Trends

Market Updates Interest Rates Falling & Inventory Rising As we celebrate the start of autumn, the season of change, the leaves on the trees are not the only things that are falling. Interest rates have gradually fallen throughout the year. Just 11 months ago, rates were almost 2 points higher; in the frothy spring market, they were nearly 1.5 points higher. During this […]
Market Updates Election Year Market Trends – A Look Back To Look Forward As we approach November and the Presidential election nears, it would be good to look back on how election years have historically affected the real estate market.  There is certainly a lot going on and this stimulation can cause pause.  Buying and selling real estate is a big life event and the election is a […]
Market Updates Three Hot Buttons In Real Estate The real estate industry has been in the news a bit lately. Not so much about the trends and home values. More so about class action lawsuits, which have stolen a lot of attention away from the positive activity that is happening in our market. While the lawsuit is an important story to track, one […]
Home Ownership Women Outpace Men in Homeownership Women earn $0.83 to every $1.00 a man makes, but they are dominating the market! Prior to 1974 it was not legal for a women to secure a mortgage without a male cosigner. Once that barrier was broken, women have outpaced males as homebuyers since the NAR started tracking the data in 1981. In 2022 […]
Home Ownership Which is Better, Renting or Buying? The financial benefits of owning real estate significantly outweigh the option of renting. Renting is certainly a must for some, and is what one may have to do while they build up to becoming a homeowner. Becoming a homeowner requires solid employment, good credit, and some type of down payment. Savings can all be built over time and […]
Home Ownership 2023 Economic & Housing Forecast Thank you to all my guests that were able to join me at my Annual Economic and Housing Forecast event with Matthew Gardner, Windermere Chief Economist sponsored by Evergreen Home Loans. In case you missed it, below are my top 10 takeaways, with all of the slide information linked HERE. BELLINGHAM METRO AREA LABOR MARKET […]
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 […]
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Tracie's Thoughts Make A Statement With Your Front Door We all know about curb appeal, but did you know that your door color might influence how much a buyer offers on your home? A recent study showed that certain door colors could impact the value of your home by thousands of dollars. Here are a few fun facts. Blue and black were the most […]
Trends Year-to-Date Real Estate Recap Here we are, one-third into 2021, and boy what a ride it has been so far. We all know that 2020 was a unique year full of challenges and change. The pandemic made us pause and re-evaluate many aspects of our lives including where and how we live. The impact of the pandemic on the real […]
Trends What is your home worth?   Over the last 6 years, the median price for a single-family home in Whatcom County has grown by 68%, and in Skagit County 78%. Above are examples of actual homes sold in late 2015 to early 2016 that also sold in early 2021. Note, they were not remodeled or significantly improved in between sales. These examples show […]
Market Updates Q3 Market Report Windermere’s Chief Economist Matthew Gardner has released his Western Washington Quarter 3 Report.  High demand, favorable interest rates, and low supply clearly point to a seller’s market.  For a full look at what’s happening in this economy and housing market, read more in the link below! https://www.windermere.com/blogs/windermere/posts/western-washington-real-estate-market-update–24  
Market Updates The Q2 Western Washington Gardner Report  
Home Ownership Update on Mortgage Forbearance     On this week’s episode of “Mondays with Matthew”, Matthew Gardner provides an update on the mortgage forbearance program and what type of effect we can expect it to have on the US housing market. 
Market Updates A Snapshot I look forward to presenting this infographic to you on a monthly basis moving forward.  It gives you an easy way to digest changes year over year, and compare month to month if you look back at previous month’s snapshots.  I was surprised to see that the Available Inventory Ratio increased this year over last […]
Market Updates Current Numbers that Matter – Week 14 Catch-Up Market Everything appears to be playing catch-up.  More and more listings are coming on the market, and really values never did decrease! You can read more about that below. With that said, this will be the last weekly Covid-19 numbers, and I will be returning back to my monthly updates. I’ve truly appreciated all those who have followed along, asked questions […]
Market Updates Current Numbers that Matter – Week 13 Gratitude and Reflection There have been so many big, difficult, and heartbreaking things going on that require face-to-face conversations to help us connect, learn, and grow. If for no other reason, I am grateful to be in Phase 2 for just that- to see faces in person and have opportunities to talk about these issues! […]
Market Updates Current Numbers that Matter – Week 12 Moving On to Phase 2! Welcome to June! It was announced today that the Washington State Secretary of Health has accepted Whatcom County’s application to move on to Phase 2 of the Washington’s Safe Start Plan. You can read a broad explanation of what that means here, and here are a few key changes: Lets you have 5 […]
Market Updates Current Numbers that Matter – Week 11 Getting Things Rolling Again After being cooped up for so long, no doubt you have noticed things around your home that you would like to fix or upgrade. Many contractors are slowly getting back to work after weeks of not being able to, and I have had clients asking for referrals of those I trust […]
Market Updates Current Numbers that Matter – Week 10 Staying Put a Little Longer This week, officials announced that the closure for non-essential travel over the border crossing to Canada has been extended until the end of June. So, we will have to wait a little longer for any fun rendezvous up north. I am curious to pay attention to how many of our Canadian buyers and sellers are unable […]