Selling a Home

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Buying a Home 1 Year Anniversary It’s hard to believe that it’s already been a year since we joined forces. We’ll be honest, it wasn’t all easy. Real estate agents are independent contractors and merging two independent people together presents challenges. We’ve had hard conversations, we’ve cried, but we’ve also had the most fun we’ve ever had in real estate, and […]
Buying a Home NAR Settlement Update As promised, here is the latest update regarding the $418 Million NAR Lawsuit Settlement and how it will affect real estate operations in WA State. As the deadline to opt in to the NAR Lawsuit Settlement approaches, the Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS) announced last week that they have voted to NOT opt-in to the settlement. […]
Buying a Home New Year, New Laws Effective January 1, 2024, the statute in Washington that governs real estate brokerage relationships (RCW 18.86) otherwise known as the “Agency Law” – was significantly revised. The revisions modernize the 25-year-old law, provide additional transparency and consumer protections, and acknowledge the importance of buyer representation.KEY REVISIONSFor decades, real estate brokerage firms were only required to […]
Buying a Home The Decision Is Up To You There has always been a direct correlation between interest rates and home prices. The rule of thumb has always been when rates go up prices go down, and vice versa. This was temporarily proven true in the summer of 2022 when rates quickly rose by 2% (3.5%-5.5%) over 5 months. It caused a price correction in the […]
Buying a Home 10 State Bills Affecting Housing On April 23rd the Washington State Legislature adjourned after passing 10 new bills that will affect housing. Some of the bills are geared toward creating more transparency around brokerage transactions, some are intended to institute more opportunities for building density to provide more affordable housing, and some are more regulatory to help guide and ease […]
Buying a Home Key Factors to Note as the Market Recalibrates in the New Year 2022 has been an eventful year in the real estate market and the economy. After 2 years of pandemic-fueled demand and historically low interest rates, we experienced a shift. The Fed quickly raised rates (by 2 points) from April to October to combat inflation, curbing buyer demand as affordability took a hit. The overall economy is starting […]
Buying a Home Matthew Gardner’s Top 10 Predictions for 2023 1. There Is No Housing Bubble Mortgage rates rose steeply in 2022 which, when coupled with the massive run-up in home prices, has some suggesting that we are recreating the housing bubble of 2007. But that could not be further from the truth. Over the past couple of years, home prices got ahead of themselves […]
Buying a Home 2023 Real Estate Goals The new year is just around the corner! If you are thinking you might want to invest or make a move next year let’s talk! My calendar is open starting in November for some afternoon/evening consultations. Let’s meet at the brewery of your choice or I can come to your home. We can do some […]
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Buying a Home Current Shift In Inflation & Interest Rates It has been my goal to report to you accurate, real-time updates on the real estate market as we navigate the shift that started in May 2022. The two factors that have been the biggest contributors to this shift are inflation and interest rates. Inflation caused interest rates to rise by over 2-points over a […]
Buying a Home Shifting Market: How Interest Rates Affect Prices As we continue to examine the shift in the market, we must take a moment to take a deep dive into interest rates. Since the first of the year, long-term interest rates have increased 2.7% from 3.11% on 12/30/21 to the peak of 5.81% on 6/23/22, but have started to level out. On 8/4/22 rates […]
Buying a Home Decelerating Does Not Equal Depreciating Home Prices Did you know that decelerating home prices do not mean depreciating home prices? Price appreciation is starting to slow down. At the end of May 2022, complete year-over-year price appreciation was at record highs. At the end of July, Whatcom County’s Average Sold Price was down 6.3% compared to June. This means that we are […]
Buying a Home Quarterly Market Reports for Q2 2022 As we head into the second half of 2022, we are experiencing a shift in the real estate market. The market is starting to balance out after two years of an intense seller’s market. Q1 this year had the lowest amount of inventory we have ever seen, which put upward pressure on prices. With the […]
Buying a Home Still a Seller’s Market Did you know? It’s STILL a Seller’s Market. What does that even mean?! We can gauge who has more power in negotiations based on one simple thing. If no more homes were listed tomorrow—— how long would it take to sell ALL the homes currently available? This is “months of inventory”. Here’s how the power […]
Buying a Home Seasons of More Inventory Did you know that Spring and Summer are when we see the highest levels of inventory come to market in our region? Do you feel like you have been battling to win a house with such slim pickings? Well, now’s that time to stay in the game! More selection means more leverage! Sellers are still […]
Buying a Home Shifting Market: Perspective is Key “How’s the market?” is a question I am asked all the time. It is a common segue in casual conversation over the neighbor’s fence, at a party or family gathering. Now more than ever, the answer to this question is critical and detailed. You see, our market is experiencing a shift, a slowing down of price growth if […]
Home Ownership Avoiding Capital Gains: When You Have a Ton of Equity and Want to Make a Move Did you know that over 50% of homeowners in Washington State have over 50% home equity? We have had 10 years of price appreciation, and the last 3 years have been record-breaking. The chart below shows complete year-over-year (the last 12 months over the previous 12 months) price appreciation for the seven main market areas in Whatcom […]
Buying a Home Spring Market in Bloom – Keeping Perspective is Paramount As we round out the first quarter of 2022 and head into the notorious Spring Market there are a handful of factors that should be considered whether you are a buyer or a seller. Paying attention to the anticipated increase in housing supply, monitoring buyer demand, and assessing the effects of rising interest rates on […]
Community UPDATE: Global influences on the Housing Market & Interest Rates A lot has happened in our world since the first of the year, specifically the rise in inflation and the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine. These factors can influence consumers and affect the housing and financial markets. Additionally, global unrest has had a clear influence on interest rates, driving them back down after a 1-point […]
Selling a Home ~ Proof of the Power of Staging ~ One of the first and most important things I do when helping clients prepare for listing their home is to do a thorough walk-through.  I learn about the home’s features, which elements to highlight and areas of particular interest or in need of updates or repair—we also make a plan for quick fixes that can help […]
Home Ownership When was the last time you were in your crawl space or attic?! I get it, no one WANTS to go in their crawl space or attic, that is where yucky things are… spiders, rodents, etc.  But those are the reasons you are looking!  Checking on these two spaces for indications of water or rodents is THE SINGLE best thing you can do to maintain your home. Here’s […]
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