Category: Real Estate Articles | Page 2

Do You “REALLY” Need A Realtor When Buying A Home?

January 9, 2024

Welcome to a thought-provoking discussion: “Do You ‘REALLY‘ Need A Realtor When Buying A Home?” Deciding whether to navigate the intricate world of buying a home on your own or enlist the expertise of a professional can be a pivotal moment in your home-buying journey. The question of Do You ‘REALLY’ Need A Realtor When … Continued

Real Estate Market Trends Amid Rising Interest Rates

August 3, 2023

By Emily Cressey

📈Interest rates got bumped up fast because we were having run-away inflation, and the Federal Reserve wanted to Sloooowww Dowwwwwn the economy. How’s it working? Economists believe we need to see at least 3 months of lower inflation numbers before interest rates will decrease significantly. Since interest rates on mortgages affect the affordability of homes, … Continued

This time isn’t like last time

July 26, 2023

By Emily Cressey

I remember a time when I was calling many of my would-be home-buyer clients and they were sharing similar concerns: They were worried about a real estate market crash. As we’ve seen a strong upward trend in the housing market this Spring, you may be relieved to know that we are only 1-5% off the … Continued

Why Home Ownership Wins In the Long Run

July 19, 2023

By Emily Cressey

Yes! Buying a home in Seattle is hard. If you think it’s not the right time to buy because #reasons, I hear you… we have been having chitter-chatter for the last year or so about interest rates, affordability and recession concerns. You’re not wrong. So, when’s it going to be the best time to buy … Continued

Kenmore Property With Multiple Offers – Going, Going, GONE!

May 22, 2023

By Emily Cressey

Navigating the sale of a challenging property is a unique journey that requires careful consideration and strategic planning. Whether it’s due to specific market conditions, unconventional features, or other complexities, selling a hard-to-market property demands a nuanced approach. In this process, we aim to transform challenges into opportunities, leveraging our expertise to highlight the property’s … Continued

Fresh Interior Design Tips for Home Owners in Seattle, WA

February 9, 2023

By Emily Cressey

Here in the Pacific Northwest, sometimes it can seem like people… for lack of a better word… let things get a little sloppy. Unlike some areas that I have lived and visited, where people put a strong emphasis on personal appearance and the appearance of their home, that quality seems to be a little bit … Continued

How Does Your Credit Score Affect Your Ability to Buy a House in Lake Forest Park, Washington?

January 18, 2023

By Emily Cressey

Will you be able to buy a house in Lake Forest Park given your current credit score? Although the fortunate cash buyer or trust fund baby is around in the Seattle area to buy homes here and there, if you’re like most of us (that is, not independently wealthy), you will want to qualify to … Continued

The Best Use of Your Money When Renovating Your House Before a Sale in Lake Forest Park, WA

January 14, 2023

By Emily Cressey

Thinking about renovating your house before you put it on the market to sell? This may, or may not be a good idea! It’s NOT a foregone conclusion that you’ll get your money back if you do expensive repairs. This article is meant to help you decide whether or not you should invest in those … Continued

3 Quick Things to Ensure You Will Qualify for a Home Loan in Lake Forest Park, WA

January 11, 2023

By Emily Cressey

The good news: You’re ready to buy a home! The question: Can you actually get a home loan? Getting a home loan for your property purchase in Lake Forest Park, Washington is an important part of the process for most buyers, because real estate is relatively expensive here in this quiet, hilly, woodsy neighborhood. Many … Continued

How To Sell A House “As-Is” By Owner In Seattle, WA

January 4, 2023

By Emily Cressey

Are you considering selling your home “as-is” without the help of a real estate professional? This is known as “For Sale By Owner” or FSBO. Many homeowners consider this route, especially if their home needs repair. However, it’s not for everyone, so in this article, you’ll learn how to sell a house as-is by owner … Continued

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What others are saying…

From Fixer Upper to Fabulous: A Sold Success!

What happens when you sell a fixer house for the very tippy-top of the market range? We found out: Buyers get a little nervous.

This little house in Kenmore had been owned as an investment and rental for many years. It was adjacent to a buildable piece of land, also for sale… There were a lot of different things different prospective buyers wanted to do with it…. Remodel it, rent it, build something new, or buy the full acre and develop it all.

We Sold This Fixer Upper House Sold As-Is In Kenmore, Washington, In A Tricky Market, With Buyer Hesitancy.

All the buyers had good ideas, but they were all a little nervous about whether their plan was best.

