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26102 147th Pl SE, Kent, WA 98042


$629,950

3 bedrooms; 1.75 bathrooms; 1,680 finished square feet + 1,300 unfinished basement

Discover this beautifully maintained and private custom home nestled on a quiet street, backing to a serene forest and the scenic Soos Creek Trail – perfect for outdoor enthusiasts! Minutes from Soos Creek & Lake Meridian Parks, plus convenient access to Costco, Trader Joes, dining and shopping. This charming residence features Hardiplank siding, a newer roof with leaf guard gutters, updated windows, and a heat pump with A/C. Interior highlights include a newly remodeled primary bathroom, updated kitchen & full bath, bamboo flooring, new lighting, switches, and outlets. Enjoy the 1-car garage with workshop space & no HOA. The 1300 sq ft unfinished basement, already plumbed for a ¾ bath, offers endless potential. Don’t miss this opportunity!

A link to more details, photos, floor plan and the 360 degree tour on my website…

Sold 5/19/25



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Washington State NWMLS Market Update for March 2025



Market Recap

March’s market activity showed some expected seasonal growth as we move into spring, but an imbalance still lingers between buyers and sellers.

30-year mortgage rates dropped from 6.76% to 6.65%, a slight enticement for buyers who are keeping a diligent eye on the market. Sellers looking to take early advantage of seasonal transitions boosted NWMLS’s active listings nearly 44% year-over-year from March 2024.


Key Takeaways

Active and New Listings

  • There was a 43.7% increase year-over-year in the total number of properties listed for sale in the NWMLS service area. There were 11,640 active listings on the market at the end of March 2025, with 21 out of 26 counties seeing a double-digit increase compared to March 2024. When compared to the previous month, active inventory increased by 1,192 listings (+11.4%), up from 10,448 in February 2025.
  • The six counties with the highest increases in active inventory were Snohomish (+83.1%), Whatcom (+63.1%), King (+59.8%), Cowlitz +(51.7%), Kittitas (+48.3%) and Grant (+43.8%).
  • NWMLS brokers added 9,161 new listings in March 2025, a year-over-year increase of 14.1% compared to March 2024 (8,028). When compared to February 2025, new listings increased by 44.4%, when 6,346 listings were added.

Closed Sales

  • There were 5,406 closed sales in March 2025, an increase of 4.7% year-over-year compared to 5,165 in March 2024. When compared to February 2025, the number of closed sales increased by 26.7%, up from 4,268 sales.

Median Sales Price

  • Overall, the median price for residential homes and condominiums sold in March 2025 was $649,999, an increase of 2.6% when compared to March 2024 ($633,717).
  • The three counties with the highest median sale prices were San Juan ($870,000), King ($855,000) and Snohomish ($755,000), and the three counties with the lowest median sale prices were Columbia ($220,000), Ferry ($268,725) and Grays Harbor ($335,100).

Source: NWMLS 4/3/25



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National Housing Snapshot for February 2025



Existing-home sales advanced 4.2% in February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.26 million. Sales slipped 1.2% from one year ago.

The median existing-home sales price rose 3.8% from February 2024 to $398,400, the 20th consecutive month of year-over-year price increases.

The inventory of unsold existing homes climbed 5.1% from the prior month to 1.24 million at the end of February, or the equivalent of 3.5 months’ supply at the current monthly sales pace.

Read more details here…

Source: National Association of Realtors 3/20/25




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Buying a Home May Help Shield You from Inflation



It feels like everything is getting more expensive these days. That’s because inflation has remained higher than normal for longer than expected – and that’s impacting the costs of goods, services, and more. And with rising costs all around you, you’re probably questioning: is now really the right time to buy a home?

Read more…





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Curved Furniture Softens Interiors


Interior designers are embracing a range of trends for spring 2025, including furniture with softer outlines, buttery yellows, polished nickel accents and customized kitchens with unique materials.

Read more…



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3 Design Trends to Make Your Listing Cozier


Color, texture and patterns make for more playful backgrounds in unique, cozy spaces. In home staging, you can still embrace this hot trend, even without getting too wild.

Read more…



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Washington State NWMLS Market Update for February 2025



Market Recap

Traditionally a quiet month, February’s market activity reflected consumer sentiment in two important areas: affordability and available inventory.

30-year mortgage rates dropped slightly from 6.95% to 6.76%, but that may not be enough to encourage buyers when faced with continuing rising prices. The median price for residential homes and condominiums rose 2.4% from $615,000 in January 2025 to $630,000 in February 2025.

Although the number of active listings is significantly higher than a year ago (39.4% greater), the annual growth in the number of transactions is much smaller (only 1.9%).

Overall, inventory levels remain stubbornly low. Most industry experts consider a balanced market to have 4 to 6 months of inventory. However, at the current rate of sales, it would take less than two and a half months (2.45) to sell every home that is for sale in the NWMLS service area.

Meanwhile, homebuilders are bracing themselves for increases in construction costs following the White House’s announcement of tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico beginning March 4th. “The prices of materials will have a major impact on affordability,” said Steven Bourassa, director of the Washington Center for Real Estate Research, “and increases in construction costs will affect the prices of existing homes in addition to new homes.”

