selling a home

buying a home, community, Fair Housing Act, selling a home, supporting communities

April is Fair Housing Month

April is Fair Housing Month, when we commemorate the Fair Housing Act of 1968 and reaffirm our belief that every individual has the right to own a home. The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination against home renters and buyers by landlords, sellers and lenders on account of their race, color, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, disability […]
condominium, condominium speciaist, real estate, selling a home, staging a home for sale

Selling a Home? How Important is Staging?

Early in my career home staging was rare and typically used only in high end properties. Professional photography wasn’t common either – most brokers took their own marketing photos. Today online is almost always the first exposure buyers have to a new listed home. Hiring a professional photographer is a requirement, rather than an option, […]
buying a home, economy, interest rates, real estate, Robin Myers/Condo Specialist, selling a home, Windermere Real Estate

2024 Housing Market Predictions

Matthew Gardner, Windermere’s Chief Economist, provides his annual insight and predictions for the coming year’s local and national real estate market. Matthew reviews his 2023 predictions and provides his outlook for 2024. Matthew’s monthly market updates are always informative, but the annual recap and predictions for the coming year is always my favorite.
buying a home, condominiums, economy, home property values, interest rates, selling a home, Windermere

Matthew Gardner’s 2023 Top Ten Predictions – Mid-Year Update

Earlier this year Matthew Gardner, Windermere’s Chief Economist, shared his predictions for 2023. Fast forward six months, and in his latest monthly video he compares those predictions with how the housing market, interest rates, supply and demand, etc. has performed in the first six months of 2023. Matthew is still confident housing demand is high […]

buying a home April is Fair Housing Month April is Fair Housing Month, when we commemorate the Fair Housing Act of 1968 and reaffirm our belief that every individual has the right to own a home. The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination against home renters and buyers by landlords, sellers and lenders on account of their race, color, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, disability […]

condominium Selling a Home? How Important is Staging? Early in my career home staging was rare and typically used only in high end properties. Professional photography wasn’t common either – most brokers took their own marketing photos. Today online is almost always the first exposure buyers have to a new listed home. Hiring a professional photographer is a requirement, rather than an option, […]

buying a home 2024 Housing Market Predictions Matthew Gardner, Windermere’s Chief Economist, provides his annual insight and predictions for the coming year’s local and national real estate market. Matthew reviews his 2023 predictions and provides his outlook for 2024. Matthew’s monthly market updates are always informative, but the annual recap and predictions for the coming year is always my favorite.

buying a home Matthew Gardner’s 2023 Top Ten Predictions – Mid-Year Update Earlier this year Matthew Gardner, Windermere’s Chief Economist, shared his predictions for 2023. Fast forward six months, and in his latest monthly video he compares those predictions with how the housing market, interest rates, supply and demand, etc. has performed in the first six months of 2023. Matthew is still confident housing demand is high […]

condominium Don’t Just Downsize . . . Right-size Many sellers in today’s market, myself included, are getting ready to not only move but also downsize their lifestyle, fitting their new home to fit future needs. Downsizing, or right-sizing, means more than just “getting rid of “stuff” and finding a smaller home. It’s important to consider how you live now, how you want […]

buying a home Increased Conforming Loan Limits Will Benefit Buyers Conforming home loan limits are tied to local home prices. Each year the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) evaluates home values nationwide and adjusts the conforming loan limits for each state and each county within each state. FHFA also establishes higher conforming loan limits for areas deemed to be “high cost areas” based on local […]

buying a home Housing and the Economy – What to Expect in 2022 In the last housing and economic forecast for 2021, Matthew Gardner, Windermere’s Chief Economist, looks ahead and shares his economic and housing forecast for 2022.

Bellevue Summer May Offer Temporary Relief for Home Buyers This week’s press release from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS) provided a hint of hopeful news for local home buyers. NWMLS data shows the number of active listings added to the market in June was at it’s highest level in 17 months. In the tri-county area (King, Snohomish and Pierce counties) single family and […]

buying a home 2021 Housing and Economic Update Every year Matthew Gardner, Windermere’s Chief Economic, provides his forecast for the coming year. As always, he includes a variety of topics that relate to the national economy, housing trends, mortgage interest rates and home price appreciation. This year he also addresses the impact the 2020 pandemic had on the economy and housing and what […]

buying a home Post Election Housing Thoughts How could a Biden administration impact real estate? Matthew Gardner, Windermere Real Estate’s Chief Economist, shares his thoughts.

buying a home How Long Will Mortgage Rates Stay this Low? This week Matthew Gardner, Windermere Real Estate’s Chief Economist, discusses current mortgage interest rates. Interest rates are currently right around 3% and mortgage applications, driven by those historically low rates, are up 25% over the same period last year. It’s amazing to look back to the early 1980s when mortgage interest rates were in the […]

buying a home Selling Your Condo? Here’s Why the Condo Resale Certificate is Important What is a Resale Certificate? The condominium resale certificate is a critical part of every condo sale. Condos and homeowner associations are governed by documents that outline the duties and responsibilities of the homeowner and the community. When a buyer purchases a condo they are entitled to review those documents. The “resale certificate” is a […]

buying a home How’s the Real Estate Market? How’s the Real Estate Market? This is a question I hear a lot. Real estate was dormant this spring due to the coronavirus pandemic. Since mid-May the housing market has made a robust and positive rebound. The number of buyers currently in the market far exceeds the available inventory of homes for sale. Why are […]

buying a home Summertime – Must Be Time to Go “Phishing” Over the past week I’ve suddenly received several phone and email “phishing” solicitations. I’d like to blame it on a full moon, but that was nearly three weeks ago. I’ve been contacted twice and advised my Amazon account had been locked due to suspicious activity. Two different people have called to tell me a credit […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 – […]

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 […]