Hello six!

It’s Friday and I’m taking a sweep of this week while drinking a tad extra morning caffeine and listing to an oldie but a goodie, “Peaceful World” – a John Mellencamp tune. Seemed an appropriate jingle… “it’s what you do isn’t not what you say…” a good transition into what I’ve noticed in our real estate market these days…

On communication, Be Nice. | What has walked into my office of recent hasn’t been so much contract issues (although, they certainly do exist), instead (and at an accelerated rate) it is been working through brokers not playing nicely in the sandbox with other brokers. Fatigue, frustrations, wearing of  client’s  emotions of our backs and the like has officially set in.  I have not seen the very best in people these days, understandable. That said, a reminder that our broker to broker (peer to peer) interactions are playing a part in making or breaking the outcome for a client, our brand – our profession. A few key reminders + take-a-ways in Quality of good Communication –

• We understand 7% with words.
• We understand 38% with tone, pitch & tempo.
• We understand 55% body language.

In prep for writing today, I looked back at my Ninja materials and ran across this gem…”Electronic negotiations: Avoid being the “Faceless Other!” Suggestion: when delivering good or bad news, take a pause and consider/determine the very best communication vehicle for what you need to deliver. Taking the best path will lead to better long-term results. Often our communication can lead to unintended consequences (and then we end up talking about them!).

Our Michael Fanning teaches these communication concepts at our WRE Ninja Installation. Michael has brokers try this on for a communication exercise > You are on a the witness stand and you say, “I didn’t see he shot his wife!” But repeat it 7 times with emphasis on each different word and see how you will get 7 different meanings. Just shows that communication needs to happen face to face or on the phone.

Quality communication solves a lot. Intently listening can solve a lot too. As Fanning eloquently put it as I recapped these points with him this week, “so don’t have conversations when your trying to locate a Pokémon.” Exactly.

If communication does go south… | …between brokers or clients, a gentle reminder of the need for brokers to keep + organize their “material correspondence“. Demco has recently provided us Update on Records Retention Requirements that again speaks to the importance of us (“us” being, The Firm – what the DOL calls “us”) has access to your emails, text messages and the like that are “material” to a transaction – at a minimum, we ask that you have correspondence relating to “contract formation, exercise of contingency, termination and other significant transaction events.”  ***a suggestion on text messages that are “material” > take a screen shot of a text, email it to yourself and file away in your organized client files. For those of you looking for another possible techy solution, Shawn Prutsman shared with me this week a tool to back up text messages (potentially “material” voicemails as well). A tool by Macroplant – if it works, let me know – I haven’t vetted it just yet.

Summer Splash, August 20th promo materials | Our Tune Up team graphic designer (Maddie!)has created for us a combined promo piece that now includes both Summer Splash + Kicks for Kids. This can be used as a postcard, FB invite, email campaigns and the like. Need help? Ask your support staff at the office. New combined promo image located within our Jacobi 6 file on WORC. Designed just for you.

• WORC > office tab (upper left) > Jacobi six > Client Flow marketing > 1. Client events (summer splash + kicks for kids folders)

Next week | I’ll be trying something new – something I’ve never done before. Stay tuned, I’ll share – not real estate related. In the immediate, I too challenge you to try something new. It’s summer, why not!? This market has been a challenge. Do something that requires a real pause and gives your mind a rest from the incredible focus + work we’ve all been doing in our marketplace. I often remind myself, it is just real estate. It is. Easier said than done. If you do take me up on this challenge do share with me what you will try new! I like to know that stuff, a lot.

…AND, while we are at it, let’s circle back to “being nice in our sandbox” Mindful communication will help us all navigate these real estate waters better together.

Have a fantastic weekend in productive summer work + play. We are all here to help.

Laura Smith | General Manager | Windermere Real Estate Co + Northwest, Inc.

Six – welcome to Friday! Whew, a short week yet an intense week as we continue to navigate this local market. Let’s take a quick sweep, together – at a glance for this week > #’s you should know (June 2016) +  Summer Splash + Kicks for Kids drop off location. Join me and our offices hosting our Summer Splash, August 20th at Green Lake – if you can’t go – no problem, send your people! Super fun.

