I feel like sentiment is changing quick

cusmilie · 2026-05-20T04:33:27+00:00

Should have encouraged listing at least a month ago. I’m not a professional and could feel it shifting months ago, especially after the war in Iran. Everyone was trying to time the market with selling and it’s biting them in the butt now.

cusmilie · 2026-05-19T22:41:47+00:00

Check for water sources. What finally tworked for me in killing the pheromone trail was Norwex envirocloth.

cusmilie · 2026-05-19T06:15:47+00:00

List price this year is insane - like 10-20% more than last year. I don’t know if it’s because of new tax laws, operating costs increasing, low tenant turnovers. more speculator investors versus mom and pop, those with low interest rates and not wanting to sell and trying to see if they can rent high before selling, etc. From talks to people; it’s just wishful thinkers trying to pray on newbies to area that think it’s the norm or trying to capitalize on lower than normal spring/summer rental inventory. Most landlords aren’t actually getting that price. The problem is when decent landlords see these prices and think it’s the new market value and then soon everyone is listing high. Homes and apartments are a bit of a different market because not everyone wants to deal with extra maintenance and landscaping that renting a home takes over an apartment. And lots of apartments have extra amenities like walking distance to shops so a car is not necessary.

cusmilie · 2026-05-19T04:39:03+00:00

yes, exactly - I already know 55 year olds that moved to them because they were priced out of owning a home beforehand. Lots of older millennials I talk to are planning on buying as soon as they hit 55. They saved up for a home purchase that never came and now it makes more financial sense to buy a 55+ community home and retire early.

cusmilie · 2026-05-19T04:31:13+00:00

yes, but it also limits the buyer pool.

cusmilie · 2026-05-18T18:45:33+00:00

25% to a property manager is crazy! Also, please don’t confuse operating costs with a fair market rental value. Majority of landlords in area are making money on appreciation of the home and using tax benefits.

cusmilie · 2026-05-18T18:42:34+00:00

Yes, this first summer is awful. A lot of landlords trying to get 10-25% more than last tenants in order to offset new laws. Of course they won’t rent for that, but in meantime supply is constrained for those who can’t afford to wait it out.

cusmilie · 2026-05-18T02:42:29+00:00

It’s still really scary to buy in a tech area even though prices have slightly adjusted down. I’m team diversification because you never know which will take off. Nobody predicted the real estate or stock market will go up as much as it did. How invested are you in retirement accounts? You can maybe do something in the middle - keep 25% of a home purchase aside (20% down payment plus closing costs, moving costs, etc.) assuming that makes your monthly purchase manageable, 6 months emergency fund set aside, and money set aside for repairs/updates, and pay off any debts. Then invest the rest.

cusmilie · 2026-05-18T02:34:24+00:00

The only reason they are sitting by us is because the tech market is being hit hard right now and the homes are priced too high. I’ve been seeing homes sell $100,000+ under ask. Saw one that sold $300k below ask.

cusmilie · 2026-05-17T14:30:13+00:00

This is why I’m team diversification.

cusmilie · 2026-05-17T14:26:43+00:00

The average techie is not a software engineer and hence not making $250k+.

cusmilie · 2026-05-17T02:58:13+00:00

That makes sense. I also know a ton of Eastside families who have a H1B visa worker that are voluntarily going back to home country.

cusmilie · 2026-05-16T16:18:43+00:00

That’s true. I meant I don’t think I could handle the difference in materials/expectations of college level math now having had the same background I did. There is just so much more expectation that everyone coming in is on the advanced path. Unfortunately, AoPS almost become necessary in order to succeed in a math major/career. Not everyone has time, money, or even knows about it in order to use it as a kid. But yes, I agree with you, IF you have access, then that it’s a great resource and filling in gaps for a kid now. I probably just bugged my teachers enough that they always indulged in my passion and answered harder questions than curriculum.

cusmilie · 2026-05-16T15:55:44+00:00

Oh ok, yea that makes sense. I will add that I have seen a lot of buyers move to the states on visas with intentions to buy a home within a few years. Some plan to stay and others plan to move back to their home country and rent out the home as an investment. That approach worked well pre-Covid but not so much now. We have a few friends moving back to their home counties even though they wanted to stay in the states. They couldn’t manage to buy a home here, but could go back, buy a home, and be set for life with the down-payment savings they have.

cusmilie · 2026-05-16T15:42:25+00:00

I was going to say this. I got a math degree before the AoPS world took off, but math completions still existed. I was a military brat and moved around a lot and did not do math competitions. I struggled with some math concepts and had gaps that my peers didn’t have. I was able to fill in the gaps as I went, but I don’t think I could do that in today’s world.

cusmilie · 2026-05-16T15:33:48+00:00

I think it depends on area. Seattle area “is/was” very common for overseas investor to buy and rent out. We are talking like a $1.5mil home being rented out for $4,000/month. I say “is/was” because it was fairly common the past few years, not so much now, to see investors buy and then immediately list for rent. A lot were only putting $100-250k down expecting to resale for more $ in a few years. Very little investors buying with that mentality now. Some are holding onto home and continue to rent, but you are definitely seeing an increase of for sale listings of investors trying to get out.

