Thanksgiving is almost here! So, before you sit down and eat your Thanksgiving meal, let's find out how well you know your Thanksgiving history...

1. FACT OR FICTION: IN 1863, ABRAHAM LINCOLN BECAME THE FIRST AMERICAN PRESIDENT TO PROCLAIM A NATIONAL DAY OF THANKSGIVING.

2. FACT OR FICTION: NATIVE AMERICANS USED CRANBERRIES, NOW A STAPLE OF MANY THANKSGIVING DINNERS, FOR COOKING AS WELL AS FOR MEDICINAL PURPOSES.

3. FACT OR FICTION: ONE OF AMERICA’S FOUNDING FATHERS THOUGHT THE TURKEY SHOULD BE THE NATIONAL BIRD OF THE UNITED STATES.

4.FACT OR FICTION: THE TRADITION OF PLAYING OR WATCHING FOOTBALL ON THANKSGIVING STARTED WITH THE FIRST NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE GAME ON THE HOLIDAY IN 1934.

Ready to check your answers?


1. Fiction - George…

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High Impact Real Estate Marketing & 1% MLS Listing Commissions For Today’s Home Sellers

The Cascade Team Real Estate is a company like no other because of the marketing, service and home seller savings we provide. We understand that in today’s real estate & home selling environment, we need to provide a high level of real estate service and widespread marketing of the home for sale, utilize technology to keep our home seller clients in the communication loop and provide added value to both buyers and home sellers in the real estate transaction. The effective use of technology tools allows our local real estate agents to focus more of their time on servicing our clients and finding buyers for your home, all the while providing the most comprehensive…

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With the current state of the real estate market a little “unsettled” at the moment I have decided to branch out a little bit and join “Only Fans” to help augment my income.

I read on OnlyFans that upwards of 500 content creators have been paid more than $1 million on the site. So being in the entrepreneurial spirit, I said; “Why Not?”

Besides… I actually like fans…

Here are a few of my favorite jokes about fans…

1. Wind turbines are big fans of renewable energy.

2. We recently moved to a third-floor apartment with some ceiling fans. Now, I can certainly say that I have fans in high places.

3. My friend once loved all kinds of farm machinery. And now he's great at sucking all air out of any room. I guess he's now an ex-tractor…

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NOW is ABSOLUTELY the best time!

We all know that home sellers have had the upper hand for several years, but those days are behind us, and though the market has slowed, there are still buyers out there. The difference now is that higher mortgage rates and lower affordability are limiting how much buyers can pay for a home.

Because of this, I expect listing prices to pull back further in the coming year, which will make accurate pricing more important than ever when selling a home. 

In Seattle I expect somewhere between 9 and 15% continued drop. (That’s around 1% per month but still much less than we saw in many cases last year.)

“As a side note remember we saw some areas literally increase by 100% in a single year during the pandemic.…

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The home selling process has changed considerably over the past year. Last year sellers could throw their homes on the market with little to no prep work done, throw a few pictures online and still expect multiple offers and a final sale price well over asking price. This red-hot sellers’ market was unprecedented in history and certainly not the norm.

Currently the market is in a state of readjustment and is trending back to a more normal balanced market. This adjustment may be perceived as scary by many sellers who are seeing their neighbors home prices fall in price and sit on the market for months. This slowdown can be directly correlated to raising interest rates and a huge increase of properties on the market.

The news for sellers in the…

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The only thing scarier than paying too high of a commission to sell your home… Is realizing that you don’t have too while getting even MORE service and support than most brokerages offer at a higher fee!

The Cascade Team Agents are Full Service. We are a real estate company like no other, because of the tools, service and savings we provide our clients with. We understand that in today’s fast paced environment, we need to provide a high level of service, utilize technology to keep our clients up to date at all times and provide added value to both buyers and sellers in the transaction. By leveraging these technological tools, it allows our agents to focus more of their time to servicing our clients, and also provide the most comprehensive marketing…

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I personally would say “Hell No” to this rate. Up or down a fraction of a percentage please before I locked this one in!

The rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage averaged 6.66% this week, down from 6.70% one week ago, mortgage finance giant Freddie Mac reported on Thursday. Last year at this time, the typical rate was 2.99%.

The interest rate on the most popular home loan in America has fallen for the first time in seven weeks, ending a streak that pushed borrowing costs to their highest point since 2007.

Yet even with the decline, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate is still more than double what it was last year.

Text “BOO” to (425) 223-4655 for a Free Value Analysis

Unfortunately for borrowers, this week’s dip was just a small…

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Dear Real Estate,

Remember when we first got together? People didn't think we’d last. Maybe they didn't always say it, but they thought it. “You could do so much better. Why would you be a real estate agent?” “What’s your back-up plan?” “You should get a real job...” I’m sure they were well-intentioned. But I ignored them. There were times, though, when even I wondered if you were worth the chase. You do tend to play hard to get. Not even sure you know you’re that way. But maybe you do. Maybe you just wanted to see how much I really cared. I've come to love and appreciate that about you. If you were too easy, our relationship wouldn't be so rewarding...and my love and respect wouldn't be so deep. Who knows, maybe I’d have scrammed when times got…

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  •         Seattle area home prices are expected to increase by another 18% in 2022
  •         Mortgage rates are expected to climb to around 3.7%
  •         Buying NOW lets you lock in what’s going to be the best price of the year and also the best rate!

There’s a myth that the real estate market shuts down over the holidays and that it’s a terrible time to buy a home—because who wants to buy a home when you could be spending that time with family. You saw where we said “myth,” right? 

The truth is that buying a home over the holidays can yield you a great deal while minimizing the competition. Here’s what you need to know if you’re in the market now. 

Look past the sparkle

You’re going to see some inflatable Santas and lights galore.…

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I am very happy to announce the publication of my first non-fiction book: Suck-It! Cary Porter’s Guide to Real Estate Greatness.

With over 20 years’ experience in the real estate industry I’ve seen, been involved in, or helped agents through almost every type of deal and dilemma. We’ve had balanced markets, Buyers markets, Seller’s markets, the crash of 2007 and the craziness of today…. And through it all, when all else fails, it falls back to two little yet very impactful words: Suck It!

Inside you’ll find great real-life stories like this:

The Curmudgeon

An old man walked into our real estate office and approached one of our newer agents.

“What’s your name, sonny boy?”

“Hi, my name’s Jeff, and I’d love to—”

“Listen here Jeff, I…

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