This week, the “science” | The NWMLS June 2016 statistical data was released this week – signaling us to update our Seattle statistics as well. A few talking points + #’s you should know as you continue to master being the smartest brokers boots on ground in the local marketplace. According to the NWMLS, for Metro Seattle (140 + 380 + 385 + 390 + 700 + 705 + 710)…

June 2016 vs. June 2015 | % Change included

• Median Active List Price | $817,215 vs.  $728,699 | up 12%
• Pending (MTD) | 911 vs. 893 | up 2%
• Pending (YTD) | 4,500 vs. 4,832 | -7%
• # of Closed sales (MTD) | 852 vs. 857 | -1%
• # of Closed sales (YTD) | 3,532 vs. 3,737 | -5%
• Median Closed Sales (YTD) | $647,841 vs. $551,225 | up 18%

• MLS figures show there is a 0.6 months of supply inventory our collective Metro Seattle areas. How does each individual Metro Seattle neighborhoods stack up in months of supply? Click here for Seattle statistical graphs by area.
• A recent report from CoreLogic, indicated home prices are rising faster in WA than in any other state in the nation.

…activity continues at a brisk pace, and now Brexit (Britain’s vote to exit the European Union) may contribute to an uptick in home sales, according to some brokers and industry watchers…

• “Demand for U.S. real estate could rise,” said Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors. He attributes uncertainty before the Bretix vote as likely reason the Fed Reserve decided not to raise interest rates in June and said the U.S. could face an influx of foreign buyers looking to pull out of the U.K.
• “Uncertain economic times almost always lead to a “flight to safety,” which means global capital pouring into the United States bond market at an aggressive rate. This ultimately drives down mortgage rates and makes it cheaper for home buyer to borrow money.” – our OB Jacobi on how the U.S. housing market could end up benefitting from Brexit.

Summer Splash + Kicks for Kids | Looking for a reasons to touch base with your people this summer? We have created one for you! This annual event has grown each year – we now have it dialed in! I’ll be there, join me. There will be a Gentle Giant moving truck at the event again this year and can be a drop off location for people to bring “Kicks for Kids”! Win/win.

Marketing (“flow”) materials ready for you – we’ve dropped them in our Jacobi 6 file on WORC. Designed just for you. ***Remember where that is? Let me help – let’s make it a habit…

WORC > office tab (upper left) > Jacobi six > Client Flow marketing > 1. Client events (summer splash + kicks for kids folders)

Here to help, always the ultimate goal. Give me feedback along the way – please leave me a note on this blog. I will be sure to respond to you. Let me know what content you are liking, what you want more of or less of. This content is specifically geared for you – Sand Point + Wedgwood + Northgate + Eastlake + Madison Park + Ballard – our six! We are grateful you have all chosen Windermere. We are all here to help. Shout if you need anything, have a wonderful weekend in productive summer work + play.

Laura Smith, General Manager | Windermere Real Estate Co + Northwest, Inc.

The 2016 presidential election will absolutely have an impact on the housing market and the U.S. Economy. What those impacts will be are dependent on who occupies the White House in 2017. A clip in what our Chief Economist, Mr Matthew Gardner has to say about the influence each presidential candidate may have on the market. Click here.

• Like Premier Properties, homes that meet the quality standards and are in the designated price range, will have the opportunity to register for the W Collection. Think of it almost like Premier for homes that start at $2.5 million in Seattle and the surrounding area, and $3 million on the Eastside. The program will have W Collection branded signage and collateral and will formally launch in late September.  What has caused some confusion for people is the concierge marketing aspect of the program that Leigh Canlis is rolling out. Here’s an explanation of that:   Brokers that wish to pay for added marketing support (not things like flier creation, but rather high-end branding, events, vetted services, and much more) will have the opportunity to “join” and pay a fee. We are still working on all the details of that and will be slowly rolling it out. More to come on that soon.  This program is in no way shape of form exclusionary – instead a soft launch (beta) program. The W Collection is meant to service a specific segment of our clientele. What it comes down to is that we are answering the call to compete in the ultra-high end market that has emerged in the greater Puget Sound region. 

