condominium speciaist

condominium speciaist, condominiums, Downtown Bellevue, real estate, urban living

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, condominium speciaist, home financing, mortgage interest rates, real estate, refinancing 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.
condominium speciaist, family, real estate, safety, supporting communities, Windermere

Real Estate – It’s Not Business as Usual

The coronavirus health crisis has redirected everyone’s focus. We’re all searching for our “new normal”, abandoning and creating new daily routines, figuring out how to safely shop for groceries, work from home (maybe cope with the temporary or permanent loss of a job or income), home school and entertain children, balance finances and care for […]
condominium speciaist, property taxes, real estate, tax payer assistance

King County Property Tax Deadline Postponed

Due to the financial hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, King County has postponed the property tax deadline from April 30th to June 1st. This extension applies to individual residential and commercial taxpayers who pay property taxes themselves. If your property taxes are paid through your mortgage lender, banks and other financial institutions still need […]

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.

condominium speciaist Real Estate – It’s Not Business as Usual The coronavirus health crisis has redirected everyone’s focus. We’re all searching for our “new normal”, abandoning and creating new daily routines, figuring out how to safely shop for groceries, work from home (maybe cope with the temporary or permanent loss of a job or income), home school and entertain children, balance finances and care for […]

condominium speciaist King County Property Tax Deadline Postponed Due to the financial hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, King County has postponed the property tax deadline from April 30th to June 1st. This extension applies to individual residential and commercial taxpayers who pay property taxes themselves. If your property taxes are paid through your mortgage lender, banks and other financial institutions still need […]

condominium speciaist Stay Home – Stay Healthy – Stay Safe Like many of you, I have been working from home for the last two weeks. Though technology allows for viewing photo galleries and virtual tours, locating neighborhoods on Google maps, reviewing documents and digitally signing documents, real estate is a person-to-person business. While the State of Washington recently determined real estate is an essential business […]

buying a home Are Open Houses a Thing of the Past? Earlier this month, as concern regarding the coronavirus grew, my company, Windermere Real Estate, followed by the NWMLS a few days later, made the decision to suspend all open houses in an effort to protect the health of buyers, sellers and brokers. There will be little real estate business transacted during the State of Washington’s […]

buying a home Uncharted Waters The early spring real estate market was crazy with buyer demand outpacing available housing inventory. With growing concern and uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus, a few homes are being listed for sale (though far fewer than normal for this time of year) and homes sold last week. There will always be people who have to move, […]

condominium speciaist A Bright Spot in Confusing Times The past few weeks/days have created concern, uncertainty and chaos in everyone’s world. Like many people, I am working at home, keeping clients advised of what’s happening in the real estate market and in their neighborhoods (homes are continuing to come on the market and sell) and responding to questions, emails and phone calls. We’ve […]

condominium speciaist Are You Ready for a Condominium Lifestyle? Condos are often the choice of empty nesters downsizing, or right-sizing, into a new lifestyle offering less maintenance, luxury amenities and a carefree lock-and-walk lifestyle. It can be an adjustment living with neighbors closer, sharing common areas and learning to cope with smaller spaces. Give ample thought to your lifestyle and how you will adjust […]

buying a home February NWMLS Real Estate Market Snapshot February statistics are in. Home prices, compared to February 2019, are up 9%. There’s less than a six week supply of available homes which is down 33% over the same time last year. Mortgage interest rates are historically low. Now is the time to maximize your home buying power. Open house traffic has been amazing. […]

buying a home Wire Fraud – Use Caution When Wiring Funds In every real estate transaction emails are sent between the buyer and their real estate broker, lender, escrow and title companies. Unfortunately these emails have created an opportunity for wire fraud scammers causing some real estate buyers to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars. Here’s how it works . . . scammers hack into the […]

Bellevue What a Difference a Few Days of Sun Can Make While showing condos recently I took a photo of one of the home’s incredible views. We are fortunate to live in an amazingly beautiful part of the country. It can be gray here in the early months of the year, and we’ll all agree that this February has been a tough month with record rain, […]

condominium speciaist Do You Need to Disclose a Video Security System When Your Home is Listed for Sale? Today’s home security systems are plentiful, inexpensive and easy to install. While they can provide peace of mind, when you list your home for sale, are you required to disclose the operation of a home video or audio security system? Washington State law makes it very clear – it is UNLAWFUL for anyone to […]

condominium speciaist Walkability to Amenities May Command a Higher Home Price The National Association of Realtors® recently published an article with data from a Redfin study addressing the impact walkability to neighborhood amenities has on home values. Homes within walking distance of workplaces, shopping, parks, schools, etc. rank high on buyer wish lists but will command higher prices. Homes with in-city locations are often condominiums (stack […]

condominium speciaist Selling Your Home? Prepare for the Photo Shoot This is the time of year when more homes are listed for sale. It’s rare to see a home on the market that doesn’t have professional photos. Quality photography is critical for on line marketing and could be the most important piece of the marketing plan your broker will (or should) commit to when […]

Bellevue Senior Property Tax Exemption Program It’s that time of year when we start collecting receipts, mortgage interest and property tax statements, all in readiness to work on taxes or at least deliver your box of receipts and statements to your accountant. Did you know . . . anyone 61 years or older who owns their own home may be eligible […]

Bellevue A Reminder of Bellevue’s Past I didn’t have any change with me to see if this still worked, but it was fun to find a phone booth still existed in downtown Bellevue. During a walk through Meydenbauer Bay Park I saw this outside the entry to the boat house at the park. Wonder how many kids over the decades […]

Community Service Day Windermere Foundation This year I celebrate 30 years as a Realtor® and a decade with Windermere Real Estate. Locally owned, Windermere has deep roots in the community and a commitment to support the neighborhoods where we live and work. I’m proud to support the Windermere Foundation and its efforts to support organizations assisting low income and homeless […]

Bellevue Excavation Started at Avenue Bellevue With demolition complete, excavation has begun at the Avenue Bellevue site located at the northwest corner of Bellevue Way NE and NE 8th Street. (This is the former Cost Plus site, or if you’ve been around Bellevue for a while, the former Albertsons grocery store.) The mixed use project will include 85,000 square feet of […]