Real Estate

Real Estate

New Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) Rate (eff. 1/1/20)

Now that Washington State Senate Bill 5998 has been signed into law, our local real estate excise tax—the tax paid when you sell a property—will be getting a facelift in 2020. The flat rate of the past will make way for a new tiered system which gives owners a tax cut on the first […]
Market Updates, Real Estate

Q1 2019 Reports: How’s the Market?

Be forewarned, this quarter’s report looks somewhat dismal. There are two very relevant facts that should be taken into consideration when reviewing it. The first is that Q1 is nearly always the worst performing quarter of any year because the sales completed in Q1 typically went under contract between late November and the end […]
Real Estate, Tips, Trends & Living

Should I Move or Remodel?

There are a number of things that can trigger the decision to remodel or move to a new home. Perhaps you have outgrown your current space, you might be tired of struggling with ancient plumbing or wiring systems, or maybe your home just feels out of date. The question is: Should you stay or […]
Market Updates, Real Estate

Annual Seattle-Eastside Real Estate Report: A Look Back at 2018

An increase in homes for sale coupled with rising interest rates have created a far more balanced market than we started 2018 with. This is a good thing as it will help our region tame affordability and create a sustainable marketplace. More homes came to market in 2018 than in any year since 2011. […]

Real Estate New Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) Rate (eff. 1/1/20) Now that Washington State Senate Bill 5998 has been signed into law, our local real estate excise tax—the tax paid when you sell a property—will be getting a facelift in 2020. The flat rate of the past will make way for a new tiered system which gives owners a tax cut on the first […]

Market Updates Q1 2019 Reports: How’s the Market? Be forewarned, this quarter’s report looks somewhat dismal. There are two very relevant facts that should be taken into consideration when reviewing it. The first is that Q1 is nearly always the worst performing quarter of any year because the sales completed in Q1 typically went under contract between late November and the end […]

Real Estate Should I Move or Remodel? There are a number of things that can trigger the decision to remodel or move to a new home. Perhaps you have outgrown your current space, you might be tired of struggling with ancient plumbing or wiring systems, or maybe your home just feels out of date. The question is: Should you stay or […]

Market Updates Annual Seattle-Eastside Real Estate Report: A Look Back at 2018 An increase in homes for sale coupled with rising interest rates have created a far more balanced market than we started 2018 with. This is a good thing as it will help our region tame affordability and create a sustainable marketplace. More homes came to market in 2018 than in any year since 2011. […]

Market Updates Q3 2018 Seattle-Eastside Real Estate Report As Q3 comes to a close, 30-year fixed-rate mortgages are at their highest levels since April 2011—now averaging just above 4.7%. Even so, they are still far lower than their 30-year trendline. A 1% increase in mortgage interest rates decreases buying power by 10%. Or said differently, a 1% rate increase has the same […]

Market Updates Q2 2018 Seattle-Eastside Real Estate Report Signs of transition to a more balanced market are becoming abundantly clear as we move further into 2018. Price growth, while still climbing in most areas, has tapered off and average market times are inching up. Brokers are beginning to dust off forms that have seen little use of late—finance and inspection contingencies—as buyers […]

Market Updates Q1 2018 Seattle-Eastside Real Estate Report Q1 prices in the Seattle-Eastside region have escalated yet again with no sign of slowing in the immediate future. An unprecedented lack of inventory for sale coupled with rising interest rates has prompted buyers to compete with reckless abandon to win the prize of their very own home, albeit with a steep price tag. […]

Real Estate Planning ahead: how tax reform will impact your home deductions next year While you may still be busy filing your 2017 taxes, it’s important to look ahead and be aware of how the new 2018 tax reform laws will affect next year’s return–especially if you’re a homeowner. Those who itemize will need to note some big changes in what they can and cannot deduct. Many will […]

Market Updates Baby Boomers: Impact on the U.S. Housing Market Originally posted on Windermere Blog. 75 million Baby Boomers control nearly 80% of all U.S. wealth, and as this generation ages, retires, and inevitably downsizes, they will have a significant impact on the housing market. Windermere’s Chief Economist, Matthew Gardner, explains when we can expect to see Boomers start to sell, opening much-needed inventory and making home ownership available to younger generations.

