Buying • September 15, 2025

Why AI Can’t Replace Your Real Estate Agent

by Windermere Staff

Technology is transforming nearly every industry, and real estate is no exception. New tools and innovations are reshaping the way we search for, buy, and sell homes. Among these advances, artificial intelligence (AI) has quickly become one of the most talked-about technologies, being used for everything from writing and research to customer service. Naturally, this raises the question of whether it could ever replace jobs that rely on human connection and expertise, like real estate.

In the sections ahead, we’ll break down what AI can and can’t do in real estate, and how agents can use it to their advantage rather than view it as competition.

What is AI?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is technology that allows machines to simulate human intelligence. In recent years, AI has grown at lightning speed and has become part of daily life, often in ways people don’t even notice. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, etc., are the ones most people hear about because they can answer questions, draft text, or create images. At the same time, other forms of AI are working quietly behind the scenes on websites, apps, and services we use daily, from recommendation engines to fraud detection.

Together, these tools are changing how we interact with technology, making it faster and more efficient. But when it comes to buying or selling a home, no algorithm can replace the insight, guidance, and personal care of a trusted real estate agent.

How AI is Shaping Real Estate

AI is already influencing how buyers and sellers approach the market. From predictive pricing tools and market analysis platforms to more intelligent home search engines, AI can process large amounts of data and provide insights more quickly than any individual could manage on their own. For agents, it can automate repetitive tasks like drafting emails or creating basic listing descriptions, while chatbots help answer simple client questions around the clock. Some platforms even use AI to match buyers with properties based on preferences or past behaviors. These tools save time and make processes more productive, but they’re only part of the real estate experience.

Why Real Estate Needs a Human Touch

Buying or selling a home is never just about the transaction—it’s often one of the biggest financial and emotional decisions of a person’s life. And while AI may provide quick data or market insights, it can’t sit down with an individual and understand their specific needs, calm their nerves during a stressful moment, or celebrate when the keys are finally handed over.

A real estate agent listens, adapts, and advocates for their clients in ways that no algorithm can replicate, bringing empathy, intuition, and lived experience into the equation rather than just facts and figures. They know the neighborhoods, the schools, and the subtle details that make a house a home. They can recognize when a client needs reassurance, when to negotiate a little harder, and when to suggest a creative solution to keep a deal moving forward. These instincts and skill sets are built on years of human connection, which is what makes the difference between simply completing a deal and guiding someone through a life-changing experience or helping them reach their real estate goals.

The Future: Agents + AI, Not Agents vs. AI

Rather than replacing real estate agents, AI has the potential to make their work even more impactful. Tools like virtual tours, AI-powered staging, and digital imaging can help buyers visualize a property in new ways, while automation can create marketing materials, streamline scheduling, and analyze market trends at an increased speed. These efficiencies free up time and energy for agents to focus on what matters most: listening to clients, building trust, and guiding them through one of life’s most significant decisions.

When used thoughtfully, AI shouldn’t be viewed as a competition, but as a business companion. By blending cutting-edge technology with the irreplaceable human touch, real estate agents can continue to grow their business, deliver better service, and strengthen the personal relationships that remain at the heart of every successful transaction.

At Windermere, our agents use every tool available, but it’s their expertise and personal care that truly set them apart. Connect with an experienced Windermere agent today:

Market News • September 8, 2025

Local Look Western Washington Housing Update 9/8/25

by Windermere Economics

Hi. I’m Jeff Tucker, principal economist at Windermere Real Estate, and this is a Local Look at the August 2025 data from the Northwest MLS.

This summer, the local market has decisively swung in buyers’ favor, as home sellers around Washington have had to contend with both softening demand, and more abundant competing listings. That’s good news for home buyers, but we are seeing fewer of them than we saw last year.

In August, closed sales of residential homes came in 6% below last year’s August total, across the Northwest MLS. Pending sales, which give some signal about next month’s sales, were roughly flat – up just 1% form last year.

