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Real Estate Agent
Paul S. Henderson, REALTOR®, CRS
Whether you are buying or selling a house at Hartstene Pointe on Harstine Island, Tacoma, Lakewood, DuPont, Gig Harbor, let me represent your interests. Serving my client's best interests since 1999.
Cell: (253) 318-3493
Office: (253) 318-3493
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Carol Williams
After 30 yrs as an active agent, broker and property manager, Carol has shifted her focus to retirement, enjoying traveling, golf, and writing inspiring books.
Cell: (509) 670-7840
Office: (509) 670-7840
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All About Washington Real Estate

By Marie-Noelle Metseye, Reward Trust with Excellence
(RE/MAX Northwest)
Now that Link light rail reaches Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace, is this the right time to buy a home near a station, and could improved transit access influence long-term property demand? For some buyers, yes, but buy the property, not merely the light-rail story. Direct Link access has fundamentally changed transportation options in south Snohomish County, while Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace are planning significant growth around their stations. That can make station-accessible properties more attractive to certain buyers, but proximity to rail does not guarantee appreciation, and current market data shows why careful property-by-property analysis matters.Lynnwood Light Rail Changed the Geography of the Home SearchFor years, buyers comparing communities north of Seattle had to make a...
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By Marie-Noelle Metseye, Reward Trust with Excellence
(RE/MAX Northwest)
Should You Waive Your Inspection When Buying a Home in Bothell Right Now?Not automatically. While waiving an inspection contingency can sometimes strengthen an offer on a highly competitive Bothell property, the 2026 market gives many buyers more room to use smarter strategies, such as completing a pre-inspection before submitting an offer or negotiating a shorter inspection period, without blindly accepting the risks of an unknown property condition.If you bought, or tried to buy, a home around Bothell and the Eastside in 2021, you probably remember what the market felt like.Homes could attract multiple offers almost immediately. Buyers worried that asking for an inspection would put them behind another offer. Some purchasers waived contingencies simply because they believed that was w...
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By Marie-Noelle Metseye, Reward Trust with Excellence
(RE/MAX Northwest)
When comparing new construction and resale luxury homes, which option offers better value for today’s luxury buyer, and what should sellers understand about the way buyers evaluate that value? Neither new construction nor resale luxury homes automatically offer better value. New construction can provide modern design, current technology, energy efficiency and reduced near-term renovation needs, while a resale luxury home may offer a more established location, mature landscaping, distinctive architecture and features that would be costly or impossible to reproduce today. The better value depends on the property, location, acquisition cost and your long-term priorities.New Construction vs. Resale Luxury Homes: Understanding What “Value” Really MeansWhen you enter the luxury real estate ma...
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By Marie-Noelle Metseye, Reward Trust with Excellence
(RE/MAX Northwest)
Why can two luxury homes in the same neighborhood, sometimes only a few doors apart, sell for millions of dollars apart? Two luxury homes in the same neighborhood can sell for dramatically different prices because luxury real estate value is determined by much more than square footage and location. Views, privacy, lot characteristics, architecture, construction quality, renovations, condition, waterfront or other scarce attributes, floor-plan functionality, presentation, market timing, and buyer demand can create enormous differences in what sophisticated buyers are willing to pay.1. Luxury Real Estate Is a Market of DifferencesTraditional residential valuation often begins with comparable sales.Luxury valuation does too.But finding genuinely comparable properties can become more challe...
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By Marie-Noelle Metseye, Reward Trust with Excellence
(RE/MAX Northwest)
What does it really cost to own a luxury property beyond the purchase price, and what should affluent buyers and sellers consider before making their next move?The Short AnswerThe true cost of owning a luxury property extends well beyond the acquisition price or monthly mortgage payment. Property taxes, specialized insurance, ongoing maintenance, sophisticated home systems, landscaping, security, utilities, renovations, staffing, financing, and eventual resale costs can materially affect the economics of ownership.For luxury buyers, understanding those expenses before making an offer can lead to a more confident acquisition. For luxury sellers, understanding them can help position a property more strategically and anticipate the questions sophisticated buyers are likely to ask.A Luxury ...
