My own property had been listed 6 weeks ago and it expired yesterday. Frankly, I forgot about it.  Well, the 'reminders' started at 7 AM this morning and by 11:30 I had received 15 real estate agent calls. Silly thing is the listing has OWNED BY BROKER all over it. Not one of the callers bothered to read the listing or check to see if it had been relisted.

Most of them jumped right into  CAN I LIST YOUR HOUSE without saying much else about themselves. Several sounded like typical boiler room cube callers, with fast and not very friendly closing techniques in the first paragraph. I say 'paragraph' because it sounded like they were reading from a script.

One man claimed to be the assistant to a large national companies top 50 producer. He was so

This from todays Mortgage Originator Magazine:

"Mortgage application activity as of Dec 13th fell to its lowest level since 2001. Refinance applications are now 66% of all originations. The average conforming contract interest rate is currently 4.62%.  Its interesting to note that JUMBO loans are actually averaging a lower 4.61%

Now, plug that in with reports of increased sales --- about what does that make you think? CASH BUYERS!  Of course real estate sales are up but the majority of those are in the lower price ranges. Those SFRs that hit the bottom of the bottom while rents increased, making them perfect rentals for investors. I do Broker Price Opinions. Hundreds of them all over three counties and when pulling comps, Im seeing increasing

The Cascade Team SOS Agent Designation

The S.O.S. designation is the highest honor a member of The Cascade Team Real Estate can earn. S.O.S. encompasses not only the strive and achievement of being among the top producing agents in sales, but also the commitment to the communities we serve and work in.

The S.O.S. designation is awarded to agents and brokers who ranked in the top 10% for sales company wide, “And”  who also demonstrated exceptional commitment to community. Holders of the S.O.S. designation are the cornerstone of The Cascade Team Real Estate. They continually give back through community programs like Project Crayon Drive to benefit Children’s Hospital, during the free holiday sleigh rides events, and within their local schools,

Thank you to everyone for an amazing 2013. It has been wonderful to grow and be a part of all the communities we represent. We are very happy to share that www.TheCascadeTeam.com has expanded by adding four new offices in 2013. Those locations are in North Bend, WA; Los Angeles, California; Portland, Oregon, and in Leavenworth, WA.

www.TheCascadeTeam.com also underwent a huge transformation with our “Brand Refresh” initiative which delivered the 1st and in many cases still the only “Responsive” real estate website platform.

www.TheCascadeTeam.com’s Responsive Web design is an approach that suggests that design and development should respond to the user’s behavior and environment based on screen size, platform and orientation. As the user

There is a new asset class---REO to rental Securities.  This is where major holders or REO properties pool and sell in bulk to big money investment firms. The properties are kept as INSTITUTIONAL OWNED RENTALS instead of being listed with real estate brokers to be sold to individual buyers.  Why? Returns because of new record monthly rental fees provide more return and less danger than stock, etc.

What does this mean to you as a small investor? This isnt a scare tactic, its just plain fact. You will fewer SFRs being listed for sale after the lenders/servicers have foreclosed and own them, especially in the price ranges that provide a good Net Operating Income after bills. Remember that all these properties are now free and clear because of foreclosure,

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Team,

We are very happy to have Doug Young back up in the Northwest for the better part of next week. Doug will be holding live Tech/Tools Training Classes. These are very informative classes and important for experienced and new brokers/agents. 2014 looks to be an even bigger year than 2013 and the opportunity you have before you has never been greater! Even if you have attended this class in the past, this is a great chance to pick up new information and brush up on things you may have missed.

For all new agents/brokers it is vital that you do everything you can to attend this class.

Address: MAIN OFFICE 355 NW Gilman Blvd

The class typically last 3-4 hours.

Washington will be on Thursday, December the

Snoqualmie SANTA Photos

Please take a look through all these great Santa photos, and click the link at the bottom right to go to Photo Bucket and download your child's picture. There are some great ones this year! Can't help but smile at the kids who are completely terrified on Santa...

Click HERE

Local Community Events - December

At The Cascade Team Real Estate events like this are a part of who we are. We want to be more than just your local real estate agent, we are part of your community. Agents and Broker who participate in great community service events like this one and the many others we support throughout our communities are recognized with our highest honor:

The SOS Designation Achievement