(Zillow Image)

• Zillow’s test of its new initiative for home sellers called Instant Offers is expanding beyond its initial two markets and moving into Phoenix, the Seattle-based real estate tech company announced on Wednesday.
• In addition to dotloop (transaction management and e-signatures), Zillow Group also owns Diverse Solutions (IDX provider), Market Leader (CRM), Postlets (listing advertising) and, of course, its search portals Zillow, Trulia, StreetEasy and HotPads.
• Zillow now has a new program called “Premier Agent Assist” where it will provide the initial and continued follow-up for 30 days on new leads to help its Premier Agents increase their conversion rates.
• Zillow has publicly stated that it has no intention of going into the

When your seller receives multiple bids on their property, the highest offer shouldn’t always be their default choice. If it comes with an appraisal contingency—and the appraised value doesn’t match the sale price—your seller could be back at square one, looking for another buyer.

With King County home prices surging nearly $100,000 just this year to a record $599,000 in June—home prices in many markets are escalating so quickly that appraisals can’t keep up. That’s why real estate professionals may need to have more conversations with their sellers about appraisals.

“Any time prices move up fast, the actual appraisal process can lag behind because [appraisers] are looking back in history, not forward into the future” to determine appraised

KIRKLAND, Washington (Aug. 7, 2017) – New figures from Northwest Multiple Listing Service indicate home sales and prices, like July’s temperatures, sizzled. Prices area-wide rose slightly more than 9 percent from a year ago, but several counties near job centers saw larger price increases, including King County where the median price jumped 18.6 percent.

The latest report confirmed what most buyers and brokers know: inventory shortages persist even though MLS members added slightly more new listings last month than the same period a year ago.

“We should be entering the summer doldrums, but I don’t see that happening,” reported Diedre Haines, principal managing broker-South Snohomish County at Coldwell Banker Bain in Lynnwood. “Inventory remains

Security is one aspect of our homes that we should never overlook. Instead, home security is something that we need to constantly evaluate and improve upon. There’s always an opportunity to improve the security of our homes; we just need to know where to look.

Here are some common mistakes that homeowners commit when it comes to home security, as well as some tips to make sure your home is always secure and your family is always safe.

1. Hiding a Spare Key Outside
This should go without saying, but you should never leave a spare key outside your home. Experienced burglars will know all the common hiding places, so just avoid it altogether.

If you absolutely need a backup plan to enter your home, consider giving a spare key to a trusted neighbor or

Sammamish, Washington

The first city from the west coast on the list is Sammamish, Washington. This city on a plateau has a population of 52,365. It was named after Lake Sammamish; however, Beaver and Pine lake are the biggest lakes in the area. In fact, Beaver lake had a famous lifeguard teacher in the 1950s, Clint Eastwood. The city contains no major interstates within its limits but is a short commute to many big employers such as Costco and Microsoft.

Sammamish has secured the No. 5 spot in a new report over the safest cities in the U.S.

The Top 100 Safest Cities in America announced for 2017 report looked at crime rates in 764 cities.

According

Much of the country is used to occasional 100-degree days. Seattle, which has had just three in the past 123 years, is not.

So unaccustomed is Seattle to scorching heat that, in 2015, only one-third of the housing units in its metropolitan area had air-conditioning.

That’s going to make this week dangerous.

The National Weather Service is predicting “widespread record highs” as a heat wave engulfs the Pacific Northwest. An excessive heat warning is in effect from 2 p.m. on Tuesday through 9 p.m. on Friday. Seattleites can expect temperatures in the mid-80s to

Welcome To The Cascade Team Gunjan Nawani!

Buying a home is such an extremely enjoyable and valuable experience, but because of so much competition, lack of knowledge and misguiding agents it can also become quite strenuous and stressful. After having bought & sold a few homes myself as a home-buyer, I have a pretty good idea about how to deal with different situations in the process. I can guide you on crucial factors to watch out for and also have the courage to recommend NOT going ahead with something if it comes to that. As I believe in giving honest and the most genuine advice - that’s what a good agent should do. Also, responsiveness is key to Real Estate, especially in a fast-paced market like WA - so you can count on me for being there for