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By Marie-Noelle Metseye, Reward Trust with Excellence
(RE/MAX Northwest)
Do you have to sign a buyer brokerage agreement before a real estate agent can show you a house in Washington State?Washington law requires real estate firms to enter into a written services agreement with buyers before, or as soon as reasonably practical after, their broker begins providing real estate brokerage services. In addition, current National Association of REALTORS® policy generally requires MLS participants working with buyers to have a written agreement in place before touring a home.The important point for Washington buyers is that this agreement isn't merely another piece of paperwork at closing. It defines the relationship between you and the real estate professional representing you, including the scope of representation, duration, exclusivity and compensation.What Is a...
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By Marie-Noelle Metseye, Reward Trust with Excellence
(RE/MAX Northwest)
What changes when you sell a luxury home after summer and the real estate market moves into fall? Selling a luxury home in fall can still produce an excellent result, but the strategy often needs to change. As summer ends, luxury buyers may become more selective, daylight and showing windows shrink, inventory patterns shift, and pricing, presentation, photography, and negotiation become increasingly important.For luxury sellers, fall is less about simply being on the market and more about being precisely positioned for the buyers who remain in it.1. Fall Does Not Necessarily Mean the Luxury Market DisappearsOne of the biggest misconceptions about selling a luxury home in fall is that serious buyers vanish after Labor Day.They do not.What can change is the composition and behavior of the...
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By Marie-Noelle Metseye, Reward Trust with Excellence
(RE/MAX Northwest)
Who pays Washington’s real estate excise tax when a home is sold in Bothell, and how much could a seller pay in 2026? In Washington, the seller usually pays Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) when real property is sold. For most residential property, the state portion is calculated using graduated tax brackets, and Bothell currently adds a 0.50% local REET, whether the property is on the King County or Snohomish County side of the city.If you are preparing to sell a home in Bothell, one number on your estimated closing statement deserves more attention than it often gets:Real Estate Excise Tax.REET can amount to thousands, or tens of thousands, of dollars, depending on your sale price.It can also be confusing because Washington does not simply apply one flat state percentage to every residen...
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By Marie-Noelle Metseye, Reward Trust with Excellence
(RE/MAX Northwest)
Is the Northshore School District premium worth paying when buying a home in Norway Hill or Canyon Park instead of Kirkland?It can be, but you should not assume that every home within Northshore School District boundaries automatically deserves a premium.The better question is not simply, “Is Northshore worth the premium?”It is:What am I actually getting for the additional money on this particular property, and how does that compare with my alternatives in Norway Hill, Canyon Park, and Kirkland?That is the comparison I recommend making before you write an offer.First: What Does a “Northshore School District Premium” Actually Mean?Real estate buyers often use the word premium loosely.You might hear that a home commands a premium because of its neighborhood, school-district assignment, lo...
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By Kevin Hancock, The Hancock Team at Sammamish Mortgage
🏡 Buying a home with a smaller down payment?Fannie Mae’s HomeReady®️ program may allow eligible buyers to purchase with as little as 3% down, along with flexible funding options for down payment and closing costs.Learn how HomeReady works, who qualifies, and how it compares with FHA financing.  https://www.kevinhancockmortgage.com/homeready-loan-king-county/ #HomeReady #KingCountyRealEstate #HomeBuying #MortgageTips #WashingtonRealEstate
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By Marie-Noelle Metseye, Reward Trust with Excellence
(RE/MAX Northwest)
How do the 2026 property tax increases in King County and Snohomish County affect you if you’re thinking about selling your home? Higher property taxes do not automatically mean you should rush to sell, but they can change the numbers behind your sale. Your current tax obligation, closing-date prorations, mortgage payoff, Washington real estate excise tax, commissions and other transaction expenses all contribute to what ultimately matters: your estimated net proceeds.That makes 2026 a good year to stop thinking only about your potential sale price and start asking a more useful question:“If I sold my home now, approximately how much would I actually walk away with?” Property Taxes Are Up in 2026, But the Headline Needs ContextIf you own a home in King County or Snohomish County, you ma...
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By April Swenson, CRS and Managing Broker - Ocean Shores Real Estate
(Coldwell Banker Ocean Shores Brokers)
OCEAN SHORES REAL ESTATEJust SoldSOLD 8/21/26: Polynesian unit 308 (615 Ocean Shores Blvd NW), #OceanShores, WA.This hotel condo is a studio on the top floor with a full-bath, peak-a-boo Ocean Views, and fully-furnished.Sold for $22,000 cash.Congratulations to both my Sellers and Buyer, who are all happy. 🙂I thank God for His blessings.