On the supply side, we’ve passed an inflection point, where sellers are starting to back away from the market. There were 2% fewer new listings than last August – the first year-over-year decline in new listings since February. The month ended with 31% more active listings than last August, marking a slowdown from the inventory growth of about 36% the last two months. This pullback in supply should put a floor under any potential price decreases that the market shift could bring.

Speaking of which: the steadiest number across the Northwest MLS has been median sale price, which was exactly the same as last August: $665,000. That’s two months in a row of flat annual price changes, but it remains about 5% higher than in 2023.

Now I’ll take a closer look at the four counties encompassing the greater Seattle area.

Closed sales dipped by almost 6% from last year. Only Pierce County saw a gain, albeit tiny, from last August.

Median sale prices actually crept upward from last year in all 4 counties: 4% higher in King; 7% higher in Kitsap, 1% higher in Pierce, and 1% higher in Snohomish County.

Looking ahead, pending sales dipped 1% across the region, although Pierce County was again the standout for sales, with 9% more pending sales than last year.

On the supply side, the 4-county greater Seattle area had 32% more active listings than at the end of August 2024. That continues the moderation of inventory growth we’ve seen since May, when this metric peaked at 45% year-over-year growth. King County especially has rebalanced, down from 50% growth to just 32% active listings growth.

Looking ahead, the key question is whether buyers begin to come off the sidelines in response to these more favorable conditions: they’ve got lots of inventory to choose from, listings that have lingered on the market, and mortgage rates that have dipped from about 7% to closer to 6.5% this summer. For people in a position to buy, this fall is looking like a sweet spot.

More • August 27, 2025

What The Ballooning National Debt Means For Housing

by Windermere Economics

For Americans already struggling with the highest mortgage rates in a generation, new legislation out of Washington promises little relief. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) will add trillions to the national debt over the next decades, further cementing an era of expensive borrowing.

The basic laws of supply and demand suggest this surge in government debt issuance will push interest rates even higher for everyone, straining the already-frozen housing market and increasing costs for all types of credit.

The one silver lining, though, is that the sooner lenders accept our “higher for longer” new world of interest rates, the sooner they can stop worrying so much about prepayment risk, which may shrink the spread they charge above 10-year Treasury yields. Below, we’ll explore how national debt impacts real estate.

As Uncle Sam borrows ever more, everyone’s interest rates will rise

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, enacted this summer, puts the pedal to the metal for debt accumulation over the next decade in the U.S. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that it will add a cumulative $5.5 trillion to the debt by 2034, under the realistic assumption that its provisions written to expire will instead be extended, as has become normal in federal budgeting.

Even taking the expirations at face value, though, the bill raises deficits by a cumulative $4.1 trillion, an extraordinary choice in the midst of an economic expansion and coming on the heels of the worst bout of inflation in decades.

The issuance of trillions of dollars of additional debt in the next several years is expected to drive up interest rates. The Budget Lab at Yale has estimated that the bill will raise 10-year Treasury yields by about half a point in the next several years and by more than 1.4 points in the very long run.

This is driven in part by their modeling assumption that the Federal Reserve will succeed at keeping inflation close to 2 percent, which will require higher interest rates in the long run. They also expect a higher term premium on long-term debt, like 10-year Treasuries.

Altogether, this paints a picture of government borrowing crowding out private borrowing — as the Treasury issues more debt to finance its deficits, yields must rise to compensate investors. Other debt in the economy, such as mortgages, must yield more as well, in order to compete with Treasury bonds for lenders.

High interest rates have already frozen the housing market

While the U.S. economy continues to grow, the U.S. housing market has been stuck in neutral for over three years. Ever since mortgage interest rates rebounded from all-time lows below 3 percent for 30-year loans in 2020 and 2021, to generational highs above 7 percent in 2023, existing-home sales have been stuck in the neighborhood of 4 million annual sales.

It’s no surprise that fewer homes are changing hands than during the 2021 low-interest-rate boom, but 4 million is much fewer than even prevailed during the 2010s. In fact, 2024’s total of 4.06 million existing-home sales was the lowest total since the 1990s. The housing market is caught in a perfect storm, keeping homeowners frozen in place, thanks to the one-two punch of high price-to-income ratios and high mortgage rates.

