Blog - Julie Wilson

Real Estate

How’s the Market? Q2 2024 Review of Seattle Area Real Estate

Median sales prices were up across the region in Q2 of 2024 compared to this time last year, with the Eastside posting the highest year-over-year appreciation. What should you know that the numbers don’t show? We’re back to a typical PNW seasonal market. Higher temps typically lead buyers to lose focus. There is still quality […]
Community

2024 Football & Hockey Schedules, Recipes, & Tips

Football is BACK and hockey is coming in hot! Scroll down for printable schedules, tailgating hacks (including how to pack the perfect cooler!), and favorite gameday recipes. Fans of all ages will also love our printable football and hockey bingo sheets. Need to brush up on your sports lingo? Check out Wikipedia’s handy football and […]
Tips, Trends & Living

9 Fun Summer DIY Projects for Your Home

Sun’s out…fun’s out! Our glorious PNW summer is coming in hot with endless opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. Here are some fun and easy project ideas to help you make the most of it! 1. Backyard Movie Theater Outdoor movies are a great way to enjoy your yard and entertain a crowd (and keep […]
Real Estate

Why Buyer Representation Matters So Much to Sellers

In today’s rapidly changing real estate landscape, understanding the critical role of buyer representation has never been more essential for home sellers. With the pending NAR settlement on the horizon, many sellers may not fully grasp the significant impact these changes will have on their transactions. The urgency to adapt is real, and overlooking the […]

Real Estate How’s the Market? Q2 2024 Review of Seattle Area Real Estate Median sales prices were up across the region in Q2 of 2024 compared to this time last year, with the Eastside posting the highest year-over-year appreciation. What should you know that the numbers don’t show? We’re back to a typical PNW seasonal market. Higher temps typically lead buyers to lose focus. There is still quality […]

Community 2024 Football & Hockey Schedules, Recipes, & Tips Football is BACK and hockey is coming in hot! Scroll down for printable schedules, tailgating hacks (including how to pack the perfect cooler!), and favorite gameday recipes. Fans of all ages will also love our printable football and hockey bingo sheets. Need to brush up on your sports lingo? Check out Wikipedia’s handy football and […]

Tips, Trends & Living 9 Fun Summer DIY Projects for Your Home Sun’s out…fun’s out! Our glorious PNW summer is coming in hot with endless opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. Here are some fun and easy project ideas to help you make the most of it! 1. Backyard Movie Theater Outdoor movies are a great way to enjoy your yard and entertain a crowd (and keep […]

Real Estate Why Buyer Representation Matters So Much to Sellers In today’s rapidly changing real estate landscape, understanding the critical role of buyer representation has never been more essential for home sellers. With the pending NAR settlement on the horizon, many sellers may not fully grasp the significant impact these changes will have on their transactions. The urgency to adapt is real, and overlooking the […]

Real Estate What You Need to Know about the Washington State Seller Property Disclosure – Form 17 Washington State requires sellers of residential real property to thoroughly disclose material facts on a form called the Residential Real Property Disclosure Statement (often referred to as Form 17). Unless the buyer has expressly waived their rights, the seller must deliver this completed disclosure within 5 days after mutual acceptance. The buyer then has […]

Community 2024 Seattle & Eastside Farmers Markets: Locations, Times & More Summer is just around the corner, and so are these farmers markets! Spend an evening or weekend finding your new favorites among the tents. Think it’s all about kale? Think again. Most offer live entertainment along with a mouth-watering variety of local brews, cheese, bread, meat/seafood, honey, hand roasted coffee, and other hidden gems (in […]

Real Estate How’s the Market? Q1 2024 Review of Seattle Area Real Estate The Seattle/Eastside real estate market is hot and the Q1 stats support the claim; most homes sold in the first 10 days and either at or above their listed prices. Eastside median sales prices saw double-digit gains of 14% compared to this time last year, while Seattle was close behind with a 9% price bump. […]