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By Marie-Noelle Metseye, Reward Trust with Excellence
(RE/MAX Northwest)
Why can a homeowner spend $1 million or more renovating a luxury property and still fail to recover that investment when the home is sold?A million-dollar renovation does not automatically create a million dollars in additional property value. Luxury resale value depends on what qualified buyers are willing to pay for the home as a whole, including its location, architecture, layout, condition, design relevance, lot, views, privacy, and how the property compares with competing luxury homes.1. Renovation Cost Is Not the Same as Market ValueImagine purchasing a luxury residence for $3 million and investing another $1 million into a complete renovation.Your total capital invested may now be approximately $4 million before considering transaction expenses, financing, carrying costs, landsca...
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By Marie-Noelle Metseye, Reward Trust with Excellence
(RE/MAX Northwest)
How do luxury buyers use real estate as part of a broader wealth strategy?Luxury buyers often evaluate real estate as more than a place to live. Depending on their goals, property can provide a combination of lifestyle value, long-term appreciation potential, portfolio diversification, income opportunities, borrowing flexibility, and legacy value, making the right luxury property an important component of a broader wealth strategy. 1. Luxury Buyers May Use Real Estate to Diversify WealthDiversification is one of the most important concepts in wealth management.When a substantial portion of your net worth is tied to a business, publicly traded stock, private equity, or another concentrated asset, acquiring real estate can provide exposure to a different type of asset.Real estate is tangi...
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By Marie-Noelle Metseye, Reward Trust with Excellence
(RE/MAX Northwest)
Can you still buy a home in Bothell for around $500,000 to $700,000 when many homes in the broader market cost considerably more?Yes, but buyers may need to rethink the type of property they are targeting. Current Bothell inventory includes townhomes and townhome-style condos priced from roughly the $500,000s into the $600,000s, creating a significantly different entry point from the broader Bothell market.For many buyers, the biggest mistake in a competitive Eastside market isn't necessarily having too small a budget.It's searching for only one type of home.If you've been looking for a detached single-family home in Bothell, Washington, and watching prices climb beyond what feels comfortable, you may have concluded that Bothell simply isn't realistic for you.But there's another segment...
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By Marie-Noelle Metseye, Reward Trust with Excellence
(RE/MAX Northwest)
If you have the budget to buy in either Bothell or Woodinville, is spending roughly $300,000 more on a Woodinville home actually worth it, and what does that additional money buy you?Sometimes, yes, but not simply because the address says Woodinville.Depending on the specific home, neighborhood and current inventory, spending more in Woodinville may put you in a different category of property: potentially a larger lot, more privacy, estate-style surroundings or proximity to the amenities associated with Woodinville Wine Country. Bothell, meanwhile, can give buyers another kind of value: more inventory to choose from, access to a growing downtown, trails and parks, and opportunities to put more of the budget into the house rather than the location.Bothell vs. Woodinville: The Price Gap I...
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By Marie-Noelle Metseye, Reward Trust with Excellence
(RE/MAX Northwest)
Why can two similar houses in Bothell, Washington have significantly different property tax bills, and what should you check before choosing which home to buy? Bothell sits in two counties: King County and Snohomish County. Your property tax bill depends not simply on the word "Bothell" in your address, but on the property's assessed taxable value and the specific combination of state, county, city, school, EMS, and other taxing districts that apply to that parcel.That means two homes that look nearly identical, and may even be located surprisingly close to one another, can carry meaningfully different annual tax bills.PART 1: THE BOTHELL TAX LINE MOST BUYERS DON'T THINK ABOUTImagine you're comparing two Bothell homes.Both are around $900,000.Both have similar square footage.Both have t...
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By J Perrin Cornell, Broker, ABR, VAMRES
(Coldwell Banker Cascade Real Estate)
Hi all!I got looking at sales data through July 2026 and thinking back to when it was much stronger! Given the time and circumstances how did we do what we did and does that affect us today. My answers "I don't know " and "Yup it does "So I pulled out some stats, read and reread,  drank an Ultra and started trying to make sense. Sometimes I do better than others. Other times I get lost in my own musings. But looking at what happened during COVID 19 and where we are now in Washington Real Estate at a little more than midway through the year was interesting at worst and perhaps insightful at best (benefit of the doubt here).So I made a new post and It is posted here for all to read. Hope you find it of interest and perhaps the start of a way forward... barring politics, elections and well...
