Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Northwest Real Estate Federal Way & Puyallup

  Some Highlights: According to the US Census Bureau, “millennials” are defined as 18-36-year-olds. According to NAR’s latest Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers , the median age of all first-time home buyers is 32. More and more “old millennials” (25-36) are realizing that homeownership is within their grasp now! July 12, 2019 / by KCM Crew

Every year at this time there are many homeowners who decide to wait until after the holidays to list their homes for the first time, while others who already have their homes on the market decide to take them off until after the holidays. Here are seven great reasons not to wait: Relocation buyers are out there. Many companies are still hiring throughout the holidays and need their new employees in their new positions as soon as possible. Purchasers who are looking for homes during the holidays are serious buyers and are ready to buy  now . You can restrict the showings on your home to the times you want it shown. You will remain in control. Homes show better when decorated for the holidays. There is minimal competition for you as a seller right now. Inventory of homes for sale traditionally slows in the late fall, early winter. Let’s take a look at listing inventory as compared to the same time last year: The desire to own a home doesn’t stop when the holidays come.

The volume of newly constructed homes is a key indicator of the real estate market. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics  This Week in Real Estate , the employment rate for construction workers is the strongest it has been since 2001.  Below are a few highlights from the first  week of August that influence our business : *  Consumer Confidence Rises Above Expectations in July .   Consumer confidence gained more than expected in July, but consumers remained concerned about future economic growth.  The Confidence Board's index increased to 127.4 in July, beating an estimated 126.5 by Reuters economists.  Consumers reported better feelings toward the current economic situation; however, they were not optimistic about long-term growth.  "Consumers' assessment of present-day conditions improved, suggesting that economic growth is still strong," said Lynn Franco, director of economic indicators at The Conference Board. Steve Odland , president and CEO of

A 3 hour Lunch & Learn on How to Get More Listings with our new Director of Career Development, Scott Stevenson. https://bhhshowtogetlistings.eventbrite.com

Get ready for another month of learning! August is right around the corner, so be sure to look at the digital or physical printouts of the calendar to pick/ choose what class you'll be taking. Let's get educated! ☺ Both our Career Nights:  1st Tuesday:  https://bhhsfwcareers1.eventbrite.com 3rd Tuesday:  https://bhhsfwcareers3.eventbrite.com Test Prep:  https://bhhstestprep.eventbrite.com DISC & RE:  https://bhhsdisc.eventbrite.com Listing Presentations:    https://bhhsnwlistingpresentation.eventbrite.com

Every homeowner wants to make sure that they maximize their financial reward when selling their home, but how do you guarantee that you receive the maximum value for your house? Here are two ways to ensure that you get the highest price possible. 1. Price it a Little Low This may seem counterintuitive, but let’s take a look at this concept for a moment. Many homeowners think that pricing their homes a little OVER market value will leave them with room for negotiation when, in actuality, it just dramatically lessens the  demand  for their houses  (see chart below). Instead of the seller trying to ‘win’ the negotiation with one buyer, they should price their house so that demand for the home is maximized. By doing so, the  seller  will not be fighting with a  buyer  over the price but will instead have  multiple buyers   fighting  with  each other  over the house. Realtor.com  gives this advice: “Aim to price your property at or just slightly below the going rate. Today

As the real estate market continues to move down the road to a complete recovery, we see home values and home sales increasing while distressed sales ( foreclosures and short sales ) continue to fall to their lowest points in years. There is no doubt that the housing market will continue to strengthen throughout 2018. However, there is one thing that may cause the industry to tap the brakes: a lack of housing inventory! Here’s what a few industry experts have to say about the current inventory crisis: Lawrence Yun,  Chief Economist  for the  National Association of Realtors “Inventory coming onto the market during this year’s spring buying season… was not even close to being enough to satisfy demand , that is why home prices keep outpacing incomes and listings are going under contract in less than a month – and much faster – in many parts of the country.” Sam Khater,  Chief Economist  for  Freddie Mac “While this spring’s sudden rise in mortgage rates [took] up a good

Branding yourself as a real estate market expert is key to your success. However, many agents focus on branding themselves as a utility rather than an expert. For example, they often advertise that they can help clients with tasks like home search, home staging, or paperwork. While this is certainly helpful for clients, it doesn’t set you apart from other real estate agents who can do the exact same thing. A better approach is to brand yourself as an expert — as a real estate agent who knows what’s happening in the market. Why? Because that’s exactly the kind of professional today’s buyers and sellers want to hire. In fact,  NAR’s Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers  shows that when deciding on which agent to work with, 93% of consumers say an agent’s “knowledge of the real estate market” is very important. Skills like being a great home stager or assisting with home search rank much lower. You need to prove that you’re the expert who can help people with the largest as