Investing

Investing, Kari's Blog, Upgrades & Renovations

Eco-Friendly Smart Home Upgrades For Greener Living

Smart home tech obviously offers a lot to get excited about, but did you know it can also make your home more eco-friendly? There are a ton of smart home upgrades that go a long way toward reducing your carbon footprint. This will make your home greener, lower your electricity bills, and can even […]
Investing, Kari's Blog, Real Estate Market Updates & Insight

December 2020 Real Estate Market Update

Nothing about 2020 is normal, and that includes real estate trends. The housing market typically slows significantly during the holiday season, but that is not the case this year. Buyer interest is strong, sales are up, and prices have followed suit. A recent report ranked our area as the most competitive real estate market in […]
Events, Investing, Upgrades & Renovations

Luxury Real Estate Event: Meet The Builder

Luxury Real Estate Event: Meet The Builder Event Details Where: 18109 84th Ave W, Edmonds, WA 98026 When: Thursday, November 7, 4-7pm. Special Presentation at 5:30pm Come meet the builder and learn about the innovative design elements of this one-of-a-kind home! Dino of Alpha Construction will be available to answer questions and discuss use of […]
For Buyers, Investing, Tips & Tricks, Upgrades & Renovations

What to Expect When Buying a Fixer-Upper

What to Expect When Buying a Fixer-Upper Buying a fixer-upper isn’t for the faint of heart. However, for many first-time home buyers, it’s the ideal way to get into the market. Before jumping into it, make sure you’re familiar with the buying process and what to expect when renovating. These tips will help you […]

Investing Eco-Friendly Smart Home Upgrades For Greener Living Smart home tech obviously offers a lot to get excited about, but did you know it can also make your home more eco-friendly? There are a ton of smart home upgrades that go a long way toward reducing your carbon footprint. This will make your home greener, lower your electricity bills, and can even […]

Investing December 2020 Real Estate Market Update Nothing about 2020 is normal, and that includes real estate trends. The housing market typically slows significantly during the holiday season, but that is not the case this year. Buyer interest is strong, sales are up, and prices have followed suit. A recent report ranked our area as the most competitive real estate market in […]

Events Luxury Real Estate Event: Meet The Builder Luxury Real Estate Event: Meet The Builder Event Details Where: 18109 84th Ave W, Edmonds, WA 98026 When: Thursday, November 7, 4-7pm. Special Presentation at 5:30pm Come meet the builder and learn about the innovative design elements of this one-of-a-kind home! Dino of Alpha Construction will be available to answer questions and discuss use of […]

For Buyers What to Expect When Buying a Fixer-Upper What to Expect When Buying a Fixer-Upper Buying a fixer-upper isn’t for the faint of heart. However, for many first-time home buyers, it’s the ideal way to get into the market. Before jumping into it, make sure you’re familiar with the buying process and what to expect when renovating. These tips will help you […]

Decor How to Boost the Value of Your Vacation Rental Tens of thousands of dollars — that’s how much you could be making by renting your property out to vacationers if you do it right. Boosting the overall level of comfort and aesthetic appeal could turn a modest dwelling into a cash cow. Potential guests are willing to shell out for the extras, […]

About Kari Haas Experienced Real Estate Broker Gives Strategies for Success in Today’s Market In November I was invited to appear on The Money Hour hosted by Tina Mitchell on 1150 AM KKNW. The guest panel included: Randy Bannecker – President of Bannecker Public Affairs and founding partner of ClearPath Partners Kari Haas – Managing Real Estate Broker of Kari Haas Real Estate Team, associated with Windermere Real Estate […]

Investing Moving to Tacoma Tacoma sits on the banks of beautiful Puget Sound with views of majestic Mt. Rainier. It is a scrappy port city filled with proud locals and a hotbed of unprecedented growth for creative newcomers seeking entrepreneurship and arts communities. From the vibrant nightlife on Sixth Avenue, to the posh museum district, to the great outdoors, […]

Investing The New Tax Reform May Affect You As A Homeowner New tax legislation was signed into law at the end of 2017, and it included some significant changes for homeowners. These changes took effect in 2018 and do not influence your 2017 taxes. Here’s a brief overview of

For Sellers Check Tax Consequences Before Flipping a House Flipping houses can be an exciting venture, and if done correctly, can bring you the kind of return on investment that you have been seeking. But buying a house, renovating it quickly, and then selling it again isn’t as seamless as HGTV’s Flip or Flop and Fixer Upper make it look. It’s important that you be […]

Investing Seattle Real Estate Chugs Alone As America’s Hottest Home Market Seattle’s home-price increases keep surging ahead of the rest of the nation even as the local housing market is showing a clear trend of slowing a bit. Across Greater Seattle, the typical single-family house cost 10.4 percent more in November than a year ago, the biggest increase of any metro area in the country, according […]

Investing 4 money tips for new homeowners More than 60% of Americans own their homes, and while there are certain benefits to ownership, there’s also a downside: the cost. You may have thought that coming up with a down payment was the greatest financial hurdle you’d face, but as you’ll soon come to learn, there are numerous expenses associated with owning a […]

About Kari Haas A smarter way to invest in your child’s education What if you could invest in something that earned enough profit to pay for your child’s college tuition and still kept your initial investment growing towards your own retirement? That’s the picture when you purchase a home or condo as an investment for college. There are options in every price bracket and investment models that […]

For Sellers How to Sell Your House in the Winter Start with the exterior As with any time of year, make sure that the house looks well maintained and cared for, with eaves clean and minor repairs taken care of. While you can’t paint in winter, washing paintwork and siding with warm soapy water on a mild day can make a big difference. Make sure […]

For Buyers Terrified to Buy a House? Your Top Fears Debunked. #realestate You wake up in a cold sweat. There’s something lurking in the dark, visible by flickering computer light. Something’s haunting you. It’s… the real estate listings! Deep down, you’d love to own a home, but whenever you take steps beyond idle window-shopping, a chill runs up your spine, and paralyzes you from moving ahead. So […]

For Sellers When Selling Your House Does the Office Commission Matter? Should I negotiate the commission when I’m selling real estate? We did an analysis of over 35,000 closed sales in King, Snohomish and Pierce Counties to see if the S.O.C. had any impact on a home’s selling price and on the time on market. For this project we looked at closed sales for all of […]

About Kari Haas What best day of the week to list your house? Selling a house What is the best day of the week to list your home? We analyzed over 18,000 closed residential sales (under $1,000,000) in King County in 2015 to see what effect the day of the week had in relationship to the chances the home would sell in two weeks and, if so, how […]

Investing Mortgage apps fall as rates near record lows Even with mortgage interest rates sitting near record lows, mortgage applications failed to make any gains recently. Total application volume decreased 4% on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week from the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Even refinances, which are highly rate-sensitive, were unimpressed by the continued low rates, falling 4% […]

Investing Fall Remodeling – Don’t start without reading this As temperatures cool down, and we prepare for a season of shorter, darker days, it’s time to think about the inside of your home – how to make it as glorious on gloomy days as it was during the brilliant sunshine of summer. Oh good: Projects! But wait. Don’t let the excitement of improving your […]

For Sellers Selling You House, Make Sure The Price Is Right In today’s market, where demand is outpacing supply in many regions of the country, pricing a house is one of the biggest challenges real estate professionals face. Sellers often want to price their home higher than recommended, and many agents go along with the idea to keep their clients happy. However, the best agents realize […]