Saving money for a down payment to buy a house in Seattle, WA is a big deal. It's expensive to live here, and getting more so by the day. Whether you're saving 5%, 10%, or 20% down, this is not something that is going to happen overnight by digging spare change out of the couch.
Well, we now have COVID in the rear-view mirror - for the most part at least. I am so glad It has been a hard time on many families, seniors, children, and businesses. With any big shift in the marketplace, it makes one wonder what is next for the world. Will the end of COVID affect the Seattle, WA real estate market?
If you have been wondering the best way to choose a realtor to help you buy or sell a home, you might ask yourself: Does your real estate agent really matter? Or are they all kind of the same? As with any service-based business, much of what realtors do seems similar when observed from the outside. However, real estate agents differ, not only in personality but in skills. How can your real estate agent differentiate themselves?
Does your real estate agent really matter or are they all kind of the same? Well, obviously as a real estate agent myself, I have a pretty strong opinion about that, but for me to think it is one thing you have to believe is for it to matter and I'm going to share with you one of the reasons that can make a difference. Yes, I would say in several transactions that have come together, both with me representing the buyer and with me representing the seller, I have seen instances where who the agent is matters. For example, a few months ago I was selling a house that was an estate sale, and we had a lot of interest that was in Bothell so there was a huge, huge number of us, in the wonderful Bothell property, a huge number of people interested in this thing.
In this market, it's been super-fun to watch your home equity grow. Almost like watching a stock ticker change every minute, it seems like a monthly check-in on your home's value almost always yields some good news. I definitely recommend that everyone keeps an eye on their home value, their mortgage balance (the difference between those is called your EQUITY) and this will help you determine the direction of your net worth and how fast your wealth is growing.
If you’re thinking of selling your house this year, timing is crucial. After all, you’ll want to balance getting the most out of the sale of your current home and making the best investment when you buy your next one. If that’s the case, you should know – you may be able to get the best of both worlds if you start the selling process today.
Whenever I meet with new real estate clients - whether they are buyers or sellers - one of the first things I like to present to them is our Northwest MLS (NWMLS) real estate contracts. These documents are the "standard" attorney-reviewed contracts used by licensed agents in the Puget Sound area for many types of real estate transactions: buying a house, condo or multi-family home, leasing, or even buying or selling a business.
If you’re thinking about buying or selling a home in the Seattle area, you’ll want to keep a pulse on what’s happening with mortgage rates. Rates have been climbing in recent months, especially since January 2022 of this year. And just a few weeks ago, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate from Freddie Mac approached 4% for the first time since May of 2019. That blew my mind because I didn't think it would get there til the end of the year, but BOOM, it happened faster than anybody thought.
If you're going through a divorce, you may be wondering, "Can a judge force the sale of our home during a divorce? The answer may surprise you.
The new year is here, what does it hold for the real estate market?
PRICES:
Throughout King County, Washington the median home sales price rose 13.5% in 2021, to $749,000. Outlying towns and suburban/rural suburbs with lower price points saw higher appreciation rates. Snohomish County saw a 23% increase, and Pierce County rose 20% last year.
