It’s Spring; fresh air, blooms, and more listings! We have gone from living in a snow globe to blue skies and daffodils! Our snow pack should ensure we have plenty of water this year, and, for skiers, Stevens Pass and other resorts have extended the season into April. Teaching skiing has been a blessing for […]
February into March (and Spring) As much as I love winter, snow and everything that goes with it, l so love the optimism of moving towards March and Spring; the days are already noticeably longer, crocuses and other flowers are peaking out. Like many people, bird watching and photography have been one of my pandemic […]
Warm Wishes This year seems so different with all the lock downs, but there are a few silver linings here and there. I am grateful to have been invited to a friend’s house the other day to see her tree and have a nice meal. We tried to stay six feet apart. The tree was so […]
I recently took a trip to my former home, Port Townsend, to show friends a few listings. It was a beautiful day and I was able to approach by ferry. I still love that Port Townsend was one of the original settlements, dating back to it’s founding in 1851. The city maintains it’s heritage and is a National […]
Moving from summer to fall is one of my favorite times of the year. While I miss the warm days, I love seeing the the trees change colors and leaves dropping, and taking hikes with my dog, Watson, on crisp days. Lately, on my walks, I have been pondering how childhood experiences really influence later decisions […]
One reason I love living here is because there are so many recreational opportunities within a two hour drive. The other day I took a last-minute drive to Mount Baker, and came back refreshed. Picture Lake and Mount Shuksan were as beautiful as ever. If you are anything like me, you are feeling incredulous the […]
As we continue through this pandemic period, life remains interesting, and I hope you are all remaining safe and staying well. I’m continuing to enjoy summer and natural phenomenon such as the comet NEOWISE which only appears once every 6000+ years; I’m glad I am here during this special time. I took this picture on […]
My hummingbird feeder is giving me much pleasure these days, and I sat on the deck the other day taking pictures of the cute little birds until I got this one. It is easy to set-up a feeder; it just needs to be cleaned and filled every few days for these voracious feeders. I hope […]
As we move through the stages of this pandemic, I hope everyone is staying well, safe and sound. The world is continuing to adjust and I hope you are too. I find myself working in the mornings, as usual, on the computer, and spending more time in the evening on fitness. With the days getting […]
We are in amazing times and everyone is asking how the market is during this Covid-19 crisis. First of all, I hope everyone is staying protected, safe, and well. This is a difficult time of quarantining, but also is giving people time to work on their homes, gardens and other projects. According to local statistics […]
I hope you all have been staying well, safe, and sound. I’ve been using some of this time to focus on staying healthy, and am lucky have have Watson to keep me motivated! He needs a lot of exercise and so I not only take him running, but have walked him up and down hills and […]
With all that has been going on we have been home in order to stay well and stay safe. Drawing on my first career in garden maintenance and design, I’ve been working on my Landscape Design Workshop presentation and thought I would share. Click-here for the link, and have fun if you decide to try […]
I like the graphic representation of what real estate did in King County during 2019. Compare the blue line for 2019 with the brown line of 2011. Real estate often runs in ten year cycles, and so we shall see if this year brings a different trend. One thing we know is that we are […]
With such pressure in Seattle, some neighborhoods are still seeing multiple offers and appreciation. However, many people are choosing to buy north and south in Snohomish and Pierce counties, which are helping to increase appreciation in those areas. See the following reports and look up your zip-code. King SFR – October 2019 Snohomish SFR – […]
The Washington state Legislature is changing the way real estate excise taxes (REET) are calculated. This change may affect the amount of excise tax you pay depending on the sale price of your property. Currently, the state excise tax is 1.28 percent. Local municipalities add their excise tax on top of the state tax, with […]
Recent statistics and news are available on the following links: September 2019 July June
Sold! Leavenworth Cottage for Sale!
