Early January, Microsoft publicly pledged $500 million to address homelessness and the growing gap of affordability among the Puget Sound region. This after the announcement of plans for a massive expansion of its Redmond headquarters sparked talks with Challenge Seattle.

The company plans to add 2.5 million square feet of new construction, and 6.7 million square feet in renovations. Microsoft is estimating an additional 8000 employees after the project is complete.

The pledge is the largest in the history of Microsofts 44 year run. It is also the largest pledge to public housing by any private organization thus far! Microsoft President, Brad Smith, explained how the pledge will benefit workers who “teach our kids in schools, and put out the fires

I met Erika a few years ago at Piccola Wine Cellars when she was hosting a jewelry show. I immediately fell in love with her organic style, but in particular, I was drawn to the most beautiful aquamarine ancient ring. I later told my husband Ben about this stunning ring and months later I became the happy recipient of this gem at Christmas! So, it is with great excitement that I introduce you to Erika Laureano and her brand-new Design Studio filled with handcrafted jewelry. Upon entering this chic downtown NB studio,  you will notice Erika's art draping the walls and her cutting edge jewelry designs that fill the room showcase her unique one of a kind style. 

Erika is all about supporting and growing local businesses and has been not only

 The Cascade Team is Open and Hiring Great Agents!

The Cascade Team Real Estate brokerage has opened its first office in Indiana, and is now hiring great agents!  TCT was established in western Washington in 2006, and currently has 28 offices in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Colorado, Arizona, and now, Indiana.

The Cascade Team is Indiana’s only full-service, 1% listing fee real estate brokerage.  It uses cutting-edge technology, together with outstanding client service, to deliver an optimal real estate experience for a significantly lower price.

Designated broker Paul Schulte says, “We believe that the future of residential real estate is not the traditional 6% - 7% commission model.  We are thrilled to bring The Cascade Team’s full-service,

It's Great to be an Agent for The Cascade Team!

TCT Agent Benefits  

The average number of transactions a real estate agent does each year is 3.36; however, The Cascade Team's "producing" agents average 24.7 transactions each year!  In fact, one TCT agent did 121 transactions in one year without any additional (agent-paid) administrative help!

Here are some of the things The Cascade Team offers to its agents:

1. Listing Commission %:  1% of the home's selling price or $3,500, whichever is greater. "Traditional" agencies charge up to a 4% listing commission.  

2. Buyer’s Broker Commission %:  3%.  Historically, 69% of Cascade Team sellers are also Buyers, and buying side commissions are the standard 3%.

3. Desk Fees:  

The Cascade Team Real Estate is  looking for a dynamic Managing Brokers and Broker/Agents for Spokane.

We have closed over 300 Spokane area transactions in the past 2 years and are looking for an aggressive leader to help build and manage the Team and take it to the next level of success!

As a Managing Broker you are provided with industry leading tools, training and support to help recruit new agents and prepare them for maximum success. The Cascade Team provides FULL marketing support which you can view HERE along with proprietary back-office lead management and lead generation systems are second to none, and we do more to help promote and sell homes than any other brokerage out there. You need a Managing Brokers License, and good

Do You Have The Courage and Fearlessness to Elevate Your Business in 2018?

Establishing purpose, fearlessness, and determination.

When you look at businesses across the real estate industry, you see the ones that succeed all share a common trait: they have purpose. The idea of establishing purpose is absolutely critical to any entrepreneur’s journey if they plan to grow their business. Without knowing what you want and why you want it, you can’t formulate the goals you need to achieve in order to succeed.

Courage is refined, renewed and revealed in ordinary everyday living. Courage is never the preserve of the heroes or the powerful. The choice to choose courage for daily living is life-altering. How about choosing the word “courage” as

Do You Have The Courage and Fearlessness to Elevate Your Business in 2018?

Establishing purpose, fearlessness, and determination.

When you look at businesses across the real estate industry, you see the ones that succeed all share a common trait: they have purpose. The idea of establishing purpose is absolutely critical to any entrepreneur’s journey if they plan to grow their business. Without knowing what you want and why you want it, you can’t formulate the goals you need to achieve in order to succeed.

Courage is refined, renewed and revealed in ordinary everyday living. Courage is never the preserve of the heroes or the powerful. The choice to choose courage for daily living is life-altering. How about choosing the word “courage” as

Not every business listed for sale will ultimately sell. In fact, some trade groups in our industry have stated that less than 10% of businesses that are listed "for sale by owner" will actually sell!  They go further and say that businesses that are listed by Business Brokers actually have a 40-50% probability of selling.  That's a 4 to 5 times improved rate of success, when a business uses a business broker!  As a business broker, this is great, but I know why this is the case.  I, myself, as well as other Business Brokers (at least the good ones), screen the businesses we want to work with.  We have limited time and resources, so we want to take on clients whose businesses we KNOW have a greater chance of selling.

There are a number of reasons why

Seasoned investors seeking their road to wealth will readily acknowledge that the easiest and surest path to long term wealth is through holding a portfolio of houses. And the best way to keep your houses is using the lease options. To appreciate how important lease options are to your financial prosperity, it is important to first having an understanding of what a lease option is.

Lease options as an exit strategy may or may not result in the actual sale of your property. You are renting the house out to someone and giving them an option to later buy it. They have a rental agreement with you and then they pay you additional money in exchange for the right to purchase the property at some point during their lease. It is customary to charge 3-5% of the

Have you ever wanted to own a franchise that caters to young and old alike, is a fun place for your customers, and a joy to operate because of all the smiles you see every day?  If so, you now have that opportunity. There are two Menchie's Franchise locations in the greater Seattle area for sale at about half the cost of establishing a new franchise. These stores are great village location with plenty of walk-in traffic. The businesses are clean and well laid out and  are so attractive that it's very hard for children to walk or drive by without asking their parents to stop in. The equipment and fixtures are in compliance with the franchise and are like new, well maintained, and spotlessly clean. The owners are selling to pursue other business interests