardner, Windermere Chief Economist, speaks to the importance first time buyers will play in the recovery of the country’s housing market.

affordable housing Can We Expect to See More Entry Level Affordable Housing In the Future? This week Matthew Gardner, Chief Economist for Windermere Real Estate, discusses housing affordability and what we can expect moving forward. On average median housing prices nationwide are have increased by 23.5% above the 2008/2009 recession. While there has been some impact on values due to COVID-19, high demand from buyers in a market with limited […]

buying a home Available Homes for Sale Significantly Below Last Year The number of homes available for sale declined in April and May for obvious reasons – there were health and economic concerns brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since late May local home sales have been ahead of the same period last year. Buyer demand remains high but what is different about this year compared […]

condominium speciaist How Close Are We to Getting Back to Normal? This week Matthew Gardner, Windermere’s Chief Economist, looks at high frequency data sets, data that is issued more frequently than the typical monthly or quarterly reports we’re used to reading. Using data from real estate, hospitality and travel sources Matthew provides interesting information on how close our economic growth is to getting back to normal.

condominium speciaist Mortgage Forbearance – Where are We Today? This week Matthew Gardner, Chief Economist with Windermere Real Estate, provides updated news about the mortgage forbearance program. The program has provided a safety net for homeowners but isn’t likely to have any long term negative economic impact.

buying a home What Does King County’s Phase 1.5 Mean for Real Estate? King County has progressed to Phase 1.5 of the Governor’s “Safe Start Proclamation”. How does that impact buyers and sellers as they search for homes or list their homes for sale? Real estate firms may open their offices again. In compliance with State guidelines, staff, brokers and guests will be […]

buying a home How’s the Local Real Estate Market? We’re 12 weeks into more experience dealing with the impact of COVID-19 on the economy and specifically the local real estate market. After a significant market decline in new listings, buyer interest and closed sales in March and April (not at all surprising) real estate came back strong starting in early May. the number of […]

Bellevue Bellevue’s McCormick Park Did you know . . . the City of Bellevue has over 2,700 acres of open space, 90+ miles of multi-use trails, lakefront parks, a farm, golf courses and dozens of playgrounds, sports courts, ball fields and picnic shelters. While many of the larger parks are well known, there are dozens of small parks downtown […]

apartments Could COVID-19 Impact Future Condo and Apartment Design? Recent real estate and design articles have speculated on the impact the coronavirus pandemic could have on future residential design. Features in the last decade have focused on spacious luxury owner amenities with indoor and outdoor common areas, lush gardens, fitness centers, media rooms, private dining rooms, pet spas and co-working spaces. Will residential […]

condominium speciaist 5 Small Things You Can Do to Improve Your Home Office For the past several months many of us have been working from home – some temporarily, others permanently. Here are some thoughts from a recent Windermere blog post that might give you some good ideas for a home office refresh. Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic, many of us now find ourselves working from home. […]

Community Service Day Windermere . . . All In, for Our Communities Over the past several months Windermere Real Estate has supported our local local communities, assisting front line medical staff and local food banks. Windermere brokers and staff raised over $17,500 to buy meals for medical staff on the front lines at EvergreenHealth Medical Center. Those funds purchased 1,200 meals from local restaurants […]

condominium speciaist How has COVID-19 Impacted Various Housing Categories Matthew Gardner offers insight into how the coronavirus pandemic may impact urban housing, condos, single family housing, suburbs, second homes and short term rentals.

buying a home Real Estate – What to Expect as We Return to “Normal” It’s not surprising to know home sales declined in mid-March as we sheltered at home. Moving into mid-April both buyer activity and pending sales began increasing, all while home prices remained strong. Nationally median home prices rose in every region of the US in April. Locally buyer activity and home values also gained momentum. Short […]

Bellevue Feel the Sidewalk Between Your Toes I’ve lived in Bellevue for over 30 years and downtown for the past dozen years. During the past several weeks of stay home/stay healthy I’ve logged a lot of miles around downtown Bellevue, often accompanied by two spoiled dogs. I know this city pretty well but have been surprised by the the pocket parks, public […]

Bellevue Farmers Market Bellevue Farmers Market Due to the extension of Washington State’s stay home/stay healthy order, the opening of the Bellevue Farmers Market has been delayed. This year the market will have a soft opening. Beginning on May 14th and again on May 21st and May 28th, pre-ordered produce boxes will be available for drive-through pick-up from 3:00 – 6:00 […]

buying a home Concerned about a Housing Bubble? These are interesting and complex times. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to develop, brokers are following strict recommendations from public health officials and government agencies to ensure we are helping to reduce its impact. Ensuring that agents, office staff and clients are safe and healthy is the top priority. Real estate is still happening – […]

condominium speciaist The New Normal (does not include dog grooming) I work from home frequently, so the adjustment to a home office over the past month hasn’t been a major change for me. I don’t have children living at home, so I can’t imagine the challenges of balancing working from home full time, parenting 24/7 and taking on the role of teacher. These new routines, […]

condominium speciaist Homeowner Association Issues Impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic During the shelter-at-home order in Washington State, board or HOA meetings are currently prohibited. This may create complications for homeowner associations trying to conduct business that needs a majority vote regarding matters impacting the HOA and owners. Homeowner/community associations are required to follow their governing documents when handling association matters. This includes owners and directors […]

condominium speciaist Downtown Bellevue Condos – Year-to-Year Stats Demand for urban housing remains strong, and with Amazon’s projected growth in downtown Bellevue, along with other corporations’ expansion plans, high demand is expected to continue over the next few years. Before the coronavirus outbreak and Stay Home/Stay Healthy order that went into effect in mid-March, the local condo real estate market was off […]

buying a home The Impact of COVID-19 on 30 Year Mortgage Rates Windermere’s Chief Economist Matthew Gardner provides his insight on mortgage interest rates, how those rates are set and what we might expect in the coming weeks and months with regard to conforming and jumbo loan financing.