We actually got all sorts of offers on this property and ended up putting it under contract twice, and having buyers try to back out twice… However, the second time the buyer was locked in with a very strong contract, and we had to remind the him that he would lose his (substantial) earnest money deposit if he didn’t perform.

Happily, he bought the lot at a great price for my seller, and he is eyeing the lot next door as well.

We always prefer people to be happy with their transactions, but we are also here to ADVOCATE for our clients. We want them to get what they are owed, and understand the TEETH in our paperwork.

This is one of the reasons why I spend so much time reviewing contracts with my buyers and sellers. I don’t want them to just blindly start signing things they don’t understand and then try to back out or change their minds.

And if someone is acting in such a way that harms my client, like trying to back out of a signed contract, I’m going to do everything I can to advocate for my client. In fact, this is how we recovered $22.5K of forfeit earnest money on another transaction this month.

Everybody likes to be a “nice person” and be “approved of” by others. But when it comes to advocating for clients, realtors must step up and be the bad guy, when necessary, to make sure their clients are protected.

The good news, is that we were able to sell this fixer house for $50K over asking price and $40K over the next highest offer. We were thrilled to do it, and excited to see what comes next for our client.

Homeowner: Jerry Owen

Nick and Tink sold their home due to relocation for work.

“When my wife and I decided to sell our home in Marysville, WA, we got referred to Emily Cressey by our pastor. Emily came out and helped us plan what to do and when to do it since we didn’t have very much time to get the house ready before our move out of state. From furniture arranging, cleaning, professional photography, videos and drone shots – Emily got the job done when it came to marketing our home. We had a big open house, and we could see on our ring camera how people were lining up outside to come in and see the home. Buyers started sending us offers the first day the home came on the market, but we held fast, waiting to see what the market would bring us. Because Emily was familiar with the market values in the area through her research, we had a good idea of what to expect and when we got an incredibly strong early offer, we decided to take it and sold our home for 35% over the asking price. Emily’s professionalism, organization and marketing really came through for us and we were thrilled, and so was the buyer. We would happily refer her to others and have actually already done so!” – Nick H.

NICK H.

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Testimonials

From Uncertainty to Dream Home: A Journey of Patience and Success

These sellers first reached out to me 2 years ago when I was marketing extensively during the sale of their neighbor’s house.

After 30 years at their current address, they were thinking about moving into a new home closer to their son’s new business.

Marysville, WA Home For Sale (Tri-Level)

The only problem was, their son hadn’t bought his business yet, so they weren’t quite sure where they wanted to end up.

We stayed in touch while they checked out many homes for sale in the area they wanted to end up (Kirkland/Bellevue) to get an idea of what was out there.

Finally, they bought their new business and were ready to put down roots. They found it would be easier to finance their new property if they moved into a short term rental while getting their old home ready for sale.

Property in Marysville – Home for Sale – Presented by Emily Cressey

We helped them get it all fixed up and payed for professional staging so it would look its best.

The big day came and….

They got it sold, and now have cash in their accounts ready to go shopping for their new dream home closer to their kids and work. Dreams really do come true!

Marysville Family

Emily exceeded ALL expectations. 🔑🎉

We contacted Emily on July 19, 2024 after asking our mortgage broker who was the best realtor in Seattle. He said “hands down it’s Emily Cressey.” We had found a house the day previously that was not on the market but knew the owner intended to list in the near future. Having purchased and sold several homes by owner in the past we hoped to bypass using a realtor in order to avoid paying their commissions. The owner decided she wanted to go with realtors so we brought Emily on board to help with the purchase of an out of state investment property that we weren’t even sure if would qualify for. We saw the home on the 18th, reached out to Emily on the 19th and were ready to close by August 10th. If all realtors were as knowledgeable, communicative, and willing to go the extra mile we would never again choose to purchase or sell with FSBO. Emily’s expertise was worth every penny and we only wish we had found her sooner for earlier transactions. As an out of state buyer we needed the willingness of an agent ready to go above and beyond the call of duty. Emily exceeded ALL expectations. She went to the house several times to take videos and point out things that may be of concern or just to help us know how big the closets were. She was quick to accommodate any concern we had and was so easy to communicate with. If we texted Emily day or night we were sure to get a response within the hour. We were thankful for her wise counsel in the negotiation stages as we ran into a few snags. She even drafted a letter from us to the seller sharing our story and why the seller should choose us as her buyer. Without Emily’s expertise I don’t think we would have been able to do this from the east coast. We are very grateful to have found her and look forward to working with her on our next purchase!

Kristen Alcon