2012 Greater Seattle Real Estate Sales in Review

I haven't posted in a few months as I have been busy helping clients buy and sell homes.  All of this has contributed to my best year ever in real estate.  Even though we have low inventory, the buyers and sellers in our market are serious and understand this is an ideal time to buy or sell a home. Low ball offers are a thing of the past.  Buyers understand they must be pre-approved and ready to step up with a very good offer when they find the home they want to purchase.  Sellers know they have the upper hand, but Realtors are wise to insist sellers have their homes sparkling clean and staged if they want to garner the best offers.
 
Having witnessed the purchase of homes with mortgage rates in the high teens back in the 1980's, it is wonderful to see rates as low as 2.75% for 15 year mortgages and near 3.5% for 30 year fixed mortgages.  Those low rates buy you more house for your money.  How long this golden opportunity to buy and sell will last is, of course, the million dollar question I wish we had the answer to.  With the "fiscal cliff" looming and all the talk about our economy, unemployment rates, etc. we can't begin to guess what 2013 will bring.  What we do know is that this year was a very good year for many buyers and sellers. 
 
Besides  being a good year for buyers and sellers, it's been a very good year for my office in Bellevue, Coldwell Banker Bain.  According to Coldwell Banker Bain-Bellevue's Marking Director, Christopher King, over the past 12 months, Coldwell Banker Bain-Bellevue has been the region's top-selling real estate office:

• We've sold over $850 million in homes, the most in Washington and 12% more than our closest competitor;
• In King County, our total sales are 18% more than our closest competitor;
• On the Eastside, our total sales are 21% more than our closest competitor and we've had the most units (homes sold) in Buyer Sales of any office;
• Our average List-Sold price of $845,400 is 66% higher than the Eastside average

All this is to say, I'm proud to be working for an exceptional real estate company and I am happy to share with you all our vast resources at my disposal.

As we see 2012 come to a close, we look back and see progress made in the world of real estate.  The market has unquestionably turned around and is headed in the right direction. I am looking forward to 2013 as I hope you are as well.   Whom do you know who likely will be next to buy or sell a home?  It would be my pleasure to be of assistance to them in this process; please have them give me a call.