If you’re a home buyer in the Seattle real estate market, you know first-hand how competitive it can be and have witnessed prices increase over the last year (or more). And as if you needed any additional proof highlighting that phenomenon,  an article at SeattlePI.com yesterday highlights the newest report from Standard & Poor’s CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city home price index, which found that home prices nationwide rose 5.7% in June, while Seattle experienced a 13.4% year-over-year increase.

But before you get discouraged…

A couple of things we like our buyer clients to remember is that the level of growth and price increases are going to vary from neighborhood to neighborhood and certain pockets of the city are not appreciating nearly as quickly as others. Also, just because a home is listed at a certain price, it doesn’t mean that it is automatically going to be bid up with multiple offers. If a seller’s pricing strategy is off, there could be an opportunity to negotiate. Additionally, taking the steps necessary up front to help position yourself as a strong, qualified buyer and working with us to structure a competitive offer that balances your comfort and tolerance for risk can really pay off. If you would like to learn more about how we are working with our buyer clients to better prepare them for buying a home in Seattle, we’d love to sit down and chat. We have a full team that is here, ready and able to assist. Give us a call at (206) 331-3960 or shoot us an email at info@www.wilcynskipartners.com.