As the market starts heating up and real estate becomes a popular dinner party topic again, it’s easy to get so caught up in the fever of searching and offers that we forget why we were buying a home in the first place. When you’re hearing about “inventory shortages” and “bidding wars” it’s important not to fall into the trap of settling, buying for the wrong reasons, or even overspending.

On June 21, Windermere offices in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Hawaii, and Utah all took a day off from selling homes to help make a difference in their local communities. Our offices were challenged to share photos and videos from their community service day event on the Windermere Real Estate Facebook page in turn for a $100 donation to the Windermere Foundation charity of their choice.

There are a number of things that can trigger the decision to remodel or move to a new home. Perhaps you have outgrown your current space, you might be tired of struggling with ancient plumbing or wiring systems, or maybe your home just feels out of date. The question is: Should you stay or should you go?

This year’s Community Service Day took place on Friday, June 21. Windermere agents from Mukilteo to Missoula donated more than 55,000 hours of service to local projects at senior citizens centers, public parks and schools, low-income housing developments, and emergency shelters, among others.