Seattle Collective

The sun is out! Time to think about summer escapes and places to go to enjoy the wonderful landscape the PNW has to offer. Now is the time of year when I personally dream of that home in the desert or by the beach. A place to escape and call home…part deux. You can do it too! Here’s how.

Staging is the best. I love it as a Listing agent and as a Buyers agent. There are countless times that I’ve seen a house go from “ho-hum” to dazzling. Seriously, it’s the awesome in the sauce deal maker.

Every once in a while, i get the opportunity to share a guest contributer to this collective. Here, I bring you Julian Lane with thefixitchamp.com discussing how to handle it when something goes awry in your home. Owning is awesome. Until something breaks….amiright?

Ok so you found the perfect house and next comes the inspection. Whether it’s before or after you are in contract, it’s important to look at the bones of the house itself. Here, I invite you to take it a step further and look at the enviromnent surrounding the home.

Back in 2012, our family lived in a cute little house in Highland Park (an up-and-coming Seattle neighborhood) that we were quickly growing out of. Because the market was in downturn, we literally couldn’t afford to sell. Instead, we turned it into a rental and purchased a larger house in a nearby neighborhood. Here’s what happened since…

How long have you been in your home? Did you plan on staying for a bit and find that years have gone by? Us too! You are not alone. In fact, people are staying put for longer, especially in Seattle. What’s your Homeowner Tenure and how badly are you looking for a change?

To honor the month of love, we’d like to talk about you and your partner and how to keep the peace in the stressful times of home ownership. There are a few big milestones in a couple’s life that might cause friction and test the relationship: weddings, first-time parenting, and buying a house. How do you buy a home together without causing irreversible damage to your bond?

It’s always changing, evolving, and following trends here in Seattle, and Real Estate is no exception. We are riding a wave that ebbs and flows. It’s so exciting to watch what will happen next. This past fall I saw an incredible shift that had my sellers correcting and had no buyers to speak of. This past month, I’ve had the busiest January of my career. Why you ask? Here are some thoughts.

After 5 back-to-back Open Houses this weekend, it reminded me that there are all types of people that visit the homes on the market. I met neighbors, relatives and friends of potential buyers, curious explorers, active buyers, and realtors. It was wonderful to meet everyone. If you are truly exploring the real estate market and want to make the most of your visits, there are tricks of the trade.