As the holiday season comes to a close and the decorations are carefully packed away, many homeowners find themselves contemplating new beginnings. The start of a new year is a time for fresh starts and resolutions, making it an ideal moment to consider selling your home. Here’s why preparing your home for sale right after the holidays can be a strategic move.

1. A Fresh Start for Buyers and Sellers

The new year often brings a renewed sense of motivation and determination. Many potential buyers are eager to start fresh, and the idea of moving into a new home aligns perfectly with their resolutions. As a seller, this is an opportunity to tap into that mindset by presenting your home as a fresh, inviting option for those looking to make a change.

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If you sell your home for a profit, the IRS considers this a taxable capital gain. This rule applies to all home sales, including vacation or investment properties. However, if you sell your primary residence, you may be able to exclude $250,000 of gain for individuals and $500,000 for married couples from your taxes. As a result, in most cases, it’s unlikely that you will owe taxes on the sale of your home. Here’s how it works.

Home Sale Exclusion

For the most part, the rules around real estate and capital gains don’t change based on the nature of the underlying property. If you sell a house and make money, that profit is considered a taxable capital gain. 

However, there is a broad exclusion for the sale of your primary residence. When you…

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At The Cascade Team, we're only scary to those "Over-Priced" brokerages. The only thing scarier than paying too high of a commission to sell your home… Is realizing that you don’t have too while getting even MORE service and support than most brokerages offer at a higher fee!

Cary Porter is the Founder and Owner of The Cascade Team Real Estate. With over 20 years' experience in the market Cary has a true passion for the Real Estate Industry, bringing the latest technology to the forefront, and is a big believer in and supporter of community service. Cary works alongside his son, Keenan Porter, and together truly go the "extra" mile their clients!

At The Cascade Team we understand first and foremost that it isn't about "Us". It's all about "You"!…

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Horror stories are unfortunately all too common in some HOA communities. In most neighborhoods, homeowners' associations are pretty chill and get things done for the residents. But unfortunately, other HOAs sometimes spiral out of control, with members flexing their power to fine, harass, and even sue homeowners over tiny infractions.

Read on for the worst HOA tales they've come across while working in the field

The “Slip”

"I slipped in my driveway and fell and broke my femur near my hip and couldn't get up. I was laying in my driveway calling for help for about 30 minutes and I could hear people walking past but nobody stopped for quite a while. I eventually asked someone to call an ambulance and got taken care of. Spent a few days in the…

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The truth is the only thing scarier than paying too high of a commission to sell your home… Is realizing that you don’t have too while getting even MORE service and support than most brokerages offer at a higher fee!

Discover how new commission rules can save you big money! Buyer agent commissions are now fully negotiable, and you are no longer beholden to paying a set commission to a buyer’s agent of 2.5% to 3% just to have them work against you negotiating down your price.

Buyer agents will have a Buyer Brokerage Services Agreement with their client guaranteeing them a certain commission. That commission can be negotiated as part of the offer and paid for as part of the seller’s proceeds, the buyer can pay their agent directly, or a…

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Valuations on Zillow, Redfin, Chase are all over the map, sometimes varying 20% or more — how these tools both help and hinder buyers in an unpredictable housing market

Despite all the data points crunched and algorithms used, the three biggies in the world of home valuation — Zillow, Redfin, and mortgage giant Chase — demonstrate so much disparity that you might think you were comparing a suburban McMansion to its humble tool shed out back.

Why are CMAs better than online estimators?

CMAs are in-person assessments performed by a local real estate agent, while online estimators rely on an algorithm.

Both CMAs and online estimators use recent comparable sales (“comps”) to determine your home’s value. But a realtor can handpick comps that…

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What is a zombie mortgage?

“Zombie” mortgages are mortgage debts that you might have thought were forgiven or satisfied long ago but that still exist.

Old debts can be written off by the lender and sold for pennies on the dollar to debt collectors. Sometimes the mortgage company goes silent and stops sending statements or communicating with you altogether. Years later, a debt collector reaches out to collect on the debt. Because these mortgages seem to reappear after being considered “dead” or gone for so long, they’re sometimes called “zombie” second mortgages.

Jose Arzate once dreamed of a peaceful retirement in a quiet neighborhood in his hometown. A 24-year veteran of the county probation office, Arzate thought he had achieved the…

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The New Commission Rules:

You don’t need to be scared when buying or selling a home. Even though there are fears that can make things seem a little “Scary”, The Cascade Team is here to help clear away the cobwebs!

The truth is the only thing scarier than paying too high of a commission to sell your home… Is realizing that you don’t have too while getting even MORE service and support than most brokerages offer at a higher fee!

The Cascade Team Agents are Full Service. We are a real estate company like no other, because of the tools, service, and savings we provide our clients with. We understand that in today’s fast paced environment, we need to provide a high level of service, utilize technology to keep our clients up to date at all times…

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  • The week of September 29 through October 5 is the best time to buy a home, Realtor.com said.
  • Homebuyers can save $14,000 compared to the summer median home price.
  • Realtor.com cited lower competition and higher inventory in the post-summer period.

Temperatures are cooling, but the year's hottest housing deals are still ahead. According to a new report from Realtor.com, the best week of the year to buy a home is just around the corner.

A long-awaited reawakening for the US housing market may be right around the corner.

An interest-rate cut by the Federal Reserve could result in more homes being listed on the market, as more homeowners may feel compelled to sell their property, real-estate experts say.

Recent economic data showing…

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Market Recap

Mortgage rates are at their lowest level since March 2023 (6.35% for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage as of August 29th), and August 2024 reflected year-over-year increases in the number of active listings, new listings and pending sales. At the same time, the number of closed sales year-over-year was virtually unchanged, and median home prices rose in 20 of the 26 counties covered by NWMLS. The Federal Reserve is expected to further reduce interest rates in September, sending encouraging signals to potential buyers.

This week, mortgage rates continue to trend downward, with key economic news ahead that could influence the market further. The upcoming CPI inflation report and Treasury auctions will be closely watched this week, with…

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