ARDELL's Seattle Area Real Estate Blog

      This is a picture of my granddaughter during one of her many visits to “Nana’s House” in Kirkland, Washington. A short walk to...Downtown Kirkland on the Lake, with a pedestrian friendly and walkable area of quaint shops that come right up to the lake...and the ducks. Your know it is a "sho...

If you've ever walked into a house with those nasty "odorous" commercial plug-in room fresheners, you know what I'm talking about. Sometimes the stench is so overpowering you have to rush outside for some fresh air between floors! I've been in this business over 20 years and have tried it all.  1...

I just got an email from someone whom I did not choose to have as a client about a year ago. He found another agent (maybe you) who "helped him" for a year. He just emailed me, a year later, to tell me he had given up his home search and decided to rent a house for a year.  I knew within 5 minute...

King County Home Prices 2011 should follow a similar pattern to 2009 and 2010. As you can see in the chart below, there has been little change since the end of 2008. Up during Spring and back in the Winter. The bigger story has become who is getting a great deal and who is overpaying for a home. ...

    Hopefully this video makes it crystal clear why these monies are called "EARNEST" Money vs "refundable deposit". While in most cases the Earnest Money is returned to the Buyer AT CLOSING, every buyer should be aware that in most cases the contract calls for the buyer to forfeit the Earnest Mo...

A client saying yes, but meaning no, is a very important aspect of the real estate business. The quicker an agent can recognize this, the faster they can assist their clients with making "right" decisions. This rarely happens when the buyer or seller is a single individual. It happens quite ofte...

I know when you read the National News it seems like homes are being "given away" at a fraction of their current value. It's a great "fairy tale" but sometimes you need to look a gift horse in the mouth. While 25% of all property sold in King County were Short Sales and Foreclosures When you brea...

King County Home prices in 2010 will have to escape two mega foreseeable dip factors, in order to keep in the 2005 – 2006 price range. Earlier this year I called bottom and the end of the downward spiral, when median home price for King County was at $362,700. The year ended at at a median price...

Five to one, more people are asking me if they should sell their home vs. if they should buy one. That said, I have more buyer clients than seller clients. Those buyers are simply not asking IF they SHOULD buy. The most difficult scenarios are those who need to do both at the same time, who cann...

Home Warranty: I just sent a text message to one of my clients who bought a new construction home almost a year ago regarding their “Builder Warranty”. A new home will have its fair share of minor settlement cracks and“nail pops” and many quality builders will come back at the end of the 1st yea...