Tips from The Cascade Team Agents

Are your home shoppers desperately trying to find “the one?” Finding the perfect housing match can be like finding the perfect mate. For some Americans, this year’s Valentine may come in the form of a home, filled with shiny new fixtures and a great first impression. But that search isn’t always easy.

In a recent article, realtor.com® highlights how home-shopping can feel a lot like dating.

1. You need to have trust.

Americans seem to think they have a better chance at finding love than finding the perfect home. Fifty-two percent of home buyers believe they will find their dream home compared to 73 percent of Americans who believe they will find true love. While competition in the housing market is intense right now, home buyers shouldn’t get…

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by Karen Briscoe  

Key Takeaways

  • There are benefits to avoiding peak real estate seasons for home sellers, like less competition. The buyers in the market are often more motivated.
  • The benefits for buyers in the offseason can go the same way, because sellers are also more motivated.
  • Ancillary services, like home appraisers or lenders, are more available during the offseason.

Traditionally, the spring real estate market is March through May, but in many markets it can start as early as February, around Ground Hog Day. Sometimes sales continue to be robust, and the peak selling season will stretch into June.

Lessons from rush hour

Rush hour for traffic in many metropolitan areas is from 7 to 9 a.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. Commuters…

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  KIRKLAND, Washington (Feb. 6, 2017) – Western Washington’s “high velocity” market continued during January with the number of pending sales (7,745) outgaining the number of new listings (6,507), according to new figures from Northwest Multiple Listing Service.  

  • Properties are moving through the market at an unusually fast pace
  • Active Listings Decline By 21%
  • If home buyers were hoping that January would start to bring more balance to the housing market, they’re going to be sorely disappointed.
  • Prices up another 9%

“Properties are moving through the market at an unusually fast pace,” remarked John Deely, chairman of the board at Northwest MLS and the principal managing broker at Coldwell Banker Bain. “Although we have…

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“The greater Seattle area saw the fifth highest average home price percent gain since purchase in 2016 in the country — a quite remarkable data point — and one which demonstrates the strength of the area’s economy,” said Matthew Gardner, chief economist, covering the Seattle market. “However, despite this rampant price growth, very few home owners are cashing in on these gains, as listing inventory remains at levels not seen since the late 1990s. Those who are taking advantage of the market are primarily banking their gains and buying another home locally rather than moving to less expensive areas. As long as the Seattle economy continues to outperform the nation, the region will continue to remain high on the list of bullish markets.”

…

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Have A Home To Sell?

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

It doesn't matter if you are ready to sell, ready to buy or looking to do both, The Cascade Team has you covered. From “Smart Search” which learns with you as your browse for homes to our PRIME Marketing program designed to stimulate high interest and multiple offers we have the information, technology solution and personal service designed to take your real estate experience to the next level!

Leveraging The Latest In Real Estate Marketing Technology

A solid real estate marketing plan is very important. It takes more than a MLS listing, sign, some paper flyers, and an open house to sell your home in today’s…

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TCT Marketing Class: The Answers To All Your Questions | Instructed by: Janet Porter & Summer Porter

This is the class you have been asking for! For all your questions about how and where to access your marketing resources, the TCT Marketing Team is here for you! 

Mailers at www.TheCascadeTeam.com/mailers

Agent Mailers

Here are The Cascade Team's Mailer Templates.  Just click on the images below, select download, and open the Publisher file.  Once opened, Save As to your computer.  From there, you can swap out the agent photo and contact information for your own.  All pages have been uploaded separately, so feel free to mix and match.  Just make sure that you follow the instructions in red below.

For compliance, be sure that at…

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The true cost of buying a home can be a lot more than the agreed-upon sale price. Along with your monthly mortgage payment, you will likely find yourself shelling out for other upfront and ongoing expenses. Closing costs, homeowners association fees, property taxes, utility bills and imminent home repairs can add hundreds — if not thousands — to your expenditures.

Avoid unpleasant financial surprises by familiarizing yourself with some of the more common expenses associated with buying or building a new home. Budgeting for added monthly expenses — and setting some aside for emergencies — will help ensure your new dream home is also an affordable one.

  1. Closing costs: Add in an estimated 2% to 5% of home price.
  2. Homeowners insurance: Add…

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Just 0.4 percent of all homes in the Seattle region were on the market at any given time last year — a lower rate than in any U.S. metro area except the San Francisco Bay Area, according to a new report from realtor.com.

In other words, just one of every 263 houses and condos in the Seattle area was for sale. That’s more than three times worse than the national average, creating a market heavily tilted against buyers.

Seattle homebuyers have known for a while how competitive the market is; 41 people recently made offers on a toxic West Seattle house that was too dangerous to enter and ultimately sold, as a likely teardown, for $427,000.

But the new data shows just how much fiercer the competition is here compared with other hot markets around…

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 SNOQUALMIE RIDGE HEADLINES

2017 looks to be one of the biggest years for home sales on record! Whether you are selling, thinking of selling, or happy to be in your home for the foreseeable future it’s always important to know what’s going on in your local housing market. Below are answers to some of the most often asked questions as well as some that may not be asked but are definitely of interest to people who live in an area that is diverse with builders of all different types of homes from entry level to high end custom. Let us know how we can help you have a better understanding of your home and your neighborhood or a home you are interested in Snoqualmie Ridge.
 

1. What was the average sales price for a home at Snoqualmie Ridge in 2016?…

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For home buyers hoping to snag a deal, they may want to make a move now. Home prices in January usually decrease compared to the spring and summer buying season.

There’s plenty of research to back that up too. NerdWallet recently crunched two years of realtor.com® data that reflected the 50 largest U.S. metros. Researchers found that January and February were the top months for those looking to get a bargain. In those months, home sales prices were 8.45 percent lower on average than in June through August.

However, this year may be a little different. Buyer demand has remained high throughout the fall, and home prices did not take their usual dip this January, says Jonathan Smoke, realtor.com®’s chief economist. Still, he maintains right now is…

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