While the OBBBA includes some sweeteners for certain homeowners, like the expansion of the state and local tax deduction cap to $40,000, the main long-term effect it promises for housing is just higher interest rates.

One near-term trend likely to help mortgage borrowers: a thinner spread

Bigger deficits, bigger debt, higher interest rates — the long-term fiscal outlook is getting darker. But there’s one silver lining that has begun to shine around the edge of these gathering clouds. The mortgage-Treasuries spread has begun to narrow again, resuming its progress back down toward pre-pandemic levels. The spread, here, refers to how much higher 30-year mortgage rates are averaging than 10-year Treasury yields.

In the 21st century, up to the pandemic, mortgage rates rarely exceeded 10-year Treasury yields by more than 2 percentage points, except during the global financial crisis. When mortgage rates soared back up in 2022, part of their climb was due to the widening spread. The two major reasons for widening spreads are a greater prepayment or refi risk on mortgages and interest rate volatility.

The latter has gradually faded this summer after spiking amidst tariff uncertainty in April. But the prepayment risk component is the bigger factor. For lenders and the investors who buy mortgage-backed securities, mortgages issued at high interest rates are uniquely risky because borrowers are expected to refinance them once mortgage rates fall back down.

The lack of a prepayment penalty for borrowers makes U.S. mortgages uniquely favorable to homebuyers here. If rates rise, they win by virtue of having locked in a lower rate; if rates fall, they can always refinance. Investors and lenders, by the same token, view refinancing as a unique downside to holding mortgages. They want a reliable coupon stream from mortgage holders’ monthly payments.

Seeing their loans wiped out by refinancing, replaced by cash in a new lower-interest-rate world, is a risk for which they must be compensated to make the loan in the first place.

That extra compensation for prepayment risk helped explain why mortgage rates soared even more than 10-year Treasury yields in 2022 and 2023. Now, though, as the reality sets in that we are living in a world where interest rates are “higher for longer,” lenders have gradually brought mortgage rates down relative to Treasuries, from about a 2.9-point spread in 2023 to 2.4 in recent months, or about one-third of the way back to normal.

The sooner investors conclude that refinancing prepayment risks aren’t so high, the sooner the spread can come down. The potential bankshot silver lining of the OBBBA? By putting a nail in the coffin of hopes for low interest rates, it may help further shrink the spread, so that higher 10-year Treasury yields don’t have to mean higher mortgage rates one-for-one.

Ultimately, the nation’s fiscal path points toward a new normal of higher borrowing costs for all. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” serves as an accelerant, solidifying a “higher for longer” interest rate environment that will impact everything from car loans to corporate debt. For the beleaguered housing market, this presents a bittersweet trade-off.

The bad news is that the foundational interest rate, the 10-year Treasury yield, is set to climb. The paradoxical good news is that by killing the hope of a return to ultra-low rates, the OBBBA may continue to shrink the risk premium lenders charge on mortgages. This narrowing spread won’t turn 7 percent mortgages back into 3 percent loans, but it might help us work our way back down closer to 6 percent.

Jeff Tucker is the Principal Economist at Windermere Real Estate in Seattle, WA. This blog was originally published on Inman News on 8/26/25.

More • August 25, 2025

How to Bring Coastal Charm into Your Home No Matter Where You Are

by Windermere Staff

Coastal interior design captures the calm elegance of life by the water. It’s bright, breezy, and effortlessly connected to nature, drawing inspiration from the textures and warmth of the shore, the shifting blues of the sea, and the weathered charm of driftwood and dune grass. This style invites the outdoors in, creating spaces that feel open, welcoming, and dreamy, no matter how far you are from the coastline.

Defining Features of Coastal Interior Design

Natural Materials

Coastal design embraces organic textures that feel relaxed and lasting, mirroring the landscape along the shoreline. Wicker and rattan furniture bring a light, casual elegance, while woven jute or sisal rugs add earthy texture underfoot. Weathered or reclaimed wood, whether used in furniture, ceiling beams, or accent walls, offers a sun-worn character that feels authentic to seaside living. Glass elements, including vases, oversized mirrors, and light fixtures, reflect light and mimic the clarity of water, while stone or pebble accents can subtly reference the beach and coastline. Even fabrics play a role, typically with cotton, linen, and other breathable, natural fibers, keeping the look feeling fluid and inviting.