Market “science” sound bites | June Keeping Current Matters with Steve Harney | A few of my favorite slides from the June KCM webinar, talking points and story telling…

• Moving away from “recovery” commentary to “expansion”…
• Images below showing current + projected year-over-year % in pricing
• A conversation of “Seller pent up demand“…”historically in this country, from 2001 to 2007, people would stay in the house they purchased about 6 years. That number since 2007 has risen pretty dramatically to 7, then 8, then 9, then 10 years (for good reason – the economy wasn’t good). People really couldn’t make the move. Some people were under water. They couldn’t afford to make the move. Some people were just nervous about their job and couldn’t make the move. But what we saw last year is 10 went to 9 years. People started selling again. I don’t know if we’re going back to 6 very quickly. But, I do think there are a bunch of  people that stayed in their house longer than they normally would, and some of those houses are going to come to market over the next eighteen months.” – Steve Harney

• We will not be hosting this new form on the NWMLS – instead we see this a competitive advantage
• Form 41 should marry all other terms from PSA
• Best use, copy and paste what specific verbiage you need on a NWMLS Form 34 – my opinion, when used in its entirety it could leave open discussion from a Seller wondering why a perspective Buyer “isn’t waiving this or that?”
• This form could be used as a conversational piece during your initial buyer intake phase – a “show” piece in what it takes to compete and survive this market. Might as well find out early if this is the right time to dive in or be on the sidelines.
• Commentary from Demco specific to item B3 – on “waiver of NWMLS Form 27 Condo Resale Certificate”…

Welcome to Friday! Let’s take a quick sweep of this week…no pictures + no video + no announcements – simply a quick reminder + story to share…

Wrapping up today and thinking about a conversation I had with veteran broker Steven Smith at a Welcome to Windermere bbq Jill + OB + I hosted this week. Steven recently joined our Madison Park office from Coldwell Banker Bain (Cap. Hill office). As we were surrounded by many brokers new to the business, the gist of our conversation together was the incredible reminder of the power and importance of our relationships within the real estate industry – our peers.  I speak and coach a lot towards building a solid database and how to create a sustainable pipeline with such a foundation in place. However, equally important is really knowing who you are working across the table from – this too is sometimes the necessary competitive advantage needed when navigating this market with your clients. I cannot cannot stress the importance of keeping these relationships just as top of mind as those within your database (your sphere) as you continue to build out your pipeline. Keep “showing up“, building these relationships at your office, within our Company, our WRE brand and outside our brand – all of these relationships matter. 

I’m having fun with this Friday blog. Today was a very quick hitter – I realize summer has started, we are six months into 2016 and most likely any iced cold beverage in your hand now, or soon to be wouldn’t warrant reading a lengthy blog today. I get it! Next week I plan to focus a bit on goal setting – dusting off any goals or business plans you have for the year – tis’ the season to take inventory and see what adjustments need to be made for the second half of this year! I too will be dusting off my goals for our six offices and for me personally.

Here to help, always the ultimate goal. Give me feedback along the way – this content is specifically geared for you – Sand Point + Wedgwood + Northgate + Eastlake + Madison Park + Ballard – our six! We are grateful you have all chosen Windermere. We are all here to help. Shout if you need anything, have a wonderful weekend in productive work + play.

Laura Smith, General Manager | Windermere Real Estate Co + Northwest, Inc.

Yes, it’s only Tuesday! Although I’m heading off-line + off-grid beginning tomorrow as I celebrate with my family the start of summer, end of 1st + 3rd grade and remind myself what it feels like to be off-grid for a few days. Butt back in our offices Tuesday of next week! No doubt I’ll have plenty of stories to tell and a refreshed perspective. I’d tell you where I’m going but I can’t just yet – surprise trip for my husband who actually reads this stuff!

