Realtor News

Most consumers know homeownership is among the soundest investments an individual can make to begin building their personal wealth. However, owning a home is not just in the best interest of the homeowner. “Homeownership provides stability, builds communities, and is a driving force in our economy,” stated Jennifer Pederson, President of the Snohomish County-Camano Association of REALTORS® (SCCAR). Besides being a good investment, homeownership provides stability, brings families together, helps drive the economy, as well as the tax incentives to being a homeowner, and homeowners also build successful communities.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, REALTORS® have increased their philanthropic and volunteer efforts, according to a new report from the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). The Community Aid and Real Estate Report (the CARE Report) offers insight into the monetary and volunteer contributions of real estate professionals.

COVID-19 continues to reshape our lives, changing our daily routines and mandating precautionary measures which involve staying in our homes as often as we can. With people spending more time at home than ever before, home improvement projects are increasingly becoming top of mind for homeowners.

The National Association of REALTORS’® (NAR) Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers shows 53 percent of all buyers used open houses as a source in their home search process. This figure suggests the value of open houses even in the internet era. However, just like everything else in the era of COVID, open houses have changed. To provide extra safety precautions for buyers and sellers here is a list of some things you can expect when visiting an open house, as mandated by the Governor’s Healthy Washington initiative:

Additional help could be on the way for first-time homebuyers. As a candidate, President Joe Biden proposed the First Down Payment Homebuyer Tax Credit, which could be significant in aiding potential first-time homebuyers. For starters, the credit could be used to cover all or a considerable share of a buyer’s down payment. With home prices rising ever higher, any down payment assistance is welcomed when a family is looking to buy.

Racial injustice is deeply rooted in history and is apparent in housing discrimination, even today. In honor of Black History Month, we wanted to highlight what we, as REALTOR® associations, are doing to ensure fair and equal housing opportunities. The Snohomish County-Camano Association REALTORS® (SCCAR), along with Washington REALTORS® (WR) and the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), support equal opportunity in housing and oppose practices and policies which have a known discriminatory effect.

“Real Estate Agent” is a catchall phrase used, in casual conversation, to describe the three types of professionals who buy and sell real estate: agents, brokers, and Realtors®. No, they’re not really the same. Yes, you should care about what makes them different. Here’s a breakdown:

Oh, let’s just admit it, shall we? Browsing for homes online is fun and exciting! However, it is important to take everything with a grain of salt. Browser beware, though: those listings may be seductive, but they might not be giving you the complete picture.

Owning a home is not just in the best interest of the homeowner. “Homeownership provides social stability, builds communities and is a driving force for the national economy"...

“There’s more demand than inventory, which has pushed up home prices to levels above what many first-time buyers are comfortable spending,” said Denise McDonald, President of the Snohomish County-Camano Association of REALTORS®. “People spend countless hours going through the process of obtaining a loan and locating their perfect home only to find themselves competing in a bidding war.”

The Snohomish County Camano Association of REALTORS® (SCCAR) has worked hard to keep REALTOR® safety a foremost priority, but what about people looking to either buy or sell a home? Safety is a conversation far too many real estate professionals omit from their discussions with sellers and buyer. As September is REALTOR® Safety month, SCCAR wanted to share some safety tips for buyers and sellers:

You have worked with a REALTOR® to scour the listings, toured what feels like a million houses, and finally found it: the house you want to call home. The next step is to make your purchase offer, and if you are like most people, the prospect can be quite intimidating. In a seller’s market, there can be even more pressure on the buyer to submit an impressive bid. So how can you make sure the offer you submit is the one accepted?

Denise McDonald, President of the Snohomish County Camano Association of Realtors®, stated, “Silence is not an option given all that is happening with racial discrimination. The REALTOR® foundation is built on fair housing for all. Therefore, there is no tolerance for racism at SCCAR or in the REALTOR® industry.”

The resource introduced in this video breaks down the science behind implicit bias and gives solutions to unintended discrimination.

While some counties are in Phase II and others are preparing for it, the Phase II re-opening requires specific protocols which are to be followed for the process of buying or selling a home. The modifications for Phase II include:

During these times, we wanted to highlight some good news which is happening within our communities. We would like to recognize REALTORS® who are making contributions toward the betterment of our community through public service or private actions. Nominate someone today by filling out our form.

The real estate brokerage industry shares the Governor’s priorities. The industry’s paramount concerns are safety of the public and the prevention of the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Accordingly, real estate brokers will limit personal interactions to the greatest extent possible and will engage in-person only when necessary, and by following these strict protocols:

Most importantly, we all must comply with these new guidelines both to protect our fellow citizens, and to ensure that we can keep the guidelines in place. The Governor has placed great trust in the real estate community; if he sees violations of his new order, he can eliminate these in-person opportunities.

SCCAR has been working to ensure continuity in our operations. However, the safety and well-being of members and our staff is our top priority. With that in mind, we are closing the SCCAR office and store until June 15th. There will be no in-person classes, meetings, committees, and events between now until Phase 3. We will host our regularly monthly committee meetings and some classes virtually. We will revisit this situation weekly and make any adjustments as warranted. SCCAR staff will be available by email.

Eighty-four percent of Americans believe purchasing a home is a good financial decision. Yet six in ten said they are concerned about affordability and the rising cost of buying a home or renting in their area. Nationally, forty-four percent of respondents categorized the lack of available affordable housing as a very big or big problem.