selling a home

condominium, condominium speciaist, downsizing, lifestyle, right-sizing, Robin Myers/Condo Specialist, selling a home, Windermere Real Estate

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, condominium speciaist, condominiums, home financing, home loans, mortgage, selling a home, Windermere

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, condominiums, economy, real estate, selling 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, buying a home, condominium speciaist, real estate, selling a home

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

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. […]

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 […]