TED | Do you have 3 minutes, right now? | TED talk breaks down 8 secrets of success in 3 minutes. Yes, in 3 minutes! Richard St. John, a self-described average guy who found success doing what he loved spent more than a decade researching the lessons of success — and distilling them into 8 words, 3 minutes and one successful book. This is a quick hitter in inspiration on this Tuesday – (go to 3rd video down)  > click > TED.com.

Mix in some fun with all of this madness! | Tacos + Tequila @ Jill + Geoff’s home, find the clipboard in your office and join us for some fun. Book it, see you there! I may or may not be in costume for the event.

Tax time reminder | June 15th his upon us (Wednesday of this week!), make sure your estimated quarterly taxes are in order – if this applies to you! I’m certainly no accountant yet I’ve always made it a point to stay on top of this detail. All part of the 1099 gig we signed up for in this profession called real estate. ***need help automating this detail in the future? Solution: WRE accounting can get this done for you. See your manager for direction, if interested.

Father’s Day | An early toast to all you dads out there – celebrate well this Sunday – YOU and all of the other father & father figures out there!

Back in the saddle Tuesday of next week – until then, let’s continue with our 2016 mantra, “Do It Well. Make It Fun!” Thanks for taking this sweep with me a little early this week! I’m having fun with this. Here to help, always the ultimate goal. Give me feedback along the way – this content is specifically geared for you – our six!

Laura Smith, General Manager | Windermere Real Estate Co + Northwest, Inc.

Welcome to Friday! Let’s take a sweep of this week…but first, a quick story to launch you into the evening and weekend ahead…

…woke my 1st grade daughter up this morning in a her stone cold sleep to remind her that today was her “reading rodeo” (you know, the day that the parents come to the school to square dance, wear cowboy swag and the kids show off they can now read + write – yup, that day!) and she rolled over – with eyes still very much closed and first words out of her mouth were.. “Yee-haw!” I’ll take it! Yee-haw everyone, happy Friday.

At a glance for this week > #’s you should know (May 2016) + Tune Up new hire + multiple offer emergency link + you (our people!)…

This week, the “science” | The NWMLS May 2016 statistical data was released this week – signaling us to update our Seattle statistics as well. A few talking points + #’s you should know as you continue to master being the smartest brokers boots on ground in the local marketplace. According to the NWMLS…

• The month of May had an uptick in new listings (12,272), but just as many buyers (12,275) made offers on homes during the month to keep inventory depleted. *Yup, we are feeling it!
• Inventory down more than 22% from a year ago (NWMLS database)
• MLS figures show there is only a 1.76 months of supply system-wide. How does our Metro Seattle neighborhoods stack up in months of supply? Click here for Seattle statistical graphs by area. Ballard/Green Lake/West Seattle (areas 705 + 140) are all tied up for winning the lowest inventory category > a whopping 0.60 months of inventory supply. Queen Anne / Magnolia take the trophy for the highest > 1.04 months of inventory supply. Neither deserves a trophy, however should be noted.
• In King county prices of SFH surged nearly 16.5%, condo prices up 9%.

As Matthew Gardner will share with you very soon in his economic corner “this was supposed to be a year of moderating home prices and a return to normality.  Instead, upward price pressures have clearly not abated, and many red-faced economists are scrambling to revise their forecasts. The culprit? Most forecasters, predicted that three years of rising prices would lead to an increase in the number of sellers, and in turn, more inventory to meet growing buyer demand. Early returns show that most forecasts are already too conservative…” more to come in the coming weeks within your “Note from Jill & OB”…

Multiple offer emergency kit | A golden nugget to share with you – a one-pager to use as reference as you continue to work with your clients in this multiple offer landscape. Click here for goodness.