A Coastal Color Palette

The colors of the coast bring this style to life. Crisp whites and soft creams create a fresh, open backdrop, while sandy beiges and sun-bleached wood tones add warmth and a lived-in ease. Layered into this foundation are sea-inspired blues in every shade, from the pale, airy blue of a summer sky to the rich, grounding depth of navy. Small pops of teal, aqua, seafoam green, and even coral can bring a burst of energy, infusing the space with the vibrant, refreshing spirit of life by the water.

Light, Airy Spaces

Abundant natural light is central to coastal interiors. Large windows, double-glass French doors, and open layouts blur the lines between inside and out. Sheer linen drapes catch the breeze, while white or pale walls reflect light to make rooms feel even more expansive. One of the advantages of using natural materials in coastal design is that they age gracefully, gaining character over time while preserving the fresh, airy feel that helps define this style.

Subtle Nautical Touches

Coastal design often incorporates gentle, well-chosen nods to the sea. Rope accents woven into mirrors or light fixtures, bowls of collected shells, or artwork featuring surfboards, sailboats, and marine life can all bring a hint of nautical charm. Avoid an overly beachy look by balancing nautical accents with clean lines and neutral tones. These elements should evoke the feeling of the coast rather than recreate it literally, keeping the space elegant, storied, and timeless.

Built-In Charm

Architectural details like white-washed built-in shelving, wood-clad ceilings, or wall paneling give coastal homes a sense of craftsmanship and permanence. These features provide the perfect stage for displaying curated coastal finds like sea glass, ceramics, or woven baskets.

Bringing the Look into Your Home

You don’t need an ocean view to enjoy the beauty of coastal design. Start with a light, neutral foundation and layer in soft blues, sandy tones, and natural textures. Choose furniture that feels comfortable and unfussy, and incorporate elements that remind you of the shore, whether that’s a woven jute rug in the bedroom, a driftwood coffee table, or a few well-placed nautical pieces.

Candles or diffusers with fresh, sea-inspired scents can enhance the atmosphere, creating the sensory experience of a salty ocean breeze. And if you’re looking for real-life inspiration, a visit to Seabrook, WA, can spark ideas with its homes and community spaces being a masterclass in blending classic coastal styles with modern living.

For more design inspiration, tips, and trends, visit the design section of our blog.

These Seabrook listings showcase how coastal style blends comfort, light, and seaside charm.

Market News • August 21, 2025

Numbers to Know 8/21/25: Inventory Up, Prices Down, and Rates Easing

by Windermere Staff

This is the latest in a series of videos with Windermere Principal Economist Jeff Tucker, where he delivers the key economic numbers to follow to keep you well-informed about what’s going on in the real estate market.

I’ll start this month by checking in on our most important barometer of the housing market: inventory. Active listings continued to grow in July, but at least nationally, they are still below somewhat below pre-pandemic levels for this time of year.

At the end of July, there were just over 1.1 million active listings on the market – below the 1.23 million on the market in July 2019, but up from 884,000 at this time last year.

That makes for 25% year-over-year growth, which marks another month of deceleration from a peak of 32% annual growth in May. This continues to make this spring look like an inflection point, where inventory is still growing but at an ever-slower pace.

Maybe surprisingly, we didn’t see any deceleration in the flow of new listings in July – it was up 7% year-over-year, or slightly more than June’s 6%. So if inventory growth is slowing, like we just saw, it points to another rising trend this year: de-listings, or expired listings, where sellers are not getting an acceptable offer and just choosing to walk away.

Another sign of sellers being unwilling to bend any further: price reductions. This is the share of active listings where the seller has reduced their asking price. It’s been elevated all year long, but it abruptly stopped rising in July, which is seasonally unusual — so now it’s actually at the exact same share we saw at this time in 2018, 21%, and not far from the share in July 2022.