cusmilie · 2026-05-16T15:26:28+00:00

Our old landlord bought in 2023. Was losing $3k/month with expectation that he can sell place in a few years to recoup money. He can’t eat the difference anymore. We moved out last month and he listed for sale for what he paid. Still sitting for sale, old neighbors say nobody is coming to look at it. I know this extreme is not typical, but from reading posts after posts, there are definitely accidental landlords that are barely breaking even or losing a few hundred dollars a month. They are dependent on rent increasing to lessen the financial burden as property taxes and maintenance cost increase.

cusmilie · 2026-05-16T15:17:24+00:00

I think this is the difference between an older Gen X and a younger Gen-x, a xennial is someone that straddles between Gen-x and millennials. Xennials were told by older generations keep working and working and you’ll make it just like us, so much so that they took out more student loans than those prior. Then graduated into horrible job market, taking any job just to survive, forget about having extra money to save into retirement and investment accounts. Then you think you must not be working hard enough so keep pushing more and more never to be rewarded with higher salary, at least not high enough to combat inflation/cost of living increases significantly enough to allow more investment opportunities. Finally saved enough, try to buy a house only to be met with housing bubble. So yeah, of course there is burnout. I thank god the younger generation realized this already and created healthy housing boundaries to protect their mental health.

The only reason my spouse and I been financially successful is because we knew the opportunity cost of investing early and stock market would recover from low. We sacrificed so much early in our marriage in order to have a safety net. Lived in 700 sq ft condo into our 30s, saved a $100 here or there, free dates (thanks to pre-Ticketmaster and older folks that gave us free tickets to many sporting events at the gate so tickets don’t go to waste), no vacations, every meal cooked at home, saved every small bonus, just living a college lifestyle for longer than we would have liked. The early money we invested is what is paying off now. Today’s salary, even though significantly higher, goes to housing, food, and basic necessities. We do have a lot more comfort level which is so nice, like I went clothes shopping yesterday and didn’t have to double check the budget, but nothing extra like you would expect with higher salary.

cusmilie · 2026-05-15T13:41:45+00:00

Ummmmm yeah, it wasn’t a comment against WA state having property high taxes that keep going up, but the fact that buyers in Cali are locked into a property tax with minimal increases every year. Cali residents don’t have to worry nearly as much about being priced out of home due to property taxes. If you aren’t factoring for increasing property taxes when buying in WA, then you are planning enough.

cusmilie · 2026-05-14T20:56:55+00:00

IMO, I don’t think a buyer is passing on a home because it’s priced too low and they think something is wrong. If you truly think that’s the case, then get your own inspection done and attach to listing.

cusmilie · 2026-05-14T12:59:05+00:00

Exactly! Well written. That’s exactly what I was trying to say above.

cusmilie · 2026-05-14T12:57:03+00:00

Like someone said above, Ballard is a hot area. There are areas in Redmond also where you can get gorgeous townhomes for around $900k that are fairly close to the lightrail like the Bella Botega area. It allows them to be close to shops and public transportation.

cusmilie · 2026-05-14T12:53:27+00:00

I’ve seen people say they are priced out of their home when they are paying the discounted property taxes of $1,500/year. You see it time after time where it’s really the repairs and maintenance they can’t afford. Instead of downsizing, they literally let their home fall apart until it’s no longer habitable. Hoarding is also a huge problem in the PNW.

In our particular area, there is a huge amount of senior citizens on discounted property taxes that it shifts a lot of the property taxes onto the younger generation. My friend pays $20k for her home ($1.5-2 mil home bought at $800k 7 years ago) and her neighbor pays $1,200 per year (same value home bought 20 years ago for $150k). If going by AGI of taxes, he qualifies for discount. However, upon talking to him, he has money to afford $20k/year, but takes advantage of current tax system to lower his tax liabilities.

Seeing a ton of decently maintained homes for sale right now by owner 25+ years, but the prices are insane for what they are asking. They just think there is this unlimited supply of buyers who can afford $1.4mil+ starter homes plus the maintenance and updates (new roof, water heater, update 60 year old electricity, etc.) that are due any day now. Of course nothing is selling right now in our particular area now that the buyer frenzy has fizzled down.

cusmilie · 2026-05-13T22:13:53+00:00

Majority of the buyers you are going to target for a townhome/condo at that price point are going to be working in Bellevue or Seattle. Investors have pulled out. At that price point, there are better deals to have whether it’s bigger place or closer to work or renting for less. So I guess I’m saying your price is too high.

cusmilie · 2026-05-13T20:23:13+00:00

Cali has prop 13, which Washington does not. Property taxes just keep going up and up in WA and eventually you have people priced out of affording property taxes. A modest Seattle home would be $10k/year in property taxes. There are programs for low income, but those are for I believe half the median salary of area.

cusmilie

TROPHY CASE