Blog - Danielle Martin

Buyers, Homeowners

A Local Look at the Western Washington Housing Market for August 2025

🍂 From September to December, the market changes—and that can be a big win if you’re a buyer. ✅ Less competition ✅ Motivated sellers ✅ More room to negotiate price, repairs, credits, and terms This is your window to make a smart move before the holidays hit. Thinking about buying before year’s end? Let’s make […]
Real Estate, Sellers

Staging Your Home Matters

When it comes to selling your home, first impressions aren’t just important; they are everything. Staging your home matters. In today’s market, buyers often scroll through dozens of listings online before ever stepping foot inside a home. That means your property needs to shine from the start of the home buyer’s journey. Meaning in addition […]
Buyers, Real Estate

Don’t Let Student Loans Hold You Back from Homeownership

Did you know? According to a recent study, 72% of people with student loans think their debt will delay their ability to buy a home. Maybe you’re one of them and you’re wondering: Do you have to wait until you’ve paid off those loans before you can buy your first home? Or is it possible […]
Homeowners, Investing

Are You Ignoring Your Biggest Financial Asset?

You probably check your bank account regularly—but when was the last time you checked on the equity in your home? For many people, home equity is their largest financial asset, yet it gets far less attention than a checking or savings account. But here’s the truth: real estate is one of the most powerful tools […]

Buyers A Local Look at the Western Washington Housing Market for August 2025 🍂 From September to December, the market changes—and that can be a big win if you’re a buyer. ✅ Less competition ✅ Motivated sellers ✅ More room to negotiate price, repairs, credits, and terms This is your window to make a smart move before the holidays hit. Thinking about buying before year’s end? Let’s make […]

Real Estate Staging Your Home Matters When it comes to selling your home, first impressions aren’t just important; they are everything. Staging your home matters. In today’s market, buyers often scroll through dozens of listings online before ever stepping foot inside a home. That means your property needs to shine from the start of the home buyer’s journey. Meaning in addition […]

Buyers Don’t Let Student Loans Hold You Back from Homeownership Did you know? According to a recent study, 72% of people with student loans think their debt will delay their ability to buy a home. Maybe you’re one of them and you’re wondering: Do you have to wait until you’ve paid off those loans before you can buy your first home? Or is it possible […]

Homeowners Are You Ignoring Your Biggest Financial Asset? You probably check your bank account regularly—but when was the last time you checked on the equity in your home? For many people, home equity is their largest financial asset, yet it gets far less attention than a checking or savings account. But here’s the truth: real estate is one of the most powerful tools […]

Homeowners Maximize Your Tax Refund: Invest in Your Future Through Real Estate Maximize Your Tax Refund: Invest in Your Future Through Real Estate Tax season often brings a pleasant surprise – a refund. As of February 7, 2025, the IRS reported an average refund amount of $2,065. That is an 18.6% increase from the previous year. Check out the details here. If you’re contemplating how to make the […]

Homeowners What You Need To Know About Homeowner’s Insurance Homeowner’s insurance is a must-have to protect what’s probably your biggest investment – your home. And while you never want to think about worst-case scenarios, the right coverage is basically your safety net if something goes wrong. Here’s how it helps you. Covers Repairs and Rebuilding Costs: If your home is damaged by fire, storms, […]

Homeowners Washington State Home Inspection Rules—Did You Know? Washington State Home Inspection Rules—Did You Know? Home inspections can be nerve-wracking for both buyers and sellers, but Washington State’s laws might surprise you! 🔹 Buyers usually want to share what they found in an inspection—whether to justify a request or out of a sense of fairness. But here’s the catch: they can’t! 🔹 Why? […]

Homeowners Happy International Women’s Day! Happy International Women’s Day! Women have an illustrious history in the real estate industry — but it’s not a very long history. In fact, in the U.S., female aspiring homeowners weren’t even allowed to finance purchases on their own until the 1970s. Thankfully, women have achieved high levels of real estate–related success since then, both […]

Homeowners Headed Back Into the Office? You May Decide To Move It’s no secret that remote work has surged over the last few years. And that flexibility gave a lot of people the freedom to move — and work — from wherever they wanted. But now, a growing number of companies are requiring employees to return to the office. And that’s leading some people to make […]

Buyers 2024 Year in Review

Real Estate Are You Asking Yourself These Questions About Selling Your House? Some homeowners hesitate to sell because they’ve got unanswered questions that hold them back. But a lot of times their concerns are based on misconceptions, not facts. And if they’d just talk to an agent about it, they’d see these doubts aren’t necessarily a hurdle at all. If uncertainty is keeping you from making a […]

Uncategorized A Record Percent of Buyers Are Planning To Move in 2025 – Are You? This could be the year to sell your house – and here’s why. According to a recent NerdWallet survey, 15% of people are planning to buy a home this year. That’s actually a record high for this survey (see graph below): Here’s why this is such a big deal. The percentage has been hovering between 9-11% since 2020. This recent […]

Uncategorized 3 Reasons To Buy a Home Before Spring 3 Reasons To Buy a Home Before Spring Let’s face it — buying a home can feel like a challenge with today’s mortgage rates. You might even be thinking, “Should I just wait until spring when more homes hit the market and rates might be lower?” But here’s the thing, no one knows for sure […]

Buyers Time in the Market Beats Timing the Market Trying to decide whether it makes more sense to buy a home now or wait? There’s a lot to consider, from what’s happening in the market to your changing needs. But generally speaking, aiming to time the market isn’t a good strategy – there are too many factors at play for that to even be […]

Buyers Is a Fixer Upper Right for You? Looking to buy a home but feeling like almost everything is out of reach? Here’s the thing. There’s still a way to become a homeowner, even when affordability seems like a huge roadblock – and it might be with a fixer upper. Let’s dive into why buying a fixer upper could be your ticket to homeownership and how you can make […]

Uncategorized Don’t Let Fear or Uncertainty Hold You Back From Achieving Your Goals How Real Estate Agents Take the Fear Out of Moving Feeling a bit unsure, or even afraid, to move with everything going on right now? The decision to move shouldn’t be scary, it should be exciting. And the best way to eliminate any fear is to work with a pro. As Real estate agent professionals […]

Investing Real Estate in an Election Year With the 2024 Presidential election fast approaching, you might be wondering what impact, if any, it’s having on the housing market. Let’s break it down. Election Years Bring a Temporary Slowdown In any given year, home sales slow down slightly in the fall. It’s a typical, seasonal trend. However, according to data from BTIG, in […]

Sellers Ready to Shine! New Listing Alert! This home is sparkling and ready to shine. Home maintenance and yard prep ✔️ Home professionally cleaned ✔️ Carpets professionally cleaned ✔️ Home staging complete ✔️ Photography & videography complete ✔️ Contractor box removed and keybox placed ✔️ Marketing flyers placed in home ✔️ Open house flyers delivered ✔️ Sign up ✔️ We’ve put in […]

Uncategorized Planning To Sell Your House in 2025? Start Prepping Now… If your goal is to sell your house in 2025, now’s the time to start prepping. Even though it might seem like there’s plenty of time between now and the new year, you should get a head start on any updates or repairs you want to make now. As Danielle Hale, Chief Economist at Realtor.com, says: “ . . […]

Homeowners Declutter or Keep? When faced with a move, people often begin to re-evaluate their belongings. Should you declutter before you go? Perhaps this fresh start in a new home deserves a fresh start with new belongings too. Maybe the hassle of moving across the country with truckloads of items just doesn’t seem appealing or cost effective. It is […]