All in all, the housing market has clearly swung in buyers’ favor, but these signs of an inflection point suggest the momentum in that direction is slowing down.

Turning to the macroeconomy, we have a couple of worrying signals of at least a mild form of macroeconomists’ least favorite condition: stagflation. Starting with the “flation” part, we see that inflation is stubbornly stuck closer to 3% than the Fed’s 2% target.

Shelter inflation has kept cooling in a kind of zigzag pattern, finally approaching 2%.

But the rest of the CPI basket, everything BUT shelter, is once again growing at – just barely – faster than 2% annualized.

And an especially predictive part of the price index, called the sticky price index less shelter, accelerated sharply to almost 3% annual growth.

Turning to the stagnation side of things, the jobs report for July, released on August 1^st, came in way below expectations. The most concerning part is that job gains for May and June were revised down radically, almost wiping out the healthy job gains the BLS reported just last month. Month-to-month revisions are a normal part of how the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports payroll gains and losses, and a pattern of sharply negative revisions often heralds the beginning of a recession.

Stagflation presents the Fed with a dilemma: the very weak jobs report would give them reason to cut interest rates, but resurgent inflation might give them pause. Markets are betting on at least one interest rate cut, starting in September, but after that it’s anybody’s guess where the data will guide their next decisions.

For the housing market, though, what’s most important is mortgage rates, and those have already fallen in the wake of the weak jobs report. Rates swooned, down to just over 6.5%, and while they’ve recovered slightly, this range of around 6.6% is still the best we’ve seen in 2025, so I’ll count that as progress. Buyers seem to be set up for another favorable early autumn housing market – more inventory, plenty of price reductions, and at least some mortgage rate relief.

Selling • August 18, 2025

Sustainable Upgrades That Help Your Home Sell for More

by Windermere Staff

Selling a home begins with understanding how much it’s worth. After an initial assessment, you may want to make some updates to increase the value of your property. There are several ways to do that, including boosting your curb appeal or making renovations with significant ROI potential. As you research potential projects, keep in mind that making your home more sustainable can boost its value to potential buyers. In today’s market, many buyers are looking for eco-conscious features that offer long-term savings, lower utility bills, and improved health and comfort at home. Making the right green upgrades can help your home stand out. Talk with your agent to identify which of these five upgrades makes sense for your home before it hits the market.

Five Green Upgrades that Increase Your Home Value

1. Energy-Efficient Appliances

It’s no secret that appliances use a significant amount of energy, which means there is plenty of opportunity to cut back on their output. Installing energy-efficient appliances can do wonders for creating a more eco-friendly home, while appealing to buyers who value sustainability. And as many cities move toward energy codes that limit or eliminate the use of natural gas, energy-efficient electric appliances are becoming an important part of future-proofing your home. When shopping around, look for appliances with high-efficiency or Energy Star certifications. They may cost more to purchase, but their ability to generate long-term savings is a concrete selling point.

2. Tankless Water Heater

As the shift toward eco-friendly appliances has picked up steam, so too has the preference for tankless water heaters. Whereas standard storage tank water heaters keep a reservoir of hot water at the ready, tankless water heaters heat your home’s water supply on demand. It’s similar to a new car that shuts off its engine when sitting idle, as opposed to an older car whose engine is running all the time. Tankless water heaters don’t come without their share of costs. An upfront investment will be required for purchase and installation, but it will deliver immediate savings on energy bills.

3. Solar Panels

There are many benefits to going solar, but for sellers, the positive effect solar energy has on home values is chief among them. A solar-capable home is a surefire way to drum up buyer interest. By taking care of the upfront installation costs, you allow the buyer to focus on the benefits of solar energy, i.e., the long-term energy savings, the reduced utility bills, and the reduction in the property’s carbon footprint. Depending on your location, you may also be eligible for local or federal tax credits, utility rebates, or other incentives that can offset these installation costs. Work closely with your real estate agent to understand how solar energy has affected home prices in your area to get an idea of the project’s ROI potential.

