Stuff happens! That’s especially true during the holiday season. With guests coming and going, the fireplace regularly blazing, and packages arriving at your front door by the truckload, this is a particularly precarious time.

New data reveals that porch pirates (aka nefarious folks who sneak up to your doorstep and steal your packages) are among the most dreaded holiday-related worries, according to a survey from home security company SimpliSafe.

Almost half (45%) of the respondents reported they have had packages stolen from their front porch or home.

Porch pirates

The United States Postal Service estimates it delivers more than 13.2 billion parcels between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. And with more people doing their holiday shopping…

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With snow in the forecast over the next week and the possibility of a foot of blowing snow and frigid temperatures we wanted to help make sure everyone had an idea on how the city of Sammamish plans for such events.  But no matter what this storm brings to Puget Sound, cities around the region like Sammamish say they are making special plans to make sure everyone, pedestrian to drivers to firefighters, can get around safely.

Here are the published routes for snow and ice removal and plowing from the City of Sammamish!

Sammamish

Sammamish has a plowing priority system in place to clear our 400 miles of road. The plowing time required depends on several variables such as the snowstorm intensity, duration, wind, and the temperature. The Snow…

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The home selling process has changed considerably over the past year. Last year sellers could throw their homes on the market with little to no prep work done, throw a few pictures online and still expect multiple offers and a final sale price well over asking price. This red-hot sellers’ market was unprecedented in history and certainly not the norm.

Currently the market is in a state of readjustment and is trending back to a more normal balanced market. This adjustment may be perceived as scary by many sellers who are seeing their neighbors home prices fall in price and sit on the market for months. This slowdown can be directly correlated to raising interest rates and a huge increase of properties on the market.

The news for sellers in the…

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“As for the interest rate ‘elephant in the room,’ the time has come for buyers and sellers to revisit financing methods from previous markets,”

  •          “Mortgage programs are offering below-market rates with various buydown options – something we have not seen for years!”
  •          Buydowns, adjustable-rate loans, carrying back second deeds of trust, and closing cost allowances as possible options.
  •          Sellers need to be “laser focused on price and condition
  •          “What your neighbor’s house sold for six months ago has very little bearing on your home’s value today.”
  •          This is the new normal until interest rates go down.”

KIRKLAND, Washington (November 7, 2022) – Brokers with Northwest Multiple Listing Service…

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Led by Sammamish at No. 12, five towns in the Seattle metro area ranked among the top 100 Best Small Cities in America, according to a recent analysis by WalletHub.

WalletHub compared more than 1,300 cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 across five metrics, including affordability, economic health, education and health, quality of life and safety. The cities were also compared across 43 livability indicators, including housing costs, quality of school systems and number of restaurants per capita. 

Sammamish was No. 12 overall among the 1,300 cities measured, finishing 30th for safety, 75th for education and health, 89th for economic health and 183rd for affordability. 

Redmond was No. 21 on the list, boosted by its ranking of…

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You may be aware of a new rule change from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service regarding “Offering” a Buyer’s Agent Compensation (We no longer use the term Commission). While it’s a confusing topic for both consumers and real estate agents alike, The Cascade Team has put together some Questions and Answers on the topic.

What is a “Fair” amount to pay for real estate compensation?

“Fair” is whatever you and the agent decide is fair, and just as you are not under any obligation to pay more than you want, the agent is not under any obligation to do business with you if they are not going to earn what they expect.

The Cascade Team will charge a total of 2% compensation to sell your home if the buyer comes unrepresented.

This includes full…

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  •          Pending sales drop nearly 22% from a year-ago
  •          Closings were down about 24% from a year ago
  •          Economist Gardner expects prices will soften.
  •          trend toward a more balanced market.
  • Mortgage rates are at their highest level since the Great Recession, according to data released by Freddie Mac Thursday, as housing affordability continues to slump.
  • The 30-year fixed mortgage rate is now 5.89%, according to Freddie Mac, up from 5.66% last week and 2.88% at this time last year.
  • Mortgage rates are now at their highest since November 2008, when Freddie Mac reported a 6.04% 30-year rate.
  • Mortgage rates have climbed as the Federal Reserve raises interest rates to tame inflation.

Surprising Fact

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Tomorow is the biggest party of the summer, the 4th of July.  Just about everyone will be doing something to celebrate America's birthday and most lilely this will invlove a party or BBQ at someones home.  

At Greer Real Estate we want to wish everyone a safe and fun 4th of July weekend and we want to pass along some tips for keeping your home and family safe during the celebration.

Fireworks: One of the time-honored traditions of this festive holiday is lighting off fireworks. If you will be igniting fireworks at your home make sure a responsible adult is supervising the task. Also make sure you have a fire extinguisher or hose nearby to douse any flames out and don’t light fireworks near dry grass. Never aim…

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High Impact Real Estate Marketing & 4% Total Commissions For Today’s Home Sellers

The Cascade Team Real Estate is a company like no other because of the marketing, service and home seller savings we provide. We understand that in today’s real estate & home selling environment, we need to provide a high level of real estate service and widespread marketing of the home for sale, utilize technology to keep our home seller clients in the communication loop and provide added value to both buyers and home sellers in the real estate transaction. The effective use of technology tools allows our local real estate agents to focus more of their time on servicing our clients and finding buyers for your home, all the while providing the most comprehensive real…

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Development acitivity is going be very active in 2022 in the City of Snohomish - If you are looking for a new construction home there will be lots of choices as we move further into 2022 and 2023.  Below is a summary of what's on tap: 

  • Contara Court (Pacific Ridge Homes)- 26 detached single family houses west of Ludwig Road south of Tenth Street.  
  • Riverview North - 10 detached houses west of Ludwig Road immediately south of Contara Court.
  • Walsh Hills (D.R. Horton - see below for layout of new development) - 111 detached single family houses on Terrace Ave. Site work is underway with the possibility of house construction starting in the second half of 2022.  

 

 

  • 120 Willow Ave. - Three 2-story 2,000-square-foot detached…

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