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  My View of the Market – January 2024 Some of you may have taken a break from your holiday merriment and paid attention to the latest Federal Reserve meeting in December. You didn’t? Well, I did for you. So, for those of you that have been too busy, here is a brief recap of the pertinent information. Fed Chair, Jerome Powell, shared some […]
  “Josh, When is the right time to buy or sell?” It’s not even close. The question I get most often is “when should I buy or sell?” Get out your crystal ball, Josh. You and everybody wants to know when the peaks and valleys are going to hit. OK. Here are my thoughts for this spring market. Buyers: Listen up. Buy as soon as possible. This may […]
  My View of the Market – December 2023 What will we remember about 2023? Well, the media was intent on telling everyone the real estate sky was falling. Story after story of housing bubbles on the verge of bursting and high interest rates boxing buyers out of the market. I won’t remember it that way. In reality, at least last spring, this year […]
  In a difficult market, experience matters more than ever As I write this, I am hoping that my Puyallup Valley listing finally closes today. It has been a saga over the past many weeks to the point that the buyers, sellers, and both agents (me and the buyer’s agent) are almost at the end of our ropes. We have actually agreed that if the […]
  My View of the Market – October 2023 There’s no denying home sales/transactions in the Northwest are down from a year ago. Inventory remains doggedly low. So, while prices year-over-year remain lower, they are up 4% year to date. In most cases, we still have more buyers than sellers. For seller’s this remains a good thing. Days on market for the majority of homes is still […]
  5 Reasons the housing market won’t crash …despite the doom and gloom being reported everyday. There still isn’t enough inventory to meet current demand. Most would-be sellers are loathe to part with 3-4% mortgage rates. Who can blame them? It seems as though 75% of the listing market is due to relocation, death, or divorce. Builders have slowed down their production. There are […]
  My View of the Market – June 2023 Well, there have been newsletters in the past where I feel like I have been repeating myself, but not in this market. Conditions over the last 6 months have been changing rapidly. For example, we had a very strong seller’s market in March and it held through May. Much of this is related to interest rates […]
  What is a Balanced Market? The common real estate industry’s definition considers the market balanced if it takes 6 months for all inventory to be bought up with no new homes coming on the market. Common yes. PNW no. We just have too many buyers than sellers. The last time we truly had a balanced market in our area was just […]
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  My View of the Market – April 2023 Don’t believe the gloom and doom. It is still a seller’s market. While January and early February saw an approximate equal number of buyers and sellers, there are currently more buyers than sellers. The lack of inventory persists. Last month, I predicted that the heat of the traditional spring market would be delayed by a month due […]
  Case & Point As a follow up to my April View of the Market post, earlier this month I listed this little gem in West Seattle. It featured two separate living spaces as well as a 2-car garage w/additional parking. A big bonus for in-city living. While we painted and spruced it up, spaces like the kitchen had not […]
  Real Estate Forecast – Interest Rates Of course I have to talk about interest rates. Interest rates are still volatile. It has been a roller coaster ride for the last month. Rates go up and go back down as the Fed and the stock market reacts to new information. Last week we received news that the Fed is planning on raising […]
  My View of the Market – March 2023 There is (finally) some good news for the real estate market. For the first time in a long while we are in a balanced market. Even though inventory is still very low, there were more sales in January and February than new listings. January began a shift in buyer sentiment and still continues here at […]
  Recession? The media may not have announced it yet, but if you’ve been paying attention, you know the long-forecasted recession is already upon us. Maybe after the summer spending has settled it will start showing up in the headlines – but the signs are there today. I’ve spoken with local builders and investors as well as […]
  New Home Buyer Myths If you’ve dreamed about owning your first home, you probably have an idea in your head about what type of home you want and maybe a vague notion of how the whole process works. In my experience, however, often times the image in your mind is quite different from reality. Here are a few common […]
  My View of the Market – February 2023 Let’s recap what started out as the greatest year in real estate, then ended in one of the worst closing quarters in real estate history. Interest rates climbed to as high as 7.25% in October.  Now they are sitting right at 5.625% due to the last two months rate adjustments. Inflation on home goods is […]
  Tip of the Month – Capital Gains Capital Gains. We all know about them. We all hate them. I believe everyone knows about your one-time capital gains write off of $250,000 for an individual and $500,000 for a married couple when selling your primary residence. There are some exclusions here. And they can save you a bundle. Did you know that you can […]
  My View of the Market – January 2023 This time of year is traditionally slow for home sales. And, while I am always available at any time to help clients make their best move, my priority is always to help you make the best decision for you. My advice always is, as a seller, you should wait until spring to list. You will make more money. […]
  Tip of the Month: Homeowner’s Insurance Everyone should remember to review and update their homeowners insurance policy annually. Typically, most insurance policies update their coverage amount by about 4% every year. Even in a normal year, that will barely factor in local cost increases in materials and construction. With the recent run-up in home values in our area, if you haven’t […]
  My View of the Mortgage Market – December 2022 Gosh, I’m sick of talking about rates. But, if you or someone you know are considering buying a home, you do need to know what mortgage brokers are currently offering. In the past, brokers have offered a 2:1 buydown. Now, an effort to combat rising interest rates, they are also offering a 3:2:1 buydown. This concept can […]
  Should you sell as-is or update? On social media, I recently posted an article about the pros and cons of buying a home “as-is”. Here are my thoughts on the question. Some homes are still selling quickly, less than 2 weeks. Some of these have features that separate themselves – they have a view, a gated community, or some other special nuance. But, […]