The Cascade Team Blog

Mortgage Rates at Lowest Point Since November and Heading Down

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage continues to tick down,” writes Freddie Mac in its weekly mortgage rate report released Thursday. Indeed, the average weekly 30-year-fixed rate mortgage now sits at 6.64%, down slightly from the week prior, and more significantly down from the above-7% rates we saw in January.

In April, mortgages are likely to remain in the 6.5% to 7% neighborhood, says Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate.

He adds that “they could fall beneath that range if there were signs of economic weakness but be careful what you wish for.” Ideally, McBride says we like to see mortgage rates fall because inflation pressures are subsiding rather than due to economic weakness, but concerns about inflation are still front and…

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Keenan Porter: Voted The "Sexiest Real Estate Agent Alive"

Keenan Porter: The "Sexiest Real Estate Agent Alive" and the Darling of the Silver Beehive Brigade

Move over Hollywood heartthrobs and pop star sensations—there’s a new contender in town, and he’s got the keys to your dream home! Meet Keenan Porter, recently crowned "Sexiest Real Estate Agent Alive" by none other than the National Association of Retired Real Estate Agents (NARREA). Yes, you read that right. It seems the golden years have a golden eye for talent, and Keenan is their latest muse.

**The Man Behind the Title**

Keenan Porter isn’t just a pretty face with a killer smile; he’s a top-notch real estate agent with a knack for finding the perfect home for every client. Known for his charm, charisma, and uncanny ability to make even…

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Housing Market Recap and 2025 Forecast

Buckle up for a bumpy ride as 2025 looks to have multiple twists and turns.

•         The housing market will keep shifting in 2025.
•         The average home value rose by 9% annually.
•         Expectations are for approximately a 5% increase in prices for 2025.
•         Homebuying activity should pick up after a long slump, despite choppiness in mortgage rates.
•         Housing inventory to start the year is the highest since 2020.
•         Fewer bidding wars with normalizing housing supply.
•         Interest rates to bounce around the mid 6% range.

Believe it or not, the housing market is still normalizing after the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past few years, the housing market has been — to put it in as simple of terms as…

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More Homes and Less Buyers – A Real Estate Conundrum

Market Recap

•         Active Inventory up 39.4%
•         Pending Sales Dropped -1.4%
•         Sold Homes only increased 1.9% despite the increase in available inventory
•         Median Sales price increased a modest 3.6%

Traditionally a quiet month, February’s market activity reflected consumer sentiment in two important areas: affordability and available inventory.

30-year mortgage rates dropped slightly from 6.95% to 6.76%, but that may not be enough to encourage buyers when faced with continuing rising prices. The median price for residential homes and condominiums rose 2.4% from $615,000 in January 2025 to $630,000 in February 2025.

Although the number of active listings is significantly higher than a year ago (39.4%…

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Triple-Header Open House Feb 22nd and 23rd

The Cascade Team is proud to present a “Triple Open House Weekend”

This weekend February 22-23rd we’re holding three (3) amazing Sammamish and Issaquah homes open!

Beat the spring market rush and check out the beauties!

New to market this week in Sammamish. 

25708 Ne 4th Place, Sammamish, WA is Offered at $2,349,995

Sammamish Dream Home! 5 bedrooms, bonus room, office and more. Situated for ideal privacy backing to greenbelt, just across the street from The Plateau Golf Course and 1 block from Soaring Eagle park. With a wonderful flow featuring formal sitting room, dining room, family room and bonus room on the main floor. Expansive kitchen w/ eating nook, double doors to fenced back yard and plenty of storage. Upstairs Master has…

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Housing Market Inventory Surges as Interest Rates Remain High

•         New Inventory Increased by 35.1% compared to 2024
•         The number of homes for sale increased 44.6% year-over-year
•         Mortgage Rates are currently at 6.95%
•         Inventory expected to hit near a decade high by May-June

Traditionally a quieter month in the winter season, January’s activity continued the year-over-year growth trends observed in market activity over the last twelve months. NWMLS brokers added 6,693 new listings to the database in January 2025, an increase of 35.1% compared to January 2024 (4,954). The number of closed sales increased by 10.8% year-over-year (3,727 in January 2025 compared to 3,364 in January 2024),

“For-sale inventories are continuing to rise from historical lows, and that’s…

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The Best Time To Sell Your Home in Trossachs 2025

The Trossachs market increased 9.1% in 2024, and while that’s great news, it isn’t the full story. That’s the overall increase from January 1st, 2024, to December 31st, 2024.

However, for homes that closed in April (with a typical 30—to 45-day closing), they were on the market from late February to early March. Home sale prices in Trossachs increased by 21% to an average of $2,370,000.

If you tried timing your home’s listing for the end of June to coincide with the end of the typical school year, you only increased 1% from January and saw a decrease of 20% from April, with average closings at $1,975,000. (In fact, 3 of the 4 Trossachs homes closed in June went for UNDER asking price.)

Homes in Trossachs finished the year up 9.1%, closing at…

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Timing the Market can put Money in your Pocket

Timing the Market can put Money in your Pocket

We often see and hear news reports about the housing market and its continuing price increases. However, there is much more to the story. While prices generally increase throughout the year, those increases fluctuate throughout the year and can be very nuanced from neighborhood to neighborhood, even within the same city.

In some cases, just one month can mean a difference of hundreds of thousands of dollars. So, if you plan on selling, it may not necessarily be worth trying to “Time” the market for the end of school, especially if closing in April instead of June means an extra $200,000 or more!

Take, for example, the neighborhood of Trossachs located in Sammamish. Trossachs has just under 1,700…

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PEAR - Professional Equity Assessment Report

Find Your Home's True Equity

A Professional Equity Assessment Report (PEAR) is a custom evaluation of your home’s cash value. We can determine your home’s approximate equity by assessing your current mortgage and estimated selling price and deducting fees such as commissions, excise tax, and other closing costs. This report is a powerful tool for helping you make confident decisions about selling your home.

The truth is that the final numbers are more than just the sales price and remaining mortgage balance. Other factors such as capital gains tax, broker commissions, HELOC loans, prepayment penalties, special assessments, and escrow and lender fees play a part in this final number.

We’ll help you clearly understand your bottom line. All you…

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Santa should put the Zestimate on the Naughty List

When you think of the Zestimate, for many, it gives a false anchor for what the value actually is.

The Zestimate is just one of a slew of automated valuation models that are increasingly used by banks, investors, and laypeople to estimate the value of homes. No other model, however, has wormed its way into our culture like the Zestimate. The model, like other consumer-facing AVMs, is prone to errors that render it more of an amusement than a serious pricing tool. But while the algo's price-guessing skills may be suspect, it's undeniably elite at one thing: luring people to Zillow-dot-com.

The Zestimate is both everywhere and an enigma. About 104 million homes, or 71% of the US housing stock, have a little dollar figure hovering above them on…

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