Tune Up Team new hire! | Welcome Pattie O’Loughlin – our new member to the Tune Up Team! Our team is growing as we continue to find innovative and inspired ways to support you. Pattie will join our Company next week in addition to her on-boarding 1/2 time with our Windermere marketing team. Win/win for our six offices + marketing! More to come in her role – for now, know that we are growing! Meet your Tune Up Team

Our people | These past two weeks I’ve attended a handful of WRE events that yet again remind me that we are surrounded by the best people. Our people have always been the strongest pillars to our collective success. Community Service Day was again greatly impactful throughout our communities  – with our office doors closed throughout the entire 300 office network and all of us rolling up our sleeves to help. The Coach Peterson event at the UW’s Touchdown Terrace was fantastic in hosting your clients and listening to Coach Pete’s mantra, “built for life” (Go Dawgs!). Yesterday I spend three hours cruising the shores of Lake Washington with 110 incredible WRE brokers as we toured waterfront inventory, listened to market stories, ate + drank well and networked between WRE offices like crazy! What did I noticed these past couple weeks? We are living out our four core values that drive everything we do = Relationships + Community + Collaboration + Professionalism. What we do is not easy, if we continue to lean on + lean into these core values we will continue to find success in any market. Remember our mantra from our 2016 kickoff meeting? “Do It Well. Make It Fun.” – six months into the year let’s bring that back top of mind – it will help in all we do to create a successful year. Summer should give us opportunity to add some “fun” to the mix. Find it! We all need it.

Thanks for taking this sweep with me on this “yee-haw” Friday! I’m having fun with this. Here to help, always the ultimate goal. Give me feedback along the way – this content is specifically geared for you – our six!

Laura Smith, General Manager | Windermere Real Estate Co + Northwest, Inc.

• “Jacobi 6” > Offer tool kit (folder) > Multiple Offer Emergency Pack (pdf)
• “Jacobi 6” > Offer took kit (folder) > Complete Disclosure Packets (pdf)

Thanks for taking this sweep with me on Friday! I’m having fun with this. Here to help, always the ultimate goal. Give me feedback along the way – this content is specifically geared for you – our six!

Laura Smith, General Manager | Windermere Real Estate Co + Northwest, Inc.

Welcome to yet another Friday in which Seattle is doing it’s best to show off again! I hope you have your favorite Friday beverage in hand – mine?…venti passion iced tea unsweetened – let’s take a quick sweep…cheers to a fantastic weekend in productive work + play – let’s face it, we do both on Saturdays and Sundays…

At a glance for this week > Tune Up team happy hour + Myth busting “technical excellence” + a sound bite from our “economic corner” + client appreciation (done for you) – tickets still available – I’ll see you there!

Tune Up Team | Quarterly we meet as a six office Tune Up team to discover how to best support you. Bottom line, we know you are busy, we are here to help – just ask. That is all I want to say about that today – a quick look at us raising a glass at Happy Hour – ok,  really 2.5 hours of us talking about you + drinking smoothies (my kind of happy hour!) + figuring out best practices in rolling out additional support at the branch level and beyond. Eastlake office hosted this meet up, Sand Point is next up! Awesome people collaborating on what matters most – supporting you.

Technical Excellence | 5 bullet points worth discussing this week – thank you Michael Nelson for getting this conversation started (manager, Eastlake).  A summary below that encapsulates conversations with Lars Neste (Demco attorney), Justin Haag (NWMLS attorney) and Chris Osborn (prior house counsel for the NWMLS). NOTE: whatever you do, do not take this as true legal counsel – I’m simply the messenger today. Each of your managers will have a deeper dive email in their inbox for discussion. Interesting stuff. Most likely these talking points might just bust a few myths out in the marketplace.

1.  A Seller is not obligated to take a full price “perfect” offer.
2.  A Seller is certainly not obligated to take a full price “perfect” offer if it comes in shortly after a property was listed.
3.  A Seller can counter any offer at any time higher than what is being offered EVEN IF that offer is full price.
4.  A Seller is not offering to SELL a property when it is listed.  They are inviting Buyers to submit offer to purchase and they then get to decide if they like any of the offers.
5. Of the three real estate attorneys we debated this topic with over the past 10 days NOT ONE has ever heard of a successful claim for commission in this situation.

