Matthew Gardner’s Top 10 Predictions for 2023

  1 There Is No Housing Bubble Mortgage rates rose steeply in 2022 which, when coupled with the massive run-up in home prices, has some suggesting that we are recreating the housing bubble of 2007. But that could not be further from the truth.   Over the past couple of years, home prices got ahead […]
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Returning to Normal: Buyer Affordability Dictates the Market While Sellers Retain Equity

There is no doubt that 2022 has been one of the most eventful years in real estate. This is saying a lot after experiencing the record-breaking years of the pandemic. We will probably never see anything like 2020 and 2021 again. During this time the market responded to a historical event that motivated the rearrangement […]
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QUARTERLY REPORTS Q3 2022

The real estate market is adjusting to new environmental factors as we round out 2022. Interest rates have been on an upward trend since the spring and have increased by 2 points since the first of the year. This has put downward pressure on the peak prices we saw in the spring as we return to more […]
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Pumpkin Patches & Fall Activities

Fall has arrived in the PNW and it’s time for cool mornings, warm beverages, beautiful colors, hay rides and pumpkin picking. Head out to a local farm for fresh produce and family-friendly activities. This is by no means an exhaustive list… there so many farms in our area, especially Snohomish County. Leave a comment with […]
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Navigating a balanced market: property preparation, pricing & negotiations.

As we experience the fall equinox, when the length of a day is equal to the night, we are also experiencing a similar balance in the real estate market. We define a balanced market to have 2-4 months of available inventory. This means that if no new homes came to market, we would be sold […]
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Understanding the Current Shift in the Real Estate Market: How Interest Rates Affect Prices

As we continue to examine the shift in the market, it’s important to take a deep dive into interest rates. Since the first of the year, long-term mortgage interest rates have increased 2.7% from 3.11% on 12/30/21 to the peak of 5.81% on 6/23/22. Since then, rates have started to level out. For instance, on […]
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