Selling a Home Refinance or Sell? Making the Right Move for Your Home Refinance or Sell? Making the Right Move for Your Home Homeownership isn’t a one-size-fits-all, and neither are the financial decisions that come with it. At some point, many homeowners reach a familiar fork in the road: Should I refinance my mortgage, or is it time to sell? The right answer depends on a mix of factors, […]
Buying a Home The Top Questions Every Buyer Should Ask Their Real Estate Agent The Top Questions Every Buyer Should Ask Their Real Estate Agent Buying a home is a major milestone, and it comes with a lot of decisions, details, and moving parts. While online searches and market headlines can offer helpful context, there’s no substitute for having a knowledgeable real estate professional by your side. The right agent […]
Uncategorized What Is Foursquare Architecture? A Guide to Prairie Box Homes What Is Foursquare Architecture? A Guide to Prairie Box Homes f you’ve ever walked through an older neighborhood and felt drawn to a home that looks balanced, practical, and quietly confident, you were likely looking at an American Foursquare. Sometimes called a Prairie Box or Prairie Cube, this architectural style is one of the most straightforward designs […]
Economy Fourth Quarter Regional Real Estate Report Fourth Quarter Regional Real Estate Report This is a recurring series of blog posts taking a closer look at the U.S. economy and several major regional markets in Windermere’s nine-state footprint. Updates will be released on a quarterly basis. Economic Overview Last year did not deliver the hoped-for breakout from the low-sales housing market that […]
Economy Local Look Western Washington Housing Update 2/4/26 Local Look Western Washington Housing Update 2/4/26 Hi. I’m Jeff Tucker, principal economist at Windermere Real Estate, and this is a Local Look at the January 2026 data from the Northwest MLS So far in 2026, the housing market is still in the grips of a winter slowdown. Across the Northwest MLS, there were 7% […]
Windermere Foundation Comedy for a Cause: Windermere Foundation Comedy Events Raise Nearly $1 Million for Local Nonprofits Comedy for a Cause: Windermere Foundation Comedy Events Raise Nearly $1 Million for Local Nonprofits This fall, two cities, two stages, and hundreds of supporters of the Windermere Foundation came together for one incredible purpose: to raise funds and awareness for youth and families experiencing housing instability and hardships in our communities. In both Portland and Seattle, […]
Uncategorized Behr 2026 Color of the Year: How to Style Your Home with Behr’s Hidden Gem Behr 2026 Color of the Year: How to Style Your Home with Behr’s Hidden Gem Color has a way of reshaping the way a home feels, and for 2026, Behr has introduced a shade that truly sets the tone. Hidden Gem N430-6A, a smoky jade with an air of quiet confidence, is rich, refined, and just mysterious enough […]
Local Market News Six Predictions for 2026 Six Predictions for 2026 The following is a summary of Windermere Principal Economist Jeff Tucker’s six predictions for the U.S. housing market and economy in 2026. He goes into more detail about his predictions in the video below. 1. Existing Home Sales Will Pick Up (Barely) Home sales have hovered near generational lows for three […]
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Local Market Updates Local Look Western Washington Housing Update 12/10/25 Local Look Western Washington Housing Update 12/10/25 Hi. I’m Jeff Tucker, principal economist at Windermere Real Estate, and this is a Local Look at the November 2025 data from the Northwest MLS. This November, the Washington housing market continued with its normal seasonal cooldown. And compared to last year, this month looked particularly cool, because […]
Local Market News Will Rising Foreclosures Impact the Housing Market Rising U.S. Foreclosures The market has certainly shifted since mortgage rates started skyrocketing last year and, with prices pulling back across much of the country, some have started to become concerned about the likelihood of foreclosures rising-clearly a timely topic given current circumstances. Hello there! I’m Windermere Real Estate’s Chief Economist Matthew Gardner and for […]
Selling a Home 8 Tips for First-Time Home Sellers You’ve seen “For Sale” signs around your neighborhood, but what does it take to actually put your home on the market? First-time home sellers often enter the selling process unaware of what’s to come, their heads full of questions. Understanding the selling process will inform your conversations with your real estate agent and will help […]
Buying a Home Buying a New Construction Home You’ve got several options to choose from when buying your next home. With existing homes, it’s in sellers’ best interest to spruce up their properties, so they’ll usually complete some kind of upgrades, curb appeal projects, and remodeling before hitting the market. A new construction home, however, has no previous owner; it comes brand new. […]
Local Market News Renting vs. Buying a Home: The Financial Benefits of Homeownership Renting vs. Buying a Home One of my followers asked me about some of the financial benefits of owning your home as opposed to renting. I find this topic interesting as there really is a “laundry list” of reasons that, from a financial standpoint, owning a home is better than renting. I’m Matthew Gardner Chief Economist […]
Selling a Home Deciding to Sell Your Home Deciding when to sell your home can depend on a variety of factors. Perhaps your local market conditions are favorable to sellers, or you’ve recently changed jobs, or your family is growing and you need to upsize. Whatever the case may be, making the decision to sell your home is the first step in your selling journey. Deciding […]
Buying a Home Homeownership Terms to Know: Pre-Approval, Pre-Qualification & More Throughout the home buying process, you’ll encounter several checkpoints. At every stop, you’ll get closer to the ultimate goal of purchasing your next home. Each one satisfies unique criteria required to become a homeowner, and each one has its own terminology. Before you begin your home buying journey, it’s helpful to know about pre-approval, pre-qualification, and […]
Living 7 Tips For Sustainable Living at Home There’s always room for improvement in a household’s quest to go green. From how you use your appliances to the way you consume and dispose of food, every lifestyle choice you make at home presents an opportunity to be more eco-friendly. Adopting more sustainable practices has obvious environmental benefits and helps to improve quality of life, but […]
Selling a Home Staying Safe When Selling Your Home Nowadays, home staging is an integral part of the home selling process. The impact of home staging is crystal clear, but how you go about it deserves some consideration. Many homeowners will hire a home staging professional, trusting their expertise to make their home as appealing as possible to buyers. However, if hiring a professional isn’t in […]
Local Market News Matthew Gardner’s Top 10 Predictions for 2023 Matthew Gardner’s Top 10 Predictions for 2023 1. There Is No Housing Bubble Mortgage rates rose steeply in 2022 which, when coupled with the massive run-up in home prices, has some suggesting that we are recreating the housing bubble of 2007. But that could not be further from the truth. Over the past couple of […]
Buying a Home What is the Multiple Listing Service (MLS)? In the process of buying or selling a home, you’ll frequently come across the term “MLS.” The Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is a group of regional databases of homes for sale accessible only to real estate agents and brokers. Their ability to access the MLS makes it easier for buyers to find the right home and for sellers […]
Economy Are We in a Housing Recession?   Hello there, I’m Windermere’s Chief Economist Matthew Gardner and welcome to this month’s episode of Monday with Matthew. A little while ago, a housing analyst was being interviewed about the current state of the residential market and they suggested that the country is in a “housing recession.” Well, needless to say, this got a lot of attention from […]