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By Marie-Noelle Metseye, Reward Trust with Excellence
(RE/MAX Northwest)
How do luxury buyers evaluate a neighborhood differently when deciding whether a high-end home is worth purchasing?Luxury buyers often evaluate far more than the house itself. They may consider privacy, neighborhood character, accessibility, nearby amenities, views, future development, land-use restrictions, lifestyle fit, and the property's potential appeal to another discerning buyer in the future.1. Privacy Is More Nuanced Than Lot SizeA large parcel does not automatically create privacy.Luxury buyers may look at the relationship between the residence and everything around it: neighboring homes, roadways, landscaping, elevation, sightlines, outdoor entertaining areas, and possible future construction.Consider two properties with similar acreage.2. Luxury Buyers Think About What Could...
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By Marie-Noelle Metseye, Reward Trust with Excellence
(RE/MAX Northwest)
What luxury home marketing mistakes can cost sellers premium offers, and what should you do differently when selling a high-end property? The biggest luxury home marketing mistakes include overpricing, launching before the property is presentation-ready, relying on ordinary photography, failing to create a compelling property story, using a one-size-fits-all marketing strategy, and overlooking how affluent buyers discover and evaluate homes. A luxury property needs a coordinated strategy for pricing, presentation, positioning, digital media, buyer targeting, and negotiation from the beginning. Mistake #1: Overpricing the Home Because It Is ExceptionalLuxury homes are, by definition, difficult to compare.One property may have panoramic views. Another may offer substantial acreage. One ma...
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By Marie-Noelle Metseye, Reward Trust with Excellence
(RE/MAX Northwest)
What should you know about moving to Bothell, WA during the 2026 back-to-school season?If you’re moving to Bothell, WA, late summer is an ideal time to get familiar with school calendars, daily routines, parks, trails, community resources, and the local housing market. For the 2026–27 school year, Northshore School District’s first day for most students is September 1, 2026, making August an important planning month for households preparing for both a move and the return to school.Moving to Bothell WA During Back-to-School SeasonThere is something distinctive about Bothell in August.Summer is still here, parks and trails are active, and the long Pacific Northwest days haven’t disappeared yet. At the same time, you can feel the community beginning to shift toward fall routines.For people...
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By Marie-Noelle Metseye, Reward Trust with Excellence
(RE/MAX Northwest)
What changed with Fannie Mae’s 2026 condo financing requirements, and what should buyers in Totem Lake, Juanita, Kirkland, and Downtown Bothell know before purchasing a condo?For Fannie Mae-eligible condo loans with application dates on or after August 3, 2026, the Limited Review process has been retired. That means buyers who might previously have qualified through that streamlined review path may now face a more comprehensive evaluation of the condominium project itself.Fannie Mae has also updated important property-insurance requirements, including a $50,000 maximum allowable per-unit deductible for required property-insurance perils covered by a master policy. When a master policy uses a per-unit deductible, the borrower must have qualifying individual unit-owner property insurance....
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By Marie-Noelle Metseye, Reward Trust with Excellence
(RE/MAX Northwest)
What is happening in the King County and Snohomish County real estate markets in July 2026, and what do the latest numbers mean for buyers and sellers?The July 2026 market shows buyers gaining more choices and transactions taking longer, but King and Snohomish counties are not moving identically. King County's median residential sale price rose year over year to $895,000, while Snohomish County's median declined to $710,000, making local pricing, preparation and negotiation increasingly important.If you've been watching the Seattle-area housing market and wondering whether conditions are finally shifting, July's numbers deserve your attention.This isn't simply a story about home prices going up or down. The more meaningful change is the amount of choice buyers have, the length of time h...
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By Marie-Noelle Metseye, Reward Trust with Excellence
(RE/MAX Northwest)
Why do luxury buyers consistently choose West Bellevue, and what makes this neighborhood one of the Pacific Northwest's most desirable places to own a luxury home?West Bellevue combines exceptional waterfront living, estate-quality homes, award-winning schools, proximity to Downtown Bellevue and Seattle, and one of the strongest long-term luxury housing markets in the Pacific Northwest. For buyers seeking privacy without sacrificing convenience, West Bellevue continues to represent one of the region's premier luxury real estate destinations.West Bellevue Luxury Living: Where Prestige Meets LifestyleFew neighborhoods in Washington State command the respect and admiration that West Bellevue does.Stretching along the eastern shoreline of Lake Washington, West Bellevue has evolved into one ...
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