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Windermere Real Estate | Orcas Island News
Welcome to the Windermere Real Estate Orcas Island News page. Here, we curate insightful articles about life on Orcas Island, offer expert advice for home buyers and sellers, and provide monthly updates on the real estate market on Orcas Island and the San Juan Islands. Stay informed and inspired as we bring you the latest and greatest in island living.
Windermere Foundation Raises $2,246,829 in 2016
The Windermere Foundation had another banner year in 2016, thanks to the continued support of Windermere franchise owners, agents, staff, and the community. Over $2.2 million was raised in 2016, which is an increase of seven percent over the previous year. This brings our total to over $33 million […]
How the Neighborhood Impacts a Home’s Value
Whether you’re buying or selling, accurately pricing a home requires professional assistance from someone who knows the neighborhood. The “estimated” home prices you see posted online can be off by tens of thousands of dollars—not because they are dishonest, but because the computer programs generating these guesstimates don’t take into […]
The Clock's Ticking: Here's Why You Should Use HARP to Refinance, Pronto
Hey, homeowners: If you’ve been batting around the possibility of refinancing your home through HARP, now’s the time to make a move. Perhaps you thought you had missed the boat. After all, HARP—the Home Affordable Refinance Program created by the federal government after the housing crash—was set to expire in […]
First Time Buyers, Millennials, and What to Expect in 2017
I believe that the big story for the coming year will be first-time home buyers. Since they don’t need to sell before purchasing, their reemergence into the market ensures that sales will continue to increase, even while inventory is limited. Thirty-one percent of buyers currently in the real estate […]
What’s In Store For The 2017 Seattle Housing Market?
2016 was another stellar year for the Seattle housing market, in which a surplus of buyers and a deficit of sellers drove home prices higher across the board. So, can we expect to see more of the same in 2017? Here are some of my thoughts on the Seattle/King […]
Investing in Rental Property: The Risks, Rewards, and Benefits of Owning Rental Property
One area of the real estate market that is thriving right now is rental property. All indications suggest that the rental market will continue to improve because of low vacancy rates and rising rents. In fact, the demand for rentals is predicted to far exceed supply through 2016, with […]
Perspectives: 2017 Forecast
Well, it’s December; the time of year when we look to our crystal ball and offer our housing market predictions for the coming year. And by crystal ball we mean Windermere’s Chief Economist, Matthew Gardner, who has been travelling up and down the West Coast giving his annual forecast to […]
Top 10 real estate tips for 2017
Sean Justice/Getty Images High demand and low interest rates drove housing sales in 2016, and 2017 is shaping up to be another good year, albeit with a few minor caveats. While home prices for starter-to-midrange homes are pushing upward toward pre-recession peaks, especially in secondary markets, they’re stabilizing in higher-priced […]
Planning for the Future: Housing Options to Consider
It should come as no surprise that 75% of the senior citizens polled in the latest AARP Preferences survey strongly agreed with the statement, “What I’d like to do is stay in my current residence as long as possible.” After all, home is where the heart is; and the longer […]
