Tips from The Cascade Team Agents

See Related: Safety Benefit of Smart Homes for Owners and Agents

Here are some sobering stats from the FBI: A robbery occurs every 1.6 minutes in the U.S., a burglary every 18.2 seconds, and a larceny theft every 5.4 seconds.

SafeHome, a home security systems reviews resource, analyzed FBI Uniform Crime Reporting data from 2015 to determine the items thieves most commonly target.

The most stolen items were classified as miscellaneous valuables, jewelry, and precious metals, according to the report. In some states, certain thefts were more common than others. For example, in Florida, Texas, Massachusetts, and Colorado, thieves were more likely to target diamonds, gold, silver, and other jewelry. Meanwhile, clothing was the most stolen items in…

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Buying a home—especially if it’s your first—can be a lot like losing weight in the sense that people end up doing, well, some pretty dumb stuff in the process. But while desperate dieters might waste money on “magical” weight-loss pills or silly exercise equipment (remember the shake weight?), misguided home buyers could be doing far more serious damage—like undermining their ability to purchase a house at all. Don't be one of them! The Cascade Team is here to shed light on some of the dumbest reasons people can't buy a home. The good news? These flubs are easily avoidable. Read on and beware.

1: Waiting to line up financing

Your first step in the home-buying process should be to meet with a mortgage lender to discuss your financing options.…

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In literally all of the markets that The Cascade Team services we have neighborhoods and developments intermixing with local coyote populations. I live in Sammamish, WA and often see them in the mornings when I run Soaring Eagle Park between 5:30 and 6:00 in the morning and a recent posting on Nextdoor Trossachs the neighborhood I live in reported a mother and 2 to 3 pups having a den in one of the many local greenbelts.

The same can be said for Doug Young and the Team in Arizona, Kent in Denver, James out in Spokane and so forth.

For the most part coyotes may prey on a small, unattended pet, but are generally scared of people. If you do run into members of the local coyote population here are a few tips to remember.

Protecting yourself and…

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KIRKLAND, Washington (July 6, 2017) – For frustrated house hunters, there’s hope: the volume of new listings added to inventory during June (13,658) was the highest total for any single month since May 2008 (14,176 new listings), according to the latest statistics from Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

“This time of year we see more new listings coming on the market than pending sales, and June didn’t disappoint,” stated J. Lennox Scott, chairman and CEO of John L. Scott.
Noting the pace of sales is slowing and the number of multiple offers is moderating, broker Gary O’Leyar suggested a summer breather is under way (as anticipated), which could yield “the season for a successful purchase” for weary shoppers. O’Leyar, the designated broker/owner at…

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King County

– Allowed on July 4th, 9 a.m. to 12 a.m. midnight

Algona – Banned
Auburn – Banned
Beaux Arts Village – Banned
Bellevue – Banned
Black Diamond – Allowed on July 4th, 9 a.m. to 12 a.m. midnight
Bothell – Allowed on July 4th, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Burien – Banned
Carnation – Banned
Clyde Hill – Banned
Covington – Allowed on July 4th, 9 a.m. to 12 a.m. midnight
Des Moines – Banned
Duvall – Allowed on  July 4th, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m
Enumclaw – Allowed on July 4th, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Federal Way – Banned
Hunts Point – Banned
Issaquah – Banned
Kenmore – Banned
Kent – Banned
Kirkland – Banned
Lake Forest Park – Banned

You may be able to buy fireworks at a stand like this, but only certain cities will allow you to ignite them.…

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Most would-be buyers and sellers believe the real estate “deal” is negotiated at the signing of the contract.

In many cases, the deal-making and negotiations only start at the contract signing. Even in more competitive real estate markets, negotiations still happen once in escrow.

Issues typically arise after the home inspection, and those issues tend to result in another round of negotiations for credits or fixes.

Here are three buyer tips for negotiating repairs after a home inspection.

1. Ask for a credit for the work to be done

The sellers are on their way out. If the property is moving toward closing, they’re likely packing and dreaming of their life post-sale. The last thing they want to do is repair work on their old…

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home-heat-wave3 By Rena Behar

The days are getting longer. Ice cream truck jingles echo up and down the block. But the surest sign that summer is here? It just might be those "For Sale" signs popping up like dandelions in your neighborhood.

Yep, we're smack dab in the middle of the most popular time of the year to buy and sell a home. If you're thinking of starting your home search, your first instinct as a savvy shopper might be to stay away and wait for the weather—and the market—to cool down. Why battle the crowds and bidding wars if you're in no rush to move?

1. Prices aren't necessarily higher

A huge myth about the real estate market is that homes sell for more in the summer and less in the winter. This is simply not true!

Let's be clear:…

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May 2017 Market Snapshot Infographic

Brokers suggest improving inventory may mean “season of opportunity” for weary house hunters!

Inventory up 6.8% New Listings At A 7 Year High!
 13,497 New Listings Added in May (27% Increase from April) Pending Sales up 2.7% 9188 Pending Sales in May = All Time Record For Pending Sales in 1 Month!
KIRKLAND, Washington (June 6, 2017) – Would-be buyers who have been shut out of the real estate market should test the “real estate waters” during the summer months suggests one industry leader.
“Summer might provide some competitive relief for weary buyers,” said Gary O’Leyar, owner of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Signature Properties, pointing to some of the newly-released statistics from Northwest Multiple Listing Service as…

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View from Issaquah Highlands to Seattle:

by Tatevik Aprikyan

What do you think? How much would you be willing to pay to protect your view? Our area is growing at an amazing pace with new neighborhoods, remodels, and much needed new housing all over. Can you put a price on the peace of mind in knowing your current view will last?

SEATTLE — Seattle is one of the fastest growing cities in the nation, and now a popular trend in some of the country’s largest metropolitan areas is becoming more common here in Seattle.

People are buying air above homes to protect views, usually from new construction or neighbors wanting to remodel and build larger homes that will block views.

Imagine a house lower down on a hill and a home above it. The home…

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Brokers suggest improving inventory may mean “season of opportunity” for weary house hunters!

Inventory up 6.8% New Listings At A 7 Year High!
 13,497 New Listings Added in May (27% Increase from April) Pending Sales up 2.7% 9188 Pending Sales in May = All Time Record For Pending Sales in 1 Month!
KIRKLAND, Washington (June 6, 2017) – Would-be buyers who have been shut out of the real estate market should test the “real estate waters” during the summer months suggests one industry leader.
“Summer might provide some competitive relief for weary buyers,” said Gary O’Leyar, owner of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Signature Properties, pointing to some of the newly-released statistics from Northwest Multiple Listing Service as…

2995 Views, 0 Comments

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