Renditions of Real Estate

Chances are, you or one of your friends is interested in today’s real estate market. It inevitably comes up in nearly every conversation. “We were thinking about downsizing,” “We are thinking about buying a place in Chelan,” “We want a bigger house now that the kids are growing,” “We need room for parents that visit."

Life changes bring changes in your real estate needs. With that, comes a deluge of advice and suggestions from all your friends and the nightmare stories people have had when buying or selling their home. I am asked one question daily as a realtor about today’s market: “Is it getting any better?”

Fact is, in Washington, real estate is as diverse as the population purchasing it. Head north, things are a little slow. Head to the city and parts of Redmond and Bellevue and you will experience multiple offers. Head south, and again the market is slower. This blog will be dedicated to you, the buyer, the seller, the investor. My team will be looking at houses in Redmond and surrounding areas and reporting back what we are experiencing and seeing. You are welcome to post questions, and we’ll do our best to answer! We’ll try not to weigh the blog down with statistical analysis. There’s plenty of it out there, and depending on how the numbers are skewed, the statistics can be viewed in a multitude of ways.

So for the first blog, I’ll focus on a recent home that was listed west of Idylwood Beach Park. The home listed for $499,000 and had multiple offers the first day it was up for sale. The home sold for $551,000. What tipped the scales? Location. Location. Location.

Let’s start with the school district. is highly sought after for award winning teaching and technology. is within walking distance in the development. Lake Sammamish Parkway is an easy gateway to shopping and businesses in Redmond and Bellevue, and is a fabulous weekend destination. Aside from the location, the house itself was immaculate; updated kitchen, beautifully decorated, updated colors, all the personal items removed to allow the buyer to feel like the home could one day be theirs. The landscaping was manicured and the home felt like a buyer could move right in. 

The moral of the story? If you are going to list your home, look around and de-clutter and de-personalize. Avoid what I call “squinting moments”—the potential buyer is walking through the home, loves everything about the house, and we get to the bonus room and realize that last years Apple Cup meant more to your family than it probably should have, given that you painted one wall Crazy Crimson and the other Passionate Purple. Even if it costs a bit, consider turning your home into the showcase it deserves to be. Alleviate any concerns an incoming buyer will have, and you will reap the benefits of a happy buyer.