We’re so excited to start 2024 off with a new designation for J&J Real Estate.
We are now Residential Remodeling Specialists® RRS®
Helping first time homebuyers is one of the most rewarding parts of our business.
Elizabeth (and her parents) was so proud to get her first home in the competitive Seattle market.
Elizabeth’s story
Her first place, a condo in NE Seattle, was mostly updated but she wanted a more modern and welcoming bathroom.
We talked to her about current style trends like wall papering one accent wall in a small space to make it feel larger and more finished. And how simply swapping out cabinet hardware & lights is inexpensive but gives a big wow to any makeover.
She went to work as soon as she got the keys and sent us these great before & after photos of a job well done!
It really shows that even on a tight budget, remodeling & updating your space is possible and adds so much to your enjoyment of the home.
Congratulations Elizabeth.
Our process for buyers includes:
RVA – Remodeling Value Analysis on any property the buyer is considering.
Pre & post home valuation, how much will remodeling increase your home’s value.
Remodeling cost estimates, accurate costs with our RRStimate tool
Connection to local contractors to complete the work
Help Buyer decide which remodeled property works best for them
Use our ‘Guaranteed Buyer’ program to help them get the home of their dreams!
Let us show you how using our RVA and Guaranteed Buyer programs help you win and get that home,
Robert & Lari Johnson | J&J Real Estate | Windermere Wedgwood
We’re so excited to start 2024 off with a new designation for J&J Real Estate.
We are now Residential Remodeling Specialists® RRS®
One of the most impactful things this new designation does for our seller clients is to show them how much home improvements will add to their final sales price and decrease their time to sell!
The before & after below is from our friends, the Divakar’s. We helped sell their mid-century home last year and the remodeling transformation was dramatic.
The Divakar’s story
We started a few months before they went on the market with a walkthrough evaluation of the current condition of their home.
We helped them identify the areas of their home that would benefit most from remodeling & updating and offer them the most return on their investment. The kitchen was mostly original so we showed them examples of how painting cabinets & walls as well as new floors & lighting would increase their final sales price. We also researched the cost of these improvements and connected them to local contractors to get the work done quickly.
Cosmetic changes like these (no structural changes needed) are more affordable than most clients realize and offer a huge improvement in that important first impression. We think you’ll agree that this kitchen’s before & after is stunning!
Our process for sellers includes:
Pre & post home valuation, how much will remodeling increase your home’s value
Thorough home evaluation with remodeling suggestions (RVA – Remodeling Value Analysis)
Remodeling cost estimates, accurate costs with our RRStimate tool
Connection to local contractors to complete the work
Total marketing campaign to get your home sold quickly and for top dollar
Reach out to us soon for your personalized RVA,
Robert & Lari Johnson | J&J Real Estate | Windermere Wedgwood
SEATTLE — Commuters will soon be able to ride underground from Downtown Seattle to Northgate traffic-free when three new Link light rail stations open next month.
The 4.3-mile Northgate Link Extension will open on Oct. 2 with new stations in Northgate, the University District and Roosevelt.
The U-District and Roosevelt stations are underground. The Northgate station is elevated and will act as a transit hub with frequent bus connections, a park-and-ride, and a bicycle and pedestrian bridge to North Seattle College.
During peak hours, trains will run every 8 minutes. A trip from Northgate to the Westlake Station in downtown Seattle will take 14 minutes.
Tacoma’s Hilltop, the Eastside, Lynnwood, Federal Way and Downtown Redmond stations open by 2024 and will nearly triple the length of the region’s light rail system from 22 to 62 miles.
From my little Seattle centric real estate world, it felt like a busy year. I heard all the stories of people fleeing cities across the US but when you look at the data, Seattle’s population grew +1.1% over the last year. As this article in the Seattle Times says, “not a record-breaking year, to be sure, but still respectable.” Seattle bucks the trend of just about every other top 20 metro in the country with this population growth.
This matters to all of us in the region because it shows the continued interest and desirability of the Seattle area for investment and job seekers.
The future is still bright for Seattle metro and our state and this is just one indication of that strong economic future.
Its time for the ever popular Shred Event in the back parking lot of my office . Bring us your stuff or just come by to say hello. Social Distancing and Masks – √ check.
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, Amazon is remaking the Seattle and WA economy.
And now, Boeing’s boom and bust cycles are not so devastating to our economy.
I would like to see more diversity and giving back to the community from Amazon.
The housing affordability issue is real in Seattle and Amazon could have a bigger impact on this problem if it chooses to.
The Seattle Times article “Amazon surpasses Boeing as Washington state’s biggest employer” has some good reporting on the pros and cons of both of our two largest employers.
Windermere’s Chief Economist Matthew Gardner dusts off his crystal ball and peers into the future to give us his predictions for the 2021 economy and housing market.
U.S. ECONOMY
Gardner predicts a rise in housing inventory, as people who can work remotely move farther away from their offices, or those whose homes aren’t conducive to remote work seek out a better living arrangement.
But Gardner also pragmatically points out that a “mass exodus” completely away from urban centers is unlikely, as many workers may find themselves with a flexible blended arrangement of remote work and a few days in the office per week.
HOME SALES
Gardner is predicting a large increase in home sales in 2021 (he covers new construction separately). His forecast puts home sales up by 6.9%, a level that hasn’t been seen since 2006.
NEW CONSTRUCTION
With the rising demand for housing inventory, Gardner predicts that new construction starts for single-family homes will rise by a sizeable 16.4%. This is great news for builders, and also for buyers, as increased inventory may help to alleviate the incredible demand the market has been experiencing.
MORTGAGE RATES
Along with increased starts, Gardner is anticipating an increase of 18.7% in new home sales for 2021—again reaching a level the market hasn’t seen since 2006.
Throughout 2020, mortgage rates hit historic lows, largely due to the impact COVID-19 had on the housing market. These low rates drove already high demand for housing even higher, and Gardner does not predict mortgage rates will rise significantly in 2021.
His current forecast sees mortgage rates dropping to their lowest rate in the current quarter at 2.83%, and rising to about 3.08% by the fourth quarter of 2021.
CONCLUSIONS
Though Covid has certainly impacted the housing market in ways we never could have anticipated, there is plenty of reason to believe the market will continue to recover in 2021. New home construction and sales provide a particularly optimistic outlook, while low mortgage rates could give first-time buyers a chance to break into the market.
Click the link below for Matthew’s weekly economic and housing update on the Windermere blog.
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