If A Starbucks Opens In A New Neighborhood, It's Time To Buy A Home There

Meredith Galante

"Wake up and smell the coffee," writes Michael Corbett, Trulia's real estate  expert and and host of NBC's "Extra's Mansions & Millionaires!" in his book Before you Buy! The  Homebuyer's Handbook for Today's Market.

He's talking about big chains such as Starbucks  and Whole Foods. If you see them opening in a new neighborhood, it's a sign  that the neighborhood is up-and-coming, and therefore a smart real estate  bet.

In his book he writes:

One of the best ways to stretch your buying  dollar is to find a neighborhood that is in transition. Called fringe or  transitional neighborhoods, they are typically close to major metropolitan areas  and were once neglected and less desirable. Is there a trendy restaurant where a  tattoo…

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The Cascade Team Agent Produced Web-Commercials - Junior Agents

A couple of years ago we had a contest to see what agent could produce the best web-commercial for The Cascade Team.

We all had a lot of fun and there were some great entries. Here are some of our favorites that we still like to pull out from time-to-time.

If you have a favorite we’d love to hear from you!

And then there the little kids… And as you will see, not only are they cute, but also VERY smart too!

The Cascade Team Junior Agents!

Want to see more? There are a total of 9 Cascade Team Agent Produced Web-Commercials. Just click on the link below and enjoy the show!

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The Cascade Team Agent Produced Web-Commercials - Cary's Angels

A couple of years ago we had a contest to see what agent could produce the best web-commercial for The Cascade Team.

We all had a lot of fun and there were some great entries. Here are some of our favorites that we still like to pull out from time-to-time.

If you have a favorite we’d love to hear from you!

You have to love it when three of the Cascade Team Agents form up and turn into the super Team “Cary’s Angels”!

Want to see more? There are a total of 9 Cascade Team Agent Produced Web-Commercials. Just click on the link below and enjoy the show!

View Commercials HERE

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Mortgage Rates Fall into Record-Breaking Territory

Fixed-rate mortgages dropped to new all-time lows this week, pushing homebuyer affordability even higher for those who can qualify. 

“Fixed mortgage rates eased this week to record lows on indicators of higher consumer confidence and wholesale prices,” Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac’s chief economist says. 

The following are the national averages with mortgage rates reported by Freddie Mac for the week ending Nov. 15:

• 30-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged a new low of 3.34 percent, with an average 0.7 point. The…

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Seattle in Top 10 Cities for Best Air Quality

In some cities, you can breathe a little easier. The maker of Honeywell air purifiers recently ranked the top cities with the best air quality, based on pollen counts, ozone concentrations, public smoking laws, green initiatives, and other factors. 

Here are the top 10 cities with the cleanest air: 

1. Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Fla. 

2. Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Fla.

3. North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Fla.

4. Honolulu

5. Tucson, Ariz.

6. Colorado Springs, Colo.

7. Albuquerque, N.M.

8. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash.

9. Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville, S.C.

10. Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla. 

One of the places…

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Seattle Boast One of the 8 Most Diverse Zip Codes in the U.S.

Diversity can be a good thing for the housing market in keeping housing prices strong, HousingWire reports.

What are the most diverse neighborhoods in the country? The most diverse city is in Irving, Texas, where the racial make up is 26 percent Asian, 25 percent black, 23 percent Hispanic, and 23 percent white, according to a trend report by Trulia. 

The following are the most diverse neighborhoods in the country, according to the report: 

1. Irving/Dallas (ZIP: 75038)
2. Queens Village/New York (ZIP: 11428)
3. Treasure Island/San Francisco (ZIP: 94130)
4. Lakemont/Houston (ZIP: 77407)
5. Wahiawa/Honolulu (ZIP: 96786)
6. Kahuku/Honolulu (ZIP: 96731)
7. …

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Mortgage Rates Stay Low, Keep Buying Power High

A year ago at this time, 30-year fixed-rate mortgages dropped below 4 percent for the first time since Freddie Mac started reporting national average mortgage rates in 1971. Thirty-year rates have fairly much stayed below 4 percent since then too, continuing to hover near all-time record lows and pushing home buyers’ purchasing power higher and helping refinancers to unlock savings. 

Freddie Mac reports the following national averages in mortgage rates for the week ending Nov. 8.

• 30-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 3.40 percent, with an average 0.7 point, rising slightly from last week’s 3.39 percent average. A year ago at this time, 30-year rates averaged 3.99…

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Homes For Sale Inventory in Sammamish, WA drops 59%

Your Market Snapshot for 98075 as of November 6, 2012

Average Days on Market

days on market

View 90-day trend

Selling vs Asking Price

selling below asking price

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Asking and Sold Prices

median sold price

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Number of Homes for Sale

homes for sale decreased

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Homes For Sale in Sammamish, WA

See SOLD Homes in Sammamish HERE

Selling Your Sammamish Home

If you're planning to sell your…

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Phoenix Area Housing Market Statistics - November 2012

Phoenix Metro Area Housing Market Statistics - November 2012

Housing SALES Month over Month

Phoenix area home sales took an 8.4% upward turn in October to 7,020 units. This was welcome news after the disappointing decline (14.5%) in total sales in September. The overall trend line since March has be downward, but the average change per month since January is only 0.2%.

Home SALES Year over Year

Home sales in October (7,020) were 7.2% lower than the October 2011 figure. Lower sales figures are tied to lower inventory levels, which a year ago were 16.7% higher. Lack of inventory, particularly in the lower more affordable ranges, is the current market challenge.

NEW Housing INVENTORY

New listings added to the market in October rose 10.3% to…

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Phoenix Real Estate Pending Home Price Index

THE ARMLS PENDING PRICE INDEX™ - November 6, 2012

The ARMLS Pending Price Index (PPI) is a metric unique to ARMLS which forecasts the median and average sales prices 30 days in the future, based on the pending properties inside MLS. Last month STAT predicted the median sale price for October to be $145,000, missing the actual median sales price by 3.45% to land at $150,000. The average sales price predicted last month for October was $191,500, missing the mark by 6.48% to land at $203,900.

PPI predicts the November median list price to land at $150,000, while the average sales price prediction is $196,900.

The PPI Supplement focuses on newly pended properties added to the total pending pool each month on a rolling four month view. The percentage of…

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