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Top Perks of Puget Sound Living
August 24, 2016 /Growing up in the Puget Sound permanently spoiled me. There are few places in the world that enjoy such an enviable intersection of nature, economic opportunity, and cultural vibrancy. As such, I’m always judging other locations against the impossibly high bar set by Puget Sound living, and so it’s hardly a surprise that even the most exotic destinations seem to pale in comparison to my beloved Seattle. But don’t take my word for it: read on to learn more about the top perks of Puget Sound living. Booming Economy Seattle is quickly establishing itself as one of the most prominent economies in the country. Though the city has plenty of job opportunities for multiple skill sets, the tech industry is definitely leading the pack, with local heavyweight Amazon continuing to expand its influence, while imports like Google and Facebook are establishing a firm presence. With a bountiful influx of wealth and employment, Puget Sound living keeps getting better and better. Natural Beauty Northwest natives might take the region’s beauty for granted, but that doesn’t make it any less astonishing. The Puget Sound is one of the country’s largest estuaries, and it’s home to a diverse body of wildlife, including whales, octopi, seals,…Read more
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What are the Top Millennial Housing Trends?
August 15, 2016 /Being a millennial, and being perpetually in the process of moving, I’ve been thinking about my generation’s real estate trends quite a lot recently. There’s an abundance of talk out there about what millennials (the generation aged about 18-35 and born between the early 1980s and early 2000s) want in a home, but it’s often hard to tell fact from fiction, and so millennial home buying trends tend to remain a bit of a mystery. To set matters straight, here are some of the most important trends millennials consider when buying a home. Uber Urban This one’s kind of a gimme. It’s pretty well known that millennials favor hip urban centers with ready access to bars, restaurants, services, and cultural centers. Rather than dreaming of making it to the suburbs like their parents, most millennials want to be where the action is. This trend is at least partly responsible for the boom in urban populations, and it has made cities such as Seattle, Portland, Denver, and Austin hot spots for the young. Along with this urban focus comes a fondness for an industrial style. Instead of looking for spic and span spaces, millennials are favoring styles that are tastefully messy.…Read more
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Gratitude: the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.
August 5, 2016 /“Well this is an unfortunate turn of events,” I thought as the oncoming SUV drove into my bicycle and knocked me onto the asphalt. I don’t remember what happened immediately after impact (vehicular accidents tend to dull the senses, it turns out), but I do remember being rather proud of my admirably calm mental observations, given the circumstances. For instance, I remember it was a fine, crisp January morning and that there were birds singing in the trees. Also, the sky was filled with plump, fluffy clouds, the air had been scrubbed clean by recent rain, some stranger was grabbing me by the shoulders and asking if I was alright, and a police officer was rushing toward me and calling an ambulance. Now (I wondered), why should I be receiving so much attention all of a sudden? Oh yes: I’ve just been hit by a car. Since my brain is liable to wander off into some pretty weird places during even the most normal circumstances, it’s hardly surprising that the loopiness of my post-crash mental excursions was exponentially magnified. Sitting up in the street in a befuddled and bruised state, I allowed my mind to wander through the little-used vaults…Read more
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Mortgage Rates are Low: Why Should You Care?
August 2, 2016 /We’re only a little more than halfway into the year, and already the housing market is flexing its muscles with a strong showing from new home sales. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced that there were 592,000 new home sales in June, a figure which outpaces original expectations and estimations by tens of thousands of units. The number of new home sales has increased about 4% in the last month, while current new home sales are roughly 25% higher than they were in June 2015. More to the point, June 2016 saw the highest new home sales since 2008. All in all, demand for new housing remains strong, and the housing market is not only continuing its robust, post-recession recovery, but also continues to be a primary contributor to the U.S. economic recovery. The success of new home sales has relied in large part on currently low mortgage rates. For individuals and households with favorable credit history, the average 30-year, fixed rate mortgage is about 3.5%. Back in June 2015, the average 30-year rates were hovering around 4% (which, it’s worth mentioning, was an already low figure). With rates arriving at even lower levels, it’s no…Read more
