Blog - Denni Shefrin

Market News

Eastside Market Report | August 2019 | Provided by Denni Shefrin

The real estate market continued to moderate in July. Inventory rose and home values softened, providing buyers with increased selection and more favorable pricing. Get the full report here.
Buying

The Risks and Rewards of Purchasing a Bank-Owned Home

The process of purchasing a home directly from a lender can be long and arduous, but could very well be worth it in the end. If you have your sights on a particular home or are looking to find a deal on your first, working directly with the lender may be your only option. […]
Market News, Matthew Gardner Reports

Q2 Western Washington Real Estate Market Update

The following analysis of the Western Washington real estate market is provided by Windermere Real Estate Chief Economist Matthew Gardner. We hope that this information may assist you with making better-informed real estate decisions. For further information about the housing market in your area, please contact me! ECONOMIC OVERVIEW Washington State employment jumped back […]
Market News

Eastside Market Report | July 2019 | Provided by Denni Shefrin

The market in our region appears to be moderating. Inventory is up, prices are relatively stable and homes are taking a bit longer to sell. However, with less than two months of available inventory, supply is still far short of demand. Steady buyer activity, low interest rates and a thriving economy are making for a […]

Market News Eastside Market Report | August 2019 | Provided by Denni Shefrin The real estate market continued to moderate in July. Inventory rose and home values softened, providing buyers with increased selection and more favorable pricing. Get the full report here.

Buying The Risks and Rewards of Purchasing a Bank-Owned Home The process of purchasing a home directly from a lender can be long and arduous, but could very well be worth it in the end. If you have your sights on a particular home or are looking to find a deal on your first, working directly with the lender may be your only option. […]

Market News Q2 Western Washington Real Estate Market Update The following analysis of the Western Washington real estate market is provided by Windermere Real Estate Chief Economist Matthew Gardner. We hope that this information may assist you with making better-informed real estate decisions. For further information about the housing market in your area, please contact me! ECONOMIC OVERVIEW Washington State employment jumped back […]

Market News Eastside Market Report | July 2019 | Provided by Denni Shefrin The market in our region appears to be moderating. Inventory is up, prices are relatively stable and homes are taking a bit longer to sell. However, with less than two months of available inventory, supply is still far short of demand. Steady buyer activity, low interest rates and a thriving economy are making for a […]

Living Preparing Your Garage for an Electric Car Photo Source: FleetCarma.com Electric cars help lower emissions and fuel costs, improve fuel economy, and bolster energy security. And considering the volatility of gas prices—and their general skyward trajectory—electric fuel shows promise as an economic alternative. But switching to an electric vehicle entails more than new driving habits and a conversation piece with strangers. It’s also […]

Selling Improve Your Curb Appeal with These Affordable Tips You’ll never have a second chance at a first impression, so let’s make it count! When it comes to upping your home’s curb appeal, there are plenty of small changes you can make that have a big impact. And best of all, you don’t need to call in the pros or spend a fortune to […]

Market News Eastside Market Report | June 2019 | Provided by Denni Shefrin Copy Copy The pace of the housing market gained momentum in May, bringing an uptick in open house traffic and offers. A drop in interest rates and increased inventory were great incentives for buyers. Despite the increase in supply there is less than two months of inventory available – half the national average and far short of […]

Buying Five Things to Consider When Downsizing Downsizing is on the minds of many homeowners today. Some are ready to retire, others want to live more simply, and many want to save money and say goodbye to home maintenance. If you can relate to any of those sentiments, ask yourself these five questions: Have you done the math? The financial savings […]

Market News The Housing Market in 2019 The last time we saw a balanced market was late 1990s, meaning many sellers and buyers have never seen a normal housing market. Windermere Real Estate’s Chief Economist Matthew Gardner looks at more longer-term averages, what does he see for the future of the housing market?

Market News Eastside Market Report | May 2019 | Provided by Denni Shefrin Copy The spring home buying season started early this year. Open houses had increased attendance and bidding wars returned. After months of softening, home prices in most of the region jumped significantly from the prior month. With just one month of data, we’ll have to wait and see if this is the start of a […]

Living Blinds or Curtains? Or Both? Top Things to Consider When Choosing Your Window Style Some rooms just need blinds, other rooms just need curtains, and then some rooms look best with both. But how do you decide which rooms need what? There are a number of factors to consider when you’re picking window treatments for rooms in your house, from price to insulation to style to orientation within the […]

Market News The Q1 2019 Western Washington Gardner Report View Full Report As Chief Economist for Windermere Real Estate, Matthew Gardner is responsible for analyzing and interpreting economic data and its impact on the real estate market on both a local and national level. Matthew has over 30 years of professional experience both in the U.S. and U.K. In addition to his day-to-day responsibilities, […]

Market News Eastside Market Report | April 2019 | Provided by Denni Shefrin After months of softening, home prices began to rise in February. That trend continued in March. While prices in most areas were down from the same time last year, they increased over the prior month. New listings rose as well, offering buyers more options and more time to make the right choice. Despite the […]

Buying Find a New Home in Four Steps Whether you’re a first-time homebuyer or a current owner looking for a bigger home, the ideas below will help you better navigate that all-important first step: Finding a property that you like (and can afford). The search for a new home always starts out with a lot of excitement. But if you haven’t prepared, frustration […]

Market News Matthew Gardner 2019 Housing Forecast

Buying British chaos means interest rates will stay low for longer FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Savers will suffer longer with zero returns on their accounts. Home buyers, companies and governments will keep on borrowing cheaply. And questions will grow further about whether central banks are creating bubbles in financial markets by keeping interest rates near or below zero. The British vote to leave the European Union […]

Buying Seattle housing: Is it a bubble? Single-family house values in Seattle shot up 10.8 percent year-over-year in March, the second highest in the nation after Portland, according to the latest S&P/Case-Shiller index. It’s a new record, surpassing the previous peak in the summer of 2007 — and we saw how that turned out. Nationally, the increase was 5.2 percent. Here, it’s […]

Living Multigenerational homes are back in style, with more breathing room Bob and Myrna Conrad, both 65, share a house with their son Wade, 41, his wife, Dana, 42, and their grandson Bryce, 21. Isn’t it crowded? Don’t they cramp one another’s style? Actually, no. “We just set some ground rules, and it’s been working great,” said Wade Conrad, who has been living with his extended […]

Living 6 Deck Renovations That Really Pay Off—and 1 That Doesn’t Charles Schmidt/iStock If there’s one thing that unites this great country—especially once the weather starts getting warmer and barbecue season gets ever so tantalizingly closer—it is our passionate, even obsessive love for our outdoor decks. Truth be told, just about all of us desire a perch from which to survey our backyard (or rooftop) kingdom, lazily hang out, or […]

Market News Scarce listings drive King County home prices to new highs The median price of single-family homes sold in King County hit a new all-time high last month — $514,975 — amid record-low inventory, heralding even more intense bidding wars ahead in the typically busy spring home-buying season. Ominously, the more affordable Snohomish and Pierce counties also face a historically low inventory level, according to […]