March 2015

New Listing in Redmond! Updated, 4 Bedroom home in the desirable English Hill neighborhood!

Listed for $585,000 - Click here for more details Across from the quiet park in Sunrise on English Hill, sits this spacious home. The open, “light-filled” floorplan boasts 2,430 s.f. and features 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths on a 7,539 s.f. lot! Many updates include white millwork and doors, crown molding, updated kitchen and bathrooms! Formal living room with vaulted ceiling, fireplace and slider to deck...

Baby Boomers: Home Is Where The Heart Is

Within the next five years, Baby Boomers are projected to have the largest household growth of any other generation during that same time period, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard. Let’s take a look at why… In Merrill Lynch’s latest study, “Home in Retirement: More Freedom, New Choices” they surveyed nearly 6,000 adults ages 21 and older about housing. Crossing...

“Tony Meier Is Without Doubt An Exceptional Realtor”

Every realtor’s website has glowing testimonials from their clients. But what actionable info do you have when you have to pick a realtor for your needs? Below is an actionable interview process that you can use to vet a realtor when selling a home. A savvy solution oriented realtor like Tony Meier will instinctively know all about these, and will “get the job done!” Ask about the...

Freddie Mac’s New 3% Down Program

Today, Freddie Mac is scheduled to start buying mortgages with down payments of only three percent – the first time down payments have been this low on Freddie Mac loans in nearly five years. The program is called Freddie Mac Home Possible AdvantageSM. In a recent Executive Perspectives, Dave Lowman EVP, Single-Family Business Freddie Mac, explained the potential impact this program will have on...

Return Client Sells Sammamish home after 9 Days on Market

Your service was excellent, honest and patient, especially when I asked the same questions over again. You were extremely knowledgeable and supportive during a stressful experience, both several years ago when the house was purchased and now during the selling process. I would highly recommend Tony - We appreciate all your hard work, regular updates and communication! Thank you! Lynn Armstrong -...

Billionaire Says Real Estate is Best Investment Possible

Billionaire money manager John Paulson was interviewed at the Delivering Alpha Conference presented by CNBC and Institutional Investor. During his session he boldly stated: "I still think, from an individual perspective, the best deal investment you can make is to buy a primary residence that you're the owner-occupier of.” Who is John Paulson? Paulson is the person who, back in 2005 &...

Don’t Get Caught in the ‘Renter’s Trap’

There are many benefits to homeownership, one of top ones, is being able to protect yourself from rising rents and lock in your housing cost for the life of your mortgage. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) just released their findings of a study in which they studied “income growth, housing costs and changes in the share of renter and owner-occupied households over the past five years in...

Location, Location, Location

A recent Demand Institute report revealed “nearly half of all American households plan to move at some point in the future.” Seventy-five percent of those surveyed in the report cited one or more ‘location-related reasons’ for their eagerness to move. Here are the top 5 reasons: Safer Neighborhood – 30% Closer to Family – 27% Change of Climate – 26% Closer to Work –...

Proven track record in Redmond results in profitable sale in “The Point”

Tony, You were very professional and knowledgeable about the market, especially in our unique community. You gave us relevant information that was helpful in making a decision about whether to sell or not at this time and to establish a reasonable sales price. You were up front with us about the pros and cons of our particular situation. You created amazing marketing tools (flyers, video, web...

Is Another Bubble Forming?

After the housing market bust we experienced across the country in 2008, many experts have been quick to warn that a new bubble may be forming in some areas. One particular example of this is a recent article pointing toward the California Bay Area’s price gains over the last 18 months. The quickest and easiest way to show how far we’ve come and how far we still need to go in regards to the...

FSBO’s Must Be Ready to Negotiate

Now that the market has showed signs of recovery, some sellers may be tempted to try and sell their home on their own (FSBO) without using the services of a real estate professional. Real estate agents are trained and experienced in negotiation. In most cases, the seller is not. The seller must realize their ability to negotiate will determine whether they can get the best deal for themselves and...

Homeownership is the “American Dream” for a Reason

There have been some who have voiced doubt as to whether or not the younger generations still consider buying a home as being part of the “American Dream”. A recent study by Merrill Lynch puts that doubt to rest. According to their research, every living generation still maintains that owning a home is in fact important. Here are the numbers: This should not surprise us as many studies...

Is the Housing Market Back? Ask Lowes & Home Depot!

A recent Bloomberg Business article reports that both Lowes & Home Depot experienced fourth quarter profits that beat revenue projections by the most in six quarters. So what does that mean to the housing market? Consumer Confidence Lowe’s Chief Executive Officer Robert Niblock said, “Consumers are feeling better about their jobs, their wages and certainly feeling better about the value of...

Housing Market to “Spring Forward”

Just like our clocks this weekend in the majority of the country, the housing market will soon “spring forward”! Similar to tension in a spring, the lack of inventory available for sale in the market right now is what is holding back the market. Many potential sellers believe that waiting until Spring is in their best interest, and traditionally they would have been right. Buyer demand has...

Early Spring Brings Bumper Crop of Homebuyers Who Face Inventory Drought!

KIRKLAND, Washington (March 5, 2015) - Favorable weather and restored confidence are propelling home buying activity around Western Washington to the highest level in nearly a decade, according to Northwest Multiple Listing Service sources. "The pent-up demand being unleashed has rocketed pending sales back to the levels of our record year in 2006," said Ken Anderson, president/designated broker at...

Hurry Up!! Call your Agent and List your Eastside House!!

That headline might be a little aggressive. However, as the data on the 2015 housing market begins to roll in, we can definitely say one thing: If you are considering selling, IT IS TIME TO LIST YOUR HOME! We realize that existing home sales stumbled in January compared to December. But, if we compare the current September-January time period to the same period a year ago, we can see that existing...

New Construction = New Competition

For the last several years, home sellers had to compete with huge inventories of distressed properties (foreclosures and short sales). The great news is that the supply of these properties is falling like a rock in the vast majority of housing markets (only 11% of homes sold in January). Many homeowners are now thinking of selling as the impact of this substantially discounted competition has...

Having the right Broker matters! Beautiful Home in Redmond SOLD just 5 days after list date for $62,000 over list price!

Note: The sellers interviewed two other Brokers (including a well known discount brokerage) and they were told to expect $500,000 to $550,000 at best for the home! Tony recommended a listing price of $575,000 and generated 9 offers on the home with a final sales price of $637,000! The end result was nearly $100,000 more in the seller's bank account! After meeting with and carefully...

Selling Your Eastside Home? The Importance of Using an Top Agent

When a homeowner decides to sell their house, they obviously want the best possible price with the least amount of hassles. However, for the vast majority of sellers, the most important result is to actually get the home sold. In order to accomplish all three goals, a seller should realize the importance of using a real estate professional. We realize that technology has changed the purchaser’s...