More Perspectives: 2017 Forecast Well, it’s December; the time of year when we look to our crystal ball and offer our housing market predictions for the coming year. And by crystal ball we mean Windermere’s Chief Economist, Matthew Gardner, who has been traveling up and down the West Coast giving his annual forecast to a variety of real estate and financial organizations.
Living How to Step Up Your Entry Design With a New Welcome Mat Right before the guests ring the doorbell or give the front door an old-fashioned knock, they step on your welcome mat. This mat serves two purposes: catching debris and adding style. Here are some ideas for how to give this entry detail a refresh before the hustle and bustle of the holiday season begin.
More Spreading Holiday Cheer this Season Our Windermere offices really love the holiday season. It’s a time when they can get together to collect food, host holiday events, and raise money to help those in need in their communities. From putting together Thanksgiving meals, to hosting food drives and auctions, our agents really get into the spirit of giving.
Living Holiday Décor Trend: White-on-White Luxe From a stunning mantel display to an elegant table setting, you can capture the magic of the holiday season in festive touches that are certain to make your home even more merry and memorable. The white-on-white design trend is definitely at the top of most luxury designers’ lists these days, and this extends to Christmas décor, as well.
Design 5 Midcentury Modern Homes That Make the Most of Their Small Design Midcentury modern homes were small out of necessity. Money was in short supply after World War II, so architects and builders had to keep houses compact yet functional to stay within homeowners’ budgets. At the same time, lifestyles were changing. Smart architects took on a new approach and designed homes with an open feel, which differed greatly from the boxy designs of the previous era.
Market News What to Expect in Housing Affordability What keeps Windermere’s Chief Economist, Matthew Gardner, up at night? Housing affordability. See what he has to say about how West Coast cities can improve housing affordability through policy and infrastructure changes.
More Helping Fight Holiday Hunger in Our Communities The holiday season is a time in which Windermere offices across our network come together to help those in need in their communities. Here are just a few of the events that our offices are involved in this month to help fight hunger.
Market News The Trump effect. How will it impact the US economy and housing? The election was a shock for many, especially on the West Coast where we have not been overly affected by the long-term loss in US manufacturing or stagnant wage growth of the past decade. But the votes are in and a new era is ahead of us. So, what does this mean for the housing market?
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Market News Oregon and South West Washington Real Estate Market Update The labor market in Oregon/Southwest Washington continues to remain robust. During third quarter, the region added 13,800 new jobs, up from the 9,500 jobs that were created in the same period in 2015. Year-over-year, the region has grown at an impressive rate of 3.5%—well above the U.S. rate of 1.7%—and has one of the fastest rates of job creation in the nation.
Market News Nevada Real Estate Market Update Home prices are increasing at a reasonable pace but there are some sub-markets that are over-performing at the present time. This is not a concern, as I think buyers will start to be more selective regarding the neighborhoods that they want to move to. This process will allow some markets to appreciate at levels higher than the regional averages.
More Windermere Launches New Ultra-Luxury Brand: W Collection Thanks in large part to the booming economy, growing tech sector, and increasing international appeal, Seattle is no longer a sleepy little city tucked away in the far corner of the United States. With this changing landscape has come an infusion of wealth that has seen the area’s high-net-worth population explode. And with it, so too has the ultra-high-end real estate market.
Market News Southern California Real Estate Market Update Over the past 12 months (through August 2016), the markets covered by this report added 273,200 new jobs and the total number of people claiming unemployment insurance dropped by over 100,000. With these shifts toward full employment, the area’s unemployment rate dropped from 6.2% to 5.1% during the past year.
Living Friend or Foe? How to Identify, Trap and Rid your Home of Ghosts How do you know when you have a ghost hanging out in your home? Signs include unexplained noises and voices, objects disappearing, electronics turning on and off by themselves, lights flickering, unexplained smells, or an uneasy feeling that you’re being watched. But how do you know for sure that it’s paranormal activity – and not the cat – causing these abnormalities?
Market News Western Washington Real Estate Market Update Annual employment growth in Washington State slowed somewhat in the third quarter of this year, but still remains well above the long-term average. Additionally, the jobs that are being created are primarily quality, high-paying positions, which is important for the health of our economy.
More 4 Simple Steps to Painting a Wall Faster Many books about painting will tell you to paint a small strip along the baseboards, doorways, trim and other edges of the room with a brush before breaking out the paint roller to paint the rest of the wall. But before you do this paintbrush work, called “cutting in,” consider paint expert Shauna Gallagher’s method: Roll paint on the wall and then use a paintbrush for the edge work.
Living Childproofing: Protect Your Family and Your Home from Potential Hazards While supervision is the best way to keep your children safe at home, you can’t watch them every second. Childproofing, to whatever degree you are comfortable, will go a long way toward keeping your littlest loved ones safe and healthy at home.
More How to Reduce Noise in an Open-Plan Design Open-plan living spaces have many advantages for family life and entertaining, and they increase the opportunity to bring lots of natural light into your home. But they can end up being quite noisy. You may be surprised, however, at how easy it is to reduce sound travel with a few key additions to your furnishings. […]
Living Keeping Up with the Joneses: The Great Paint Debate The vinyl siding of the 1942 Seattle Cape Cod fixer we purchased nine months ago had been sun bleached to the point of resembling a kind of soft lemon chiffon yellow you’d see on a cake your grandmother baked. Great for dessert, bad for today’s exterior home color. We wanted a charming, warm and inviting new exterior home color but were fearful about what it would cost to have a professional do it
More Selling Your Home? Go Through This Safety Checklist With Your Real Estate Agent Selling your home can be stressful for many reasons. One thing you can be sure of when selling your home is that there will be strangers entering your space, so it’s important for you and your agent to take certain safety precautions.
More #YourStoryIsOurStory: Kicking off the School Year Right Starting the school year can be nerve wracking; new friends, new classroom, and for some, a new school all together. Imagine starting the new year already behind, with shoes that don’t fit, clothes that are stained or too small, and inadequate school supplies. Many Windermere offices work very hard at the start of the school year to ensure this doesn’t happen for kids in our communities...