One Hundred Dollar Bills in fire

By Beth Braverman

The earnest money deposit—the cash you offer to essentially call dibs on a house—is one of the most important and misunderstood parts of the home-buying process.

Depending on where you live, you can expect to put down anywhere from 1% to even 10% of the home’s purchase price as earnest money. (In some highly competitive markets, buyers are making even larger deposits in an effort to stand out.) An earnest money deposit tells a seller you are serious about closing. Without earnest money, you could theoretically make offers on multiple homes, essentially taking them off the market until you decide which one you like best.

Don’t worry—the seller isn’t going to run off to Aruba with your cash. It remains in an escrow account or…

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Have A Home To Sell?

        See Our Results                Ask These Questions                 Our Marketing Program          Free Home Value Analysis

Have you found the house of your dreams yet? If you've found a property you love, you now need to decide how much you're willing to offer. You want to be conservative enough that you get a good deal, but you don't want to bid so low that you risk losing the house. The following are some questions that need to be answered prior to making an offer:

  • How long has the house been on the market? The longer it's been on the market, the more flexible the sellers are likely to be.
  • How much are people paying for similar properties in the area?
  • How much can you afford?
  • Are you pre-approved for a loan? If so, you will…

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See more results like above HERE: 

  • King County Prices up 13.2% YTD
  • Sales Volume up 12%
  • Area-Wide Prices up 9.6%
  • Condo Prices in King County up 19.6%

KIRKLAND, Washington (September 3, 2015) – Some brokers from Northwest Multiple Listing Service detected a slowdown in housing activity during August, "but nowhere near what is typical," according to one industry veteran. Among MLS leaders who commented on the service’s latest report, expectations for the remainder of 2015 ranged from one who predicted "we’re on the cusp of a slowdown," to others describing activity as "torrid" and saying "sales will continue at a fast pace."

Newly released statistics show solid gains for several indicators used to track activity, including…

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Fannie: The Economy Underperforms

Economic growth was weaker than expected in the second quarter and that's prompted a less optimistic outlook for the remainder of the year, according to Fannie Mae's Economic & Strategic Research Group.

Continued headwinds from a strong dollar and renewed drops in crude oil prices are expected to continue to pose economic challenges in the latest quarter, Fannie Mae economists note. But the housing market is expected to contribute to more growth this year in the economy. The main housing indicators are all well-above year-ago levels year-over-year.

"While consumer spending growth picked up as we expected in the second quarter of this year, other components disappointed," says Doug Duncan, Fannie Mae chief…

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WalletHub: 13 Best Places to Retire

WalletHub recently compared 24 key metrics in 150 of the largest U.S. cities to find the most retirement-friendly hotspots. The data sets they used ranged from measuring the cost of living and recreational activities to the percentage of the elderly population.

The following cities topped WalletHub's list of the most retirement-friendly places:
1.Tampa, Fla.
2.Scottsdale, Ariz.
3.Boise, Idaho
4.Cape Coral, Fla.
5.Orlando, Fla.
6.Sioux Falls, S.D.
7.Baton Rouge, La.
8.Port St. Lucie, Fla.
9.Overland Park, Kan.
10.Peoria, Ariz.
11.St. Petersburg, Fla.
12.Lincoln, Neb.
13.Springfield, Mo.
14.Amarillo, Texas
15.Pembroke Pines, Fla.

View the full rankings of the 150 cities and more about the methodology used at WalletHub.

…

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'Black Monday' Rattles Housing Market

 Chinese home buyers, in particular, may be more cautious in entering the U.S. housing market following Monday's massive stock market sell-off that sent stocks tumbling, according to housing analysts. The sell-off began in Beijing on Monday and sent shares plunging by record amounts across the globe. Chinese media dubbed it "Black Monday" as markets fell nearly 8.5 percent there.


In the U.S., the Dow Jones industrial average plunged more than 1,000 points just minutes after the opening bell alone on Monday. The Dow made up some ground later in the afternoon but still closed nearly 600 points in the red.

John Burns, CEO and owner of John Burns Real Estate Consulting, explained in a blog post that Chinese…

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Poor Credit? Expect Higher Insurance Bills


Home owners' credit history may have a big impact on how much they pay for home insurance, according to a new study commissioned by insuranceQuotes.com. The study examined the average impact that a credit-based insurance score has on what owners pay for home insurance.

 Owners who have a fair – or median – credit score were found to pay 32 percent more for home insurance on average than someone with stellar credit, the study found. That's up from a 29 percent increase last year.

For those with poor credit, owners' premium may rise by an average of 100 percent, the study found.

According to insuranceQuotes.com, a credit-based insurance score is different from a credit score and is comprised of…

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Is the Market Losing Some Momentum?

REALTOR® confidence over current housing conditions and their six-month outlook for single-family, townhome, and condo properties all showed a slight dip last month – indicative of a slowing housing market, according to the July 2015 REALTOR® Confidence Index, a survey of nearly 3,000 practitioners about the state of housing. Nevertheless, the index remains well-above levels from last year.

The index that measures buyer traffic slid to 62 in July while seller traffic remained below 50 due to a tight supply of homes for-sale nationwide. Any confidence index below 50 indicates that more respondents view conditions as "weak" than "strong." Properties in July also were staying on the market longer at a median of…

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Join The Cascade Team for Highlands Day This Weekend!

This Saturday, August 29th!

Join The Cascade Team for the Issaquah Highlands Day Festival!

This annual summer celebration is this Saturday, August 29th from 4PM-8PM.

Located at Blakely Hall and Village Green Park: 2550 NE Park Drive, Issaquah WA 98029

Be sure to check out our booth! We will be featuring a real live action Stormtrooper and will be giving away FREE beach balls and sunglasses!

Enjoy carnival rides, giant inflatables, food trucks and the always popular market place of business and nonprofit booths. Don’t miss the festival finale Polynesian show at sunset!

Highlands Day is FREE to attend however rides, inflatables, and some activities require ticket or activity…

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Join The Cascade Team for Highlands Day This Weekend!

This Saturday, August 29th!

Join The Cascade Team for the Issaquah Highlands Day Festival!

This annual summer celebration is this Saturday, August 29th from 4PM-8PM. 

Located at Blakely Hall and Village Green Park:  2550 NE Park Drive, Issaquah WA 98029

Be sure to check out our booth!  We will be featuring a real live action Stormtrooper and will be giving away FREE beach balls and sunglasses!

Enjoy carnival rides, giant inflatables, food trucks and the always popular market place of business and nonprofit booths.  Don’t miss the festival finale Polynesian show at sunset! 

Highlands Day is FREE to attend however rides, inflatables, and some activities require ticket or…

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