Weekly Economic Summary From The Cascade Team

Last week in review (August 13 - 17, 2012)

Stocks and bonds have been competing for investment dollars, as the economic reports continue to deliver mixed results. Read on for details


Table Source: Mortgage Success Source

Several reports last week delivered good news for our economy.  The headline Retail Sales number came in at 0.8%, much higher than expectations. Building permits jumped to their highest level in four years and Consumer Sentiment also improved, coming in higher than expectations. In addition, inflation at the consumer level was tame. This is typically a good sign for bonds, as inflation hurts the value of fixed investments like bonds, which means tame inflation is also good for home loan rates since they are tied to mortgage…

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New Real Estate Customer Testimonials for The Cascade Team

Testimonial For Cary Porter

Our house sold within the time period and the price range that Cary indicated in our first meeting with him. There were a few issues around access to the house due to our alarm system, but otherwise the process was smooth and we would recommend The Cascade Team.

Vince & Delanie - Issaquah

Testimonial For Ann Meisner & Short Sale Team

Ann Meisner was instrumental in helping my sister who is physically disabled and was in a living situation that made it difficult and at times impossible to get out on her own to even go grocery shopping to find a single story rental home that give her better mobility and more freedom. Ann looked far and wide for a place that would…

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Redmond WA Ranks in Top 10 Places to Live in US!

Daily Real Estate News | Tuesday, August 21, 2012  

What does it take for a city to make the “best places to live” list? Money Magazine factored in job opportunities, great schools, housing, low crime rates, and quality health care among its criteria for this year’s list of best small places to live in the U.S. 

The top 10 places making its 2012 list are (along with the average housing list prices from July 2012): 

1. Carmel, Ind.
Average list price: $304,340

2. McKinney, Texas
Average list price: $245,917

3. Eden Prairie, Minn.
Average list price: $413,566

4. Newton, Mass.
Average…

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Please welcome our newest Transaction Coordinator - Jennifer Gryniewicz

Jennifer is ready to "Pump-Up" Your Transactions!

About Jennifer:

I received my Bachelors degree in Psychology and Business from Indiana University, Bloomington and a MBA in Marketing from Wayne State University.  Before I had children I worked for Ford Motor Company and decided to stay home after my first child was born.  Throughout my college years and during my early years as a stay at home mother I competed in various sporting events including bicycling, running and swimming.

Jennifer is also a personal trainer: Visit her website HERE

We are very excited to add Jennifer to The Cascade Team. She will be taking over Laura Flodin's current Transaction Coordinator Agents as well as a few other adjustments to the list I will send out shortly. …

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Survey Reveals Success of Real Estate Professionals vs. FSBOs

Daily Real Estate News | Monday, August 20, 2012

Home sellers are more than twice as likely to get their homes sold if they use a Real Estate Agent rather than trying to sell their home on their own, according to a new survey conducted by HomeGain of 400 home owners nationwide from July 31 to Aug. 10.

Seventy-three percent of the home owners surveyed said they used a Real Estate Agent On the other hand, 21 percent of those surveyed said they tried to sell their home themselves.

The survey found that 66 percent of the home owners who used a Real Estate Agent were able to successfully sell their home compared to 30 percent of for-sale-by-owners.

What’s more, the survey found that 22 percent…

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Anti-zombie strongholds for sale

So the rumor is that the zombie apocalypse may have arrived. Sure, the Centers for Disease Control denies it, but what does the CDC know? Just to be on the safe side, Realtor.com put together a list of prime zombie-defense real estate capable of putting those with an unquenchable thirst for human flesh at a distance from you and your family.

Yahoo! Homes – Fri, Jul 6, 2012 9:54 PM EDT

Epic Lake Castle in Miami, FL

Price: $10.9 million

The Skinny: This insanely symmetrical, moat-surrounded masterpiece was designed by architect Charles Sieger. While it lacks a working drawbridge, simply destroying the only path that leads into the compound would be a logical first step.

Bonus Zombie Defense Feature: The rapper Birdman filmed a music video…

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Working With Home Buyers - Our Specialty

Looking to buy? Why not become a Cascade Team home buyer client and take advantage of service and tools like you have never seen before? There are thousands of properties for sale; and while they will not all be to your liking, we can help you sort through them to find the home that best match your needs. Our home buyer email notification program constantly searches for new listings in both Seattle and San Diego, and then sends those new properties directly to your inbox! Never miss out on another highly sought after home again.

Are you just starting your home search in Carlsbad, Seattle or Bellevue?  There are no better real estate tools available than our custom home search and email notification program.  Our search tools allows you to customize…

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Carlsbad Homes For Sale - Market Update

There are currently 369  single family residential Carlsbad homes for sale at a median price of $725,000, with an average of 106 days on market; up 26 days from the last report.  Days on market has begun to improve over the last few weeks, however 32% of all listed properties had a price decrease in the last seven days, while 6% of the homes in Carlsbad had a price increase.  Inventory levels have been relatively consistent given the current sell through rate, and overall days on market are currently trending down.  Recently, the seven day moving price average recently made a strong move up away from the 90 day moving average, which would suggest that price stabilization is starting and short term prices are on the rise in the Carlsbad housing market. 

…

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Weekly Economic Summary August 6-16th, 2012

Last week in review (August 6 - 10, 2012)

After a volatile week in the markets, you may be wondering where bonds and home loan rates go from here. Read on for details.

There were only two economic reports released last week, and the news from them was mixed. Productivity rose 1.6% in the 2nd quarter of 2012. Higher productivity signals that companies are squeezing more out of their current employees and may not add workers, which could slow job growth. There was a bit of good news on the labor front, though, as Initial Jobless Claims came in below expectations, declining to 361,000.

Also of note, the Fed's Eric Rosengren stated that the current U.S. economic outlook calls for another round of bond buying (known as Quantitative Easing, or…

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Back 2 School Reports: Compare Local Schools Side by Side - Even Private

Community & School Reports

The Cascade Team Real Estate has made it easier than ever to learn more about your Seattle or San Diego neighborhood…including the schools that are located in your area of interest.

Explore community and school information within Western Washington or San Diego County. The Cascade Team community and school reports are your local source for local demographic and school district information. Compare local demographics, neighbohood amenities and local schools.

Our Cascade Team Real Estate Community & School Report Tool:

• Compare two zip codes side by side
• See income, household, cost of living and climate information
• See local shopping, restaurants, services, recreation and leisure, along with local grocery stores.
…

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