Market Updates 2017 Real Estate Forecast Matthew Gardner, chief economist for Windermere Real Estate, was one of the presenters at this year’s Eastside Windermere Real Estate Kick Off I attended. I eagerly look forward to his forecast, because it is always so packed with useful information. And I love sharing it with you! He covered our local economy – which is […]

Real Estate Interest Rates, Post-Election We’ve seen some volatility in mortgage interest rates since the presidential election. When Freddie Mac released the fixed and adjustable rates on Thursday, November 17th, they had gone up considerably. 30-year fixed rate mortgages jumped from 3.57% the week before to 3.94%. 15-year fixed rate mortgages climbed from 2.88% to 3.14%. 5-year adjustable rate mortgages […]

Market Updates Making sense out of the market With the continued low inventory around Seattle and the Greater Eastside, how do our regional housing sales continue to grow? In his recently released 3rd quarter report, Windermere Real Estate’s chief economist, Matthew Gardner, pointed out that there has been an uptick in the number of 1st time home buyers purchasing homes. Svenja Gudell, Zillow’s […]

Market Updates Why So Many Americans Are Either Upsizing or Downsizing Originally appeared on Windermere Blog, written by Shelley Rossi. According to two recent surveys that took industry watchers by surprise, many family homeowners are putting frugality aside and upsizing to new houses that average as large as 2,480 square feet (an increase of as much as 13 percent from the year before), and sometimes exceed […]

Market Updates What We Know (and Don’t Know) About the Impact of Brexit This blog post authored by Matthew Gardner originally appears on Windermere Blog on June 27, 2016. The decision of the British public to leave the European Union is a historic one for many reasons, not least of which was the almost uniform belief that there was absolutely no way that the public would vote to dissolve a partnership […]

Market Updates Historically low inventory levels, how we got here, & what to expect in the coming year [Video] Originally posted on Windermere Blog The housing market is performing remarkably well, with the exception of incredibly low inventory levels in many areas throughout the country. Why is this happening? Windermere’s Chief Economist, Matthew Gardner, explains why and offers his predictions for what we can expect in the future.

Real Estate Spring 2016 Windermere Living Magazine The Spring 2016 Windermere Living magazine is incredibly lovely and informative. Don't miss the article on Curating A Design Savvy Home that begins on page 34! Also, I am excited to be featured on page 55 of this quarter's magazine. Let me know if you would like a hard copy of the magazine to read […]

Real Estate For 2015: Windermere’s Market Share During 2015, Windermere Real Estate came out on top representing both sellers and buyers on Mercer Island. 37% of the sellers on the island opted to work with a Windermere agent last year, while 27% of those who bought island homes worked with Windermere brokers. The median sale price for a single-family home on Mercer […]

Market Updates Economic & Housing Outlook for the Puget Sound Region I recently attended two highly informative events where Windermere’s Chief Economist, Matthew Gardner, covered the economic and housing outlook for our region. Mr. Gardner shared that the economic landscape for the greater Seattle area is quite good. Our unemployment and rate of inflation are both low. He stated that we need to see more diversification […]

Market Updates Rising Interest Rates Spur Buyer Competition According to a recent report by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, well-priced homes are drawing multiple offers, with jumps in both pending and closed home sales compared to this time last year. While the number of new listings is also up, the overall inventory of available homes is still low compared to buyer demand…and with […]

Market Updates Some Notes on Our Local Housing Market… The housing market recovery, locally and nationally, and the low inventory in our region are both hot topics of interest. Windermere Blog featured posts on both subjects this week. Windermere's president, OB Jacobi, discusses the low inventory in our region in his post Time to Reality Check the Real Estate Market. From the post: "Here […]