Posts Categorized: New Homes

NOW IS THE TIME!!!

IS NOW A GOOD TIME TO BUY A HOUSE OR SELL A HOUSE

 

The Spring real estate market is in full swing! If you're a seller, now is the time to take advantage of record low inventory (homes for sale) and get your house on the market. Homes that priced right, presented well, and marketed correctly are selling! Learn more at www.rosierourke.com/sellerswanted

If you are a buyer, take advantage of seller concessions and stable prices. If you are worried about interest rates we have solutions, learn more here: www.rosierourke.com/worldtochange

North Renton Home For Sale

Affordable, Walkable City Living in North Renton! 

Historic & Walkable North Renton + Farmhouse Style & Rustic Charm! Welcome home to North Renton & this charming 3 bedroom/1 bathroom home. This historic, fully updated home welcomes you with an adorable covered front porch & fully-fenced yard. The cozy living room opens to large dining area. The updated kitchen has stainless steel appliances, concrete counters, whitewashed brick, wine cooler & shiplap ceilings throughout. It also includes an oversized utility/sunroom/mudroom that flows into a large, fully-fenced back yard with a detached garage that provides extra storage & tool shed. RV/boat parking with no HOA. Walkable location to Downtown Renton, The Renton Landing, and easy access to freeways! This home is stupide cute and move-in ready + includes a home warranty! Check out more photos, learn more about the listing, take a 3D tour & schedule a contactless showing before it's gone here: https://bit.ly/3lPIGfE

Are People Still Buying Homes?

are people buying homes during COVID-19?

 

Literally everyday a friend, client or even someone at the grocery store asks us the same question, "How is real estate during all of this, are people still buying and selling?" The short answer is YES! The market is very healthy for both buyers and sellers, take a look at the market stats for King County last week.

Learn more about the steps we are taking to keep our clients safe during covid19 and the #stayhome #staysafe order at www.rosierourke.com/spring

Please reach out to Rosie directly if you have any questions or need help in anyway!
 

Stay Home, Stay Safe Order

buying or selling a house during COVID 19

 

Hi everyone, Rosie Rourke here! I thought you may be wondering how the COVID-19 Stay Home, Stay Healthy Order is affecting the local real estate market. Today (March 28th) Governor Inslee lifted portions of his mandated shut down for our business. Realtors were originally not listed as an “Essential” company on Gov. Inslee’s list. Geez… I thought I was essential (hahaha). Here is what is permitted with his new decree as of today:

real estate during stay home, stay healthy order in washington state

 

The MLS also has strict COVID-19 protocols for in-person meetings, inspections, and showings. Our team has already sprung into action to implement these new protocols at all of our listings as well as showing appointments with our buyer's agents. There are also no more open houses, you need to connect with a licensed real estate agent if you want to see a property.

We also understand if you are still uncomfortable with an in-person interaction at this time, we are serving our clients in a virtual mode! My listing team is doing listing presentations & home valuations by video conference. We are also strategizing with clients virtually to keep them set up for success in this market.

There are some clients that NEED to sell or buy right now and we have been able to help them get their home on market without stepping outside. We actually had 4 listings hit the market last week! For each listing we now create smart phone video walkthroughs of the home. Our goal is that active listings will be viewed by eager buyers with idle time (everyone is at home and online, lol) and hoping they will put us on their favorite list when mandate lifted. Or, better yet, buy it virtually (believe it or not, it happens, we just had a home go pending site unseen last night)! This is considered a blessing for buyers in the first time home buyer price range where they can actually have a chance to buy a home without bidding wars right now! 

Will Home Values Decrease? 

As you can imagine I am getting this questions a lot. My 25 years of professional real estate experience is banking on my crystal ball answer – no. We were slammed with bidding wars right up until the eve of the shut down. We even wrote virtual offers after shut down. You have to remember that we have an extreme shortage of inventory (homes on the market for sale) and historically low interest rates for buyers. Unlike 2008 our housing market is on a solid footing, there are more qualified buyers then there are homes for sale, period! The stock market is crazy right now, but interest rates remain low. Supply and demand is creating a hot market cooled only by this isolated event of the horrific virus.