Economic Corner with Matthew Gardner | A quick market sound bite below – for the full article grab a printed copy of “A Note from Jill & OB” – they are floating in & around your office…

***While home values have grown quite precipitously over the past four years, we have added very little to our debt load. Mortgages peaked in 2008 at around $10.7 trillion, but have since tapered to $9.49 trillion, and remain well below there 2006 peak. (big words + big #’s!) What does all this mean? Well, with home prices rising and consumers not taking on additional mortgage debt, all important home equity levels have grown substantially to $12.54 trillion and are closing in on the 2006 record. > This data should ease people’s concerns regarding the formation of a housing bubble (nationally). Should any unforeseeable drop in home values happen, growing equity levels will certainly act as a cushion – Windermere Chief Economist – Matthew Gardner

(Tickets still available!) Husky Fans meet UW Coach Chris Peterson | Husky fan or not, invite your clients to join you on Wednesday, June 1 at the Don James Center in Husky Stadium from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. for a networking reception where UW Football Coach Chris Petersen will give an update on how spring practice went and a preview of the upcoming season. He’ll also explain his mantra “built for life” and how he prepares his team for life beyond football. We’ll end with a Q & A session. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. I’ll see you there! Quick access to order tickets under Featured Events. Marketing materials available with your branch staff. We are all here to help.

Thanks for taking this sweep with me on Friday! I’m having fun with this. Here to help, always the ultimate goal. Give me feedback along the way – this content is specifically geared for you – Sand Point + Wedgwood + Northgate + Eastlake + Madison Park + Ballard – our six!

Laura Smith, General Manager | Windermere Real Estate Co + Northwest, Inc.

Welcome to yet another Friday in which Seattle is showing off again! I hope you have your favorite iced beverage in hand (or are planning just that for later) – let’s take a quick sweep…

At a glance for this week, this one is short + sweet focused on community + a dose of perspective through video + a new client appreciation event done for you…Husky + “built for life” themed (and oh, by the way – if you didn’t hear the good news, Huskies won the Windermere Cup last weekend! It was an amazing day in community + sport yet again)…

Community Service Day | It is oh so close – I’m ready for such focus outside of this Spring craze in our real estate market(s). Friday, June 3rd we will each take our annual pause and come together with our individual branch and disburse into our communities to make a difference.  Even more powerful, this happens Windermere wide – pretty darn amazing. Warning: video brings tears (and a good solid dose of perspective). We’ve had over 8300 views to-date = a lot of Kleenex. Grab a Kleenex and click here.

Curious to know how our six offices will be doing good in our respective hoods this year?  Here is hour six office roll call…

• Sand Point > NE Seattle Together, NEST
• Wedgwood >  In cooperation with Wedgwood Community Council and the neighbors Wedgwood will be providing a strip of 35th Ave NE a well deserved facelift!
• Northgate > For a second year in a row Northgate will be volunteering at YouthCare in downtown Seattle – delivering donations and cooking lunch for 50-60 youths aged 12-24. The James W Ray Orion Center is YouthCare’s hub for services. It offers a safe, open place where youth can access many services, from meeting basic needs to education and employment training.
• Eastlake > Yet again, pouring in the hours with Rebuilding Together Seattle!
• Madison Park > MP will be working in the Arboretum in clean up and weeding efforts in a key “garden area”
• Ballard > For a second year in a row, in partnership with St Luke’s our Ballard office will be rolling up their sleeves and making an impact – paint rollers in hand and just about anything to beautiful their facilities.

Personally I am looking forward to participating in my 16th CSD – collectively we do indeed build better communities through our collective efforts. We cannot thank you enough for caring, taking a quick pause and showing up! June 3rd 2016 is prepped to make an impact, both big + small. It all matters.

Husky Fans meet UW Coach Chris Peterson | Husky fan or now, invite your clients to join you on Wednesday, June 1 at the Don James Center in Husky Stadium from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. for a networking reception where UW Football Coach Chris Petersen will give an update on how spring practice went and a preview of the upcoming season. He’ll also explain his mantra “built for life” and how he prepares his team for life beyond football. We’ll end with a Q & A session. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. I’ll see you there! Quick access to order tickets under Featured Events. Marketing materials available with your branch staff. We are all here to help.