4. Water Filtration

Installing a home water filtration system is one of the best ways to cut down on your home’s waste while increasing its value. These filtration systems appeal to buyers for a variety of reasons. Of course, there are an array of health benefits to having filtered water running through the entire house. Buyers can be assured that the water is safe to drink, they will be bathing and showering in clean water, and there is a reduced risk of plumbing issues due to contaminated water. Beyond the personal health benefits, it can also cut down on bottled water costs and the amount of landfill waste produced within the home. Some whole-home water filtration systems also come with smart sensors that track usage, detect leaks, and monitor filter lifespan, adding a layer of convenience and long-term savings for homeowners.

5. Energy-Efficient Windows

Alternatives to traditional windows have become more popular in recent years. Energy-efficient windows are better insulated, which helps to regulate temperatures inside the home and protects against harmful ultraviolet rays. Their ability to help regulate your home’s heating and cooling leads to energy savings and reduced carbon emissions. Energy-saving windows can be highly valuable to potential buyers, especially if you live in a climate with extreme temperatures.

In addition to temperature regulation, many buyers also appreciate how modern energy-efficient windows help with soundproofing—a big plus in urban or suburban neighborhoods.

Bonus Upgrades to Consider

If you’re looking to go a step further, here are a few more eco-friendly upgrades that may increase your home’s value and appeal:

Smart thermostats automatically adjust heating and cooling based on your schedule, saving energy and offering buyers convenience.
Upgrading to high-efficiency insulation in walls, attics, or crawl spaces can significantly reduce energy costs.
With electronic vehicles becoming more common, having a dedicated outlet or charging setup at home is a huge plus for future-minded buyers.

For more tips on the selling process, visit the selling section of our blog.

Blog – Selling

Looking to boost your home’s market value with smart, sustainable upgrades? A Windermere agent can help you decide which projects will give you the best return in your neighborhood.

Click the button below to connect with an experienced Windermere Real Estate agent.

Buying • Selling • August 11, 2025

What You Should Know About the Multiple Listing Service (MLS)?

by Windermere Staff

In the process of buying or selling a home, you’ll frequently come across the term “MLS.” The Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is a group of regional databases of homes for sale accessible only to real estate agents and brokers. Their ability to access the MLS makes it easier for buyers to find the right home and for sellers to market their listings.

What is the Multiple Listing Service (MLS)?

The purpose of an MLS is to facilitate real estate transactions by connecting real estate agents and making it easy for them to share information about active listings and sold home data. For buyers and sellers, your agent’s access to the MLS means you’ll be connected to the largest network of homes and listing information on the market.

There are over 500 independent MLSs across the United States, with each MLS showing the homes for sale in a particular geographic region. Listing agents add their clients’ listings to the database—providing photos and detailed information about the property—so buyer’s agents can show them to their clients. The MLS allows for customizable searches, which agents use to easily identify the homes that match their clients’ criteria. The vast amount of historical data available on the MLS is what your agent will use to conduct their Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) to competitively price your home. The listing data in the MLS is fed to real estate brokerage websites, such as Windermere.com, so that buyers can search for homes on their own as well.

Benefits of the Multiple Listing Service (MLS)

Selling a home is a numbers game. The more potential buyers you can reach, the more likely you are to find the right buyer in a timely manner. After your agent conducts their CMA to determine the value of your home, they’ll upload the listing to the MLS. Here, they can add additional information beyond what you would find in a typical listing description, such as showing times, contact information, and more. The MLS provides maximum visibility for sellers by connecting them to buyer’s agents who are actively searching for listings. In today’s market, many MLS platforms offer mobile-friendly tools and agent apps, making it even easier to track showing requests, market updates, and search results on the go. Some even use AI to help agents identify pricing trends or recommend homes that match specific client needs.

The MLS has also helped to make the industry more equitable. Many MLSs enforce policies that promote fair and equitable access to listing data. This includes rules that require agents to submit a listing to the MLS within 24 hours of public marketing, along with principles from the Fair Display Guidelines, which aim to ensure that property listings are represented transparently and are easily accessible. Small real estate brokerages have access to the same MLS info as large companies, putting everyone on a level playing field.

