The Cascade Team Blog - Agent Tips

2021 Real Estate Predictions

2020 was a unique one for real estate. Though the pandemic slowed the majority of the economy down, the housing sector boomed.

In fact, it saw almost unprecedented success. Buyer demand soared (up 40% at one point), bidding wars were a constant presence, and mortgage rates bottomed out — hitting a new record low more than a dozen times over, according to Freddie Mac.

The market even bucked the traditional fall slowdown, with unseasonably strong demand well into the cooler months. All this, despite an ever-worsening pandemic.

But now that 2020 is (finally) at its end. Will it be the end of the current housing boom as well?

Probably not!

According to experts, we can expect more low rates, still-rising prices, and a continued exodus to the…

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The Science of Buying in a Low Inventory Housing Market and Negotiating Bidding Wars

Understanding the Numbers When Buying in a Low Inventory Real Estate Market

As a homebuyer in today’s market, you’re no doubt at your wit’s end trying to find your dream home.

And when you find a home you love,  you’re competing with all cash offers and bidding wars driving the sales price above what it’s listed for, and many times, even above what the home is actually worth!

While there is nothing you can do to create more homes for sale, you can certainly arm yourself by understanding the trends and patterns in the areas you’re trying to buy in.

While it’s not quite rocket science, there is definitely a significant competitive advantage to those that understand the trends of a real estate market.

Sometimes, being competitive means not…

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Housing Market Update: With listings down 42.8%, record low interest rates, and demand very high in outer suburban areas, it seems like the perfect price storm has hit!

Northwest MLS brokers say real estate activity across Washington remains strong

 KIRKLAND, Washington (December 7, 2020) – Some real estate brokers expect the competition for homes to ease somewhat over the holidays, but the latest statistics from Northwest Multiple Listing Service indicate activity is unusually strong heading into December.

 “The rush is on for housing,” exclaimed J. Lennox Scott, chairman and CEO at John L. Scott Real Estate. “Real estate activity typically chills as temperatures drop but buyer demand remains high. “With low unsold inventory, all eyes will be on each new home that comes on the market,” he suggested, adding, “This strong demand is present in the more affordable mid-price ranges and extends into high-end…

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For 2021 Give Yourself The Gift Of A Truly Innovative Brokerage And Join The Cascade Team!

Here is your chance to be part of an innovative Real Estate Brokerage that's changing how things are done. 

We are a FULL Service company with a comprehensive marketing plan, great training and support, and great agents! We save our clients thousands on the sale of their home, give them the support and service level they want, and in the process are building a name for ourselves that is second to none!

Contact Janet Jolly-Porter: janet@TheCascadeTeam.com or 425-830-6743 to set up your appointment to learn more.

By providing full marketing support which can be seen HERE: The Cascade Team not only helps you attract more listings, But we also help you attract more buyers. In fact we currently represent 61% Buyers and 39% Listings. That…

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Despite Covid restrictions on open houses, brokers, buyers, and sellers employ array of virtual tools to stay safe and fulfill housing needs

KIRKLAND, Washington (November 18, 2020) - Even though in-person open houses are not currently allowed under new and reinstated pandemic-related restrictions, broker-members of Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS) continue to provide services to home buyers and sellers using several contactless and virtual tools.

Feedback from NWMLS representatives include reports of sales by purchasers who made offers to buy based on virtual and live stream open houses without an in-person tour. One manager noted sellers appreciate being directly involved with their listing broker in establishing limits on the number of visits to their home and the strict use of CDC guidelines for post-showing cleaning/sanitizing.

On November 15, when Governor Jay…

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TALKING TURKEY ABOUT THE 2020 FALL REAL ESTATE MARKET

The Thanksgiving real estate market falls squarely in the middle of, well, fall. And while it’s true the market is usually slower around the holidays; the current market trends of constrained inventory and desperate buyers have in fact made the Holidays an excellent time to put your house up for sale.

The Coronavirus appears to have delayed what is typically a busy summer selling season. Anyone who wasn’t able to buy in summer because of the pandemic is most likely looking to take action sooner rather than later. Pent-up demand, in association with historically low-interest rates, and a severe lack of inventory appears to be stirring up activity. More people are coming off the sidelines to buy with multiple offers and bidding wars becoming the norm…

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13 House Selling Superstitions for Friday 13th!

Friday the 13th is an unlucky day if you’re superstitious. And in case you haven’t noticed, it’s here! But we like to think we are people who see the glass as half-full. We prefer to look at the doomed day as an opportunity to reflect upon some unexpected nuggets of—you guessed it—real estate wisdom.

Do you salute a Magpie? Are you afraid of walking over three drains but will happily walk across two? Cultures are full of superstitions, with many finding their way into the world of Estate Agency. Seeing as it’s Friday 13th today, we thought we’d investigate further and take a look at 13 house selling superstitions from all around the world and through the ages.

The number 13 

The country as a whole appears to be increasingly superstitious, and…

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The 2020 Holiday season may be an even better time than usual to list your home!

During the crazy year that is 2020 the Holiday season may be an even better time than usual to list your home. As we careen at warp speed from Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all of the joyous (read: stressful) festivities in between, you might be tempted to take your home off the market—or hold off on listing it—until after the new year. After all, you’re swamped with cooking, shopping, and decorating, and the last thing you need is a bunch of potential buyers traipsing through your house, right?

Wrong!

Conventional wisdom says people should wait until the spring to get the most from a home sale. After all, inventory normally picks up in the spring when the weather starts to get warmer. This often leads to price wars breaking out in coveted…

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Anxiety among home buyers “incredibly high” as they vie for unpreceded shortage of homes across Washington state

KIRKLAND, Washington (November 5, 2020) – “Finding and buying a home today is more difficult than at any time in the past 40 years of my career,” was how broker Dick Beeson summed up the latest statistics from Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

The Northwest MLS report recapping October activity showed a 40% drop in active listings compared to the same month a year ago, an increase of 16% in pending sales (mutually accepted offers), and a year over-year (YOY) jump of nearly 30% in closed sales. The median price of single-family homes and condominiums that sold last month was $500,000, up 19% from the same period a year ago, according to the MLS summary, which encompasses 23 counties, mostly in Western and Central Washington.

Beeson, the…

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Can We “Talk Turkey” About Your Real Estate Career?

Now is the time to start setting the “Table” for your real estate business for 2021 (And maybe praying that we never see another one like 2020). At the Cascade Team we will show you step-by-step exactly what our top performers do to get to the positions they are at. Unlike at other companies, The Cascade Team will help you develop a business plan, implement it, and help hold you accountable to reaching the results and goals you set for yourself! A recent rookie of the year completed 121 transactions his first year, and another agent will earn over $1.3 million in commission income… And we’ll hand you the keys and blueprints to do exactly the same thing… It’s all up to you!  

We want to help you become the best agent you can be!

…

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