Watch This, Then Tell Me Zillow is a Good Idea.

BillBuying Concerns, Economy, Financing, Government, News, Seattle Times Articles Leave a Comment

[“Their stock has been doing very poorly of late, down from $125/share one year ago to about $16.50/share today.”] If this doesn’t scare the heck out of you, nothing will. The unparalleled concentration of wealth is accompanied by: domestic legislative power/influence international and domestic control of financial markets control of information/data distribution Together this represents too much control in the …

Has The Market Reached A Tipping Point?

Bill and DianaBuying Concerns, Miscellaneous, News, Seattle Times Articles, Selling Concerns Leave a Comment

Have you ever invested in a stock that was labeled “hot” on the front page of a local newspaper? If you have then you are familiar with the analogy “that ship has sailed”. The local housing market is in a similar state. Local headlines have sellers feeling unrealistically bullish of late, and it’s not just about price. We are beginning …

“They love the home but feel it will go over list price and do not want to get into a bidding war.”

Bill and DianaBuying Concerns, Selling Concerns Leave a Comment

I just received this comment from a showing broker this morning. This is the type of feedback we have received on our listings that causes us to promote some standards by which both sellers and buyers may be treated fairly in this unusually tight market. 4 days is long enough to gather enough offers. To go longer will frustrate more …

City Home Prices Up 18% From A Year Ago…kinda sorta, not really

Bill and DianaBuying Concerns, Seattle Times Articles, Selling Concerns Leave a Comment

Perhaps this Seattle Times headline caught your eye yesterday. It was the hot topic everywhere I went. Sorry, but no, your house did not appreciate 18% in twelve months. 95% of the housing stock did not appreciate 10%. Only select pockets experienced appreciation in excess of 4%. Allow me to explain: As is often the case, a lot of folks …

Ken Harney [“Nation’s Housing”] Article Bodes Well….For Sellers

Bill and DianaBuying Concerns, Seattle Times Articles, Selling Concerns Leave a Comment

Having followed Ken Harney’s writings for almost 15 years, I know that it is uncharacteristic of him to use GOLLY GEE headlines. So when he pulls out the stops and blares: “HOME EQUITY VALUES ROAR BACK” as the accompanying headline to his nationally syndicated housing column in the Saturday, January 6 Seattle Times, I think it best that homeowners, and buyers, sit up and …

Northwest Traditional Style Homes Will Outpace Market

Bill and DianaBuying Concerns, Economy, Land Use, Seattle Times Articles, Selling Concerns, Upgrading Leave a Comment

For me, one of the most enjoyable aspects of selling residential real estate in the Northwest has always been the appealing architecture of our home grown traditional styling. The large-ish local builders have taken pains over the years to build homes that exuded classic styling without being absurdly ostentatious, and were a bit above “affordable”, at least in the late ’80’s …

Over-The-Top Home Inspectors

Bill and DianaAgents, Buying Concerns, Selling Concerns Leave a Comment

If you’ve been a broker for 5 years or more you’ve probably come across the “OVER-THE-TOP” home inspector. Either your Buyer received a referral from someone around the water-cooler at work, or it is your listing that is being subjected to an unusual approach to home inspections. We understand that home inspectors look for competitive advantages to obtain more business the …

Solution To The Home Inspection Contingency And Inherent Problems aka “MLW”

Bill and DianaAgents, Buying Concerns, Selling Concerns Leave a Comment

Home inspections are the most crucial juncture of every residential property transaction. When a Seller and Buyer finalize negotiations on the terms of a purchase and sale agreement, everybody’s happy. As brokers, we explain to our clients that what they’ve accomplished is no more than “agree to try to agree”. The inspection contingency contained in virtually every transaction is where the …

THE MARKET HAS SHIFTED…

Bill and DianaAgents, Buying Concerns Leave a Comment

I will present graphical evidence in subsequent posts to support this audacious claim, but right now I am interested in a different aspect of this market shift: “mental shift”. I have run into several buyer/shoppers the past month who, for various reasons, have been unable to shift with the market. Here is a sampling of what I have heard: It’s just not …