Seattle Real Estate News & Local Happenings

Emily Cressey - HomeSmart, Real Estate Broker

Are You Ready For Retirement?

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Over the weekend, I read an article on Vanguard.com warning against using the “4% Rule” for retirement planning.  This rule suggests that you can retire successfully for 30 years by living on 4% of your savings each year.  (e.g. if you have $1 million in retirement investments, you could expect it to produce $40,000/year of spendable income).

Setting Seller Expectations

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Thinking about selling your house?  Put on your seatbelt, it’s time for some truth. The market this fall is NOT where the market was last spring.  The housing market has cooled so fast and so far, that Seattle actually leads the nation in the softening of our market, according to a recent Seattle Times article.
Emily Cressey Seattle Real Estate Agent

Is It Worth It To Upgrade My Home Before Selling?

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One of the most common questions people ask when they are thinking about selling their house is whether certain repairs will pay off. What I try to remind people is that if they have upgraded something in their home in the last couple of years, it will definitely improve the value. But it may not … Continued
Magnolia House Sold - Ruffner

Buying a Home in Seattle? Here’s Where to Start

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Buying a house is a major commitment. Before you begin shopping for properties or comparing mortgage options, you need to make sure you’re ready to be a homeowner. Buying a home can be more than a little challenging. In fact, the process can be downright confusing and overwhelming, especially for first-time buyers. The chief source of home-buying anxiety is a result of knowing that it is the largest financial transaction of your life – you don’t want to make an enormously expensive blunder.

5 Things to Consider When Choosing a Neighborhood in Seattle

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When you buy a home for yourself or your family, that’s not all you’re doing. You are also buying a neighborhood. The neighoborhood is actually one of the chief determinants of your home's value. You want to do your due-diligence and make sure you love the neighborhood as well as the home.

5 Tiny Details to Look for When Buying a House in Seattle, WA.

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When buying a house, everyone has priorities. The buying process is complex and takes time, and it’s easy to get off track. Having written priorities is a helpful way to guide you through the process without forgetting some of the features that are important to you and your family.
205 SW 131st St, Burien, WA 98146

How Buying a Home in Seattle Has Changed Over the Past 5 Years

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We always hear our grandparents say “back in the day, life was so different”. The way of living was different, the cost of living was different, and home-buying was different. The world is changing and if you don’t keep up, To find out how home buying has changed over the years we need to first compare how it was in the past and how it is now.