Spring is here and I am enjoying the the longer days; it gives me a chance to take Watson out for dog walks after work. There is the proliferation of blossoms that comes along with longer days: not only are we seeing new growth in the plant world, but more listings are coming on every […]
It was such a pleasure to work with Cindy, and to see the look on her face when she fell in love at first sight with her new condominium! Thank you for the nice review! I am a first time home buyer. Andree Hurley helped me find my beautiful condo in Edmonds. I knew I […]
Have you been wondering what happened in 2018 in the Northwest real estate market? Many of us are talking about the old and the new market since we saw a softening in June. That said, home sales are still strong, mortgage rates are still low (although a bit higher than last year), and more homes […]
If you love seeing charts and graphs with real estate appreciation rates, click through to see data from 2018.
Winter Bird Migration, Holidays, and the End of an Annual Cycle… Swans and Sunsets Sunsets and Swans in the Skagit Flats We have been enjoying a run of crisp, cold weather and clear skies in the Northwest. This has encouraged me to go to the Skagit Flats, north of Seattle, and engage in one of […]
As many of us have noticed, the Northwest Multiple Listing Service has statistics that show there has been an increase in inventory, and a significant drop in prices over the last month. We usually do see a shift in the market as we near the holidays; it’s typically a good time for buyers. That said, […]
We have you covered – Bellevue, Lake Union, Edmonds/Lynnwood, Bellingham… your third quarter market statistics. The Pacific Northwest has softened a bit with more homes coming on the market, and those that came on in June, staying on with price reductions. While we were moving along at seventy miles and hour, we are now closer […]
I am loving my listing in Anacortes; it is lovely to watch the light change on the water, views of Mount Baker, Cypress Island and the boat traffic! There is always something new! This listing has been promoted through the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, Coldwell Banker, Zillow, Redfin, TourFactory, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and this website. […]
These statistics are compiled by our Lake Union office. We are seeing a different market than last year – and I am looking forward to seeing what August brought, when the results are out in September.
Whether you are a buyer or seller, this flow chart can help you navigate through your transaction!
I’m happy my friend Karen will be moving into the home we found for her soon! 🙂 She says: “I am very pleased with the effort Andree made as my agent and finding my “forever home”. Throughout the search, questions I asked were always answered promptly, and she made sure that I had information about […]
I enjoyed helping my client sell a home in Seattle recently, and evidently he did too as he writes: “Andree is organized, thorough and professional. Our communication was clear and concise. Andree is a top professional who has the experience and knowledge to help a seller or buyer in their real estate transaction.”
I love this quarterly report! We have a new marketing team and they have organized the data into an easy to read and beautiful format. Obviously we are still operating with low inventory, high demand and low supply. Buyers are getting wary of overpriced listings, which causes them to stay on the market over a […]
2018 is starting off with a bang! On listing appointments I often hear “Spring is the best time to sell a house, that’s when one gets the highest price, and when my garden looks the best.” This hasn’t been proven true in most years, this year included. As quoted by my firm’s Lake Union managing […]
It always fun to see which county and city had the highest or lowest appreciation rate! In December, in King County, Ballard had a negative percentage….while Mt. Baker/Seward Park had the highest at 22.44%
We have so many excellent sources of real estate analysis I thought I would post a few links for ease of find them. After reading the Northwest Multiple Press Release for January, 2018 (below), it is obvious that we had extremely low inventory in December. Real estate runs in ten year cycles, and it has […]
Many people wonder what real estate brokers do and how the home buying and selling process works. This is a great transaction map for buyers and sellers to help you see all the twists and turns in the buying and selling process. On the buyer side one of the most important boxes to check off is […]
KIRKLAND, Washington (December 6, 2017) – “Normal seasonal slowdowns” are reported by some real estate leaders with Northwest Multiple Listing Service, but other brokers say this holiday season is still drawing crowds at open houses along with competitive bidding in some neighborhoods. Both inventory and pending sales dipped to their lowest levels since April, while […]