For buyers, the MLS means greater transparency. Agents can set up auto-alerts based on your criteria and ensure you’re seeing listings as soon as they go live. Because the MLS is updated in real-time by licensed agents, it’s often more reliable than national search portals when it comes to availability and details.

What is an MLS number?

An MLS number is a unique code for each home listed on the market. It makes it easier for agents to communicate regarding a specific property. This number also helps agents quickly pull up detailed reports, schedule showings, and share links directly with their clients. If you ever have a question about a home you’ve seen, providing the MLS number ensures your agent can locate it fast.

To learn more about the MLS, or for answers to your buying and selling questions, connect with a local, experienced Windermere agent today:

Market News • August 6, 2025

Local Look Western Washington Housing Update 8/6/25

by Windermere Staff

Hi. I’m Jeff Tucker, principal economist at Windermere Real Estate, and this is a Local Look at the July 2025 data from the Northwest MLS.

After a bit of a roller coaster in the second quarter following the April rollout of Trump’s tariffs, July just looked slow and steady, especially in sales: We saw 4% more closed residential sales across the Northwest MLS in July than last year, and 3% more pending sales.

On the supply side, there were 12% more new listings than July of last year, and the month ended with 36% more active listings than last July. That’s almost identical to the pace of growth we saw in June.

Finally: the most steady number across the Northwest MLS: median sale price, which was exactly the same as last July: $675,000. The growth of active listings has been weighing down price appreciation, and has now brought it down to 0.

This is yet more data showing a market where buyers are gaining negotiating leverage.

Now I’ll take a closer look at the four counties encompassing the greater Seattle area.

Closed sales climbed here by 1% from last year, led by growth in Pierce County, which offset a tiny decline in King County.

Median sale prices were exactly flat year-over-year here in King County at $1 million; up 10% in Kitsap to almost $600,000; up 1% in Pierece and down 2% in Snohomish County.

Looking ahead, pending sales climbed a modest 1% across the region, including a 2% gain in King County.

On the supply side, the 4-county greater Seattle area had over 9,000 active listings at the end of July, or 38% more than the same time last year. This is continuing the deceleration in inventory growth since we had 45% year-over-year gains in May; most of the deceleration is thanks to King County, where inventory was up 50% just a couple months ago.

All in all, this market looks like a return to a “new normal” where buyers have gained the upper hand, at least enough to grind price appreciation a halt, but not nearly enough to bring prices down as much as they’d like. Inventory is still up, but not accelerating toward a glut. And new listings are continuing to deliver a lot of new options for buyers here in the dog days of summer.

Living • July 28, 2025

Bedding Basics: How to Fold a Fitted Sheet (and Other Handy Tips)

by Windermere Staff

There’s something about slipping into a freshly made bed that just feels right. Crisp sheets, fluffed pillows, and a neatly folded duvet can turn even the simplest bedroom into a relaxing retreat. But before you get to the cozy part, it helps to know a few behind-the-scenes tricks, starting with how to properly fold a fitted sheet.

Whether you’re staging your home for buyers, organizing the linen closet, setting up a guest room, or want to bring more intention into your everyday routine, these tips can help you fold, layer, and care for your bedding like a pro.

The Secret to Folding a Fitted Sheet

Fitted sheets are notoriously frustrating to fold. But with a few simple steps, you can turn that tangled ball of fabric into a smooth, crisp square that stacks neatly in your linen closet.

1. Find the Corners

Hold the sheet lengthwise with the shorter sides hanging down and the longer sides running horizontally across your body. Place one hand inside each of the top two corners and flip the corners inside out. Turn the sheet to make sure the seams are facing you and the elastic is facing away.

2. Tuck the Top Corners

Take the corner in your right hand and fold it over the corner in your left hand, so the two corners are neatly tucked into each other, creating a pocket. Switch hands so that the pocket is now in your right hand.

3. Repeat with the Bottom Corners

With your right hand still inside the pocket you just made, reach down along the elastic with your left hand and locate the other pocket created by the bottom two corners. Holding both pockets in front of you, clap your hands together, tucking one pocket into the other. All four corners should now be tucked into each other, forming a rounded square shape.

