Author Archives

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4 Feng Shui Staging Tips

The Chinese system of Feng Shui is believed to bring people into harmony with their environment. The practice uses design to manage the way chi, or energy, flows through a building. Could feng shui help you, your guests and potential buyers enjoy your home even more? Here are a few general tips:

  1. Energize your entry

Give your front door a fresh coat of paint, preferably in a color that contrasts with your siding. This helps invite energy (as well as guests and prospective buyers) into your home. Add a potted plant on each side of the front door. The living plants attract energy. Plants with rounded leaves are more welcoming than plants with sharp, spikey leaves, which can give off a more aggressive impression.

  1. Create a “room of first impression”

Draw everyone to the most attractive room in the home by arranging the directional flow of furniture toward it. Or hang a bright piece of art in the room where it can be seen, like a beacon, from other parts of the home.

  1. Produce positive energy

Clear your kitchen counters of clutter and set out a bowl of fresh fruit. Food, especially round produce, symbolizes wealth and prosperity.

  1. Lids down

Martha Stewart would surely tell to you to close the lid on your toilet. Feng shui advocates the same, but for a different reason. The philosophy holds that water, energy and good fortune can swirl right down the drain.

Considering a new home, or know of someone who is? I’ll be happy to help; contact me today!

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January 2018 RE/MAX National Housing Report

2017 Closes Strong, Record High December Home Prices

While sales dropped slightly from a year ago, December capped off a 2017 of record home prices, speedy sales and low inventory.

The January RE/MAX National Housing Report shows the median home price rose 8.1% year-over-year, with 50 of the report’s 54 markets posting increases. At the same time, December sales dropped 3.3% from December 2016, with 39 markets reporting fewer transactions. Making sales harder was a Months Supply of Inventory of 3.7 which is the lowest December figure in the nine-year history of the report. That corresponds with a 14.6% decline in inventory, lengthening a streak of monthly declines that began in November 2008.

Also setting a report record for December was the speed of home sales: 57 days. That figured into an overall 2017 median for Days on Market of 52.5 — nearly a week less than the 2016 median of 58.5 days.

Home buyers paid record prices in 2017, led by June’s Median Price Sold of $245,000. Prices increased year-over-year in every month of 2017, with December marking the 21st consecutive month of year-over-year price increases dating back to April 2016.

Read the full article in RE/MAX’s newsroom…

Watch the 40 second summary video on YouTube…

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At No. 5, RE/MAX Reaches New Heights in Franchise 500

RE/MAX continues to shine in the annual Entrepreneur Franchise 500 ranking of top franchises.

In addition to being the No. 1 ranked real estate franchise for the 15th time, RE/MAX climbed into the survey’s Top 5 for the very first time. It joined McDonald’s, 7-11, Dunkin’ Donuts and The UPS store in the elite five of household brand names.

More than 115,000 agents enjoy the competitive advantages of being with the industry’s top franchise brand. And who benefits from the skills of those agents? Homebuyers and sellers in countries around the globe.

Nobody in the world sells more real estate than RE/MAX, as measured by residential transactions. There’s a reason for that. And it starts with productive, hustling, all-in agents who strive to be the best at what they do.

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Washington State NWMLS Market Snapshot for December 2017

Watch the short 2017 Year in Review video

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Black Accents Make Comeback in Home Design

Black is making a comeback in home design, with black fixtures, appliances, and furniture emerging as hot trends for the new year. Ryan Brown of Brown Design Group in Southern California predicts that black fixtures will replace brass as the most trendy home hardware in 2018. “They look great in modern applications, as well as transitional homes,” he told realtor.com®. “And the best part is no water spots to clean off.”

Matted black furniture also will gain popularity in 2018, says Amy Chernoff, vice president of marketing for AJ Madison, an appliance and fixture retailer. Black goes with anything, and in matte finishes, it’s easier to clean than lighter, polished metals. Also, Chernoff predicts that black stainless appliances—an alternative to the shiny finish of stainless steel—likely will become trendier in the new year. “The smudge-resistant, minimal and sleek look was in line with 2017 kitchen trends,” Chernoff told Kitchen & Bath Design News.

Source: REALTOR Magazine

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5 Holiday Recycling Tips

After the holidays, your home can look a bit hung over, with piles of wrapping paper and fallen tinsel trailing under everyone’s feet. It all feels like a hazy eggnog memory. You may be wondering how you’ll possibly clear out all the trash. Well, maybe it doesn’t have to be trash. Here are five tips for keeping the planet in mind as you clean up this holiday season.

1. Wrapping Paper
Wrapping paper with glitter and foil is fun, but unfortunately can’t be recycled efficiently. Don’t just toss it in with your everyday recycling. Check with your sanitation department for seasonal recycling guidelines.

2. Christmas Trees
Many communities provide a service that will compost or chip your holiday tree into mulch for free or a low fee. Be sure to remove all tinsel, lights and wires before taking advantage of this opportunity.

