Real Estate News

Bigger Homes and Gardens: Caring for Your New, Upsized Outdoor Space

When Lance Fort upsized from an apartment to a 2,350-square-foot home in Shoreline, WA, a bedroom community just north of Seattle, he ended up with quite a project on his hands. The rundown split-level needed significant work, and he spent the first six months hiring contractors to gut and rebuild the interior. By the time

CoreLogic: Home prices jump 6.6% in May

Home prices increased in May from last month and last year, an increase that will only continue to rise, according to the CoreLogic Home Price Index and HPI Forecast. Home prices increased 6.6% nationally from May 2016 to May 2017 and 1.2% from last month, CoreLogic’s HPI showed. The chart below shows the HPI history

The Huge Risk Home Buyers Take When They Waive Inspections

If you’re buying a home in a competitive market and your offers keep getting beat out, you may be tempted to resort to desperate measures. In addition to offering more than the asking price or a quick closing, some buyers agree to waive inspections. This is never a good idea. The home may look OK

Top 5 best cities to buy a vacation home

Summer is in full swing, and while some are imagining more time on the beach, others just want to get away from the heat. A new report from ATTOM Data Solutions shows the best cities to do just that. A new report looks at the most popular vacation cities, those where at least one in

SoFi begins offering avocado toast with every new mortgage, wins the internet

“Okay, now that’s funny.” That’s what I thought to myself when I first read the press release. In case you missed it, SoFi announced yesterday that it is now offering a one-month supply of avocado toast with each new mortgage in the month of July. I must admit; it’s a pretty funny gimmick and really

Your New, Bigger Space: 5 Ways to Win at Upsizing Your Home

As a new generation graduates from renting to homeownership, they face plenty of uncertainties: How much homeowners insurance is enough? Is a home warranty necessary? How do you fill a 4-bedroom home with the stuff that used to be in a 1-bedroom apartment? Transitioning from an apartment to a larger home is always tricky, but

Designer Lookbook: Kerrie Kelly’s Subtle, Sophisticated Drama

At Kerrie Kelly Design Labs, our clients are anything but traditional. Though transitional style prevails in our Northern California neighborhood, we’re seeing more and more people gravitate toward a simple color palette, lots of great texture, and a few statement design elements. Recently, we had a request for a fresh and feminine take on a

Falling inventory forces homebuyers to move at fastest pace ever

Housing inventory fell 8.9% from last year in the second quarter of 2017, sending homebuyers scurrying to beat the rising competition. Housing inventory dropped for nine consecutive quarters, and is currently down a full 20% from inventory levels five years ago, a new report from Trulia shows. And now, homebuyers are snatching up homes at

Haylofts to Hardwoods: How One Family Salvaged a Historic Barn By Hand

There’s a century of history woven into the floors of a contemporary home east of Seattle: golden planks, shiny blondes and the occasional knotted gray. It’s just how Amanda Gatlin wanted it – even if she didn’t expect, at first, it would involve recycling an entire Mississippi barn with pieces dating back to when Woodrow Wilson

Pending home sales drop for third consecutive month

Supply shortages and rising home prices caused pending home sales to fall in May for the third consecutive month, according to the latest report from the National Association of Realtors. The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, fell 0.8% to 108.5 in May, down from a downwardly revised 109.4 in