Unfortunately, people getting layoffs, especially in hospitality, restaurant and travel industries are not in a position to buy. But many other industries in our diverse economy are simply working from home and are still in the market. When COVID-19 gets under control, businesses can open back up and employees can get back to work again. I have a hunch we will have penned up demand of buyers ready to surge after mandate lifted as well. Experts are saying we could see a Spring-like surge this Summer or Fall. Values do not decrease when there is demand, actually the opposite is true, and we are seeing that every day right now despite the Coronavirus. 

Let's Recap...

  • Are people still selling their homes? YES
  • Are people still buying homes? YES
  • Can you see a home in-person? YES
  • Can you see a home virtually? YES
  • Can you go to an open house? NO
  • Is now a good time to sell? YES
  • Is now a good time to buy? YES

I’m here for you. My entire team is here for you. How can we help you? I am happy to chat and discuss any real estate concerns or questions you have. I am solution-oriented and utilizing my experience of surviving other economy crisis’.

Here’s a tip - I’ve been advising my listing clients to consider putting their home on market NOW or late Spring/Summer. I’m concerned when flu season comes back in fall/winter, that COVID-19 will rear its ugly head again. 

We will overcome! Sending blessings, and looking forward to hearing from you.

Warm regards,

Rosie Rourke

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

As we enter into a new decade we are coming off of an historic serge in our Renton, Fairwood, Kent, Maple Valley, and Seattle real estate markets! The past few years we have seen prices rise and interest rates fall, but what does 2020 have in store for us? It's also an election, what does that do for first time home buyers, home sellers, second time buyers, and is it a good time to buy or sell a home? Let's ask Rosie Rourke, once of King County's best real estate agents what she things, watch the video below!

 

 

Wildlife & Recreation Await…

Unique, Lakefront Townhouse for Sale in Kent!

 

 

Not only is my listing in Kent at The Lakes turn-key, remodeled, and is lakefront... but it is surrounded by nature, recreation, and transportation hubs! Here are some videos highlighting all this area of Kent and this townhouse has to offer!

 

 

 

 

Check out all the upgrades and smart features! 

 

 

Ready to see it in person? Contact Rosie for a private showing today!

    New Search by School Tool!

    find a home near my school

    You guys… this is a game changer! School boundaries can be tricky, we are excited to announce a new way to search for your dream home in your dream school district! You can now search for homes for sale that will send your kids (or future kids) to the school you want. For example, if you are looking for homes for sale in the Tahoma School District, you can add that to your search criteria… see the image above!

    How do you get started? It’s super easy, head over to my John L. Scott search page and type in a school… that’s it! CLICK HERE: https://rosier.johnlscott.com/search Or contact me directly and I can set up a search for you! Happy house hunting friends!

     

     

    Home Inventory Is Up… Where Are You Buyers???

    how do i buy a house

    Finally… home inventory is up! I just read a report that more homes went for sale in September then they did last year at this time. In fact, this is the most home inventory for sale during the Fall in 3 years! This is GREAT news for buyers… so where are they?

    I think the crazy market during the beginning of 2018 has scared a lot of them away. Their loss is YOUR GAIN! Homes are not selling as fast and there is room for negotiation now. And my preferred lenders have told me that there is a possible mortgage rate increase looming in 2019. If rates go up 1 point that could mean 10-15% less in buying power for you! You can’t afford to wait, check out my quick video about today’s buyers market, 3 reasons why you NEED to by now, and check out my team of expert buyers agents who are eager to help you buy a home before the holidays…. CLICK HERE!

    Homes for Sale in Burien | Home for sale near Searhurst Beach

    Looking for homes for sale near Burien, WA or the Puget Sound in South Seattle? I’ve got an amazing home for sale near Seahurst Beach Park in Burien! It’s walking distance… that’s like having a waterfront home for a fraction of the price!

     


     

    The seller is motivated and ready for this large home for sale in South Seattle Burien area to find a new owner! Check out the full listing here: http://rosierourke.idxbroker.com/idx/details/listing/a045/1359122/14203-13th-Ave-SW