3. Cardboard boxes
If you don’t need them to store your new goodies, cardboard boxes can usually be recycled curbside.

4. Ribbon
Ribbon generally can’t be recycled, so save it! Curling ribbon can be “re-curled” for another special occasion by zipping it along a scissor blade.

5. Electronics
You’ve unwrapped this year’s latest gizmo, now what should you do with last year’s model? Many computer companies, like Apple and Dell, will recycle your machines, and box stores such as Best Buy accept phones and all sorts of gadgets for recycling.

If your home still seems too cramped after you complete your holiday recycling and you’re considering a move, contact me; I’ll be happy to help!

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Scents that Attract Home Buyers During an Open House in the Fall & Winter Months

Believe it or not, when a person walks into a home for the first time, the smell that first resonates, is the memory they will hold in their mind moving forward about the home they have entered. It is their “first impression” for the house, therefore it’s important that their first impression or in this case “first smell” is one that is inviting and not overpowering.

During an open house it is even more important to have an inviting smell upon the initial foot in the door. The first smell attracts people to come in, look around & feel like they are at home. Finding an odor that is attractive without being overpowering is the trick to a successful open house.

Read the full article on RealEstateAgent.com…

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13 Tips Before You Leave for the Holidays

Leaving your home during the holidays? Follow these tips to keep it safe and save a few bucks on bills while you’re gone.

1. Put mail on hold
An overstuffed mailbox or a pile of newspapers at the bottom of your driveway can be an invitation to thieves. Not only is it a sign that no one’s home, identity thieves can find all sorts of goodies while sorting through unattended mail. Go to usps.com to have the US Postal Service hold your mail, and also check on your options for holding newspaper delivery.

2. Put lights on a timer
It makes it appear that someone is home. If you can, switch your exterior lights to the “motion-activated” setting.

3. Check batteries
Make sure the batteries are fresh in your smoke alarms and that they function.

4. Remove valuables
Hiding your jewelry is always an option, but when you’re gone for several days, thieves have more time to hunt through the house. If you can, place jewelry and important documents in a safety deposit box or home safe.

5. Grab your spare key
Bring inside any keys that are hidden outside. You can give one to a neighbor along with your contact information where you’ll be, just in case there’s an emergency.

7. Unplug
Your electronics will still suck energy while you’re gone. Unplug the biggies, like your TV and computer.

8. Don’t advertise your trip online
At least until you return, when it’s safe to make your Facebook friends jealous with photos from your holiday beach vacation. Don’t post the dates when you’re leaving your house vacant.

9. Switch your water heater to “vacation” mode
It won’t turn off completely, but it will still save energy.

10. Lower your thermostat
Keep it warm enough to prevent the pipes – and the goldfish – from freezing. Your energy company can recommend a temperature that’s appropriate for your climate.

11. Deodorize the sink
To avoid returning to a kitchen disposal that belches up the stench of your pre-vacation dinner, run it with a half-cup of vinegar, or lemon peels and ice cubes, before you leave. To keep things smelling fresh, it’s also a good idea to throw out any food that will go bad while you’re gone and make sure to take out any trash.

12.  Bleach the bowl
Dump half a cup of chlorine bleach into your toilet bowl to prevent mineral stains from developing.

Searching for a home you’ll hate to leave alone? Or know of someone else who is? I’ll be happy to help; contact me today!

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December 2017 RE/MAX National Housing Report

Sales Up Despite Years of Rising Prices, Falling Inventory

November became the sixth month of 2017 to post an increase in year-over-year home sales, bucking prolonged trends of home price increases and inventory declines, according to the December RE/MAX National Housing Report.

The sales increase of 1.1% came on the strength of increased transaction closings in 36 of the report’s 54 markets. At the same time, buyers felt increasing headwinds as the Median Sales Price rose to $227,500 and marked the 20th consecutive month of year-over-year home price increases. In fact, the Median Sales Price has increased year-over-year in 69 of the last 70 months dating back to February 2012.

November’s inventory decline of 14.5% extended the streak of consecutive months of fewer homes on the market to 108. The current streak started nine years ago, in November 2008, shortly after the RE/MAX National Housing Report was introduced.

Read the full article in RE/MAX’s newsroom…

Watch the 40 second summary video on YouTube…

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The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act – What it Means for Homeowners and Real Estate Professionals

The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) worked throughout the tax reform process to preserve the existing tax benefits of homeownership and real estate investment, as well to ensure as many real estate professionals as possible would benefit from proposed tax cuts. Many of the changes reflected in the final bill were the result of the engagement of NAR and its members, not only in the last three months, but over several years.

While NAR remains concerned that the overall structure of the final bill diminishes the tax benefits of homeownership and will cause adverse impacts in some markets, the advocacy of NAR members, as well as consumers, helped NAR to gain some important improvements throughout the legislative process. The final legislation will benefit many homeowners, homebuyers, real estate investors, and NAR members as a result.

Read the National Association of Realtors article…