4. Flatten and Shape

Place the sheet on a flat surface and square it off, smoothing and tucking any loose edges as you go. The elastic should form a “J” shape.

5. Fold It Up

From the bottom of the “J”, fold the sheet into thirds. Then fold the long rectangle into thirds again. The result should be a compact, tidy square that stacks easily in your linen closet.

How To Fold A Fitted Sheet Easily – Video By Sleepopolis

More Tips to Keep Your Bedding Looking (and Feeling) Its Best

Rotate your sheets weekly to help them wear evenly and last longer.
Make putting on a duvet cover easier with the roll-up method (a.k.a. the “burrito” trick)
If you share a bed with a partner, try the Scandinavian sleep method by using two separate duvets for better sleep and fewer blanket battles.
Add pillow protectors under your pillowcases to help extend the life of your pillows and keep them clean.
A light linen or pillow spray can refresh your bedding between washes and create a calming bedtime ritual.
Store sheets inside a matching pillowcase to keep your linen closet neat, organized, and easy to navigate.
Size up your duvet insert for a fuller look and a cloud-like feel. You can also double up on duvet inserts for added warmth and a stylish look.
Layer with intention by using extra pillows and textured throws.
Ironing your pillowcases takes just a minute and makes your bed look freshly washed and made.
If your sheets tend to slip off the corners, try sheet holders, or you can even repurpose a few chip clips in a pinch.

Looking for more ways to elevate your space and simplify your daily routines? Visit the Living section of our blog.

Market News • More • July 22, 2025

Numbers to Know 7/22/25: Inventory Slows, Inflation Rises: What It Means for Buyers and Sellers

by Windermere Staff

This month I’ll take a closer look at inventory, which is our best barometer of whether the market is trending in sellers’ or buyers’ favor. Nationwide, inventory is still working its way back up toward pre-pandemic levels, but at a somewhat moderating pace.

At the end of June, there were about 1 million, 83 thousand active listings on the market, or 29% more than last year. That IS substantial growth, but it’s a step down from the 32% year-over-year gain we saw in May – which marks the first deceleration in this metric since December 2024. This could be a blip, or it could be an inflection point where we see the inventory growth start to slow back down.

That inventory growth has been swinging the pendulum of negotiating power in buyers’ favor, putting downward pressure on sale prices. Now if inventory growth stalls out, that could help to prevent prices from dropping much below year-ago levels.

The reason WHY inventory growth has begun to slow seems to lie with sellers: they came roaring in to 2025 with a healthy rebound of new listings, but they’ve dropped off over the course of Q2.

If we just keep the last few years on this chart of new listings, we can see the year started as strong as 2022… but now owners have pulled back from listing as much. It’s not a total sellers’ strike, but in June there were 15% fewer new listings than in June 2022, or only about 6% more than this time last year.

If this trend continues – sellers backing away from the market – it could insulate prices from declining, but at the cost of fewer transactions in the second half of the year.

Turning to the macroeconomy, the CPI report for inflation in June started to raise some yellow flags. The annualized monthly growth rate of prices jumped to 3.5%, and the year-over-year change in CPI from last June was only 2.7%.

Now, shelter inflation HAS been a major contributor to elevated inflation for the last few years, but it has been decelerating, and that continued in June: in fact, shelter inflation ticked down to its lowest monthly pace in years, at just 2.1% annualized.

The rest of the CPI basket, excluding shelter, is what drove inflation higher: back up to just over 2% for the first time in months. The rise in non-shelter inflation, especially inflation for other services, could lead the Fed to keep their rate cut plans on hold.

Speaking of interest rates, it still feels like Groundhog Day, with 30-year mortgage rates bouncing around 6 and three-quarters percent. There was a modest decline late in June, but that was erased by mid-July. Between strong economic growth, rebounding inflation, and higher debt issuance by the Treasury, I just don’t see much reason to expect mortgage rates to fall dramatically, until some of those factors change. This is still a higher-for-longer world when it comes to long-term interest rates.