News / Features

Atlanta, Houston real estate professionals elected to LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance executive roles

Atlanta’s Rodney Mason, who serves as vice president of mortgage lending with Guaranteed Rate, was named treasurer of the nonprofit, while Anita Blue, who works as an agent and credit restoration consultant at Cap Tex Realty, was named national vice president.

Cherry Valley Winery on sale for $2.6M

Wine connoisseurs in search of a winery to call their own may be in luck, as this $2.6 million winery estate is up for grabs just 16 miles northeast of Seattle. 

Despite hike in inventory, new home demand, market still favors sellers

As the economy slowly recovers from the throes of COVID-19, home inventory in Western Washington has begun to slowly regenerate and sales are increasing. Despite this, the market still favors home sellers, according to a report by Matthew Gardner, Windermere Real Estate’s chief economist.

Mortgage applications decline despite drop in interest rates

“Mortgage rates decreased for the first time since August, as concerns about supply-chain bottlenecks, waning consumer confidence, weaker economic growth and rising inflation pushed Treasury yields lower.” — MBA associate vice president of economic and industry forecasting Joel Kan

Rents continue surge in large metro areas

Rental prices are surging to an all-time high after dropping considerably in 2020 due to the pandemic. In September, median rents in the 50 largest metro areas in the U.S. jumped 13.6% compared to the same month last year,

Zillow: Most home buyers middle-aged, married, college-educated

The average American home buyer is 45 years old, married or partnered, college-educated and likely to purchase a home located in the South, according to Zillow’s 2021 Consumer Housing Trends Report.  Individuals ages 30-39 make up the largest population

Coldwell Banker Bain sells to national firm

Bellevue-based real estate brokerage Coldwell Banker Bain has been sold to US RES Holdco LLC, according to a report by The Business Journal. 

Rocket Mortgage, Salesforce team up for loan originations

“This will be the first time a home lender will provide an end-to-end ‘mortgage-as-a-service’ solution through Salesforce Financial Services Cloud — a platform that thousands of financial institutions already heavily rely on.” — Rocket Cos. Vice Chairman and CEO Jay Farner

WalletHub: Seattle suburb best small city in America

Sammamish was named the best small city in America in a recent study from WalletHub. The Seattle suburb was the only city in Washington to make WalletHub’s top 10 list. The next top-rated cities were Carmel, Indiana; Brentwood, Tennessee;

Zillow closes Zillow Offers, announces layoffs

Zillow announced today it’s ending its iBuyer service, Zillow Offers, and cutting roughly a quarter of its workforce, citing the volatility the service created for the online brokerage as the motivation for the move.

Millennials are fueling the housing boom — will it continue?

Millennials are purchasing houses — finally. Over the past year, millennials made up the largest share of homebuyers: 37% according to Barron’s.

More homebuyers choosing to live in diverse neighborhoods

As more house hunters are opting to live in socially, racially and culturally diverse communities, developers are formulating strategies to list more inclusive properties on the market, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.  Developers’ strategies include

Buy-in for this poolside casino home in Kissimmee, FL

Entertainment is a top priority of the “Royale Reunion” in Kissimmee, FL. This luxury villa is equipped with a home theater room, arcade game rooms and… a private casino.

Bidding wars eased in September dropping to a 2021 low

Boston and Raleigh had the highest bidding-war rates, as the rate fell to a 2021 low.

NAR: Pending-home sales slide 2.3% in September

“Contract transactions slowed a bit in September and are showing signs of a calmer home price trend, as the market is running comfortably ahead of pre-pandemic activity.” — NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun

Annual Battle of the Barristers produces record-breaking attendance numbers

This year’s Battle of the Barristers, sponsored by Seattle King County Realtors (SKCR), saw record-breaking attendance as more than 730 Washington Realtors and affiliates tuned in to the virtual event Oct. 7. The fundraising event provided three clock hours

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