Monthly Newsletter

Community Events Understanding the Current Shift in the Real Estate Market: How Interest Rates Affect Prices As we continue to examine the shift in the market, we must take a moment to take a deep dive into interest rates. Since the first of the year, long-term interest rates have increased 2.7% from 3.11% on 12/30/21 to the peak of 5.81% on 6/23/22, but have started to level out. On 8/4/22 rates […]
Community Events Understanding the real estate market shift: Location is key! There is an old adage in real estate: location, location, location. Where a property is located has the biggest influence on its value. Through the pandemic years, we saw a shift in how the location was valued. Before remote working became more common, homes located in neighborhoods that were closer to job centers such as […]
Community Events Summer Food Drive! Every year since 1984, Windermere has designated one day to help make a positive difference in the communities where we work and live. 2022 is the 7th year that my office has spent this day working to put fresh produce on the tables of local families who need a little help. On June 10th, my […]
Community Events Understanding the Current Shift in the Real Estate Market: PERSPECTIVE IS KEY! “How’s the market?” is a question I am asked all the time. It is a common segue in casual conversation over the neighbor’s fence, at a party or family gathering. Now more than ever, the answer to this question is critical and detailed. You see, our market is experiencing a shift, a slowing down of price growth, if […]
Community Events The Gardner Report At Windermere, we are fortunate to have Matthew Gardner as our Chief Economist. In fact, we are one of the only real estate companies in the country to have such a well-respected expert sitting in this role. Not only is Matthew an asset to Windermere brokers and their clients, but he is a coveted resource […]
Community Events Spring Market in Bloom – Keeping Perspective is Paramount As we round out the first quarter of 2022 and head into the notorious Spring Market there are a handful of factors that should be considered whether you are a buyer or a seller. Paying attention to the anticipated increase in housing supply, monitoring buyer demand, and assessing the effects of rising interest rates on the […]
Community Events UPDATE: Global influences on the Housing Market & Interest Rates A lot has happened in our world since the first of the year, specifically the rise in inflation and the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine. These factors can influence consumers and affect the housing and financial markets. Additionally, global unrest has had a clear influence on interest rates, driving them back down after a 1-point […]
Community Events With seller equity at an all-time high, it is still important who you align with to get the best results 2022 has had an incredibly eventful start in our local real estate market. In January, the average list-to-sale price ratio (the percentage a house sells for in comparison to the list price) in King County was 105% and in Snohomish County it was 106%. This is in conjunction with complete year-over-year median price appreciation (the […]
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Dial in on the Local Market Matthew Gardner’s 2022 Predictions for the Local Economy & Real Estate Market Last week, my office hosted our 14th annual Economic Forecast Event with Matthew Gardner, Windermere’s Chief Economist. It was an hour-long presentation followed by lively Q & A that was packed with useful information to help guide us as we start the new year. Matthew journeyed the audience through a macro to micro approach, reflecting […]
Community Events Is your home Windermere Ready? Home improvements with no upfront costs leads to profitable seller returns.           Video URL: https://youtu.be/marydsBTVAs   How a home is prepared for the market has a direct economic effect on the results a seller will have in the marketplace. Making home updates to match today’s trends, repairing deferred maintenance items, deep cleaning, and home staging all help contribute to a higher return for […]
Community Events 2022 Predictions for the Real Estate Market At Windermere, we have the benefit of being expertly guided by our Chief Economist, Matthew Gardner. Every year he shares his predictions for the US Economy and Housing Market. I have included a list of highlights below along with a link to a video where he spells it all out. Matthew’s Forecast for the US […]
Dial in on the Local Market The Zillow Algorithm vs The Human Algorithm: What is best for the consumer? The recent news of Zillow’s plan to shut down their iBuyer program due to a $328 million loss in the third quarter has heads spinning in the real estate world and on Wall Street.  Sadly, Zillow plans to eliminate 25% of its workforce because of its decision to move away from the practice of purchasing […]
Dial in on the Local Market Finding Buyer Success in a Seller’s Market: The Triangle of Buyer Clarity Embarking on a home purchase in a seller’s market can be intimidating, but it can be done. Long-term price growth confirms that owning a home is a key element to building household wealth. Home equity gained over time is typically the largest asset that contributes to a household’s net worth. Homeownership is not only an investment, but also […]
Community Events 2021 Year-to-Date Real Estate Market Review I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the 2021 real estate market has been a head-turner! In the second half of 2020, once we started to emerge from the COVID lockdown, the real estate market started to bustle with activity. 2020 ended up being a robust real estate year driven by low interest […]
Community Events Newsletter – Q2 Gardner Report & Summer Food Drive Recap At Windermere, we are fortunate to have Matthew Gardner as our Chief Economist. In fact, we are one of the only real estate companies in the country to have such a well-respected expert sitting in this role. Not only is Matthew an asset to Windermere brokers and their clients, but he is a coveted resource […]
Community Events Newsletter – Summertime 2021: No Relief in Heat, But Relief for Buyers   Last week I heard a quote from Mike Loftin of the Urban Institute that resonated with me. “We need to stop seeing housing as a reward for financial success and instead see it as a critical tool that can facilitate financial success.” Homeownership as an investment has always been a long-term hold in order for […]
Community Events NEWSLETTER MAY 2021 – Year-to-Date Real Estate Recap: Where We’ve Been & Where We’re Headed Here we are, one-third into 2021, and boy what a ride it has been so far. We all know that 2020 was a unique year full of challenges and change. The pandemic made us pause and reevaluate many aspects of our lives including where and how we live. The impact of the pandemic on the […]
Community Events Newsletter – Economy & Housing Market Update Matthew Gardner is the Chief Economist at Windermere and a sought-after expert on real estate, both locally and across the country. Every quarter, Matthew breaks down the real estate market by region and provides the Gardner Report; you can read this quarter’s full report here.  Additionally, he also provides a monthly video report touching on […]
Community Events Newsletter – What is your home worth? Price Appreciation Case Studies in Snohomish & King Counties Over the last 6 years, the median price for a single-family home in King County has grown by 65%, and in Snohomish County 69%. Above are examples of actual homes sold in late 2015 to early 2016 that also sold in early 2021. Note, they were not remodeled or significantly improved in between sales. These examples show the growth in […]
Community Events You Want to Sell, but Need to Buy, too: What to do? Homeowners across our region are enjoying incredibly healthy equity levels due to an upswing in the real estate market over the last five years. In fact, the median price in King County is up 50% over the last five years and up 55% in Snohomish County. Over the last 10 years, the median price is […]