Thanks for taking this sweep with me on Friday! I’m having fun with this. Here to help, always the ultimate goal. Give me feedback along the way – this content is specifically geared for you – Sand Point + Wedgwood + Northgate + Eastlake + Madison Park + Ballard – our six!

Laura Smith, General Manager | Windermere Real Estate Co + Northwest, Inc.

It’s Friday, let’s take a quick sweep of this week – articulating bite-sized pieces over Pandora radio (commercial free version), my favorite iced beverage, video shoots happening at the office, high heels on for today yet will be in flip-flops as soon as the Windermere Cup and Mother’s Day weekend begin – let’s do this, together.

At a glance – #’s we should know + Foreign money and proper disclosure + a café for notecards + The WRE Cup experience…

#’s we should know | “Housing Inventory Improves, But Market Still Favors Sellers” – headline from the NWMLS April statistical report, released hot off the press yesterday. Note: we all receive this stats report monthly – a day prior to released to the media. Today will most likely see these talking points pushed out to the public – let’s get ahead of it and continue to educate our marketplace. Talking points…

• “Successful buyers are working closely with their brokers to study the market, choose great lenders, and make smart choices in composing compelling but not careless offers.” ***I agree, although certainly seeing risky behavior for both Buyers + Sellers.
• “Low inventory and low interest rates are still putting upward pressure on prices, but hopefully last month’s bump in new listings is the start of a longer trend, and will lead us towards a more balanced market.” ***Keep in mind this is a “bump” –  folks, not a surge.
• “Waiving financing is of particular risk when combined with bidding wars as we’ve seen an increase in low appraisals.” ***Be sure you are familiar with low appraisal strategies – to include WRE Form 43,  > Increased Down Payment on Low Appraisal Addendum to Purchase and Sale Agreement. Your manager is ready to coach you through these “what if” strategies…
• Across the 23-county market area, there is a 1.85 months of supply, a slight improvement from March when there was a 1.79 months of supply, but down from the year-ago level of 2.36 months of supply. King County continues to have the scarcest inventory, with only 1.1 months of supply. How does our Metro Seattle stack up? Click here for statistical graphs by area. West Seattle (area 140) wins the lowest inventory category > a whopping 0.60 months of inventory supply. SODO-Beacon Hill takes the trophy for the highest > 1.14 months of inventory supply.
• Full statistical report hosted on the homepage on NWMLS. #’s we should all know, monthly!

Foreign money + Evidence of Funds | If you have Buyer clients with foreign money – i.e. funds (cash or cash equivalent) that are not immediately available from a financial institution(s) in the United States – be sure to get the scoop from your Buyer(s) on when & how those funds will be available. I’ve had several conversation this week regarding client moneys being in China and India – both of which a signed around PSA needed to be in place before moving funds to the US. A note on disclosure: Demco confirmed for me that we should use NWMLS Form 22EF (Evidence of Funds) to properly disclose such foreign money. Paragraph #2, “Disclosure of Sources of Other Funds” is the perfect spot for protecting your Buyer in disclosure. We are here to coach you through this. Just. ask your manager.

A café for buying your notecards | If you are anything like me, I spend a ton of money on cards for handwritten notes. Click here to browse + stock up. I bought 144 Thank You cards for $37, boom done! ***Michele Flinn from our Wedgwood office shared with me this resource – thank you Michele!

See you at the races tomorrow! | It’s Windermere Cup time! We are celebrating 30 years – wowza. If you’ve never been to the races, a sneak peek of one of the “most unique courses” in the sport or rowing. An awesome experience.

Thanks for taking this sweep with me on Friday! I’m having fun with this. Here to help, always the ultimate goal. Give me feedback along the way – this content is geared for you – Sand Point + Wedgwood + Northgate + Eastlake + Madison Park + Ballard – our six!

Laura Smith, General Manager | Windermere Real Estate Co + Northwest, Inc.