Categoriesinfo for buyers

$8,000 Tax Credit “Last Days”

We know we’ve talked about it before, but the November 30th deadline is drawing near.  For those of you still unclear about the tax credit, here is a great short video explaining the credit in detail.  (Please spread this email around to all your friends!)

$8000!
We’ve seen a marked increase in sales this spring and summer and feel that the market is ramping up in these last days before the tax credit expires.

Here is a graph of the Seattle market up to $400k looking back 14 months.  Most first time buyers fall in this price range.  We compare active listings to pending and sold listings to keep a pulse on the market trends.  In this price range there is a trend of fewer homes on the market and more sales compared to the same time last year.

Warm regards,
Domenica
Windermere Real Estate

CategoriesSeattle, Windermere

Real Estate Pioneer

Anne Bentrott is a long time agent in our office. In fact she has been with Windermere in West Seattle for over 25 years and a full-time Real Estate Agent in West Seattle for over 50 years. Wow!

Recently, as she is traveling (and scuba diving) more and more, she is winding down from an amazing career. Windermere has created an “Ambassador” status for her so that she can still, occasionally, represent her long time clients (some families covering 5 generations). We are proud to work for a company that recognizes and celebrates women like Anne.

Anne’s Story…

When Anne got her real estate license in 1957, she was turned away from the first office she approached (Norman DeMeyer) because the broker felt that if he hired a woman all the male agents would quit. So she went to Turner Real Estate, because “they would hire anyone.” She said they paid so little that it didn’t matter who was hired… Apparently, when she started, one of the “old guys” that worked there said, “Hey, did you know they hired a refugee from the dishpan?”

Back in 1957, there were only about 4 or 5 other female real estate agents in West Seattle, more in neighborhoods (like Broadmoor). “Women always wore suits and most wore hats back then.” She jumped in and built her career by really taking
care of her clients. Anne said that one of the hardest things for her was overcoming the stigma of being a real estate agent, because they had a bad reputation for not being trustworthy. She says she always put her clients first and lived by the motto: Your clients don’t care how much you know, they just want to know how much you care. This has been her guiding principle and it’s clear her clients know how much she cares.

We are so amazed by Anne’s long and successful career, in a field where women were able to break through the glass ceiling and become as successful as they wanted to be. Today there are at least as many women realtors as men, if not more. It has been enlightening for us to hear about how much has changed since the days when houses were sold with a one page contract and rarely with third party bank financing. To todays reality of computers and extremely detailed, ever changing, laws & addendums to protect the public, both buyers and sellers.

Our hats are off to Anne, and we wish her continued enjoyment and success in her coming years!

Warm regards,
Domenica
Windermere Real Estate