Real Estate 7 Ways to Make Life Easier When Selling Your Home When it’s time to sell a home, we all dream of a flawlessly executed transaction where everything goes smoothly and ends with a win-win for you and the buyer. Here are seven tips to help make that happen—and avoid surprise expenses along the way… 1. Repair Your Home First Making repairs to your home before […]

Tips, Trends & Living Which Documents Should You Shred, and When? As the spring cleaning bug hits, many of us will finally be tackling those stacks of paperwork that have been piling up throughout the year. It’s tempting to chuck it all in the recycle bin and be done with it. However, did you know that it’s actually legal for someone to dig through your trash/recycling […]

Real Estate Preparing to Sell Your Home: A Complete Checklist Getting your home ready to sell can feel like a circus act. Without the right organization, juggling the countless moving parts involved in this stage of the selling process can take its toll. This is the perfect opportunity to create a checklist to keep yourself on track and within your budget. The following information will […]

Community Property Tax Relief Programs in King County More than 26,000 low-income seniors and disabled people in King County who qualify for a tax exemption haven’t claimed it…are you or your family member one of them? If you are homeowner, make $58k or less per year, and are either age 61+ or retired due to disability, there is a good chance you qualify. […]

Real Estate Q4 2022 Western Washington Economic & Real Estate Update The following analysis of select counties of the Western Washington real estate market is provided by Windermere Real Estate Chief Economist Matthew Gardner. I 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 don’t hesitate to contact me. Regional […]

Real Estate How’s the Market? Annual Review of Seattle Area Real Estate While 2022 began on the heels of an extreme seller’s market we saw in the wake of the COVID pandemic, the second half of the year showed a marked shift back toward normalcy. Rising interest rates and tech layoffs significantly slowed down the number of home sales. The good news for buyers is that we […]

Real Estate Matthew Gardner’s Top 10 Predictions for 2023 This video shows Windermere Chief Economist Matthew Gardner’s Top 10 Predictions for 2023. Each month, he analyzes the most up-to-date U.S. housing data to keep you well-informed about what’s going on in the real estate market. 1. There Is No Housing Bubble Mortgage rates rose steeply in 2022 which, when coupled with the massive run-up […]

Real Estate What is an Adjustable-Rate Mortgage (ARM)? Securing the most advantageous financing for your situation is an integral part of the success formula of buying a home. After getting pre-approved but once you’ve found the home you’d like to pursue, one of your primary tasks is exploring different loan products to see which best fits your situation. This is the fork in […]

Real Estate How’s the Market? Q3 2022 Real Estate Review While still considered a seller’s market, our July-September home sale activity signaled the return of some much-needed balance. Seattle and Eastside home prices still posted year-over-year gains in Q3, but rising interest rates markedly slowed the pace of both listings and sales. Houses also stayed on the market longer than we saw during the frenzy […]

Community Favorite Local Pumpkin Patches Grab your boots, pack a thermos…it’s time to choose those perfect Halloween pumpkins! This year, why not explore a new town and make your pumpkin patch experience a true adventure? All of these farms are open every weekend in October, and most are open on weekdays too. Some even welcome your furry family members on […]

Tips, Trends & Living Your Fall Home Maintenance Checklist A clever person solves a problem; a wise person avoids it. As the days shorten, you can mitigate many mid-winter headaches with some preemptive prep. Proper weatherizing can help protect your home from preventable damage, save money on energy costs, and, most importantly, keep you and your loved ones safe and warm throughout the winter […]

Community Kicks for Kids Shoe Drive August 8-19 Help us give kids the confidence they need to start the school year right! Windermere Mercer Island invites you to participate in our Kicks for Kids back-to-school sneaker drive. It connects low-income youth in our local communities with new shoes for the upcoming school year. Between August 8th and 19th, we’ll be accepting donations two […]

Real Estate How’s the Market? Q2 Real Estate Review While Seattle and the Eastside are still considered a seller’s market, buyers experienced some much-needed relief in the second quarter with new listings outpacing the number of homes sold. Rising interest rates have initiated a shift toward a more balanced market. Opportunities abound for both sellers (who are still seeing higher sales prices than this […]