Been out with a buyer all day so not much time to update before another meeting this evening but did think that I would point out this little bit of research I found:

Top 10 Waterfront Markets

Interesting to see Bellevue in this list…though way behind some of the top cities. I guess Bill Gates and his neighbors have really increased the value of that area. I also found this somewhat interesting that every city was west except Boston…how did that one get thrown in there?!?!

Anyways, just thought I would pass that along. Keep enjoying this great weather, who would have thought September would be this amazing.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Ok, Ok…I have to apologize to all my faithful readers. Those of you who see or speak to me often already know all the changes that have taken place over the past month and a half. Real Estate is a highly changing market and I had to make sure to make changes and position myself with it. Well, over the next few minutes I will try to give a brief synopsis of the changes that I have made to add value to my clients and my own personal business.

Being on my own for the first 14 months of my real estate career was quite a challenge yet accomplishment. I was continuing to move forward and my business was sitting at a breaking even position, not bad for a new agent in a slow market. However, I wanted to position myself to get even farther ahead and offer more value to my clients. I began lightly exploring new opportunities. …more

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

It’s a tough market to be a seller in…let’s face it. There are many obstacles to overcome. Everyone knows that price is generally one of the main factors in why a listing sits on the market for weeks…sometimes months on end without getting an offer. However, price is not the only issue. Sometimes it is the solution to other issues that may be wrong with your home though.

A couple days ago I came across one of the best written articles that I have ever seen giving advice to sellers on why their home may not be selling. It does a great job of walking through the main problems. I couldn’t wait to have a couple of minutes to spare where I could sit down and share this article with you while adding my own comments. Read the actual article here. …more

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Skyrocketing gas prices have affected many areas of our everyday lives. Consumers have been used to prices going up for years but not any where close to recent rates. I was excited over the weekend to fill up at the Safeway in the Kirkland/Kingsgate area for $4.26. Wow, talk about a change of thinking from just a few months ago! Yesterday, I filled my small Element’s tank of gas and it still cost me almost $50…for a little tiny Element!

People always wondered at what point people would say “enough is enough” and now we know…$4. People are finally starting to change the way they live their everyday lives. This is not necessarily a bad thing…just quite a difference from how things were over the past several years. One area that we don’t always think about gas prices really affecting is the housing market. However, recent surveys indicate that gas prices actually help some areas while severely hurting others. …more

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

With inventory at extreme highs being a seller in today’s market is more difficult than in many recent years. Some places still are seeing multiple offers while some continue to sit…without even being shown. Sometimes it obvious as to why a home is not selling…other times it is not so clear cute. However, the key to the successful homes always seems to center around two things: 1) correct and aggressive pricing and 2) unique and strong marketing techniques.

As the internet really begins to change the way that real estate works around the country it is interesting to see what Realtors are doing to embrace new technologies in marketing their homes. I recently saw one of the best examples of video marketing that I have seen to this point. I plan on utilizing many of the techniques that this Realtor from New York uses in his video marketing on an upcoming listing. It will be interesting to see what kind of response it gets. …more

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Sometimes, coming in last can actually be good. The Puget Sound long withstood the national housing market crisis by continuing to show strong numbers in all areas. In the past few months though we have really begun to see the effects of the national market here locally. However, being one of the last metropolitan areas to feel these effects should actually benefit us when compared to other areas.

Our government has been working over the past several months to correct the mortgage industry and housing crisis we seem to be experiencing. Numerous new bills and policies have begun to take affect recently. Credit standards continue to change. For some markets, this help is coming so late that they have already had double digits losses…with many homeowners facing devastating losses. …more

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

I always write about how important it is to look at real estate as being “localized.” National numbers continue to look extremely poor yet in our local numbers we continue to fair relatively well. An article I was reading earlier today did an excellent job at breaking down the numbers specifically to show that there are some signs that things are beginning to turn around. Nationally, the midwest market is still struggling greatly and it really brings down the overall numbers…however, most other regions seem to be turning around. …more

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

So I will continue to apologize for the lack of updates. We are about back in full business again on the website. It has been quite a change but I am getting excited about the changes happening. Also, thankfully…real estate has finally been picking up again for me.

Today I stopped in to the NWMLS store to purchase a “price reduced” sign. I was having fun with the lady ringing up my purchase and said “I am here to purchase your most popular sign in this market.” It was her response back that really floored me the most. It was one of the most profound and actually true statements I had hear…she said, “Isn’t it funny how all the buyers seem to watch the media too much but the sellers aren’t watching it enough.” This was such a great way to put the current market situation. …more

Bookmark It

Hide Sites