Seattle Real Estate Report

Just Now:

An ADT (home monitoring/security) salesman knocked on the front door. I opened and listened attentively to the kid's pitch until he said, "A lot of people don't know this but ADT and Google are effectively the same company now and..." at which point every alarm in my head screamed "never!"

I responded, "So it's not enough that my phone listens in on everything I say even though I've instructed Google to NOT do so and now Google prefers to watch me undress, come and go, know when AND count the number of times my doors and windows open or close, how precisely many people are at home, where they are, what they're doing, what they look like, build biometric records and profiles of every living soul willing to pay Google to monitor me like cattle? Have you heard of a country called China where this kind of authoritarian tracking is the law? And do YOU really wanna play a part in the destruction of your own privacy and freedom... AND MINE?"

Him: blank stare. "So would you want to take advantage of this for free for 1 year as a model home in this neighborhood?"

Me: "It's enough that the vacuum cleaner knows where every piece of furniture in this house is and how to put itself back on the charger.... so, no."

I did some checking after he left.

In 2020, Google bought 6% of ADT and promised this "next gen" security system. Google and ADT's security package: Google screens and cameras and ADT's software, sensors, and hub. Google's plans for a security system are starting to take shape.

Notice the words: "starting to take shape."

Realtors: I know NY State realtors don't use MLS (RLS) but I am curious to know why NY has so few rew realtors per 1000 residents compared to states with greater populations. This chart aggregates from NAR but RLS stats say around 52k agents/brokers in NY. Both TX and NY are around 21,000,000 population. Educate me, briefly or at length.

AGENT to JOB ratios are also revealing: It's an interesting contemplation when you factor in that NY is 0.6 agents for 1000 jobs with only 5,740 agents active in 2022 while TX is 2.1 agents for every 1000 jobs with 27,710 agents active.

I'm a mortgage broker; 14 years. Started my own company and looking at expanding my own two-state mortgage company to 6 states. I know the crystal ball is murky but what's happening in your sphere(s) of business as an agent... what do you see now and future?

It's rare that I ask a subjective question here. I like to do my own research. And, asking a question on FB can elicit so many answers, the question just gets bigger and opinions can be so broad, it becomes pointless to even ask. But this question is one which I'd like to see get bigger first because the internet is divided.

For those of you who control your office furnishings, office chair(s) in particular, do you use anything like this and if you do, pro, cons, healthy, comfy, do you switch up, would you buy a different one, which one do you like if different from this one?

This is a PSA. You've likely seen or heard TV commercials about protecting your home against fraudulent loans, title theft and losing your home to n'er-do-wells with a "one-page document."

Title fraud is real but it happens so very infrequently that you have a greater chance of finding a trophy with a zygodactyl on top at a Goodwill store. These companies that leverage fear (Home Title Lock, for example) will not protect you against claims, liens or related events that challenge your ownership of your home. They are simply a monitoring service that can let you know when action has been taken against your title. You can do this for yourself if you are really concerned.

Of note: Home Title Lock is presently sporting an expert (David Hooten") fear mongerer in the TV ad who plainly says that as a county clerk of the court, he must allow fraudulent filings even when he knows it is illegal. First of all, that it is utter deception. County clerks do NOT sit idly by and allow thefts to go down or else they would lose their job in a heartbeat. Second... Mr. Hooten lost his job last year to sexual harassment allegations.

Are you thinking of changing jungles? How about this one? City 100 yards behind you, the countenance of the pacific northwest in the same breath.

People ask me why they should use a mortgage broker for a home refinance or purchase. It is pretty simple; A broker is not the employee of any lender and can quickly shop your loan to multiple lenders and then choose the one lender best suited for the loan you need.

Most lenders and banks require their employee loan officers to make loans "in-house" using that lender's rate sheet and that lender's underwriting guidelines versus directing the borrower to a competing lender with a better rate and/or underwriting process. Having worked the first 7 of my 12 years as a hand-cuffed 'in-house' loan officer and the last 5 years as a broker, I am quite familiar with both worlds.

In the Pacific Northwest and Seattle, Christmas trees need not be on the floor. This homeowner mounted branches of a very large tree to both sides of the room and hung simple string-pearls on the branches. Simple, elegant and timeless with all the same fragrance.

Golden Gardens is a park along Seattle's Puget Sound water port. Easily accessible by foot, car, bus, etc., and just a few minutes away from most of Seattle, it is a beautiful park with a greater than 180 degree view of water and mountains.

It's a colorful fall in Seattle and surrounding cities.

Mukilteo, WA is a small town 25 minutes north of Seattle proper. Lighthouse Beach Park and Ferry Doc are beautiful year-round. October 1, 2019 at sundown.

A short distance west of Seattle, one can drive a car to Hurricane Ridge and easily hike to an altitude of about 6000 feet and see views like these. Return in the evening by car-ferry and catch a beautiful sunset.

45 minutes north of Seattle is Deception Pass State Park. It faces west across the water port of Puget Sound and the sunsets are spectacular.