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I am not a financial professional. -Tim Ritchie Inflation. Inflation. Inflation. We’ve heard it so much and we see the impact in our everyday lives. Someone recently reached out to me asking if buying a home could be a good hedge against inflation. Because I am not a financial professional, I can’t speak to their…
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I have been thinking a lot about what positive can be taken out of the pandemic and I’ve come up with a couple of answers: Rise of mRNA vaccines. mRNA vaccines had been in the lab since 1989 and proven effective once scientists figured out how to stabilize the vaccine. In March 2022, Moderna announced…
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A recent survey conducted by Lombardo Homes uncovered the most annoying behaviors exhibited by neighbors. I bet you’re guilty (I know I am): 1. Noise2. Not cleaning up after pets3. Intrusive/nosy4. Parking issues5. Unsupervised children6. Aggressive animals7. Heavy/loud footsteps8. Cigarette smoke9. Unkempt landscaping10. Passive aggressiveness11. Overflowing garbage12. Odors13. Marijuana smoke14. Grumpiness15. Dirty home exterior16. Overly…
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Housing inventory is compared based on months of inventory available. Six months of inventory is considered a balanced market. Housing inventory in July increased to the highest point since 2018 – just over two months of inventory in the Northwest MLS. That may not seem like much, but it is a big change from previous…
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For the last several years we have experienced the craziness of the hottest housing market in generations across the nation and especially here in the Puget Sound. Certainly, this has been the hottest sellers market that I have ever experienced. We have all sensed that market has shifted in the buyers favor in the last…
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According to CNBC, mortgage demand fell more than 6% last week compared with the previous week, hitting the lowest level since 2000. Buyers have been contending with high prices all year, but with rates almost double what they were in January, they’ve lost considerable purchasing power. Check out today’s mortgage rates here.

Good article from Seattle Agent Magazine July 8. The seller’s boom is over. Sellers are reducing prices, inventory is increasing, competition is declining and mortgage rates are moderating (for now). Nationally, home are remaining on the market 18 days – flat from 2021 and 52% are selling above list price, down a point from 2021.

Real estate agents, housing economy experts, and consumers are still facing higher-than-normal demand, but there are indications that the housing market – red-hot since 2020 – may finally be tapering. What does a cooling housing market feel like? What should you and your clients be on the lookout for when judging whether the price and demand of…
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I feel a bit like chicken little screaming the sky is falling. The sky is not falling. But, the market is shifting quickly resulting in a mismatch with sales prices and seller expectations. I listed a nice home in a desirable neighborhood for $1.7M in May. There was very little traffic through the home even…
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At the end of May there were 8,798 active listings on the NWMLS, up a whopping 59% from a year ago. The significant increase in the number of homes for sale has some speculating that the market is about to implode, but that is very unlikely,” stated Matthew Gardner, chief economist at Windermere Real Estate.…
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