Today I am starting a new journey with a first-time home buyer and thought I would share the letter I wrote to them. In this market we have a couple of scenarios – in the city we are still seeing a lot of pressure and escalations, and so many buyers are moving north (and south) […]
Key indicators for Western Washington housing still rising, but brokers detect slowdown Latest Press Release November 6, 2017 Current Statistics | Market Recaps | Market Snapshot Infographic KIRKLAND, Washington (November 6, 2017) – Early seasonal snow and questions swirling around the tax plan unveiled last week by House Republicans could make the usual seasonal slowdown […]
The president of our firm, Mike Grady, visited all of our offices with a third quarter report. The 1st quarter the entire industry was down 25% – why? It was coldest winter in history, sickest winter in history with the highest absentee rate, and we had a new president with some uncertainty. Our firm is […]
I attended a course today on the state of the real estate market and here are my notes – Denise Lones always has interesting and useful take-aways. Money flow, building permits and inventory, follow laws and developers. We can also look at what is happening in the world. The stock market hit a high today. […]
It is still a seller’s market in King County. While I have noticed more homes on the market in September (not reflected in most statistics yet), homes near Seattle are still on the market a short period of time. There is often a slow-down in August, while many are on vacation, but the chart shows […]
I decided to stay and enjoy Seattle during the eclipse, and so went to Alki Beach where I could view downtown Seattle, the Port of Seattle and a peek-a-boo view of Mount Rainier. I met a few “eclipse buddies” and we had a wonderful time trading around glasses, and photographing what we could. The Northwest […]
You drive-by sign in front of a house for sale and call the number on the sign – or, you see there is an open house coming up and walk in and speak with the listing broker. You are excited and want to write and offer, and the listing broker says, sure, I’ll write that […]
Congratulations to my sellers, they are signed-around and can start the transition they are so looking forward to, moving onto a boat! I was so impressed by the buyer’s agents and offers. Here is a quick rundown on the winning offer: 1. The buyer’s agent called and chatted almost every day to get a feeling […]
Easy living in this Shoreline rambler near several local parks! Walk or bike the Inter Urban Trail to Central Market, Trader Joes, Thai Bistro, Menchies. Enjoy local parks such as Twin Ponds, Paramount, Hamlin, Boeing Creek and Richmond Beach. Home boasts remodeled kitchen with adjacent patio perfect for summer barbecues and a master suite with […]
Get ready to unpack, move in, and enjoy living in this well maintained and recently updated home in the Arrowhead community. Enjoy a chilly winter’s day or a sunny afternoon in the enclosed sun porch. Plants optional. Take a stroll around the neighborhood or walk to and from the local Arrowhead elementary school. With a […]
I am getting ready to bring on a listing, and as you may have heard, there is a phrase going around right now: “list it and it will sell”. As I recently summarized the process for this client, I thought I would share the process on my blog. The few days before a listing goes […]
Today I was perusing the NextDoor.com newsfeed for the Ballard/Crown Hill neighborhood, and saw a question from a homeowner regarding the proliferation of letters she gets from developers and real estate brokers. I answered it with this explanation: I am a Realtor and have occasionally sent a letter to a property owner on behalf of […]
Snow on the Olympics behind the historical Bell Harbor Marina. In January I put an offer on a condominium across the street from the Bell Harbor Marina and experienced the core Seattle market firsthand. We were the best of several offers, although during the escalation process we were asked to put in our “highest and […]
Recently a gentleman asked me how much our waterfront homes north of Seattle sell for…I said I’d seen them as low as $500,000 – which was a bit tongue-in-cheek. This does beg a question, or two, what is the definition of a waterfront home? Does one want a waterfront home with a dock, retaining wall, […]
With the sellers market, many sellers are looking for brokerages that offer a low commission. Many sellers think the home will sell itself due to the demand, and that the listing broker won’t have to do much. This might be the best case scenario, however it couldn’t be farther from the truth. I am a […]
