•          Prices are dropping at the fastest rate in 5 years.
  •          Existing-home sales fell for the twelfth straight month in January, with year-over-year sales falling 37%, the biggest decline since 2010.
  •          Seattle posted the second-highest decrease in close-to-list price ratio of any metro area in the U.S. last month.
  •          Sellers are paying for rate buy-downs.
  •          Sellers are offering concessions.
  •          Inspection and other key contingencies are back in play.
  •          Many buyers are negotiating a combination of (Lower offering price, Seller Rate Buy-Downs, AND still including Inspection and other contingencies)

The housing market today remains in a hazy no man’s land, with neither buyer nor seller…

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Today’s housing market has everyone wondering: Is it still a seller’s market, or has the power dynamic finally shifted in favor of buyers?

Try neither.

Uncertainty about the future of inflation, the economy, mortgage rates, and more have seized up the market—and wrenched power away from buyers and sellers alike.

“Today, real estate is ‘nobody’s market,'” notes Realtor.com® Chief Economist Danielle Hale in her analysis of housing data. “The number of homeowners deciding to sell continues to lag, but inventory and time on market continue to climb, reflecting still-hesitant buyers.”

The real estate game is at a stalemate that shows no signs of budging anytime soon, with neither buyers nor sellers willing to make the first move.

Buyers have…

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What does selling your home have in common with online dating? Probably a whole lot more than you think.

Two-thirds of home buyers said they searched for more than three months before going under contract on a home, according to a new survey by the National Association of Home Builders. Buyers also complain that homes are getting too pricey. Forty-two percent of respondents said that the homes they wanted were too expensive for their budgets, which further delayed their search. Twenty-seven percent said that the increase in interest rates over the past 12 months had severely affected their home search parameters.

For Valentines: How Home Shopping Can Feel Like Dating

Are your home shoppers desperately trying to find “the one?” Finding the perfect…

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What does selling your home have in common with online dating? Probably a whole lot more than you think.

Two-thirds of home buyers said they searched for more than three months before going under contract on a home, according to a new survey by the National Association of Home Builders. Buyers also complain that homes are getting too pricey. Forty-two percent of respondents said that the homes they wanted were too expensive for their budgets, which further delayed their search. Twenty-seven percent said that the increase in interest rates over the past 12 months had severely affected their home search parameters.

For Valentines: How Home Shopping Can Feel Like Dating

Are your home shoppers desperately trying to find “the one?” Finding the…

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67% of Americans say a housing market crash is imminent in the next three years. With all the talk in the media lately about shifts in the housing market, it makes sense why so many people feel this way. But there’s good news. Current data shows today’s market is nothing like it was before the housing crash in 2008.

Back Then, Mortgage Standards Were Less Strict

During the lead-up to the housing crisis, it was much easier to get a home loan than it is today. Banks were creating artificial demand by lowering lending standards and making it easy for just about anyone to qualify for a home loan or refinance an existing one.

As a result, lending institutions took on much greater risk in both the person and the mortgage products offered. That led…

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One of the safest cities in the United States is in Western Washington, according to a report from moneygeek.com.

While the majority of the safest small cities are in the northeast, Sammamish, Washington, is 13th on the list.

A small city or town is defined as having between 30,000 to 100,000 residents.

According to the report, crime statistics were analyzed to rank the cost of crime in 660 small cities nationwide, in every state.

The report says while the cost of crime has gone down by 5% from 2020 to 2021, the cost of crime has gone up in larger cities by 6%.

The city of about 66,000 is located 21 miles east of Seattle. Located on the east bank of Lake Sammamish, the city is perched on a plateau. The city has one of the highest median…

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  •  U.S. weekly average for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 6.09%
  •          The “new normal” for mortgage rates will likely be in the 5.5% to 6.5% range.
  •          While interest rates have tempered a bit, many buyers are moving forward to purchase with an intent to refinance once rates come down more.
  •          The unemployment rate fell to 3.4%, the lowest level since 1968.
  •          The spring real estate market is here early.

KIRKLAND, Washington (February 6, 2023) – Pending sales around Washington state reached the highest level since October and surged nearly 44% from December, according to the January report from Northwest Multiple Listing Service. Last month’s 5,776 mutually accepted offers were down about 9% from a year ago,…

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HOUSING MARKET SEEING “FAVORABLE SPIKE” IN ACTIVITY TIED TO DECLINING MORTGAGE RATES 

  •          U.S. weekly average for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 6.09%
  •          The “new normal” for mortgage rates will likely be in the 5.5% to 6.5% range.
  •          While interest rates have tempered a bit, many buyers are moving forward to purchase with an intent to refinance once rates come down more.
  •          The unemployment rate fell to 3.4%, the lowest level since 1968.
  •          The spring real estate market is here early. 

KIRKLAND, Washington (February 6, 2023) – Pending sales around Washington state reached the highest level since October and surged nearly 44% from December, according to the January report from Northwest Multiple…

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  •          U.S. weekly average for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 6.09%
  •          The “new normal” for mortgage rates will likely be in the 5.5% to 6.5% range.
  •          While interest rates have tempered a bit, many buyers are moving forward to purchase with an intent to refinance once rates come down more.
  •          The unemployment rate fell to 3.4%, the lowest level since 1968.
  •          The spring real estate market is here early.

KIRKLAND, Washington (February 6, 2023) – Pending sales around Washington state reached the highest level since October and surged nearly 44% from December, according to the January report from Northwest Multiple Listing Service. Last month’s 5,776 mutually accepted offers were down about 9% from a…

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A strange topic for a blog post I know, but for the past month I have felt like I have been living in the Twilight Zone dealing with ever increasingly aggressive rabbits….

Blame the unusual weather patterns, pesticides, or sheer malicious intent; any and all reasons end with one undeniable fact: The rabbits  are out of control and they are Hell-bent on taking one of us with them when they go…

On any given morning, just as the night gives way to the light of day you can see them waiting in the bushes just off the side of local neighborhood roads. Carefully you head down the street, eyes peeled, the radio playing lightly in the background….. And “BOOM!”

Another rabbit shoots out into the road, darting directly under your tires trying to end its…

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