“The values of existing structures are based on their replacement cost,” he continued. “CoreLogic has estimated that the tariffs might increase the cost of home construction by 4% to 6% across the country, while household fixtures, such as appliances and cabinets, could increase in price by 10% to 20%.”


Key Takeaways

Active Listings

  • The number of homes for sale increased 39.4% year-over-year throughout the NWMLS service area. There were 10,448 active listings on the market at the end of February 2025, with 24 out of 26 counties seeing a double-digit increase compared to February 2024. When compared to the previous month, active inventory increased by 207 listings (+2%), up from 10,241 in January 2025.
  • The six counties with the highest increases in active inventory were Kittitas (+76.7%), Snohomish (+65.3%), Grant (+54.2%), King (+52%), Whatcom (+48.2%) and Chelan (+42.7%).

Closed Sales

  • There were 4,268 closed sales of residential homes and condominium units in February 2025, an increase of 1.9% when compared to February 2024 (4,189). When compared to the previous month, the number of closed sales increased by 14.5%, up from 3,727 sales in January 2025.

Median Sales Price

  • Overall, the median price for residential homes and condominiums sold in February 2025 was $630,000, an increase of 3.6% when compared to February 2024 ($608,111).

Source: NWMLS 3/5/25



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A Marketplace for All: Open, Fair, Transparent and Comprehensive







For more than 40 years, Northwest MLS members have agreed to cooperate and share all properties they list for sale. Unlike other parts of the country where brokers facilitate “office exclusive” listings, which are only available to other brokers licensed with the listing firm, Northwest MLS members agree to share their residential listings with all other brokers and all potential buyers at the same time.

This open, fair, transparent, and comprehensive marketplace benefits sellers, buyers, brokers, and appraisers. The system also promotes competition and greatly supports and enhances fair housing principles.

Sellers: Exposure of listed properties to the entire marketplace through the MLS results in a higher price, better terms, and a faster sale by ensuring all potential buyers are aware of the opportunity. Complete data allows sellers and their brokers to confidently price their property based on comparable listings and sales. For sellers with specific privacy and security concerns, Northwest MLS has a myriad of tools available to address those issues. Sellers also have a range of choices about how their listing is marketed.

Buyers: Equal access to all available listed properties is critical to ensure that buyers are able to conveniently and efficiently find the most suitable property. Complete data allows buyers and their brokers to confidently make an offer based upon comparable listings and sales. Buyers are able to work with the firm and broker of choice, rather than being unfairly directed to a listing firm.  

Brokers: Listing brokers satisfy their legal duties to the seller through wide exposure of the property to the market, ensuring the highest price, best terms, and quickest sale. Listing brokers have access to a complete data set to advise sellers on pricing and other listing strategies. Buyer brokers are able to efficiently help buyers find the best property for the buyer with equal access to all available listings. Buyer brokers also have access to a complete data set to assist the buyer with making an offer based upon comparable listings and sales. 

Appraisers: Complete data empowers appraisers to efficiently and effectively appraise properties, ensuring accurate appraisals and timely closings. 

Real Estate Marketplace: The many industry partners who are essential to real estate transactions also rely on the comprehensive MLS system – including mortgage brokers, lenders, insurance companies, and title and escrow companies. Moreover economists, academics, and policy makers rely on the complete data set to better inform public policy decisions on zoning, building regulations, and related legislation and rules.

Competition: An open, fair, transparent, and comprehensive MLS system promotes competition among member firms and brokers, who compete on price and service – rather than competing by restricting knowledge of listed properties. This competitive landscape benefits consumers who are able to select the firm and broker that meets the consumer’s needs, rather than being forced to work directly with the listing firm.

Fair Housing: Private listings can have a discriminatory effect and disparate impact in violation of RCW 49.60.222 and WAC 162-36 because those listings are only available to an “exclusive” group of buyers.  Private listings are only available to those select buyers that the firm (and presumably the seller) chooses to provide information about the property. By restricting the visibility of available homes to a selected group, private listings can be fundamentally unfair and perpetuate the many inequities that have long plagued the housing system. Lisa Rice, president of the National Fair Housing Alliance, an advocacy organization in Washington, D.C., recently stated that: “[w]hen listings are confined to private channels, it becomes increasingly challenging to ensure compliance with fair housing laws designed to protect individuals from discrimination.” 
 
Northwest MLS is committed to continuing to promote and support the open, fair, transparent, and comprehensive marketplace that its members have advanced over the past 40 years. To that end, Northwest MLS will maintain and enforce its current rules that require members to input all residential listings before publicly promoting the property for sale.

(Published by the NWMLS 2/28/25)





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Homelessness is a Housing Problem, by Gregg Colburn and Clayton Page Aldern



I just finished listening to this book and HIGHLY recommend it! If you’ve ever wondered what leads to homelessness and why rates vary across different regions in the country, the authors completed a statistical analysis that includes the Seattle – King County region. As the title states, they found that housing market conditions, including the cost and availability of rental housing, account for the variations much more than what many people think. The authors propose solutions and explain why we must become more proactive rather than reactive.




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National Housing Snapshot for January 2025


January 2025 brought 4.08 million in sales, a median sales price of $396,900, and 3.5 months of inventory. The median sales price is up 4.8% year-over-year, and inventory was up 0.5 months from January 2024.

Read more details here…

Source: National Association of Realtors 2/21/25