Seattle Times business reporter

Starting Oct. 1, it could start getting cheaper to buy a home around Seattle and most of Washington.

That’s because the curtain will be pulled away from a secret long kept within the community of real-estate agents: how much the agent representing the buyer collects when a house is sold. Brokerages in the Seattle-Tacoma area will be among the first in the nation to start publishing those fees, long kept hush-hush, on their online listings.

And while home sellers have been required to offer some kind of compensation to buyers’ agents in order to list a home, starting Tuesday, sellers won’t need to offer anything.

The changes here, enacted by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS) — the membership group…

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What is the market like for fall real estate?

While it’s true that housing inventory (the number of homes on the market) is lower in the fall than in the spring and summer, it’s also true that buyers who are shopping in the fall are likely to be serious about buying. Fall buyers may be moving because of a job relocation or change in family situation, so they’re often eager to close a deal. And, the hotter your local real estate market, the less significant a role seasonality plays.

What months are in the fall?

To clarify the part of the year we’re talking about, fall includes dates between September 1 and November 30. In most of the country, this time of year is marked by cooler weather, shorter days, and falling leaves — think picking…

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Denver Area Housing Market Statistics - August 2019

Here are the latest housing market statistics from REcolorado comparing August of 2018 to 2019.  This is a great information as local Denver area home buyers and sellers across prepare for the fall buying and selling season. There continues to be higher than normal inventory levels in the Greater Denver area, which gives buyers more choice of homes and keeps prices in check. The total number of active homes for sale at the end of August was 9,511, which is 14% higher than the same time last year. The days on market was fairly close, however this year most homes spent a little more time on the market, averaging 39 days on the market during August versus 34 last year.

Denver home prices have pulled…

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          file:///C:/Users/e_mic/Desktop/Selling%20this%20fall.pdf

Keep a lot more money at closing when you list with Mike Eckhart at The Cascade Team!

List for 1% the lowest in the state. 

 

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After last week’s post we had several great comments. I’ll address one from “B” here, which really went to the heart of why this change is being made…. That being that the public in general really doesn’t understand who pay’s buyer’s agents’ commissions and how they affect the over-all purchase price of a home.

B Day wrote: Why would a salesman list or try and sell a house with no commission? If a person can sell it by their selves, I say let them but to not have a set commission across the board seems pretty self-defeating.

SEE: Conversations On Real Estate Commissions Part 1

  • Cary W Porter wrote: Thanks for the question…. It really gets to the heart of why the change was made and the surrounding confusion on real estate commissions.

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  • New listings dropped nearly 13% system-wide and 18.5% in King County.
  • Pending sales rose nearly 6.6% in the Puget Sound region
  • June and July were also lackluster this year with regard to listings

KIRKLAND, Washington (September 9, 2019) – Depleted inventory continues to frustrate would-be buyers in Western Washington. Many of these potential homeowners are expanding their search beyond the major job centers in King County, according to market watchers who commented on the latest statistics from Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

The MLS report summarizing August activity shows less than two months of supply system-wide, and only about 1.6 months of supply in the four-county Puget Sound region. The sparse selection is pushing up…

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  • New listings dropped nearly 13% system-wide and 18.5% in King County.
  • Pending sales rose nearly 6.6% in the Puget Sound region
  • June and July were also lackluster this year with regard to listings

KIRKLAND, Washington (September 9, 2019) – Depleted inventory continues to frustrate would-be buyers in Western Washington. Many of these potential homeowners are expanding their search beyond the major job centers in King County, according to market watchers who commented on the latest statistics from Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

The MLS report summarizing August activity shows less than two months of supply system-wide, and only about 1.6 months of supply in the four-county Puget Sound region. The sparse selection is pushing up…

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Thanks to the help of The Cascade Team, we had the opportunity to serve over 2,000 SnoCones at the annual, Day at the Park with New Hope, in Puyallup at the South Hill Park.  Thank you Cascade Team!

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1148259632048529

 

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Welcome To The Cascade Team Margaret Howorth!

OUR LOCAL REAL ESTATE TEAM

Cascade Team Real Estate agents are proactive in serving their customers, studying the market and touring homes, so they can provide the most accurate housing market data for their clients. This helps you better understand the competitive environment, pricing strategies and provides an edge in the negotiation process.  Our goal is to always meet and exceed your expectations.  We look forward to the opportunity of working with you on your next real estate transaction.

Download The Cascade Team Mobile App for Free!

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Transparency in Commissions

Fact: Real estate brokers’ commission rates are not regulated in any state and are ALWAYS 100% negotiable.

When you decide to sell your house, if you are like most people, you will want to hire — or at least consider hiring — a real estate agent to handle the process.

Surprisingly, many people think that real estate brokerage commission rates are “set” in their area and they have to pay a specific percentage of the sales price to the agent in order to get their services. This is absolutely not the case.  In fact, you can pay whatever you and the agent have agreed upon.

What is a “Fair” amount to pay for real estate commission?

Many people hear the word “discount” company instead of a “traditional” company but…

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