real estate

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 […]

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 […]

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 Affordable Housing in Bellevue? You might be surprised to find there are many affordable housing options close to downtown Bellevue. Apartments in the city are expensive and it’s likely the rent will increase each time the lease renews. The average monthly rent for a 2 bedroom apartment in downtown Bellevue is $3,250 or more per month (plus utilities). That’s […]

condominiums Open House Etiquette With real estate market activity picking up there will be more open houses to visit in the coming weeks. Are there rules of etiquette when visiting an open house? Common sense and courtesy should prevail, but it can be surprising what visitors think is acceptable when walking through someone else’s home. So what is OK, […]

Bellevue Bellevue’s Condo Market is Off to a Quick Start This Year Today’s Seattle Times (link to the article below) provided a review of the region’s 2019 real estate market comparing sales activity and property values to the prior year. While prices in the county were flat throughout the year, the last quarter of 2019 bucked that trend with inventory selling quickly and multiple offers more common. […]

Bellevue Eastside Condos – What Can You Expect in 2020? Today’s Seattle Times and Puget Sound Business Journal reported that the 2020 real estate marketplace was likely to open fast paced with low inventory levels and high buyer demand following a robust December of residential sales. Without a significant increase in available housing inventory it could be a “red hot market” this year with a […]

condominiums 2020 Real Estate Excise Tax Revision The Washington State Legislature has changed the way in which real estate excise taxes taxes (REET) will be calculated. This change will impact real estate sales beginning next year. Starting January 1, 2020, the real estate excise tax, currently a flat 1.78% of the sales price paid by the seller at closing, will be calculated […]

condo financing NEW FHA GUIDELINES OPEN OPPORTUNITIES FOR HOME BUYERS Condominiums are an important part of the housing market, especially for first time buyers. Often buyers have the income and credit score needed to purchase a home but lack a substantial down payment which can make entering the housing market prohibitive. In an effort to promote affordable homeownership for credit worthy buyers, the […]