We want to let you know about some changes directed by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS) regarding how those selling office commissions are determined. The intention is that sellers will have a greater degree of choice on what commission, if any, they offer to the brokerage representing the buyer. These changes will have implications for sellers and buyers in real estate transactions as well as Appraisers and Lenders.
Los Angeles! Ari Wintraub is a top-tier broker and referral partner serving the highly-competitive L.A. market. Based in Brentwood, he serves many of the most prestigious communities in the area such as Beverly Hills, B.H. Post Office, Santa Monica, Venice, and more.
The SeattlebyDesign Team has come across a wonderful charity that supports local neighbors going through challenging times. Tia Baker, the Director of the Seattle chapter, describes the Humble Design mission as:
In the last 15 years, home staging has become an integral part of selling homes in our market. While necessary, staging is also not inexpensive. In order to evaluate and justify the expense, it is important to understand how buyers make their decisions.
As the holidays draw near, I am filled by a sense of excitement, knowing I will soon celebrate with close family and friends. I hope that you too are looking forward to the holidays as we say goodbye to 2018 and ring in the new year.
What do you think of when you think of Issaquah? Do you think of the big Salmon Days event? The Costco headquarters? The beautiful Olde Town neighborhood? Maybe you think of the great school system!
On June 14th, SeattlebyDesign’s Chris Kallin attended a private presentation by Jen Davis Hayes, Issaquah’s Economic Development Manager. Developer’s and tier-1 tenants were the primary audiences, but Chris learned a lot of information that might be of interest to the residential real estate investor and/or owner-occupied homebuyer!
Chris would love to share the full presentation for any interested readers, but here are a few interesting tidbits that you won’t find in the presentation:
– Issaquah boasts more C-Level executives than any other area of the Puget Sound. Astonishing, given some of the more high-profile neighborhoods one might think of first.
– Currently, 70% of the Issaquah valley floor is covered in asphalt. City planners aim to change this dramatically, by requiring structure parking in key areas and for projects of a certain scale.
– The City of Issaquah has lifted their 1.5-year moratorium on new commercial development. The goal during this time was to develop a comprehensive view of a future-Issaquah and to produce an architectural fit / urban design manual. The requisite zoning changes align with the prescriptive objectives.
– Just 9% of residents currently live and work in the city. With several anchor tenants dramatically increasing their footprint (e.g. Costco’s doubling of its corporate office space), planners hope to see this figure improve dramatically. One of the ways they aim to increase this is to add “play” to the live-work-play equation. Projects that provide entertainment value are sure to get more support from the City of Issaquah than others ignoring this element.
– A review of the presentation reveals a number of residential real estate opportunities. Areas of interest might include the area of likely ST3 light rail expansion, the soon-to-be improved transit center, and the several roads being added to the area, including at least one overpass connecting the two halves of the city bisected by I-90.
Please contact Chris Kallin if you’d like more information or a copy of the city’s presentation! You can email him at chris@seattlebydesign.com.
And if you’re interested in making an investment in the area, be sure to check out the Issaquah Active Projects Map: http://bit.ly/2KJNCnd
As the architects behind Google’s proposed campus at South Lake Union prepare for their meeting with the Seattle Design Review Board today at 8pm, GeekWire writes that “New images show how Google’s Seattle campus will transform the South Lake Union neighborhood.” Nat Levy, upon viewing the recently released images, says “the tech giant will drive the next evolution of the South Lake Union neighborhood, right in Amazon’s backyard” with a design aesthetic that speaks to the walkability of the neighborhood and incorporates natural elements, as walls of windows meet greenery throughout.
Continue reading…
We are excited to share that Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty is expanding into Seattle’s Madison Park with its fifth branch office location. The latest addition to our growing global real estate brand will consist of two sites across from each other: The Park House, a boutique real estate store front at 4031 Madison St.; and administrative offices in the building across the street.
Continue reading…
The West Seattle area of the city of Seattle includes the neighborhoods of Alki, Admiral, North Admiral, Belvedere, Fauntleroy, and Gatewood. Local media reports in 2015 indicated that West Seattle, especially its northern and western neighborhoods, have been a preferred target for homebuyers moving from California’s Bay Area. Chief Sealth High School in West Seattle is ranked among the top public high schools in the state. Although the area has been a seller’s market for years, the monthly supply tightened markedly in 2015, bottoming at 19 days in June. The average monthly supply was 1.8, from 1.7 in 2014 and about a month the previous year.
Continue reading…
